Memories of Death

MEMENTO MORI A Collection of Magickal and Mythological Perspectives On Death, Dying, Mortality and Beyond by Julian Vayne
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

survey of death

Those who are born are destined for death. Are you afraid of what comes after? Where do we humans go once we die and our soul leaves it's body. Do we go to Heaven, He'll or do we reincarnate. This book will present you with many points of view and your opinion will be up to you.

The philosophies covered vary from Haitian Vodou, Celtic views, Egyptian views. Finally at the end the reader is treated to some poems and songs dealing with death.

papa Ghede is one of the principals of the dead. He is also one of the lustiest and raunchiest of the Loa. It is meant to show that Thanatos and Eros are firmly connected. The Ghede are the dead who died unbsptised or angry. They still roam around the earth. Most spirits who die dive into a Great Lake and parts of their soul become the lowa.

Zombies are present in European theology, voodoo and Chinese Zimbies. In the Norse world there are several types of Zombies the most famous is the Druagar. The body dies but then comes back and lives in a funeral barrow. It also eats flesh and guards it's treasure. The Voodoo method involve burying someone alive, giving them psychoactive drugs and then digging them up. The brain damage makes them pliable. The voodoo practitioners believe they capture part of the soul so they can control the individual. The Jiang Shi is a Chinese zombie that eats flesh.

In the Celtic world you have tradition witches who sea the lord and lady as both agents of light and darkness. They act as psychosomatic to the real area of the dead. The versions of the Greek afterlife, Celtic are presented in detail.

Egyptian cannibalism and Sets revealing of the secrets of the after life are discussed
This book has contributions from several great authors. Enjoy!

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traversing the Left Hand Path

Uncle Setnakt's Essential Guide to the Left Hand Path by Don Webb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

No this is not a guide on summoning demons, the devil or some other nefarious entities, rather the book is a guide with pointer on how to be sovereign , independent and more perfect . It is a path that requires hard work and discipline.

The left hand path wants the practitioner to preserve and reinforce their individuality not merge with some puffy fluffy version of god head.

This quest for attainment of sovereignty has four basic goals. Rulership of the inner world, outer world, royal power in the outer world and then inner world .

Humans are like robots with the potential to become gods. We are creatures of habit reacting automatically to symbols. To achieve inner sivereignty we must break the program and force ourselves to do the opposite . We must mock those outer symbols that control us

For Rulership of the outer we must know what we truly like and what we are ready to give up to attain our goals . Not easy when it has been prepackaged and mentally installed on your brain.

royal power in the outer world comes with identifying our fears and over coming them. Within this realm we realize that we are microcosms of a vast universe that has several levels. The surface is where we interact with the universe, medial level is our level
Of programming , core level is our personality and our daemonic level interacts with magical currents of the universe. There are correspondences in the universe . To start the intimate on this path there is a very long intimation ritual that comes complete with diary writing , purification and journaling. It is intense.

At the end of the book are resources for further growth along the path. If you are looking to perfect yourself and become as a god then this is a path you definitely want to research.

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Real Life Vampires

Vampire Nation by Arlene Russo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Do you believe that there are vampires living among us, hidden in the general population hidden behind veils of secrecy? Define a vampire. What is your image of a vampire? There are many such images and your definition of a vampire might be different from the person sitting next to you. In fact the person next to you might well be a vampire.

Vampires are definitely the most popular of all cinematic monsters. Made famous by the suave count Dracula portrayed by Bela Lugosi. Vampires are viewed as sexy, seductive, aristocratic and cool. There have been a bajillion movies and books made about vampires or on their theme.

The folkloric version of the vampire is a revenant or a corpse of a dead person risen from the grave that drinks the blood of people and then goes back to it’s grave. Usually vampires are suicides, non baptized or buried in unhallowed ground. They come up as a rotting corpse and they are not at all considered attractive. In folk lore they do not have fangs, ain’t afraid of garlic and they cannot turn into bats. The movie version gives the vamp all of that and makes them look attractive. That started with Polidori’s story “The Vampire” and continued with Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” The peak of the Vampire craze started with Anne Rice’s “Interview with a Vampire” that made them super sexy and super cool.

Now the vampire scene is really thriving especially here in the states. There are different types of vampires and no they do not look anything like they do in the fiction. They are not immortal, indestructible and they cannot change into mist or bats. They are people like you and I.

Sanguniarians are the vampiores that drink blood. Usually if they are smart they get the blood from a donor who gives it willingly. They use sterile syringes and lancets. Donors are to be treated with respect. Psychic vampires feed off of excess energy. Liestyler know aht they are pretending to be vampires.

This book centers on the vamp scene in the UK and touches quite heavily on the vamp scene here in America. In America you are finding more outrageous examples o blood drinker and psy vamps. In the UK things are more subdued and most of the people involved in the vamp scene are life styler whop are aware that they playing a role.

The information might be somewhat dated as it appears to be writing at 2006 the latest. It covered some vampire crimes which hurt the movement, although I think the vampire movement has made a significant comeback. The book touches on organization for vampires, the code of ethics for these organization and some of the occult and religious organizations that cater to the spiritual needs of vampires. The author was a writer and found of a vampire magazine. If your into vampires then this book should be both an informative and interesting read.


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The Art of Seing Faeries

How to See Faeries by Brian Froud
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So young wizards and witches do you wanna see faeries? Well if you are a young adult or a serious practitioner then this book might not be the book for you. Quite frankly I am a bit surprised as John Matthews is an expert on Celtic and faerie lore. Brian Froud is world renowned for his faerie art work. I was somewhat shocked as I expected a bit more substance.

Yet to be fair this is an excellent children’s book and I am talking young elementary school children. The writing is simplistic and cute , perfect appeal for kindergarten through 2and grade. The art work from Brian Froud as awesome as always, and maybe that alone is worth the price of the book. There are some excellent portal drawings which if you meditate on them serious wizard or witch you just might be able to enter the realm of the faeries.

Now the purchase is not a total loss, as you do learn a few things about being able to see faeries. First off always speak in rhymes, faeries love rhymes. The next thing you need to know is that there are no rules when it comes to seeing faeries. The third is thing is slow down and take the time to see faeries, they are everywhere but we are just too rushed to noticed.

The faeries are there, located in those liminal spaces and times. Perhaps at sunset and sunrise trooping to and fro. Check beneath the and in between the leave maybe they are hiding there. Let us not forget that their world occupies the same space as ours. They are tricky little fellows.


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Academic View of the Jinn

Islam, Arabs, and the Intelligent World of the Jinn by Amira El-Zein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Similar to the European fairies, Indian and Persian Devas and paris, are the Jinn. Legendary creatures made of wind and smokeless fire. They inhabit an invisible world between the realm of angels and the realm of man. They interact directly with our world but are banned from entering the realm of angels. Men who seek to find them usually travel to desolate out of the way places in the desert.

The angels are made with bodies of light, ours of clay. The Jinn used to be able to enter the realm of angels and bring back the news from heaven to mankind’s ears. With the advent of Islam the Jinn were banned from entering heaven. Their leader Iblis who may have been a lower level angel or high ranking Jinn, depending on the source refused to bow down to Adam so he was expelled to the planet earth.

Now Jinn are not necessarily evil, they have a choice. They can come in any religion or none at all. Both Jinn and man will be judged for their deeds in judgment day. Yes there are Muslim Jinn. Some are good to people and other are bad.

What follows is a scholarly examination of the Jinn concept in Arabia. Sources are pulled from pre Islamic works, Orthodox Islam and popular Muslim folklore. The concept of Jinn is compared to similar phenomena in other cultures, covering a range from Arabic, Persian, Greek, Roman, Indian and European folklore.

Covered first if the cosmology of the Islamic heaven, briefly touched upon previously. The Muslim cosmology believes in seven earths each one differing from the other and each Earth contains worlds and universes. The consonants JN mean hidden or invisible . Such a concept could apply to angels, demons and other unseen being. It was thought that prior to the revelation of the Koran that the Jinn roamed the Earth and Heaven and in certain instances were thought of as Gods. The female Deities had wings and were treated much like angels or consorts to male gods. Some believe that the old Gods were in fact Jinn. After all they were unseen.

Jinn can take many forms and sometimes they just keep on changing. The Gods in the Ancient world could also shape shift and be tricky. The Egyptian gods were part animal part features of humans. Some animals like the dear were holy to the Jinn. They liked deer. Snakes were considered both good and evil and in some instances were reviled and in others worshipped.

In strict Islam the Jinn were prohibited from marrying humans yet coupling did happen. Usually the mission was to create a hybrid offspring. In folklore it happened with the hybrid having special powers. The book posits several examples. The Jinn lore is very similar to faerie lore from Europe.

The book goes on to discuss how Jinn inspire poets and the different types of Jinn. This is an good beginning primer for those interested in the lore of the Jinn.


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Life of Kabuko the Jinn

Kabuko the Djinn by Hamraz Ahsan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Parting is such sweet sorrow. The decisions we make affect us for the rest of our lives. This story is one of those stories that engage in such themes.

Unlike most other jinn stories this one takes place in Pakistan . But them jinn live all over the place . Kabuko is a member of a jinn tribe that makes bird like sounds and communicate with birds. Kabuko is a jinn that longs to understand the human existence and glean some occult knowledge that humans know . His parents and other tribe members are not so understanding. To help him in his endeavor he consults a lady named Kiya. They engage in a relationship and she teaches him what he needs to learn.

Kabuko's first attempt to inhabit a human body ends up in failure so he decides to try again. His parents try to stop him. The boy he inhabits , Ajee Shah, is a sayed, a descendant of Muhammad. Ajee's uncle gives the ok.

So Kabuko experiences life through Ajee's eyes. Together they expose Jinn learning in a madrassa, jinn inhabiting a tree who fell in love with Ajee's ancestors. They feed a snake named Babaji who protects treasure and guides people through the woods. Encounter a snake charmer who introduces Ajee to a prostitute to teach him About love.

Ajee's brother , Kerman shah gets involved with alchemy. Making to mercury balls go solid. Bhoa last teaches some secrets. In the end Ketman perishes in a flood.

Bhao lar takes Ajee under his wing and introduces him to a dervish. Together they explore spiritual worlds and discover enlightenment .

Ajee also falls in love with a female Jinn. They marry and have a child.

Things proceed to the end but I will leave that for you to r

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