Sumerian Spells from the Necronomicon

Necronomicon Spellbook by Simon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a short fast read for anyone interested. The book starts off with a bit of history as to how the book " Necronomicon " came to the surface and some of its printing history.

After a brief history the book tells the reader the steps in creating a Necronomicon spell. There are about seven steps and they are readily easy to understand instructions.

The next section of the book covers the fifty names of Marduk and for what purpose those names should be invoked. Included are sigils and explanations.

The final part of the book says that it is ok to be skeptical, just work a few spells and record your results. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. The spells are supposed to be safe and you do not have to believe in Sumerian religion to do this magic as this magic gave birth to the Sumerian religion. Give it a try . It can't hurt.

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Chaos Music

KLF: Chaos Magic Music Money by J.M.R. Higgs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Rise and Fall of KLF.

KLF was a British musical duo that I had never heard of until I read this book. No wonder because at sometime in the mid nineties they decided to call it quits and erase everything they had done from public record. They also went to Jura for the sole purpose of burning a million pounds and televising it.

Jump back to the early 70's when Bob Shea and Robert Anton Wilson wrote a book called the illuminatus trilogy. The premise is about the illuminati trying to control the world and make everything super orderly. The Justified Ancients of Mumu want chaos and freedom. This was a influential book for Drummond even if he never read the whole thing. He would be involved with plays in this topic and then he would go to make singles with his own record company. His music took the direction of lifting entire segments from songs and remixing it. This lead to some lawsuits where he had to destroy the singles he had made.
His next step was to form a band called JAM ( justified ancients of my mu)
They had a run for several years and then morphed into KLF. KLF did rave music in the nineties and early part of the 21st century. Then they called it quits. They would form an art organization.
Now why burn the money. Some say it was to Get their soul back from the devil. Other day it was a ritual against money s control over everything. None the less while this might not get read by many it is filled with synchronicity and coincident. You wil! See the philosophical input not only of Robert Anton Wilson, but also Jung, Alan Moore and Timothy Leary. Who know their big might have been a giant ritual from the collective ideaspace.

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Esther of Khazaria

The Book of Esther by Emily Barton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The year is 1942 and in an alternate universe the Kingdom of Khazaria still stands. However, it is under attack by Nazi Getmany. Of course, Hitler is never mentioned and neither are the Nazis. It is called the Dark Khaganate or Grrmanii.

Esther is the daughter of Josephus an important minister to the Khagan bek or commander in chief. As Jewish refugees come streaming in from Europe and as she over heard bits and pieces of conversation it is apparent that Germany intends to attack Lhazaria and kill all the Jews. To stop this she must play of Joan of Arc or Mulan and go out to fight. However, she is a sixteen year old girl about to be married to Shimon, future Rabbi of Khazaria.

Her only hope is to find Yetzirah, a town of Kabbalists and see if they will change her into a man. On the way to village she confronts Jewish Khaxars , Uighur oil barons and some other adventures.

The Kabbalist refuse her sex change request but Amit has a way. Esther does cobble and army together. The army of golems, Uighur, Jews , karate a etc and does mount a good fight. The thing is does Khazaria still hold out?

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If You Listen to Fools the Israeli Mob Rules

Blood & Volume: Inside New York's Israeli Mafia by David Copeland
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you listen to fools the Israeli mob rules. They had by far one of the quickest run in the New York crime scene. The Italians and the Columbians have been around forever and the Russians have picked up from where the Israelis left off in the 90's and are still,going strong.

This true tale centers around Ron Gonen. Born Roman Gonen in he Ukraine and then moving to Israel at around 11, Ron found it easy to get into trouble. Starting out with stealing he soon would move up in the world of crime. As a troubled teen after his mom would send him to kibbutzim in order to straighten him out. It did not work instead he bounced around from Kibbutz to kibbutz. He had a fondness for Tobacco and hashish. Trying to enlist in the navy early only to get caught, Ron would eventually end up in the merchant marine .

Ron started off with jewelry heists and safe cracking. Later he would move to Europe where another Israeli expat named, Sammy Merckel, taught him the ropes. Getting caught at least twice he served time in European prisons. There he would meet Ran Ephraim and Johnny Attias. Ran would be a friend and partner in crime. Johnny he would never get close to but Johnny would prove potentially dangerous. In London Ron would be guilty of fraud. Ron would travel through South America committing crimes.

In the early 80's Ron, Ran and someone else eeked out a plan to deal cocaine. Then it was off to New York to set up his coke dealership. In New York he met his second wife Honey Tessman. She was married before and had a kind from another marriage. She was also a drug addict. She would help Ron with his business and also cost him lots of money.

In the end Johnny Attias would enter New York rather violently. Killing all who got in his way, he wanted to pressure Ron into working for him. That and cancer would start to take their toll. ron's adventure end with an arrest and testifying against his former comrades. Jonny Attias would die by assassination.

The Israeli mafia had a brief but violent run in New York before they were taken down. They are the most unorganized and least traditional of all the crime groups. Their coming opened a door for the Russian mafia to slip in.

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Thirteen Rites Dedicated to the Horned One

The Devil's Dozen Thirteen Craft Rites of The Old One by Gemma Gary
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

He is a figure shrouded in mystery, the Christians call him the devil, but to witches he has a variety of names. Known he is as the man in black, auld horny, the goat food god etc. He come to ritual when properly bidden. The man in black is the central deity in traditional witchcraft. The devil is the one who initiates you into the mysteries, he stands in the great in between in fact he is the in between.
Gemma Gary has produced another small masterpiece that contains thirteen ritual dedicated to the old one. Mind you these are not Wiccan rituals these are based on traditional witchcraft. The directions are different and the tools have a slightly different use. One tool that Wicca does not have is that of the stang. The stang represents the horned god but it also represent the male and female aspects of deity and the approach is unity and love.
The first rite is a “calling the man in black” like the rest of the rituals this one should occur far away from human habitation, like out in nature or in some abandoned building. This first ritual pulls you away from the strictures of civilized man and pulls you back into the carnal forces of nature. When you summon the man in black he can appear at any times and in several; different forms. Sometimes he comes in the form of a hound, a hare , a cat, a crow or a man in a black hat and jacket. Keep your eyes open.
The next ritual is a self initiation. This one dedicates you to the path of the man in black. This ritual is done in an abandoned churchyard on a full moon light. Churches have holy power and are connected with divine energy and energy of those who have invested in that religion. Plus there is an aspect of rebellion against oppressive authority here.
The third ritual empowers the witch’s nowl. The witch’s nowl is an Iron nail that is magically empowered with divine energy. The divine energy comes from the red serpent who lives in the ground of the earth. Once the nail is empowered it is nailed into the ground t empower the working place.
The third ritual leads to the fourth ritual where in the practitioner obtains a stang and empowers it with magic or energy. An iron nail is nailed in the bottom to seal the energy in. It has horns on the top. It represents the horned god but also the masculine and feminine. It could have magical uses like that of the wand or it could be used as an object of devotion and veneration.
Now that was a sampling o the rituals that are offered. The book is small but the directions are full, complete and easy to follow. I read through the book in one day, it was that good. This is a book that any level of practitioner can use.


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A Yemeni Tale

A Yemeni Passage by Derek Franck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Land is an important commodity in the Middle East, sometimes more valuable that the lives of your family members. The worst thing you can do to an Arab from the Middle East is destroy his house that is a punishment worse than death. In the Middle East brothers do not always get along, in fact both can be the most fierce of rivals as they vie their way to power. Yemen is a land that is fiercely independent and has had to fight such outside forces as Saudi Arabia, The Ottoman Empire. There have also been civil wars and conflict aplenty in Yemen. Regardless of the injustice that reign’s truth will be set a right in the end.
Safir is a young man living in an island off India, he is of low cast and makes a living selling salt. The death of his brother tells him that it is time to move on. Taking a dow to Yemen on the Monsoon winds, Safir finds adventure aplenty by surviving storms and pirate attacks. Forced to wade to shore alone he travels the Yemen with barely the shirt upon his back. The Dawshan tells him how to survive an together thy travel to Al bautim , a prosperous city in the midst of a Yemeni desert. Once in this trading city and after some initial suspicion, Varma , a fellow Indian takes him under wing. In the city the learn to read and write and becomes a record keeper of sorts.

Not everything is so good as it seems on the surface. The governor Mutaher supposedly set up the city and made it prosperous. He hails from the Bani Hawlan, tribesmen who are rough and wild. This tribe led by Mutaher’s brother Saqaf has claims t the city. Throughout the story there is a prevalent conflict between the two groups. In the end there is a final conflict, where in the tribe attacks the city and the governor’s forces attack the village.

A little more background, an Imam came though Yemen attacking the tribes and bringing them under his rule. The imam took hostages from the vanquished tries to ensure their loyalty. Mutaher was the one taken hostage and he became governor. The bani Hawlan had diverted a river to the town which enable it to become prosperous. They crave to have it back. The governor rules the city by fear and eventually people end up fleeing the city and joining the tribesmen.

A very good story and quick moving. Storyline is original. The author does get hung up on details which makes focusing on the story rather difficult. If you love Middle Eastern literature , especially in light of the current situation in the Middle East.



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A Beginner's Guide to Norse Mythology

Norse Mythology: The Beginner's Guide by University Press Biographies
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is definitely written for beginner or newbies to the world of Norse Mythology, in fact it might even be called a children’s book. The author explains in some very brief pages the Norse beginnings of the world, who the gods are, various creatures and beings, the different realms and some Viking History. If you are well versed in Asatru or Norse Mythology you are going to want to pass this book up.

In the very beginning there were to worlds, MuspelHeim and Niffelheim. Respectively the worlds of Ice and Fire. This of course was ordained by a god of gods, father of all. From this steam came a giant named Ymir. Ymir was soon slain by Odin and Vili and Valey and from the giant’s parts came our world and mankind. Now these Norse legends have been culled from the writing of Snori Stulson and te like. These Saga like the Poetic Edda and the Icelandic Saga are the sources for Norse Mythology. These sources in many cases were written by Christians, so the sources might have a Christian like flavoring.

The Norse Realms are divided into three levels. The first level is Asguard home of the Gods. The Asgard deities include Odin, Thor, Tyr, Frigga etc. Another world contained in the upper Asgard realm is Vanaland, home of the Vanir. These land deities include Frey, Freya and the lord of the sea.

The middle Level is called Midgard, this is here our realm is and on tis plane it might be neighboring some other worlds like Svartleheim ( Home of the dark elves) Alfheim (Home of the light elves)
Then there is the lower world which has Hela (Realm of the dead) and the roots of the World Tree.
On the world tree, Ygdrasil, their lives three creatures constantly agitating each other. The eagle on top, the snake on the bottom and squirrel in between. The squirrel tries to snake and the eagl to fight each other. At the roots of the world tree. Lives the three norns who write everyone’s fate including that of the gods. There is also Niedhof who sucks with poison at the roots of the world tree. There is also an end of day’s scenario called Ragnarok. In that end the gods and giants duke it out. Thor is killed by the world serpent, Odin is slayed by Fenris and Freyr is slain by Surt, a fire god. In the end after the world is destroyed everything gets reborn and the children Asgard inherit this world.

There is a good little bit on the Vikings. The Vikings had a three hundred year reign. Starting of rom countries like Norway, Denmark and Sweden they conquered parts of England, France and even there wa an alliance with Byzantines where in they conquered much of the Middle East. Thereis a chapter on famous Viking Kings. Included in this is the famous Ragnar Lothbrook and his son Ivar the Boneless an a slew of others. Several myths about Vikings are debunked as well. They did have slaves an no they did not wear horned helmets


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