The Art of Berserkergang

Putting on the Wolf Skin: The Berserkergang and Other Forms of Somafera by Wayland Skallagrimsson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Art of Berserkergang

Most people have been under the impression that berserkers went out with the age of the Vikiing and that their art was truly in fact a lost art. Berserkergang is both an internal and external martial art used by berserkers to not feel paying and too increase their strengths so they could take on multiple opponents. Berserkergang is not dead.

This book spoke to me and reason acted with me in ways I thought it could not have. He makes the claim that Berserkers are a special breed of people who are prone to feeling their emotions more acutely then others and can be rather boisterous or. Go in shutdown mode because society cannot accept their personalities. Berserkers types can also get really angry if they are wronged in the slightest. This really does sound like me. It is definitely the author.

The author went ahead and studied Berserkergang by exploring old Norse texts and attempting to glean both the history and techniques from those works. Berserkergang is a form of somafra where in the Berserker gets into a state of mind that enable him or her to ignore pain and have extra strength. Somnafera is practiced by tantric practitioners, Celtic Mainads, Christian Pentecostal and a a few others.

Years ago the author set up an online forum for those interested in Berserkergang, it eventually evolved into people meeting and discussing different for of Somnafera . They would spar with hands fleet and weapons all in the effect of improving their technique and learning more.

The boiled things down to some techniques to get into Berserkergang which I plan on using, 1) Involves using mediation to clear the mind. 2) Invocations to Odin 3) Ecstatic Dancing 4) Pain causing techniques. Once Bersergang is properly have reached both sides of the mind are unified and the back part of the brain takes control. THe sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system are in parity.

The book is divided into two parts.The first part deals with Berserkergang strictly while the second part deals with Somnafera . These states of mind can be used for problem solving and entering into a trance state. The author developed most of these techniques in league with peers and some reading. While not heavily to researched from an academic standpoint he does bring in multiple points of view to support his points. I like it.

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Ragnarok American Style

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Neil Gaiman is a fiction author that speaks to me in a non fictional way. Not only does he crank out a good story with a stellar cast of characters but also manages to insert several metaphysical truths. I kind of like to rank him among Chaos magicians and other enlightened Pagan. He has done his reading even if it is not apparent at first.

Shadow is pulling time in prison for some violent crime . He is accompanied by some dude named Low Key (Loki). He figures later in the story. In any case an early release is granted after his wife Laura and his boss die in a traffick accident. A stranger named Wednesday offered him a job. Wednesday is really Ofin and he has a really big job for Shadow. A new set of gods is trying to muscle in. They are technology gods and they want to keep the same pattern but they want to introduce a new paradigm. Shadow goes on a slew of adventures, some with Egyptian gods and deities from other pantheons. A great war is about to come about. The tech gods are worried for their positions as well because once the gods are forgotten they lose their power and whither away. Things climaxed on a hill called Rocl City. Along the way Shadow solves crimes and meets a vast assortment of characters. He solves murders, reconnects with old friend.

But I'm the end Odin and Loki have a plan. Elements are pulled from the mythology and are plugged in quite well to the story. The story and the book are great. I found the additional excerpts a bit painful and boring to read after the story was finished. A must read.

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The Outer Edge of Magic

Magic on the Edge: An Anthology of Experimental Occultism by Taylor Ellwood
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The outer edge of magic, it is a place of experimentation, trying new things and seeing what ultimately works and what does not. Taylor Ellwood is a pioneer in the magic world cutting across accepted boundaries by doing new things and recording his results so he can share what works with his reader ship. Taylor has bone beyond Chaos magic and is a pioneer in Pop cultural magic. Working with superheroes as well as gods Taylor delivers on the good.

This book has contributions from several authors. Among these authors are Taylor himself, Lupa, Tony Mierzwicki, Agent 139, Sarah Lafirefox, and a slew of others. The subject spoken about range froom Time magic where in the magical operator does a working an they visualize themselves doing things differently in the past. The untimate goal of the working is to change you as a person or change the present circumstances. A couple of authors talk about this subject. Lupa and Taylor discuss working with collages an invoking people or other events into your life. It is a simple piece of magic that is easily performed and even has a variation written about in that oh so famous book , The Secret. Lupa gives good discussion on Robert Anton Wilson’s Prometheus and the four divsions of the personality and how to integrate them and become more familiar with them. Tony discusses fractal meditation by invoking the spheres of our chakras and calling or Egyptian gods. Tony always has good stuff. There is also magic instruction on sigil making, healing and pain and body Mod.

If you are looking for a new direction in your magic and spiritual studies I am going to strongly advise that you buy this book and read it. Personally I am finding that I enjoy Taylor’s easy to follow down to earth approach to magic.


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Reclaiming the Dark Goddess

Mysteries of the Dark Moon: The Healing Power of the Dark Goddess by Demetra George
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It is one of those books that I enjoyed so much more than I thought I would. The book is geared towards females and one of the thrusts is about women discovering or regaining their power, especially in the cronw phase of their life. As a male I thought it was relavent.

The dark moon corresponds to other phases of our life and the dark moon also relates to the dark goddess and her many guises. The dark moon is when things come to an end. It is the Breaking down and dissolution of old patterns before something new comes about. It is the winter of the year when everything is dormant and waiting to be revived. The dark goddess and moi. Have gotten a bad wrap. But the goddess herself was resting much like the leafless tree in winter. The goddess will be reborn.

Among the many things discussed by this book are the dark times of our life and on the solar wheel there is whT I call a grand discussion on position in the stars that deals with our evolution. There is also a chapter on how the goddess was eclipsed by the make driven religions that came after it. Chapter three talks about the many guises of the dark goddess.

I found the book most illuminating. When you read it I hope you will feel the same.

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Flying Witches of Veracruz

The Flying Witches of Veracruz: A Shaman's True Story of Indigenous Witchcraft, Devil's Weed, and Trance Healing in Aztec Brujeria by James Endredy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Deep in the Taxulta Mountains there is witches festival that goes down attracting all the witches in Mexico and then some. Magic is a alive and well in Mexico. In the cities it is blended with Catholicism, Voodoo and Native American Magic. Up in the hills many tribes still hold on to their ancient ways unadulterated. For the practitioner of magic this sounds like, just be careful who you upset or you might get witched.

The book starts off with the author waking up in a cave almost blind and scared out of his wits. The people who talk him through it are Don Vicente and Marisol. A firs they thought him demon possessed but he proved them wrong. This was the start of a great adventure that I read through in literally two days.

James Endredy no stranger to the shamanistic way of Mexico and the Native Americans, ends up attending this festival ,meeting several witches, curanderos (healers), and Brujos (Sorcerers) . Meeting with a bright witch named Marisol he is introduced to Don Julian who is a curandero, brujo and medical doctor. He is a master witch. His son Rafael is no good. He poisons James with stramonium so he ends up in a cave. After his resuce he is taken to an initiation of sorts. In a graveyard he confronts a monkey kils it and uses the gall bladder for protection. An ancestor gives him a knife of obsidian. Later on he must confront Rafael in front of the witches council where in Rafael is killed for murdering a young virgin and eating half her heart.

Florinda introduces James to a high sea cave, garden of strmonium plants and the art of dreaming. James learns o fly in his ondor body and make cut outs of his guardians. So he can cal on them in an hour of need. His teachers give him many tests to imprve his magical combat skills.

Further on in the book James goes on adventure with his friends. He does everything form rescue a governors daughter, fight a blood sucking witch, cure a man of being possessed by a shell of his former life

This is one book you will enjoy reading. Remember do not use any of these substances at home or alone as they arte dangerous. These chemicals can make you literally go crazy or kill you. But I do enjoin you to rad the book and try to use some of the mediation techniques that can be gleaned from the pages.


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Falsified Take Over of America.

America's Trojan War by Robert Owens
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is definitely not Tom Clancy or any other espionage military type novel. The object of this inexpensively purchased book off Amazon Kindle is to spread fear among Americans. The objects of this fear are the government and the Muslims. This is something Donald Trump would love along with the tea partiers and patriots would love.
Since 9/11 and the terrorist attacks in France people are very wary of Islam and Muslims.

The premise of the book is simple, Muslims are coming in droves from Syria and other parts of the Middle East in order to live in America. A good number of them are members of ISIS and Al Quaida. They form sleeper cells waiting to be activated. In Maay of 2016 they become active. They start off by taking over National Guard facilities and seizing weapons. Since they are dressed in army uniforms they go by unchallenged for the most part and anyone who so much as raises an eyebrow gets wasted. They take over hospitals armories and pretty much take over Washington DC. They obliterate the White House , Congress and the Supreme Court. Slowly but surely their plan unfolds and they start laying waste to the country. Militants storm US embassies across the globe. American is taken hostage. The president is dead and so is the Vice President. The military, patriot militias and the fire crew set about to rescue Washington DC. Cabinet member Patricia Parker takes over and orders strikes to level Raqqa and fight back. She herself gets killed as a joint drug cartel ISIS army lays waste her Arizona residence. THer is some intrigue as the speaker of the house is arrested for trying to assume his rightful place of power. In the end America wins but it is also a victory for the liberals.

This is not a great peace of literature, nor do I think it was meant to be. I discussed the scenario with some former military people and they said something of that magnitude could not happen. I imagine there could be more terrorist attacks like 9-11 and terrorist groups could ally with the cartel and street gangs in order to destabilize America. Radicals are recruiting in the prisons and on the stret and that gives them an advantrage. I would suggest that refugees should be vetted thoroughly before coming or at least have a background check. The characters are not fully developed and sometimes even physical descriptions are lacking. The battle scenes are intense and realistic. President Obanyon is obviously a play on Obama. Patrica Parker might be a play on McCain savetht she is female. If paranoia is your things then good fine and well this book is for you. I do not believe that Muslims are athreat but I do feel that ISIS, Al Quaida and their ilk must be obliterated.


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A Pictorial History of the Templars

An Illustrated History of the Knights Templar by James Wasserman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

History seems to never change. Turn on the TV and you are inundated with images of conflict between European Culture and the Middle East. The conflict appears to bee the same Christianity vs. Islam. Things are a bit more complicated than they appear. A glimpse below the surface and you will see many things.

At the tail end of the 5th century Europe was in the dark ages , totally steeped in superstition and ignorance.The Middle East was more advanced, they had lighting in the streets and plumbing while the European needed to learn about bathing. In 611 the religion of Islam was born. After the conquest of the Arabian peninsula the bedouin warriors shifted their focus onto Mesopotamia from their they would make forays into Europe. Alomst 100 years later Muslim Turks would take over Jerusalem and the rest of the Byzantine holdings. This enraged Christians because they felt this was the Holy City of the Bible.Jerusalem is Holy to Islam, Christianity and Islam . Around the 11th century the first crusade was established by the Catholic Church. THE armies of four nations would travel to the Middle East to liberate Jerusalem. Ultimately they would be successful and Christian kingdoms would be established in the heart of the Islamic world.

A short time after it became apparent that Christian pilgrims would require protection from Muslim marauder and wild animals. In response to this Knightly orders were established. Among them were the Templars and the Hospitallers. These two Knightly orders were spiritual based and focussed on both religion and combat. The Templars were functioning like the Popes private army. They had great autonomy within the church and enjoyed great privilege and as an organization became very wealthy. While not part of the first Crusade they would play a part in the other seven crusades that followed.

In the Middle East there was conflict between Christianity and Islam, so it would appear on the surface. Things are not always what they seem. The Christians were far from united. The four Christian Kingdoms were far from united . They often fought amongst each other. The different knighly order would also fight among each other and take various sides. In the Islamic world there were factions as well. THe assassins, Sunni and Shiite Muslims were equally divided. It was not unheard of for a Christian faction to get together with a Muslim faction to fight a common enemy.

The second crusade saw the Crusader along with the Templars and other decisively defeated Saladin. Jerusalem was lost to the Christians. The third crusade would find King Richard restoring some of the lost Christian lands. Future Crusades would also be fought against rival Christians. Among gthe Christians attacked by the Catholic crusades were the Byzantines who longs Constantinople to the Pope for a limited time. The Cathars were also victimized by the templars and crusaders. After the 8th crusade the European crusaders and the knightly orders were kicked ouit of the Middle East.

The finishing of the crusades would lead to the downfall of the Templars. People were jealous of their wealth and privilege. First there was talk of consolidating the orders. Later on France would require wealth and lead an inquisition against the Templars in order to steal their weealth. Under great torture they were disbanded. Accused of heresy they wre considered devil worshipper. After a brief two hundred years they were gone .

The book gives a great over all summary of the Knights Templar complete with names and dates. The author gives the reader a pciuture of the unique spirituality practiced by the Templars and some of the inspirations that led to this spirituality. On the surface things have not changed much but you got to look beneath the surface.

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