ðə bˈʊk ɪz ɹˈɪʔn̩ ɪnðə fˈɔːɹm əvən ᵻpˈɪsəl tə hɪz mˈædʒɪkəl sˈʌn, tʃˈɑːɹlz stˈænsfɛld dʒˈoʊnz, fɹˈeɪɾɚɹ ɐtʃˈæd, hˈuːm kɹˈoʊli lˈeɪɾɚ dˈaʊɾᵻd æz bˌiːɪŋ hɪz tɹˈuː mˈædʒɪkəl sˈʌn, ɐsˈɜːɾɪŋ ðæt ɐtʃˈæd hæd ɪn fˈækt ɡɔn ɪnsˈeɪn, sˈaɪɾɪŋ æz ˈɛvɪdəns ɐtʃˈædz "ʌpˈɛndɪŋ ðə tɹˈiː ʌv lˈaɪf" ɪn hɪz kjˈuː.bˈiː.ˈɛl., ɔːɹ ðə bɹˈaɪdz ɹᵻsˈɛpʃən, ðə fˈɜːst ʌv ɐtʃˈædz mˈeɪdʒɚ kˌæbəlˈɪstɪk wˈɜːks.
The book is written in the form of an epistle to his magical son, Charles Stansfeld Jones, Frater Achad, whom Crowley later doubted as being his true magical son, asserting that Achad had in fact gone insane, citing as evidence Achad's "upending the tree of life" in his Q.B.L., or The Bride's Reception, the first of Achad's major qabalistic works.