The Occult Book Review

                                         “One mind there is, but under it two principles contend.”                               Philip K. Dick Tractates Cryptica Scriptura     The process of deciding what constitutes Christian doctrine and what are the remnants of previous traditions was summed up well by Elaine Pagels when she writes in Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas, “ What survived as orthodox Christianity did so by suppressing and forcibly eliminating a lot of other material .” This can often be revelatory for those who believe that Christianity today exists in the same form as in its first centuries.   This position is also expounded upon by Earl Doherty in his book The Jesus Puzzle and in his argument that a wisdom tradition existed and influenced the development of early Christianity, “… but in conjunction with the Greek Logos concept in the Hellenistic tradition of the period. Indeed, even Jewish personified Wisdom by Paul’s time had been influe

  In his book Prometheus Rising , Robert Anton Wilson writes about each individual perceiving the world in a different way based upon factors such as upbringing, environment and subconscious biases, as well as seeking out points of view and circumstances that support a particular outlook. He called these individualistic interpretations ‘Reality Tunnels’. This is summed up in a quote from an interview with Jeffrey Elliot when Wilson says “ If one can only see things according to one's own belief system, one is destined to become virtually deaf, dumb, and blind. It's only possible to see people when one is able to see the world as others see it. That's what guerrilla ontology is — breaking down this one-model view and giving people a multi-model perspective .” (1.)   The consequences of this philosophical conclusion are staggering: not only are we shaping our own reality, but we can do nothing except experience the world in our own personal way.   But could there

Reading Spirits from the Edge of the World by J. Van. Ysslestyne is an eye-opening anthropological revealing of authentic shamanism. Unlike many examinations from western writers, this book is mostly compiled by the Ulchi people themselves. As one of the few remaining cultures with living links back to their ancient lineages we should listen carefully to what they have to tell us. Their animism (Itself a western term) is primal, of course, but also holistic and connective in a way we often overlook. Indeed, sometimes we are under pressure to label or not label, categorise and separate, define and ritualise, all of which, while well meaning, only result in order, dogma and an unnatural barrier to what 'shamanism' really is. Shamanism in the Ulchi context, and for those of us in the west to a more crude degree, is an overview and umbrella term for what might be a multitude of paths, methods of contact and connection to what I call the 'whatever '. The arch

Sigil Witchery is both a thorough and often surprising history of sigils, as well as an entertaining practical guide suitable for the beginner and advanced practitioner alike. Crucially, Zakroff is respectful of the many world traditions and cultures she draws her information from and also brings her own knowledge and application to the subject. The result is a book which allows the reader to understand sigils from the many perspectives of folklore and witchcraft and which guides the reader through exercises and applications which can later be pursued in a personal direction. Before the review proper, a word of appreciation has to go out to the staff at Llewellyn who designed the format of this book. Because the author used so many illustrations and exercise pages, the usual book dimensions would have been inadequate in displaying how the writing and drawings compliment each other. The layout instead allows the reader to easily take in the designs and photographs

In the almost 120 years since Bram Stoker’s Dracula was published, the notion of gothic immortality has both fascinated and terrified us in equal measure. However, that dark romanticism has lent itself to many different genres since then and vampires have appeared in such unusual locations as the American Civil War with Seth Grahame Smith’s Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, as predators from outer space in Colin Wilson’s The Space Vampires, and as world conquerors and civilization builders in Brian Stableford’s The Empire of Fear. Some other vampire novels that immediately come to mind include Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice, Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist, Fevre Dream by George R. R. Martin, They Thirst by Robert R. McCammon; I am Legend by Richard Mathisen (Not strictly vampires!) and Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite. However, there have also been many vampire novels, including recent releases, which have not received the attention they deserved a

Issue 23 of the Psychedelic Press journal examines Dicordianism from both a historical and cultural perspective. Along the way writings encompass the magickal, artistic and, of course, the personal transformative effects of this paradigm-shifting philosophy. The journal includes contributions from nine contributors as well as a wonderful introduction and overview by the editor, Nikki Wyrd. As a reader might expect from a publication focused on topics such as chaos and imagination, the chapters comprise of outlooks and experiences which might seem disconnected on the surface level but which all demonstrate the humour, the consciousness expanding results and, not least, the courage of the Discordian outlook. The first included writer, Havelock Ellis, demonstrates the exploratory nature of Discordian thinking by describing his first encounter with mescaline. This account from 1898 details the psychedelic effects of mescaline on Ellis and his friends. Ellis experiment