Book Review: Encyclopedia of Spirits

Encyclopedia of Spirits by Judika Illes HarperOne (January 27, 2009) $29.99 ISBN 978-0061350245 1072 pages Reviewer: Sheta Kaey I encountered this tome in my local library, which is nothing short of miraculous given the religious climate hereabouts. It was not only in my local small-town-outside-a-big-city library, but it was also in the new nonfiction books section, right up front. I don’t [...]

The Rapier’s Edge – Follow-Up Interview with Donald Tyson

Nearly a year ago, I interviewed Donald Tyson regarding his then new book, Grimoire of the Necronomicon. Since then, my review partner, Lon Sarver, and I have been working with Tyson’s system and we’ll present our findings in this the next issue. Mr. Tyson was kind enough to agree to a follow-up interview; you’ll find [...]

Functions of Ritual

Folks frequently wonder what the real utility of convoluted rituals and ceremonies in esoteric workings. Most people find such methods overly elaborate and even stifling to their spontaneity. For myself, I simply don’t have the natural sensitivity of many practitioners. As a result, I need the ritual to act as a check list. By following the [...]

Book Review: Meta-Magick, the Book of Atem

Meta-Magick, the Book of Atem: Achieving New States of Consciousness Through NLP, Neuroscience, and Ritual by Philip H. Farber Weiser Books, 2008 $14.95 ISBN 978-1578634248 170 pages Reviewer: Lupa I think I’ve been a bit spoiled in my reading choices – or maybe I’m just more of a geek than I thought. Here, Phil Farber presents a book that ties together [...]

The Fairy Godmother

A recurring fixture in the folklore of northern Europe is the fairy godmother. This mysterious woman appears by magic to attend the birth or Christening of an infant, often a child who is seemingly of no special importance. She may be alone, or accompanied by other women. She comes uninvited either to bless or curse [...]

The Rapier’s Edge – An Interview with Donald Tyson

In 2004, Llewellyn published Donald Tyson’s novel, Necronomicon, based on the stories of H.P. Lovecraft. While former Necronomicons were written as grimoires, Tyson took a novel (ahem) approach to the text, having fun with it and viewing it, as he told me at the time, as “entertainment.” He followed the following year with Alhazred, a [...]

Spirits’ Rights – A Manifesto

The Manifesto Axiom 1 It is herein asserted as axiomatic, based on direct observation, that spirits who communicate and interact with human beings are self-aware and possess their own strong sense of independent identity. Axiom 2 It is asserted as axiomatic, based on direct observation, that spirits who communicate and interact with human beings have a capacity for reasoned [...]