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Bookviews Book Reviews |
5-30-2005 |
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Our very own Wiccan Cop – Kerr Cuhulain – shares in this book decades of research into the myths and misinformation that have spread around the various communities about paganism in it's various forms, from Satanism to Wicca. This book is based on research Mr. Cuhulain did on various accusations and misinformation that have appeared in the general public and made it’s rounds from police handbooks on the occult and cults to religious bulletin boards on the Internet. The research has been painstaking, and sometimes slow, but it is accurately documented and substantiated and recorded in book form for others to reference. The bulk of this material was “serialized” on The Witches Voice website (http://www.witchvox.com) for the pagan community to read, reference and use when we are approached by others who question information they have been given. Many times acts of discrimination and harassment have been justified or based on misinformation that has since been proven to be inaccurate or unjustified or unfounded. The paperwork has been done by Mr. Cuhulain, and used by him to show various law enforcement institutions and government agencies the actual facts in many cases. There are many stories that have sprung up about Wicca, most of them developed by fundamentalists of the hard core kind, some by cultists in their own rights, and still more as offshoots of hysteria and rumors, all of which have been spread by word of mouth in certain circles and has resulted in long, useless and harassing investigations by law enforcement officers on persons who do not deserve it. The perpetrators of these legends cost our governments money in the time it takes to track them down and find the facts in the many cases. Most of the time it is lies or fantasies made up by the perpetrators, and we have wasted many man hours of our precious law enforcement agencies resources. Mr. Chulain examines some of these in detail and shows the checkered past and shadowed sources. The book covers a few “handbooks” that were published by government agencies in the 80s. These handbooks carried much misinformation to the law enforcement agencies at that time because they were written by so called “experts” who did not do enough homework or drew conclusions based on little or wrong information. These handbooks did a lot of damage on their own, and in some cases they continue to be present in the offices of many law enforcement agencies and government offices. Mr. Cuhulain points out the obvious flaws, discusses the misinformation and substantiates his facts with proof. Mr. Cuhulain carefully outlines What Wicca is. Using the written material that came out of The Council of American Witches in 1974, he focuses on the positive aspects of who we are and what our beliefs are comprised of and what our practices are. This section is carefully and clearly written out so that anyone can understand and appreciate it. I would include this whole chapter in “required reading” for anyone approaching outsiders to our spiritual path and trying to explain it. It is very well done and clearly stated. The book covers well known Urban Legends, going to the source of the misinformation, naming names and dates and speeches or articles or pamphlets that outlined these lies or fantasies. From the accusation that Ray Kroc, the founder of McDonalds, proclaimed he was a Satanist on a well known TV show to the logo of Proctor and Gamble being a Satanic Symbol, Mr. Cuhulain goes over the myths, examines the sources and documents the actual truths. Yes, Mr. Kroc was on the Phil Donahue show, and Mr. Cuhulain documents what he actually did say vs, how someone interpreted what he said. And regarding the logo on the P&G products, this was actually written up in an infamous boycott circular which states the president of P&G was on the Donahue show (again) and the Merv Griffin show claiming the company supported the Church of Satan. The 13 Stars and the man in the moon motif was finally changed 1985 because of the 15,000 phone calls about this each month, and yet… the rumor still runs rampant. There are more incidents like this, from the erroneous stories of poison candy at Halloween to Chick Tracts, Mr. Cuhulain covers the material like a pro, providing written statements, stating sources and citing cases involved with the questionable materials. The book also covers Occult Crime “Experts”, those folks who claim to be experts in Occult Crimes and criminology who have mislabeled crimes and wasted taxpayers time and money. There is discussion on Satanic Calendars, where dating of crimes, or making up of calendar events to substantiate false evidence or misrepresent actual crimes has also cost us time, money and manpower. The chapter on Symbols would be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic. It is amazing how everyone seems to find Satanic Symbols in the strangest places. Mr. Cuhulain covers many so called “symbols” and also covers some of the actual meanings of words or symbols we use today. There is also a chapter on Demons. Mr. Cuhulain writes: Mr. Cuhulain goes over the sources of this topic, giving the layman a very clear and easy to understand basis. If anyone takes the time to read this through, he will come away with a very good understanding of the subject. Again, well presented, clearly defined and simply written for those who have no background in this topic. The final chapter is titled Coming Out. This is more a guide for the individual looking to come out of the “Broom Closet” and contains some personal experiences and suggestions for the pagan considering this move. There are cautions given, obstacles you can encounter, situations that may arise. Offered here are “support groups” you can use to help you in your path. The list is quite impressive, including not only local support groups or foundations, but sources of information as well as Religious Rights groups. This is, again, a well written positive support section of the book and again, I would recommend this for anyone having a problem deciding if it would be right for them to come “Out of the Closet”. There are footnotes on just about every page, the appendices provide a glossary of Wiccan terms, a brief history of Satanism, and there is a huge bibliography and an index. The Conclusion of the book poses some “food for thought” material about the attitude of the larger community towards the steadily growing community of the pagans. It offers reflections on where we are now, and how we want to wander on our paths into the future. Mr. Cuhulain follows his own path of Wiccan Warrior in the name of the Wiccan community, assisting where he can to assure us of our right to Freedom of Religion. He is a veteran of 27 years on the Canadian police force working as a Hostage Negotiator, Child Abuse Investigator, member of the Gang Crime Unit and the Emergency Response team and now working with the police dealing with the community mentally disordered. He is an author and an Elder in the Wiccan Community, public speaker, works with the Witches League for Public Awareness and the Preceptor General of the Officers of Avalon (Wiccans in the emergency services). He has earned the respect he is given by the community and he continues on his own path “To Serve" with honor and professionalism. This book is an excellent resource, very much needed in the pagan community and thanks should be given to Mr. Cuhulain for sharing his research and taking the time to compile this book for the pagan community. A “must have” on the shelves of any community group or coven or grove, and excellent reading for the rest of the pagan community. Reviewed by Boudica |
The Egyptian Book of Days – The Calendar of Ancient Egypt ~ Melusine Draco |
This book is an adaptation of authentic ancient Egyptian calendars found in various museums and the calendar used today by a modern teaching order of Egyptian Mysteries. Based on translations by well known Egyptologists, the calendar has been recreated for use by practitioners who follow the Egyptian pantheon. It is a calendar of Egyptian Deities and their celebrations. Much research has gone into this small handbook. While based on a few Dynasties giving us written material and particular pantheons within the Egyptian Religion, it does give us a very good overview and snapshot of what the calendar of the Egyptians was and how Religion did influence the entire being of the Egyptian people. The calendar of the Egyptians does not reflect any of the European calendars we are familiar with. There were only three seasons: Inundation- when the Nile flooded, Emergence – when the waters receded and the crops were planted, and Harvest. We see the impact of nature and cycles and the growing season on the lives of the Egyptian peoples, same as we see in the European cultures, but the latitude and longitude dictates very different cycles and seasons. Ms. Draco does include much history on the culture and religion of the Egyptian peoples. Actually, one and the other are inseparable, as you can not separate the culture from the religion. The book follows the year according to the Egyptian calendar but also offers correspondences to our current calendar, making it easy to follow. Starting with the flooding of the Nile in Dhwy or July (mid July) by our calendar, the cycle is followed and explained. The author tries to cover all the major Deity events. She covers many dynastic periods where various pantheons were prominent and certain Deities survived from one dynastic period to another. Brief histories are given, certain Deities are covered, feast days are noted and Festivals are recorded. All this information is gleaned from various documented sources, coming from actual recorded texts. There is nothing here that appears to be added or included because of lack of clarity on the occasion or the translation. Samplings of the actual practice of the Religion are also included as quotes from prayers from various texts. Prayers and invocations from such sources as the Unas funerary temple inscriptions, various versions of the Book of the Dead, or the Papyrus of Nefer-uben to name a few, offer insight into the culture and religious beliefs of the peoples of the time. There is also discussion on various important items to the beliefs and culture of the people at that time. The importance of cattle and how this fit into the religious beliefs of the people, the spread of the Cult of Isis of Egypt into the rest of the world and it’s impact on the other cultures, the craft of Basketry; there is a lot of miscellaneous information here that will add to your knowledge base of the Egyptian peoples as well as fill up your mind with some wondrous facts. Hieroglyphs are also explored here, one for each month, with the focus on how this glyph fits into the material discussed. Each day is also discussed in its relationship to the month, the worship of a Deity or even if it is considered a lucky or unlucky day. Depending on events that occurred either in the Mythology or the history of the area, some days are labeled accordingly. Again, the author provides more information that will add to your knowledge base of the Egyptian people. Each day does have the corresponding date from our current calendars so the book is very easy to follow. The material is not bogged down in details yet the information appears to be complete enough and contains all you need to know to have a general understanding of what is going on. The facts are there and they are referenced so you can track them back if you want to check the references or do more research on the topic. The book is also indexed. Overall, this is a very informative book, and if you are a practitioner who follows the Egyptian Pantheons, or if you are just curious about the culture and religion of the peoples of Egypt, you will find this little gem hard to ignore. This is a good choice to augment your library on Egyptian Myths and Religions. Reviewed by Boudica |
Madame Endora’s Fortune Cards ~ featuring artwork by Christine Filipak |
Are you a fan of card oracles for your
divination but sick and tired of the complexity of Tarot? Perhaps you, like me,
enjoy the Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling deck but feel the artwork sucks? Well
here’s where both worlds meet and mesh quite well! Fortune Telling cards are merely oracles like the Tarot or I Ching, Dominoes, Astragals, etc. Unfortunately when I first got into the Occult, there seemed to be a snobbishness attached to Tarot as the “true” way of divination by the Wiccans I had met. Everyone seemed to eschew the “fortune telling” path and snubbed it as “the way of the Gypsy” which was somehow beneath them. Funny though how many Ceremonial Magickians such as the late Israel Regardie disdained using Tarot as an oracle of the future. Oh well the cycle of snobbery continues.... When I got into serious study of Sorcery, I began asking the others who I considered to be Sorcerers what they used to divine with. Most said they used regular playing cards. I met a couple who swore by the oracle “Gong Hee Fot Choy” which is based loosely on a regular cards meet Chinese symbology system. Then there was the little old lady who insisted she got the finest results with Murray Hope’s “Way of the Cartouche” which is symbolism based on Egypt. So I purchased these systems and enjoyed them but nothing really clicked with me. Oh you’ve never had that feeling have you? Then I met another colleague in Sorcery who got some really good results using the “Gypsy Witch Fortune Telling” deck. He insists on using this on all his clients and for every reality check he needs. Thankfully my ex gave me hers and I used them for some time after that. It was okay but just didn’t really click with me. I even tried the Creative Whack Pack deck developed by Roger Von Oerch also the author of “A Whack On the Side of the Head” and the follow up “A Kick In the Seat of the Pants”. Using this deck to help me solve some creativity issues, led me to read his accompanying booklet and I discovered you can use this deck for divination too. LOL It wasn’t until I bought the “Answer Deck” at Barnes and Noble that fortune telling decks made a lot more sense to me. No need to learn loads of complex symbolism here. The meaning of the cards is quite self explanatory and you merely read them in relation to where they lay. Then when one of my colleagues mentioned she bought the new Madame Endora’s Fortune Telling deck, I was hooked. The artwork by Christine Filipak is vivid in detail! The colors are striking and easily catch the eye. The allure of this deck over the previous ones mentioned is that the colors and symbolism touch me thru my love of the ages gone past. The Answer Deck is a simplistic black/white/red color scheme with symbolism that is from modern times. This doesn’t touch the esoteric side of me as well as Madame Endora’s deck does. The cards are rich in detail and cover many things such as the four elements but also uses Egyptian and Celtic symbols. Yesterday I did a divination using it & the Four Winds Spread and got Fortune, Earth, Water, Hourglass and Sphynx. The Sphynx was in the East - place of what is to come - and the meaning of the Sphynx is “be cautious of your word choice”. Very appropriate in consideration to the question I used to get my reading. I just do not use the shuffling method they suggest in this deck. I prefer to shuffle several times and then speak my question out loud and while face down slide thru the cards until I reach one that is impelling me to pull it out from the deck and lay it still face down in the appropriate location of the spread. Sometimes I fan the cards out in a straight line all face down and then choose the cards while my hand hovers over certain spots while my mind focuses on my question. Once the cards are situated in the spread, then do I turn them over and read them. I have to give Madame Endora’s Forunte Cards a solid five out of five stars! They are awesome! You will love them. Get them from www.monolithgraphics.com and tell them Moloch sent you. ;). Reviewed by Moloch |
The Answer Deck
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If you tire of verbose oracles that
feature gads of symbolism which only overloads your subconscious, then perhaps
you should try a simplistic oracle like this deck. The Answer deck is designed for the modern
individual as all of its symbolism is more or less art noveau in a black &
white on red background. The pros is that the deck is inexpensive at only eight dollars and ninety-five cents with a mat that lays out and shows you where to the lay the cards you draw from the deck. Then there is the accompanying booklet that spells out how to use the cards. Not much is said about interpretation because you’ll make up your own mind as to what the cards are telling you. The cons are the deck is very small and if you have big hands this can be a problem. The cards don’t shuffle well for me. And the color scheme is quite bland but it’s supposed to be that way. Coloration can filter your subconscious mind to believe something is otherwise what it’s position is indicating. For a beginner or someone who tires of the traditional Tarot laden with his symbols, this deck is a welcome choice. Use it for all of your day to day questions and revelations. I rate it a solid four out of five stars only because of the cons I listed above. If the cards were a little bigger and had more than three colors, I’d be ecstatic over them. You can get the cards directly from www.runningpress.com so enjoy. Reviewed by Moloch. |
Becomng Magick |
Rankine is interesting to say the least. He seems to be at least in his forties because he's speaking about practicing for several decades. He's also written articles for UK magazines under the pseudonym of "Jack Dracula". Part of the book had me enthralled and other parts left me dry. If you happen to be a practitioner with a flavor of old Khem, then all his Maat/Nuit stuff will be to your liking. (Same holds true for the Crowleyites). Some of his material reads like a Chaos practitioner wrote it especially chapter 5 the "Angle Webs" section. This is a technique to create a sigil on top of a sigil. The web it seems is used to help dispense the power of the original sigil itself. Though on page, Rankine suggests making an Angle Web of the Hiroshima Blast to draw in its power. For what purposes I haven't a clue as he does not discuss this. What really caught my attention was his discussion on the "Prime Qabalah" beginning on page 41. In essence it is his version of Gematria for the English language. The instances he cited such as "Beast", "Desire" and "Sex" all add up to 152 which not only HE found fascinating but I did as well! Then on page 45, Rankine offers some ideas about using some Hebrew Qabalah techniques like Temurah and others with his Prime Qabalah Gematria. I found the exercise to be stimulating and enjoyable. Then on page 49, he begins with the Mysteries of the Hebrew Alphabet. Um hasn't this been hashed and rehashed before? I didn't see anything worth my time in reading this and besides I tend to shy away from the Hebrew material since I'm not Jewish and don't really feel the connection to it. Page 61 is where he will lose Zad, myself and others because he begins discussing the Kalas as discussed by none other than that toady old gent from England's OTO, Kenneth Grant. Essentially these are little more than rays from the Yoni of Kali but there are 16 in Rankine's system and frankly I wasn't impressed with them. Rankine did say he attributed the Kalas to the five elements and eleven Astrological Planets traditionally used in Magick. The author further explains that the Kalas are charged sexual fluids used in a Microcosmic manner. Everything up to page 121 to me was boring as it fed upon his discussions with the Kalas. The Trans Uranian Squares was an attempt to expound upon the seven Kameas of the Planets with adding Earth, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto to the fold. Instructions in using them were included. The brief chapter on Creating Thoughtforms did nothing for me. Same old schlock with nothing new added. The last chapter on "Making Misery Magical" was simply how to conduct inner rites while you suffer from delirious symptoms of influenza and other such viruses. Pages 135-157 are some Prime Qabalah numerical correspondences. While helpful, I found it of little value as I prefer to use such techniques for my own words and sentence structures. The book does include a Bibliography and Index which is always helpful. I have no clue as to what the price of the book is because of the lack of a printed price on the cover or in the book. Mandrake's website is: mandrake.uk.net so if you want to check it out and maybe order a copy, do so there. I gave the book 2 out of 5 possible stars overall. David's original but the subject matter is highly entrenched in the Thelemic/Maat style of "Magick" which I personally find boorish. Again if that's your bag, then you'll probably love this book. Reviewed by Moloch |
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Sue Balaschak is a terrific percussionist. She’s got talent, style, rhythm and soul. I chance met her at a Bealtaine festival I attended down in the hills of southern Ohio in the heart of Amish country. (Boy those Amish don’t know what they missed!) I came over to the table where Sue’s CD’s were and then noticed the drums she had brought. Having brought my own dumbek to jam with whomever, we struck up a quick conversation. Unfortunately aside from pleasantries, someone else standing nearby took the initiative to interrupt us and my conversation was at an end. *sigh* I had only a short time to attend and then had to leave. Such are the happenstances that occur at pagan events. Yeah I could have told her I wanted to interview her but I’ve found when I do that, people don’t act like themselves. They get all cautious and guarded on everything they say. So I threw out the idea of an interview and left the event. And even though I didn’t get to interview Sue, I did enjoy listening to her CD one the way home. Later I popped her CD into my home stereo and upon twisting up the volume, I grabbed my djembe and jammed along with her in spirit. The first three tracks are more geared towards beginner percussionists and drummers. She gives you different timing speeds with the first track being 115 beats per minute and then track 2 is 120 bpm and then track 3 is 120 bpm. The next track is Spirit of the Ashika with her pounding out a terrific simplistic rhythm pattern on her Ashika. Next is Agogo Song and then Four Legged Rhythm which is one of my favorites. Fire Dance is really a get up and dance rhythm and if you like to dance around a bon fire, this is a rhythm for you. Mother Speaks is the last rhythm and it’s a doosie. There’s a lot of heart and soul in Sue’s hands. She’s very mellow in person but you can tell she pours her heart out in her playing. Even if you play rattles, claves, bells, cymbals, deer antlers, or just thump your hands on a table top, you’ll enjoy her offering here. If you just like drumming music as background Muzak for ritual, then by all means, get a copy. At only ten dollars for the CD, it’s a steal. I have to give her a solid five out of five stars for this fun and lively CD. Reviewed by Moloch |
Necronomicon ~
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I first heard about this group, Nox
Arcana, thru a postcard advertisement I got from Monolith Graphics when I ordered
their Fortune Telling deck (see other review). Are you a fan of the Lovecraftian
Cthulhuian Mythos as I am? If you are, you’ll want this CD. Or possibly you’re
into the RPG (role playing game) “Call of Nox Arcana (www.noxarcana.com ) is a menagerie of talent of two guys: Joseph Vargo who provides the haunting and whispering invocations and William Piotrowski who is all of the music. Together they weave a disturbing tapestry horror music. This music will give you the perfect setting for flesh crawling reading of the Mythos stories or a demented guided meditation or your Kenneth Grant inspired magical rituals or just plain ol background muzak for your horror RPGs. Thankfully it is instrumental as lyrics can oftentimes cause disturbances in one’s concentration during Magical Workings. This is not a slam against Vargo’s poetic recitations at all rather his lyrics are placed in key strategic places that allow one to travel their own path while listening to the music and embracing the Mythos as it was meant to be. One method I’m sure will probably become quite popular is to slide in your favorite DVD or VHS tape of a Lovecraft movie such as The Dunwich Horror then turning down the volume of the movie and cranking up this musical CD on your surround sound system and watching the chilling effects this CD will evoke from your primal fears. I rate this CD an outstanding five out of five stars! The ten dollar price tag is far and above worth its asking price especially in light of the fact that most musical CDs are now fetching upwards of eighteen dollars plus. Contact Monolith Graphics at www.monolithgraphics.com and tell them Moloch sent you! Reviewed by Moloch |