KosherTorah Protection

Protection from Evil - E-Book Edition by Ariel Bar Tzadok
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Every once in a while one finds that they feel there is some negative energy following them and jinxing everything that they touch. If you are a New Ager or some follower of an arcane occult tradition you may find yourself doing a ritual to protect yourself or ward off the energy. Most religious Jews will probably not feel this way, cause mainstream Judaism by and large no longer really believes in the occult. They may believe in idol worship but do not practice it. Yet some occultist might try to influence the mind of an orthodox Jews. The author believes that thy use some fort of hypnosis or hypnotic suggestion to get into the mind of the Jew or any individual for that matter. The best practice is not to sin. The author does not go into too much detail about Wicca, Voodoo or Santeria. On one hand he says the practitioner occult ability is not based on working with spiritual powers but rather hypnotic techniques or power of suggestion. Other times he will say that there power is derived from unholy spiritual powers of the Sitra Achra. He does not really fear these curses put out by these people.

There are two spiritual beings that humans must be fearful of. The first are the Shedim, demons who were half formed during the days of creation and never completed. They tend to fed off the spiritual essence of offerings and energy. When people leave offering for gods or other entities many of the time it is demons disguising themselves as these gods? This happens even during meditative communication. How can we know if anyone is who they say they are on the astral realm? Demons feed off of sinful energy and sometimes psychic energy of sorcerer. They also feed of on blood offering. Shedim want to sign pacts with us so they can dominate us and our families. The second one is an earth spirit or Dybbuk. The displaced spirit is drawn to sin full behavior and want to take over the hosts body so it can live sinfully once again.

There are many spiritual creatures that we share the planet with. One is an angel called Mazal that directs the life force of the divine into our vessel. There are other angels who take on a name based on the temporary job they are tasked to do. Different angels can be a Michael and an angel can be a Michael or an Uriel. Mazal acts like a guardian angel and in the past people would attack their victims Mazal rather than them directly. There are also warrior angels. The author does believe in Earth spirits like faeries and dwarves. He states that most want nothing to do with us unless they want to drain our energy.

Fear of the evil eye is prevalent. The author one time was walking down the street with a female acquaintance when she noticed another woman more smartly dressed than she was. The acquaintance called the “smartly” dressed woman a nasty name. Moments later the woman was hit by a bus. The glance of envy is given without the giver even noticing it. The best way to avoid the evil eye is to dress modestly and do not show off.

Many sorcerers try to get into your mind especially advertisers. The way to beat this is to close your mind and eyes from sin. Take a verse from the bible and some of your own stuff and prey.

If you believe in the possibility of psychic attack, this book will tell you the spiritual strategies to protect yourself but more importantly the author will instruct the reader to live righteously. No point in locking the gates against evil when you allow evil in through the back door.


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A Guide to Extreme Living

The Psychopath's Bible: For the Extreme Individual by Christopher S. Hyatt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is not s a book for everyone , in fact most people will find its objective intolerable and will not bother to read it. The books viewpoint does not speak charitably about the state of mankind. In the past many books have been written about psychopaths and sociopaths, but no books have been written for them! The two terms , psychopaths and sociopaths have been used interchangeably that they now mean the same thing. Psychologists have now invented a new term called Antisocial personality disorder. When describing the psychopath usually such terms as violent, impulsive, no respect for Authority are flung around. rhe DSM 4 has quite an sack definition. Yet, psychopaths walk among us and they are too smart to be violent. You tyrants, politicians, CEO's are in many cases good examples of a psychopath .

In the book the psychopath is referred to as a toxic magician, master, master manipulator etc. His goal is the destruction of the human race so that it can make way for another more advanced and useful life form can take over. I wonder how many people would agree to this objective? Most people are very weak minded . They are followers or sheep who are easily controlled , they just do not know it. Many people think they want to be free but that is an illusion. What they really want is to be controlled in a way they find acceptable. That is a view point I can easily agree with. Now the toxic magician must reach his aims non violently. In fact he does not want to. Kill off weak people he wants them around so he can manipulate them. Some times you destroy people by giving them exactly what they want. So you want to doom the human race, support programs that feed the poor. This will then create a drain in the natural resources and when they run out there will not be enough to feed the people thus causing a more massive die off. He makes a point but I am not sure I want to wipe out the human race.

The book has excellent techniques , although subtle , on how to manipulate people. Let's face it the world out there is a jungle. People are always manipulating you and others. Just the hard cold truth. Face it! We live in a concrete jungle where the stronger survive . You have no real rights or possession because the government can take it away from you at any time , so can a more powerful person. The real criminal are the government and big business they steal more from you than the common steer thug. Yet we pursue the street thug with such vigor.

I class this book up thee with Sun Tzu's Art of War, the 48 Laws of Power and the Prince. The manipulation techniques are truly subtle and sublime,yet truly effective. Read this book,at least three times to really learn it. Oh yes the author has graciously included a course of books for further learning.

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Journey to the Underworld

Lost Gods by Brom
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The gods are battling it out again, deities ranging from
A variety of ancient religions. The story starts off with the ghost of a young boy trapped in a cemetery, where he is constantly tormented by two demon boys. Good thing they cannot get him or they would tear him apart.

Enter Chet Moran, just out of prison for a drug dealing charge. His girlfriend is the daughter of a judge who does not approve of drug dealers. When he goes to retrieve his pregnant girlfriend a chase ensues where in he runs over his old PE coach.

Guilty of murder with an angry judge on their tail they decide to hide out at grandmother Lamia's house. She is a healer and a witch with a dark secret. The cemetery is near her house as are a hoard of ghost children. When Chet wanders out well they tear him apart.

Now a spirit he must rescue his girlfriend and unborn daughter from a terrible fate. He journey to the underworld to retrieve a key that can save everyone. In purgatory the old gods are struggling to hang on. The colonel and his green oats are killing the old gods with the help of demons from Hell. Chet gets caught up in the mess and a great adventure ensues.

Reminded me a lot of Neil Gaumans American Gods which I liked as well. Borrowing motifs from several religions the reader will
Enjoy the romp through the underworld.



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Heiress Dracula

And I Darken by Kiersten White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lately there has been trend to transform male characters into female character for a modern retelling. It was done with Starbuck in the “Battlestar Galactica “ reboot. Marvel comics is doing it with Thor. This one does it with Dracula. Her name is Ladislava.

Vlad Dracul is a member of the “ Order of the Dragon” set up by the Pope of the Catholic Church to fight infidels. Infidels meaning Muslim Turks. Of course Dracul is a member of the Byzantine Orthodox Church and at times he makes treaties with the Ottoman Turks only to break them. Radislava is the first born and she is female, definitely not a mark of prestige. Yet she grows up behaving like a man. She fights, she is brave and daring qualities of a good warrior. Her younger brother Radu is a boy but weak, pretty and charming. Dracul begin to favor his daughter. Growing up in Tirgoviste Radu is bullied upon by the other boyar children and by his older brother Mircea. Ladislava fights his battle for him. When things get shaky in Tirgoviste Dracul barters his children away to gain a treaty with Sultan Murad.

In the capital of the Ottoman Empire, Edirne. They grow up in a luscious ottoman court where a tutor teachers them the tents of Islam and the ways of Turkey. Soon they befriend Mehmet the Sultans third son and end up going with him to Amasya. Together they have adventures and get cauht up in court intrigues. Radu finds out about himself and his forbidden desires. Ladislava learns to fight and trains it the Janniseries. She fights for the Sultan and saves his life.
A great book for young adults although there are some things that I would not deem suitable for Young Adult, like having wo guys making out. They can be exposed to that later. The rest of the book is good and shows the complexities of growing up in court and being a teenager


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Secret History of the Jews in The Latin World

Secret Jews: The Complex Identity of Crypto-Jews and Crypto-Judaism by Juan Marcos Bejarano Gutierrez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

1492 was recorded as one of th lost disastrous for the Jewish people residing in Spain. The three choices were simple conversion, death or leave Spain. In reality, though, their terror began in 1391, the Visogoths forced all,the Jews to convert or die. Many Jews chose to convert . Some Jews survived by fleeing to another kingdom but as the years rolled by the antisemitism would,catch up and they would face pogroms. Between the years 1391 to 1492 the Jews would face several outburst of antisemitism.

Much of the antisemitism was Church inspired and rhe peasantry were the ones who carried out the violence. Sometimes the nobility would try to protect them but to no avail , the mob rules. Jews who converted to Catholicism were known by several names Marrano (pigs), conversos and Anusim . Once convert they went to church and outwardly tried to be the best Christians possible. Inwardly though many Anusim continued to practice whatever Judaism they could at home and practice Christianity on the outside. Conversos were never fully accepted. The neighboring Chrisitisns regard them with suspicion . In fact conversos never got much of a Christian education any wonder they practiced their Judaism. Many were accused of Judaizing.

The book examines rabbinical,attitudes toward the Anusim and how the other Jews interacted with them. Never quite fitting in once they left many would make an open return while,others would hide. The hiding continues to is day with many in Latin American countries claiming descent from Anusim. Gaining acceptance into,e Jewish community has many challenges and the Jewish community has a variety of ways it responds.

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Journey to the Witchlands

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For Safiya and Iseult it is another adventure gone wrong. Trying to rob stagecoaches in the witch lands can be hazardous especially if it is someone important, like guild master or royalty. They try tomstopmtheir bomb from going off and end up fleeing to an abandoned lighthouse in Catorra. But getting away will not be easy. A blood witch is on their tail and they are relentlessly pursued by Cartoran soldiers. All this happens during truce talks where in e the three empires and one small state are to begin negotiations. Prince Merrick wants to feed his people as his country Nuvrecnan has been destroyed by magic.

Safiya is in the run not only from Royal guards but also her destiny. She is a truthwitch, someone who can tell if one is telling the truth or lying. She is valuable to the leaders of empires.she is also a Donna or female nobility but she wants no part of that. Her drunk uncle Eron is a hell bard who protects her from other hell bards. The Emperor of Cartorra wants to marry her and it is at a royal dance that she makes her disappearance ,

Iseult, her best friend and a thread witch , bail in different directions . Iseult returns to her home only to find it silently ruled by a purist. She and her mother are driven out. In the process she is grievously wounded. Safiya flees with Merrick to get to Lwjna. All the while pursued by a blood witch.

Plenty of intrigue in the thinning quite a few good plot turn, when I read this I could not put it down. It is young adult fiction and they do use the sh word. But other than that everything else is appropriate . I look forward to reading more from this author.

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