The Occult Book Review

In Thomas Sheridan's extensive study of Irish mythology and history the reader gets a perspective which combines both a folkloric and symbolic framework. This is an often overlooked type of examination when it comes to Irish history but one which is most valuable to the unbiased thinker. In many instances accurate exploration and indeed interpretation of Irish megaliths has been forced to fit a worldview which sees Christianity as the most logical and enlightened conclusion. While many Irish archaeologists and historians of the twentieth century had a reflexively Biblical starting position this is no longer an excuse for academics today who have extensive documents, comparative religious sources and archaeo-astronomical evidence at their disposal. Depressingly, Sheridan demonstrates that even with this potential for new appraisal, up until recently Irish archaeology has still been reluctant to accept and embrace the true scope of its pagan past. Rather than succumbing t...

In The Sacred History author Jonathan Black (AKA Mark Booth) sets out the case for idealism over materialism. Following on from his previous book The Secret History of the World the author this time uses an approach to mysticism that is possibly easier for the layperson to understand. The reason for this is the focus upon myth and the explanation of various religious and spiritual traditions and texts as opposed to the possibly more studious scope of his previous work. When we look back upon the history of sacred writings and wisdom supposedly gained through higher states of consciousness we must place a huge amount of faith in the notion of intuition and the idea that there is a common path applicable to us all. Idealism, as Black sees it, is the belief that thought came before matter and all of existence is somehow the expression of this original mind. In the book we are taken on a journey that begins with our earliest intimations of this higher aspect through creation myths ...

On the surface, Nina Allan’s novel is about alternate realities and the quest to overcome individual and collective perceptions. The story concerns various characters connected through generations and imaginings. Some of the characters believe they have corresponding siblings on the periphery of their own worlds. The arc of the novel concerns itself with the attempts of these people and their society to make sense of strange signals and communications said to come from the stars or, possibly, other dimensions. This novel unfurls slowly. The connections touch and drift, almost like a maze-like puzzle running through the story of each character. You wonder at the sub-text of each incident, trying to remember if a reflection or clue has already been glimpsed in a previous chapter. Not that the novel is elusive, rather, the rewards are greater if you stay alert to the connections and what lies behind the words and events. This novel is all about language and how it creates v...

Review: Leopard Warrior: A Journey into the African Teachings of Ancestry, Instinct, and Dreams by John Lockley. Published by Sounds True. John Lockley’s Leopard Warrior: A Journey into the African Teachings of Ancestry, Instinct, and Dreams is a book which seems both timely and timeless in equal measure. Today, a person from a non-indigenous tribe speaking for those who have a direct blood relationship to a cultural and spiritual tradition is often looked upon with suspicion, if not openly challenged. Importantly, the author is sensitive to his role as being one of the first white sangoma priests and acknowledges that there is a heightened awareness around the topic of potential appropriation without due training. The early chapters in this work detail Lockley’s experiences growing up in South Africa at the end of apartheid and his confusion as he is drawn to his sangoma calling.  And yet despite being a white man in South Africa at this volatile time, it...