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Thursday 27 October 2005

The Book Of Talismans Amulets And Zodiacal Gems

The Book Of Talismans Amulets And Zodiacal Gems Cover This book is nearly one hundred years old and many modern readers have complained incessantly about it’s “simplicity” and one Amazon review I saw even claimed it was “overly literal.” I can only assume that these complainers prefer the vague platitudes of modern New Ageism or the incomprehensible fantasist like a Kenneth Grant to good old fashioned lore complied by people who use their classical education to explore the mysteries. That’s fine for hobbyists but for practitioners book collections aren’t for the coffee table, they’re references that will be well used and read often. The Book of Talismans, Amulets and Zodiacal Gems will be read often.

I frequently checked out a version of this book from my college library and was pleasantly surprised to see a new printing of it available on Amazon as well as a scan of it on SCRIBD. It has brief, yet thoroughly researched, explanations of almost every symbol used in amulet and talisman creation utilizing historical research, and the authors’ exploration of how Zodiac stones were used by our ancestors will help you in your own formulations. The book covers talismans from Hindu, Jewish, Chinese, Egyptian, Roman, Gnostic, Greek, Muslim and Christian traditions so there is very much something for everyone.

Downloadable books (free):

Rosemary Ellen Guiley - The Encyclopedia Of Witches Witchcraft And Wicca
Howard Phillips Lovecraft - The Doom That Came To Sarnath
Stephen Flowers - The Galdrabok An Icelandic Grimoire
Ea Wallis Budge - The Book Of Gates Vol Ii
Basil Crouch - The Book Of Forbidden Knowledge

Sunday 23 October 2005

The Witch And Other Stories

The Witch And Other Stories Cover

Book: The Witch And Other Stories by Andrew Lang

Andrew Lang's Fairy Books or Andrew Lang's "Coloured" Fairy Books constitute a twelve-book series of fairy tale collections. Although Andrew Lang did not collect the Stories himself from the oral tradition, the extent of his sources, who had Collected them originally (with the notable exception of Madame d'Aulnoy), made them an immensely influential collection, especially as he used foreign-language sources, giving many of these tales their first appearance in English. As acknowledged in the prefaces, although Lang himself made most of the selections, his wife and other translators did a large portion of the translating and Telling of the actual stories.

Download Andrew Lang's eBook: The Witch And Other Stories

Free eBooks (Can Be Downloaded):

Edward Hare - Bewitched And Bothered
Aleister Crowley - The Stratagem And Other Stories
Andrew Lang - The Witch And Other Stories

Thursday 20 October 2005

The Lord And Lady

The Lord And Lady Cover The most common are the "Lord and Lady" or "God and Goddess". They go by a ZILLION different names. They are the division of the Universe into it's masculine and feminine aspects. Thus, if you address one, you address all that is female or male. If you speak to both, than it is the same as speaking to the Universe. These two are extremely versatile, and are used quite often.

Books in PDF format to read:

Morwyn - The Golden Dawn
Daniel Haigh - The Anglo Saxon Sagas
Aleister Crowley - The Zodiac And The Tarot

Tuesday 4 October 2005

Nocturnicon Calling Dark Forces And Powers

Nocturnicon Calling Dark Forces And Powers Cover

Book: Nocturnicon Calling Dark Forces And Powers by Konstantinos

New York-based occult author Konstantinos (and yes, that is his real name) is a famous name within the darker aspects of the occult. Over the years he's published a total of six books with Llewellyn - books that are all aimed at and written for Nightkind; that is, creatures of the night, people with a somewhat darker (but not necessary evil) view of magickal workings and who prefer the darkness of the night to the light of the day. He's also written numerous articles and appeared on many different TV-shows. In other words, he knows what he's talking about.

And in Nocturnicon he talks about magick being done at night. As with other books of the same category (not necessarily about darker aspects of the occult, but definitely about magick), this is not a book written in an attempt to convince skeptics that magick does indeed work. And it's not some sort of summary about the history of magick and the occult, even though historical references does pop up from time to time. No, this is instead a manual for the believer, a tool that you can use to summon the dark forces that are hidden somewhere in the dark and the infinite universe that surrounds this planet of ours.

Take a thrilling walk on the dark side with Konstantinos! The author of Nocturnal Witchcraft presents a collection of magickal techniques for working with dark forces. Developed and tested by Konstantinos, these rites and rituals have proven to be quite powerful in harnessing nocturnal energies-even helping the author overcome a serious medical condition in a miraculous recovery that shocked doctors!

Many books about magick contain rituals that are very difficult to do, demands years and years of practice, and include accessories that aren't always very easy to find. Nocturnicon is, however, nothing like that. The rituals and exercises described here are easy to do, don't require any bizarre and impossible demands of preparation, and if you do them correct you'll see the results in no time. Konstantinos is an honest author. He discusses how the use of absinthe (not the legal stuff but rather the old, traditional version) can affect the imagination in great ways, he doesn't deny that illegal substances that help in opening up new aspects of your Consciousness, and sex magick isn't too taboo to write about.

Drawn from diverse sources-ceremonial magick, folk magick, Ancient Greek ritual, and divination-these techniques enable magicians and novices to conjure and control primal energies, thoughtforms, Lovecraftian entities, egregores, sigils, and other forces. Those attracted to the dark mysteries will relish Konstantinos' bold Exploration of sex magick, death magick, altered states, dream grimoires, and forbidden tomes.

Still, please note that it's NOT a "pro-drugs book" or kinky anthology about sleazy sex. Far from it.

If you're a diehard skeptic who doesn't believe in anything that has to do with the occult and magick, then Nocturnicon is probably one of the worst books you'll ever buy. However, if you're open to new possibilities and perhaps even feel instinctively that the darkness of the night affects you in a very special way, then there's really no reason for why you shouldn't run as fast as you can to your nearest bookstore and get a copy of Konstantino's latest work.

He actually succeeds in being amusing, thorough, controversial, funny, and serious, all at the same time, and if you add the fact that the book itself if extremely pleasing to the eye you'll realize that Nocturnicon - Calling Dark Forces and Powers is a book you cannot afford to miss.

Note to the reader of this review: I usually don't give 5 stars to a book, since most books have at least a few flaws that lowers the grade, but occasionally it does happen.

Buy Konstantinos's book: Nocturnicon Calling Dark Forces And Powers

Downloadable books (free):

George Gifford - A Dialogue Concerning Witches And Witchcraftes
Douglas Colligan - Strange Energies Hidden Powers
Michael Jordan - Dictionary Of Gods And Goddesses