We’ve had a fantastic year so far, and it’s all to you — our supporters and readers.
In the spirit of the holidays, I decided to put together a list of our seven most popular reviews from 2014. As you’ve no doubt noticed, while we focus on alternative spirituality and practical magick, we review books from a range of beliefs and practices, and this list is no different.
Click on the title link to take you to the full reviews. Maybe you’ll find your next gift idea, or something to spend that gift card on.
Happy holidays!
Avalon, by Heather Dale
Reviewed by Brendan Myers
Dale’s voice is gentle and inviting, yet deliberate and strong, like a warm fire in a comfortable home while a storm blows outside.
The High Magic of Talismans and Amulets, by Claude Lecouteux
Reviewed by Freeman Presson
The summary of the talismanic art is broad, drawing on more sources than just Agrippa and The Picatrix.
William Blake’s Sexual Path to Spiritual Vision, by Marsha Keith Schuchard
Reviewed by Gesigewigu’s
If you’re a William Blake fan, or even just curious about the subtle mystical sexual undercurrents in Christian Europe at the time, this is a great book for you.
The Essential Enochian Grimoire, by Aaron Leitch
Reviewed by Gesigewigu’s
The introductory material is probably the most complete history I’ve ever read in a single source. In this text Leitch explores the process of the Enochian system, including how it changed and was reinterpreted as Dee worked with it, and how that continues up to the present day.
Naked in Public, by Katherine and Patrick Andries
Reviewed by Marcus Whelchel
The Andries touch on the numerous benefits of dream interpretation, for example, that dreams may help us identify our life’s purpose, alter our negative karmic patterns, and make us aware of personality traits we didn’t realize existed.
Grimoire of the Thorn-Blooded Witch, by Raven Grimassi
Reviewed by Nicole Rain Sellers
As a pharmakeute I heartily recommend this book to any nature-loving witch hankering for some good old fashioned magical practice. It is great grist for experienced crafters and will no doubt blow the minds of many beginners.
The Esoteric Secrets of Surrealism, by Patrick Lepetit
Reviewed by J Simpson
The Esoteric Secrets of Surrealism manages to cut the velvet ropes and free surrealism from the galleries and hallowed halls of the university, and provide a very concise and pointed illustration of 2000 years of magical thought. It can be a dizzying experience; simultaneously overwhelming, and uplifting — the sensation of the mind approaching the absolute.
Mystery Teachings from the Living Earth, by John Michael Greer
Reviewed by Susan Starr
These things matter because Greer speaks the inconvenient, unpalatable truth that observers of nature can easily discern: that humanity is breaking natural laws right and left, causing the whole system — of which we are a part — to inevitably break down, possibly beyond repair.
The Weiser Book of Horror and the Occult, edited by Lon Milo DuQuette
Reviewed by J Simpson
So this is horror: a feeling of things being not quite right. Things that go against the status quo, against the normal operations of waking life, common sense, and consensus reality. In this way horror, the supernatural, magick and madness are all bound together. It undermines your sense of concrete reality. You’re just not sure what to think any more. And what is that knocking sound?
We reviewed 36 books and albums in 2014, and these nine were the most popular.
What were your favourites from 2014? What didn’t we cover that you wish we had?
