Ecoshamanism – James Endredy

December 21, 2006 at 2:49 pm (Eco-Magic, Shamanism)

Ecoshamanism
James Endredy
Llewellyn, 2005

This book came to me at just the right time. I’d moved into a new house, and was just preparing to get settled into this novel envirinment, including my yard. This book has some wonderful and innovative ideas for reconnecting with nature in a number of ways.

His opening deals with the connection between shamanism an the environment. The entire chapter explaining the differences between traditional indigenous shamanism, neoshamanism/core shamanism (ie, buy a crystal and take this seminar and you’re a real-live shaman!) and ecoshamanism (drawin from traditional shamanism but with the community being served bein the entire Earth and all inhabitants thereof) is worth the price of the book alone.

The following chapters deal with various aspects of ecology without guilt tripping, but also over 50 exercises that are designed to help the reader be more in tune with nature. Rather than simple little things like sticking feathers in your hat band, the rituals include being buried alive overnight, and an impressive hunting ritual that can take a year or more to complete.

This book is very Earthy, and much, much grittier than the lip service a lot of “nature” based books give. Endredy takes us beyond tossing bird seed out in the yard, has us running through the mud, and getting to know Nature no matter the discomfort. It gets us truly grounded, and we learn from that experience.

I really enjoyed the exercise of mapping out special places in nature from childhood. I can clearly remember the various wild spots that were sacred to me when young, and, like Endredy, I saw most of them destroyed by development and human encroachment. This helped me to heal that connection to innocence and purity that often gets lost in the craziness of adult life.

I can’t say enough good about this book. I believe it should be read by anyone who seeks to follow a true Nature-based path, rather than abstracting Nature into symbols and seminars that separate us from the dirt and the rain and the blood. I would suggest it in tandem with The Earth Path by Starhawk.

Five pawprints out of five.

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Daughters of the Earth – Carolyn Niethammer

December 21, 2006 at 2:29 pm (Native American cultures, Paleopagan Cultures)

Daughters of the Earth
Carolyn Niethammer
Simon & Schuster, 1995
450 pages

This is on of the best books I’ve read all year; it’s a study of indigenous American cultures prior to the 1900’s, and focuses specifically on women’s roles in the various tribes.

Niethammer breaks the stereotype of the Indian woman was of a hunched, overburdened human pack animal trailing a string of children while her husband rode a fine steed. She provides evidence that while a woman’s place tended to be in the home, it was as a counterpoint to the man’s role as hunter and warrior. While the feminist may initially balk at these traditional sex roles, it is importat to remember that A) these are not modern European-derived American cultures that are being discussed, and B) the home was a place of great power, influence, and control in many tribes.

Thankfully she also was careful to explain each tribe as a separate entity instead of a monolithic “Native American” megaculture. In each chapter, Niethammer explores a certain facet of everyday life for women in a variety of tribes, and I enjoyed exploring the spectrum from conservative to liberal in areas such as sex and gender roles, religion, births and deaths, and other daily occurrences.

It can be difficut for modern Americans to understand, given that we live in a culture where food is always plenty, health care is relatively easy to procure, and the mortality rate is exceptionally low. But where obstacles ranging from drought and famine to attacks by rival tribes to epidemic illneses were constant threats, the roles were in place to help each culture survive in its own environment. Cultural objectivity is necessary here.

Occasionally she does get a bit patronizing. For instance,after speaking about malignant witchcraft in various tribes, she explains away these peoples’ beliefs and passes them off as simply effects of a boring day to day life. Unfortunately, this relegates their beliefs entirely to the realm of superstition.

Other than that, though, this is a very, very well-written book. Niethammer’s writing style moves quickly and engages the reader, and the information is solid and thorough.

Four and a half pawprints out of five.

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Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves – Sarah M. Pike

December 21, 2006 at 2:17 pm (Academic/Journalistic Approaches, Neopagan Subculture)

Earthly Bodies, Magical Selves: Contemporary Pagans and the Search for Community
Sarah M. Pike
University of California Press, 2001
315 pages

There aren’t enough stars out there for this one! This is one of the few examples of academic studies of the pagan community that manages to not be condescending and too concerned with the details. The author immersed herself in the pagan gathering culture by going to Starwood and a number of other large festivals, and the result is superb.

The pagan festival is presented as a place outside of mundania, a piece of Faerie on Earth where pagans can come and explore themselves, *be* whoever they are, without fear. Pike also explores how childhood experiences shape adult identities, and how the child self is brought to the fore in the freedom of the gathering.

It’s not all love and sparkles, though. One entire chapter is dedicated to cultural appropriation by neopagans, primarily of Native American cultures, but also of Afro-Caribbean religions as well. She also describes the hypocrisy of Christian-bashing, though she does explore its roots in negative experiences with churches. And she doesn’t ignore the fact that problems do occasionally crop up, from annoyed neighbors to sexual predators.

Despite being an academic text, the writing is anything but dry. And her citations are flawless, something that I wish more authors would duplicate.

Overall this was a very, very accurate and enjoyable read, good, bad and ugly. I recommend it not only for pagans to get an honest look at themselves from a curious outsider’s viewpoint, but also to nonpagans as one of the best introductions to pagan culture.

Five pawprints out of five.

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The Compleat Vampyre – Nigel Jackson

December 21, 2006 at 2:07 pm (Mythology, Otherkin)

The Compleat Vampyre: The Vampyre Shaman, Werewolves, Witchery & the Dark Mythology of the Undead
Nigel Jackson
Capall Bann, 1995
180 pages

Sometimes a book promises something grand, and then falls short of its mark. This is one of those books.

I like the basic idea. Jackson brought together a large amount of folklore regarding the supernatural in Slavic and Baltic Europe, and then applied it to shamanic experience. He pulled out some fairly obscure information, which impressed me.

The problem came when I actually tried to read the book cover to cover.

I found parts of it stylistically impossible to read. Much of this was due to a lack of transitional phrases from one piece of information to the next. The various beings, archetypes, and motifs weren’t tied together in a particularly convincing manner, and not enough to support the author’s thesis. While the idea he wanted to support was clearly defined, he didn’t use his material very well to support it. It came across as a rather poorly edited draft rather than a completed book.

I also didn’t care for his scholarship; for example, he drew on the work of Margaret Murray, which has already been disproven a number of times. That and other outdated material on witchcraft really damages the integrity of the research. While he included a bibliography, because there were no citations there was no way of knowing exactly where he got certain facts.

Th ebook really could have used better editing overall, even in proofreading terms. He continually confused “its” and “it’s”–“it’s” is the contraction of “it is”, not the possessive, which is “its”. As in “The werewolf shed its skin,” not “The werewolf shed it’s skin”. This really made me wonder about the rumor that Capall Bann doesn’t actually have in-house editors and just expects the authors to edit their own work.

I’d love to see a rewrite of the book by the author. The idea is a good one, but the execution of it is so bad that a lot gets lost in translation, so to speak. I think I know what he’s tryig to say, but without better editing there’s no way to know for sure.

Two and a half pawprints out of five.

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Of Wolves and Men – Barry Holstun Lopez

December 21, 2006 at 1:56 pm (Animal Magic)

Of Wolves and Men
Barry Holstun Lopez
Scribner, 1979
320 pages

You may wonder why I have this in the animal magic category since it’s a “mundane” book. However, this is an incredibly valuable text because it pinpoints the relationship between humanity and wolves, one which has had an incredible number of ups and downs. Additionally, Lopez’ research reveals a lot of observations that teach us to rethink how we consider other animals, and this is exceptionally valuable information to the animal magician.

This is THE classic book on wolf behavior. Even more recent books, such as The Wolf Almanac, draw heavily from it.

The first part discusses wolf biology and behavior, and disproves many of the myths–including the idea that nobody has ever been attacked by a healthy wolf in North America (nobody, apparently, thought to check with American Indian experience in history). It’s an incredibly thorough look at the wolf as a physical being and its natural history.

Then Lopez goes into the tangled thornbush of wolf mythology and folklore, how our stories shaped our attitudes, adn how these manifested into the reality of wholesale slaughter.

There’s a lot of heartbreaking information about wolf hunting, and just how devastated the wolf population has been. We are left amazed that the wolf has even survived. The final pages are a reminder that we are responsible for the effects we have on others, even if the “others” aren’t human.

Our treatment of the wolf mirrors our treatment of the wild; this is a must-read, and I highly recommend it to all people, regardless of path.

Five pawprints in the snow out of five.

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Power Animals – Steven Farmer

December 21, 2006 at 1:45 pm (Animal Magic)

Power Animals: How To Connect With Your Animal Spirit Guide
Steven Farmer
Hay House, 2004
267 pages (plus CD)

This book was excellent; I really enjoyed it! (The review is ONLY for the book, by the way, not the accompanying CD, which is a guided journey for finding your power animal). The author provides the basic info on working with power animals–while it could be more in-depth, it’s sufficient for a 101 level text. Don’t take it as traditional totemism, though–he seems to draw a lot from Medicine Cards-style New Age totemism, though he doesn’t cite his sources so I’m not sure where each piece of info comes from. Still, as a reference to neopagan totemism it’s a good one.

This one also avoided my “Just Another Totem Animal Dictionary” ire, as it at least presented the material in a creative way. He starts with a meditation-derived quote from the animal, then traits of people who resonate with that animal, and further ideas for strengthening the bond. In addition, the illustrations are absolutely lovely!

While it’s not the only totemism 101 book out there, it’s one of the better ones I’ve seen. Additionally, if you like his work he has a second book on the topic out, Animal Spirit Guides, which is a much larger dictionary with a lot less how-to info.

Four pawprints out of five.

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Power Animal Meditations – Nicki Scully

December 21, 2006 at 1:34 pm (Animal Magic, Meditation)

Power Animal Meditations: Shamanic Journeys With Your Spirit Allies
Nicki Scully
Bear & Company, 2001
280 pages

This book is an excellent pathworking tool. The meditations, aided by animals, plants and minerals, lead the reader through the psyche to repair and upgrade where needed. The journeys gentle and realistic, supportive of healing wounds but also not shirking the necessity of dealing with difficult areas. Rather than being a happy, feel-good piece of white light, it’s a series of well-balanced guided meditations that can be used by both beginning and advanced magical practitioners and lacks the saccharine feel of a lot of New Age texts.

The weaving in of the Egyptian pantheon is also well-done. Rather than creating a forced set of correspondences, the author allowed the deities (and other guides) to appear when they chose in her own pathworking for the book. The meditations themselves are quite open-ended. The guardian of the threshold, whom she visualizes as Thoth, may appear differently for different people, and while the environments may be described in great detail, the actual communication between the seeker and the guide is left to the fluidity of the seeker’s experiences.

I do wonder where she got certain bits of mythological information and wish there’d been some citations, adn there’s no bibliography. Still, considering that the book was originally published over a decade ago, it’s a bit more forgivable, as the practice of putting citations in esoteric non fiction is relatively new and still widely ignored these days. Still, given that the bulk of the book is based on the author’s own personal research through meditation, it’s more forgivable.

It’s an excellent tool for conscious evolution, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys animal imagery in their meditations.

Four and a half pawprints out of five.

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Book of the Dragon – Allen and Griffiths

December 19, 2006 at 2:14 pm (Mythology, Otherkin)

Book of the Dragon
Judy Allen and Jeanne Griffiths
Quality Books, 1979

I was first alerted to this book’s existence via the Otherkin and Therianthrope Book List when I was looking for sources for the Field Guide. Orion Sandstorrm liked it, so I figured it was worth a look–and it was!

People may assume that because it has lots of pretty pictures that it’s not particularly in depth. On the contrary, the authors study the history of the dragon from Mesopotamia onward, covering the globe from China to Mexico. The dragon is explored as archetype, as cryptozoological beastie, as a case of mistaken identity, and as alchemical matter.

Common themes are explored, though the differences between various types of dragons are duly noted. The authors provide plenty of evidence for each statement they make in a clear, concise manner and discuss less common knowledge, such as Western and Eastern alchemy, in a way that even the newest neophyte can understand.

The illustrations are very well selected, and punctuate the text beautifully. Photographs and contemporary artistic depictions serve to bring the text to more vivid life. The text and pictures are balanced nicely, without the former being overwhelmed by the latter.

All in all, this is an excellent basic guide to world dragon mythos. The bibliography is worth plumbing for further research, but this is a great starting place.

Five pawprints out of five.

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Vampires – Konstantinos

December 19, 2006 at 2:01 pm (Books I Didn't Care Much For, Otherkin)

Vampires: The Occult Truth
Konstantinos
Llewellyn Publications, 2002
192 pages

I’m not quite sure what to think about this book.

The basic historical research about vampires is pretty much what you’d find in any other book about vampire lore. Again, my common gripe about the lack of in-text citations in pagan.occult nonfic can be found here. The bibliography actually had some surprising inclusions–Franz Bardon’s “Initiation in Hermetics” being notable in that respect.

It’s when the author gets into modern-day vampires that things get a little weird.

Konstantinos did say he got some rather….err…strange letters, usually by people who were obviously ganking their life-history from fictional sources, and so these weren’t quoted. But the quotes he did get for the most part struck me as a little ungrounded and melodramatic.

He does go into the physical dangers of blood drinking. Most people these days are aware of blood diseases, but I got a little chuckle at the idea of someone ruining their cape after discovering that enough blood will make one vomit.

His POV on psychic vampirism is a little strange, in that all “intentional” psi-vamps are noncorporeal, and any corporeal psi-vamps are “unintentional” (ie, have no idea what they’re doing.) It seems to draw a lot from the traditional occult view of vampirism a la Dion Fortune. Of course, that could just be part of “the Occult Truth”.

Personally, there’s a part of me that thinks that Konstantinos wrote everything he did (except for Summoning Spirits, which I very much enjoyed) with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek. I think he hit on a particular untapped target audience, found just the right books to toss at them, and is now laughing all the way to the bank. It’s not that he’s not serious about what he’s doing, but there’s an element of the Trickster here as well.

Two bloodstained pawprints out of five.

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Daimonic Reality – Patrick Harpur

December 19, 2006 at 1:38 pm (Cryptozoology/Paranormal, Mythology, Otherkin, Psychology)

Daimonic Reality: A Field Guide to the Otherworld
Patrick Harpur
Pine Winds Press, 2003
329 pages

If you have even the smallest interest in the Otherworld, read this book.

Harpur examines phenomena ranging from UFO sightings to black dogs and phantom cats to fairies and crop circles (and more). He regards them not as purely literal, but as denizens of what he terms daimonic reality. Daimonic reality seems in its nature to be metaphorical, but it has a very real effect on our world as well.

Drawing on Jung and Yeats, travelling to the Anima Mundi, Collective Unconscious, and Imagination-with-a-big-I, the author reveals the appearances of daimons which have evolved over time to meet our own changes, how the beings known as fairies who used to show themselves to us as diminunitive humanoids in green coats, now appear as alien humanoids in silver spacesuits–and why they’ve changed.

Harpur isn’t a debunker; he doesn’t attempt to disprove the Otherworld’s existence; rather, just the opposite. Harpur provides a unique and substantial set of theories regarding the long-running tradition of the Otherworld that has long fascinated humanity.

This is a truly well-written piece of work. It is academic rather than New Age, and the research provides a solid base for his theories. It’s not a dry read, though newbies may find it to be a bit difficult, but it’s well worth the investment of time and money. Those who identify as Otherkin will find some useful ideas on metaphorical reality that can be applied to being Other.

I can’t even begin to do it justice; all I have to say it–read it!

Five pawprints out of five.

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