Imbolc is ignition. It is the moment when the frost thaws, winter still clings but the sun warms it so that the soil feels its warmth and plants begin to bud.
I spent this morning sharing a beautiful sacred space with friends.
Hail Brigid, may we have the intuition to stare into your depths to see our true selves and the courage to walk into your forge to transform our lives.
Forbidden Mysteries of Faery Witchcraft Book Review
I was very excited to read this when I first saw it because at the time I hadn't had the opportunity to learn much about "darker" aspects of witchcraft. By the time I got around to actually reading the book I already had experience in working with spirits and curses, but I still wanted to know what the Feri tradition taught about such things. Lets see what my thoughts were (and are).
Do note that this book continues teachings of the Feri Tradition found in the authors first book “Betwixt and Between” and may be confusing if you haven’t read that one first.
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Contents:
Synopsis
What I Liked
What I Didn't Like
Overall Thoughts
Conclusion
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Published 2018
"Whether your demons are ancient spirits or demons of your own making, you must confront them in order to reclaim the power they have stolen. Guiding you through enchantments, demonic rituals, divine possession, necromancy, and occultus maleficum, this book helps you cultivate and explore your forsaken shadows.
When you peer behind the veil of comfort and face your most powerful fears, you can truly begin to refine and strengthen your own magical will. In Forbidden Mysteries of Faery Witchcraft, you will learn to:
Summon primal underworld goddesses of the elemental powers
Walk the bone road and help trapped spirits cross over
Become a worthy vessel for divine possession
Perform as an oracle, speaking the wisdom of the gods on earth
Cast and break curses, the dark art of offensive magic
The powerful techniques of the Faery Tradition of Witchcraft await. Through these rituals, you will glimpse the secret inner workings of nature herself and open the doorway to unimagined sources of energy."
-from the back of the book
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What I Liked
The first chapter goes through several Scottish folktales of faery lore, such as the Ballad of Thomas the Rhymer. It also goes into how the Feri tradition interprets these folktales and myths in their own practice.
The second chapter talks about connecting with various types of ancestors, including blood, marriage, adoption, and the Mighty Dead.
In the first part of the book there are a lot of exercises and rites to help the reader engage with the material. They’re a little too formal for my tastes but plenty helpful for their purpose.
The author acknowledges that the tradition is influenced by Huna, which was created by a white man and appropriates Hawaiian language and culture. He talks about what he is doing to not continue the appropriation within the tradition which is nice to see.
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What I Didn't Like
The tradition works with Melek Ta’us which I’ve already spoken about in my review of the first book. The gist is that the tradition used the figure as another depiction of the devil which just perpetuates the narrative of the Yazidi people, from which Melek Ta’us originates, as devil worshippers, which has caused persecution of the people in their home region.
If you’ve kept up with news regarding Neil Gaiman, you may not like that the book makes reference to his works. The book was published before the abuses were made known but I wanted to make sure people knew.
The author uses the term Judeo-Christian. You can learn about the problematic history of this term here.
The author talks about demons as manifestations of our shadow. This is not what the shadow is. The book combines the ideas of actual demons through a Christian worldview with that of the Jungian shadow. This could lead to people demonizing perfectly normal emotions as well as a pipe line for toxic positivity. The author encourages working with these demons for integration with special rituals, however there is so much talk of purity while also trying to maintain that there is nothing wrong with yourself that it’s really just a form of cognitive dissonance. And a lack of understanding that the Jungian shadow is a metaphor, not an actual spirit to combat within yourself. The author even claims that the shadow is waging war against us, when it’s not. It’s just an aspect of yourself you are meant to acknowledge instead of hiding from.
Coming off of this idea, the author says shadow figures are demons. They are not! I’m so tired of people believing whatever Zak Bagans tells them. The most a shadow figure has ever done is accidentally gave someone a fright. They’re curious spirits who are easily spooked themselves. Kind of like a cat.
While this might be small for some, the author says “to plant, we must first plow.” Which just isn’t true agriculturally or otherwise. I’ve never once plowed or tilled my garden. Build the soil and it’s not necessary. It only serves to deplete nutrients.
The author includes spells, such as the reversal spell, and other practices either directly taken or inspired by Hoodoo. He at least gives credit where due but I don’t feel it’s his place to be teaching that with all the people who practice who keep saying NOT TO.
The book synopsis claims that the reader will learn how to cast curses. This is not true. In fact the author only ever talks about protecting yourself from curses, while at one point admitting he has never cast a curse and doesn’t need to. He also says that if you’re experienced you should already know how to cast a curse. False advertising for those who weren’t sure where to go for more information.
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Overall Thoughts
This book is a mess. It doesn’t teach what it purports to and instead gives you a ritualized format for new age shadow work. Literally demonizing spirits and perfectly normal human reactions along the way. The only way I would recommend this book is if you really wanted to learn more about the Feri tradition from Storm Faerywolf.
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Conclusion
If you still want to read the book it can be found on Amazon, Google Books, Llewellyn (the publisher), World of Books, Abe Books, and more.
On this faery friday, here is a list of some faery friendly plants that the fae folk love. It’s said that any plant that attracts butterflies and bees will attract faeries as well. Happy Friday:)
