Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Over? by Collen A’Miketh

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Over? A book about stuff
by Collen A’Miketh
reviewed by Nina Lazarus for the Esoteric Book Review

Let me start by saying this is an interesting book.  Although the title attempts (and fails) to be funny (WTF = What The F—k), and the cover tells us it is a humorous book in places, it did not make me laugh.  It did however make me nod with agreement in places, and gave me cause to appreciate the depth of experience and ideas that have been put into this work.  Put in simple terms, this is basically a book about the principles of chaos magic without all the pseudo-science that so often detracts from the underlying concepts.  The author encourages the reader to apply their magick as action rather than reaction, and from this premise the book evolves.
The discussion of paradigms, realities, data streams, sigils and personality modification make the chaos flavour of the book clear.  However refreshingly the discussion is much more accessible and less irritating than many other chaos magic books which are much less grounded in reality than this one.  Of course in true chaos magic style, other systems get a look in, like the ubiquitous Wheel of the Year, which seems to have become the workhorse of modern paganism, without people ever really doing much with it, and poker hands as a comparison with magick (classic pub discussion chaos magick there).
I also have my criticisms of the book, which are more niggles really.  I dislike the use of the term pentacle for the pentagram, a common terminology error these days, as is the inappropriate use of the term grimoire.  I also found the pathworking irritating and self-indulgent.  Nonetheless overall I have to say this is a worthwhile volume, and should be read by people after they have been studying for a year or two, to encourage them not to get too set in their ways early on their path.

 

The HedgeWytch review of Hekate Liminal Rites

This is a review from The HedgeWytch Magazine – http://www.sothisstar.co.uk of Hekate: Liminal Rites here is an extract of what they said. To read the full magazine which includes articles by Pete Nash, Isobella Faye, Michael Hower, Shani Oates, Bill, G Nottingham, Chattering Magpie and many others see the website for subscription details.  The review is from issue #47:

“For all of you who are drawn to this most fascinating liminal goddess, Hekate, you will not be disappointed.  And for those of you who wish to explore and learn more about Hekate, then this is certainly for you.  Drawn from historical sources, the reader is taken on a journey from Hekate as Phosphorus (light bringer) and liminal goddess of the gate through the exploration of some of her most well known titles from (in alphabetical order) Chthonia (‘earthly one’) to Trioditis (‘of the three ways’).  Just this list of titles will draw the reader in.  ….  ….. ….. …. A highly recommended read for all.”

 

Butterfly Tai Chi by Martin Faulks

Gateways to Health Series

Butterfly Tai Chi: Health, Energy and Tranquility in Ten Minutes a Day

by Martin Faulks

reviewed by John Canard for the Esoteric Book Review

This little book is the latest offering in the delightful Gateways to Health series from Watkins Publishing.  As with the other title by Martin Faulks (Secrets of Rejuvenation: Zen Warrior Exercises), this book is very concise and manages to explain the exercises in a very simple yet precise way, making them very accessible.  This book is really Tai Chi for the busy twenty-first century person, allowing you to access the benefits of this system of energy circulation for better health and wellbeing in a very practical manner.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone interested in tai chi, healing or subtle energy work – a little gem!

 

The Book of Treasure Spirits – Coming Soon!

This is an exciting new release due out from Avalonia and David Rankine:

THE BOOK OF TREASURE SPIRITS
With Introduction & Commentary by David Rankine

Conjurations of Goetic spirits, old gods, demons and fairies are all part of a rich heritage of the magical search for treasure trove.  During the Middle Ages and Renaissance the British Monarchy gave out licenses to people seeking treasure in an effort to control such practices, and this is one reason why so many grimoires are full of conjurations and charms to help the magician find treasure.

Published here for the first time, from a long-ignored mid-seventeenth century manuscript in the British Library (Sloane MS 3824), is the conjuration said to have been performed at the request of King Edward IV, with other rites to reveal treasure, to have treasure brought from the sea, and to cause thieves to bring back stolen goods.  Conjurations to call any type of spirit are also included, recorded by the noted alchemist and collector Elias Ashmole, as is an extract on conjuration practices from the Heptameron, transcribed into English for practical use by a working group of magicians, before its first English publication by Robert Turner in 1655.

These conjurations demonstrate the influence of earlier classic grimoires and sources, with components drawn from the Goetia, the Heptameron, and Reginald Scot’s Discoverie of Witchcraft. The material includes spirit contracts for the fallen angels Agares and Vassago, and the demon Padiel, as well as techniques like lead plates for binding, and summoning into a glass of water, which hark back to the defixiones of Hellenistic Greece and the demonic magic of the Biblical world.

This material forms part of a corpus of conjurations all written in the same hand and style of evocation, linking Goetic spirits and treasure spirits with the archangels and planetary intelligences (Sloane MS 3825), and demon kings and Enochian hierarchies (Sloane MS 3821), making it a unique bridge of style and content between what are often falsely seen as diverse threads of Renaissance magic.

Soon available from www.avaloniabooks.com

 

Gateways to Health series by various authors

Gateways to Health series

Secrets of Meditation: Simple Techniques for Achieving Harmony by Philippa Faulks

Secrets of Rejuvenation: Zen Warrior Exercises by Martin Faulks

Self-Healing Reiki: Healing for Mind, Body and Soul by Brian Cook

The Five Healing Tibetans: Simple Exercises for Rejuvenation and Health by Jason Gyre

reviewed by John Canard for the Esoteric Book Review

These small books are tasters, or perhaps more correctly, primers, which give the reader an introduction to the techniques contained within.  The material is largely accurate, though in some places it seemed to me to be too simplistic even for a primer, e.g. in the secrets of Meditation, the page on the chakras tells you briefly about them and that you can focus on them.  The investment of anothe rpage with a meditation would have been worthwhile here.  Nevertheless the rest of the book is good, as are the others.  They would make ideal gifts for people who are new to a spiritual path, or not rigidly following a particular way, and who want to focus more on their subtle energy and being more balanced and healthy, which is the underlying theme running through all of the books.  I particularly enjoyed Secrets of Rejuvenation, as for me this struck the greatest chord of balancing the information about the technique with the practice, making it a very lucid guide.  All in all an interesting read, and worth looking at if you are doing any energy work.

 

Stellar Magic Launch by Payam Nabarz

It is rare to encounter a book amongst the many being published today which truly looks at a subject from a new perspective, with eyes wide open and with a passion which goes all the way to the core.  Stellar Magic by Payam Nabarz is one such book and I was honoured to be able to attend the launch party for this book at the Atlantis Bookshop in Museum Street, London and to have my copy signed by the author.  A copy which will be much treasured in years to come. The event was very well attended and I was greeted by the friendly staff and made to feel welcome with a glass of wine to boot!  Payam spoke about the book, giving little insights into each of the chapters and it was really good to be able to get a feel for his passion on the subject, something which is so evident in the book too.

Stellar Magic is a Liber Astrum, a book of the stars.  For those who have not been fortunate enough to encounter this new book by Payam Nabarz, who is well known for his work on Mithras, as yet details can be found at the Avalonia website.   I include it below for convenience and will be writing a review very soon!

The stars have influenced mankind with their magic from time immemorial, as evidenced by Archeoastronomy; instructing astrologers and priests, guiding sailors and inspiring poets. For millennia, cultures all around the world have told their myths and legends through the canvas of the night sky. Yet despite the immense significance of the constellations and stars in the ancient world, stellar magic has been largely ignored in recent centuries.

In this inspirational and practical Liber Astrum, the author draws together material from ancient, classical and medieval sources; spanning East and West, fusing modern poetry with ancient magic, mysticism with myth and ritual with recital to lift our gazes back to the heavens.

The author’s breadth of scholarship is seen in the spectrum of material he weaves together, from sources as diverse as the Hymns of Orpheus and Plato’s Timaeus to the Zoroastrian Yasht hymns and Persian Pahlavi Texts, the Sufi works of the Ibn Arabi and Rumi; from the Chaldean Oracles and the Greek Magical Papyri to the Books of Ezekiel and Enoch, from the Picatrix and the Sefer Yetzirah to the works of John Dee, Rudolf Steiner, Gerald Gardner and Aleister Crowley. The poetic inspiration of the stars is also expressed through material and ideas by such luminaries as John Milton, Gerald Manly Hopkins, Sylvia Plath, Robert Graves and W.B. Yeats.

Through the enchanting words and ceremonies provided to lead the way, timeless journeys to the stars are woven around the participants. Included amongst the rites are ceremonies with the constellations of Perseus & Andromeda, Cygnus, Orion, the Pleiades, the Great Bear, Draco, the twelve signs of the Zodiac, the star Sirius, the Moon, the seven classical Planets, and the Stellar World Cave: the Mithraeum.

This is a highly accessible, succinct and practical book on a complex subject, which will benefit anyone interested in the magic of the stars, from the casual observer of the night skies to the dedicated magician or mystic.

Available from The Atlantis Bookshop, other esoteric and occult shops and directly from Avalonia.

ps. There are some photographs of the event available at the Avalonia WordPress Blog.

 

A Sealed Fate by Lisa Gordon

A Sealed Fate by Lisa Gordon

reviewed by Nina Lazarus for the Esoteric Book Review

I do not read fiction as often as I could, and magickal fiction can be even harder to find.  So when this book arrived I was intrigued to see how it would read.  It is a thriller with a twist, which engages the reader well.  The heroine travels to Dubai and works as a singer to escape a failed relationship, only to get caught in a web of intrigue.  She is helped by an astrologer who forms a sisterly bond with her, and the plot focuses around the fight between fate and free will.  I won’t say any more because I don’t want to give the plot away.

What I will say is this is one of those books that is hard to categorise.  It is well written and engaging, but it feels like most of the book travels at second gear.  The last 40 pages suddenly speed up to fifth gear, rushing you along with some surprises and twists which really keep you guessing up until the last page!  If the whole book was like that it would be a huge hit, and maybe the author can speed the pace up in her next work, as this is a debut novel.  Nevertheless it is a very enjoyable read, and worth persevering with, as the apparent slowness does develop into a real crescendo of events at the end.  Most entertaining and well worth reading!

 

Ecstasia: An Introduction to Transcendental Music and Dance by Julia R. Zay

Ecstasia: An Introduction to Transcendental Music and Dance by Julia R. Zay

reviewed by Sr_Chamos for the Esoteric Book Review

This is a book of passion and dance, which does exactly what it says.  However it should be understood that the material, which covers a lot of ground, has been synthesised by the author into a working system of trance dance.  As a result, although someone with experience could cherry pick from her material, if you are new to the idea of trance dance, you are probably better off going with the whole system and following the guidelines she has set, which are the result of extensive experience.

The material is extremely practical, without leaving out reference ot the symbolism and magic, and drawing on good sources.  From Ficino to Orpheus, folk tales to drums, the scope of this book is considerable, and reflects the desire of the author to present a pure experience undiluted by the modern tendency to spoon-feed and make things easy.  This is not about easy – it is about results, which is an entirely different ball game!  I loved this book, now let the dance take you!

 

Servants of the Grail: The real-life characters of the Grail legend identified by Philip Coppens

Servants of the Grail: The real-life characters of the Grail legend identified by Philip Coppens

reviewed by Nina Lazarus for the Esoteric Book Review

This fascinating book presents a completely different take on the Grail legends – placing them out of the realm of myth and firmly in the chain of history.  The author places the events of the Grail legends within the Spanish royal court of Aragon during the period 1104-1137, and furthermore identifies various of the protaganists, especiallyPerceval.  He also claims that the Grail was in fact a foundation stone, similar to those found at Jerusalem and Mecca, or in Freemasonry.

Another intriguing premise is that the cup is actually the fourth Hermetic treatise, known as The Cup, bringing the distilled essence of thousands of years of Greco-Egyptian magic and religion into the spiritual nature of the Grail, and establishing its value as an emblem of living a worthy life.  This book merges pagan and Christian concepts, tying together a huge range of paths and information, from King Solomon to the Knights Templar, from Ethiopia to Aragon.

In the post-Dan Brown era, here is a book which opens the Grail debate again, this time in entirely new directions, some of which may finally provide some definitive answers, and show how the merging of real and mythic has been and will continue to be one of the underlying drives in human history.  Highly recommended reading for the enquiring mind!

 

Walking an Ancient Path: Rebirthing Goddess on Planet Earth by Karen Tate

Walking an Ancient Path: Rebirthing Goddess on Planet Earth by Karen Tate

reviewed by Nina Lazarus for the Esoteric Book Review

Books which describe a person’s spiritual journey range from the sublime to the ridiculous.  Happily this book does not come across as the latter, being full of information which makes it more useful and acceptable than the unbelievable saccharine of certain books by well known angel authoresses.  As someone who has experienced Fellowship of Isis rituals firsthand, I found her descriptions of the rituals led by Lady Olivia brought a big grin to my face, as I saw the mental images they conjured up floating past my eyes.

For a book which might seem a light read, this is not a light read!  As you read through the experiences, places, cultures and goddesses, you are offered a perspective which encourages you to go outside your comfort zone and look further.  In this the author demonstrates a real skill in bringing to life her experiences in a way that people can relate to, making them move beyond personal and more into universal.  For this I commend her as a true priestess, whose service above ego approach is quite frankly a relief after some of the genre books I have read!

This is a book which is from the heart, and reaches to the heart, whilst contributing to the feeding of the soul.  Read and enjoy!