Book Review: The Balance of the Two Lands

The Balance of the Two Lands, by H. Jeremiah Lewis

At a whopping 372 pages, this book was packed with information. I was hard-pressed to put it down once I got it into my hands. I think one of many things I so enjoyed about this book is that it is, like it’s title says, a good balance of things. If you are looking for history, you’ll get that. If you’re looking for polytheism and pagan practice, you’ll get that, too. An even dose of both. It presents the history, mythology and mechanics of ancient Greco-Egyptian spiritual practice without being dry. It also presents very well how one can apply these ancient spiritual practices in the modern era. As modern practicing pagans and polytheists, we won’t be able to recreate everything the ancients did (nor should we, really), but it can provide the seeker and even the long-practicing polytheist with new techniques and perspectives on the application of Greco-Egyptian polytheist practice today.

This book is also excellent for the avid researcher. Packed full of references, resources and quotes, it is quite easy for one to put the book down and go off on their own personal search. Overall this book serves as a great resource for the newcomer as well as for one who has been practicing for awhile and seeks a different perspective or other techniques on how to connect on a more meaningful level with their deities, as well as the history and mythology surrounding them. I would easily recommend this book to anyone who is seeking further information, or just starting out on the syncretic path.

Five slobbering, enthusiastic chew marks out of five.

Book Review: Talking About The Elephant

Talking About The Elephant 

To some people, especially those in the (neo)pagan communities, bringing up the topic of cultural appropriation is either tantamount to beating the proverbial dead horse, or will be stated as a topic not brought up enough.

This book is different, however.  It doesn’t present extreme arguments in black-and-white, but rather addresses the many different grey areas that occur, and brings up some important questions and aspects not often discussed, such as cultural appropriation of the occult/pagan communities by academia, and the other many different aspects that this sort of thing can take. For example, the issue of syncretism within a tradition, and the need for growth without fear of being labeled as not being “true” to said path or tradition, or the idea of “authenticity” when seeking teachers, gurus or experiences.  I also liked how well some of the authors cited their sources, and offered books for the interested reader to pursue on their own.

If you have strong feelings about cultural appropriation, or want to get a better idea about different sides of the argument without sifting through debates, flame wars and other such crap, then it’s probably worth picking up this book.

Five chew marks out of five.

Book Review: The Phillupic Hymns

Yes, I’ve finally gotten around to writing a book review. Go me.

The Phillupic Hymns, by P. Sufenas Virius Lupus

There are many things I could say about this book, mainly because there are many things about this book which make it a very skillful and well-executed work of art done by a very talented individual.  Below I will explain why.

What truly makes a poet is one’s ability to bring forth imagery and, above all else, emotions with words. Phillipus does this and more, by utilizing his knowledge of ancient poetry styles coupled with his talent for words.  His poetry runs the full gamut from humor to drama and many others in-between, using many different styles. If you want devotional hymns, prayerful contemplation, or oratory presentation, this book satisfies all those and more. Phillipus has a take on syncretic polytheism that is built on much knowledge, authority and divine inspiration.

Not only do you get great poetry throughout this book, you also get some never-before-seen translations of ancient text, as well as some in-depth historical and mythological background. Your brain gets entertained, inspired and fed all in one amazing book.

Five enthusiastic chewmarks* out of five.

*Some people have stars, some have pawprints, I choose chewmarks because, as a Canine-centered person, canids tend to chew the things they most enjoy!

Phillupic Hymns Book Review Link

Pagan Book Reviews gives The Phillupic Hymns 5 Pawprints!

This is a fine book written by a very talented individual. I had been planning on doing a review of my own of this–and still intend on doing so–which I will cross-post here and at Amazon. In the meantime, check out the review yourself, and you can grab your own copy here.

Egyptian Shaman, by Nick Farrell (out soon)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Description of the title above from Buy.com:

Primal Ancient Egyptian Magic Restored From the dawn of Magic, there was a primal form of magic which was ancient before the Pyramids were born. But unlike many religions, where belief and worship of the forces of nature were persecuted until they died out, Egypt built its new religions upon them. It is possible to find a golden thread of shamanic practice that can be recreated and still remain relevant and useful today. Nick Farrell presents this system for the first time in his easy to approach and relaxed style. It is a complete system in which a practitioner can experiment with at their own pace. 

I actually found out about this book while surfing through Amazon.com.  You can preorder it here, or go through Buy.com which has its publication date listed at 10/30/08. Nick Farrell is also the fellow who wrote Gathering the Magic: Creating 21st Century Esoteric Groups, a good book to read if you’re ever considering joining an esoteric group or creating one of your own.

Good books on Egyptian magic and paganism are very hard to come by. Most of the ones I’ve picked up have made me cringe with all the sappy newage or conspiracy-theory bullcrap, so I tend to stick to more egyptological texts. This one, however sounds promising, and there are a few good books floating around out there as well if you know where to look. I am currently waiting for the arrival of Storm Constantine’s Sekhem Heka, and I look forward to seeing how it turns out. She was previously the author of Bast and Sekhmet: Eyes of Ra, another book I’d like to get ahold of.

There are actually quite a few good books I’ve read recently that I’d like to write reviews on here. I also should update my LibraryThing account with more recent (and even not-so-recent) books in my collection.

The Phillupic Hymns

It’s part of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and it is now out, you can get your copy right here. Mine arrived in the mail yesterday, I didn’t get a chance to go through it in depth yet, but it looks good. I hope to do a more in-depth review of it once I’m finished!

Journaling Notes and Other Things

Doing some minor tweaking and organizing here and there. The thing I like about the WordPress format is it’s far more versatile than other blogging formats I’ve worked with. I can personalize it more, and I have more control over various functions.  It also seems to be a bit quieter and more laid-back than the LJ-format, something I can appreciate, especially now that things have gotten a bit busier over here.  Anyway, today I’ve set up a couple pages, mainly a page about this journal and a lame attempt at an About Me page. I may add more, we’ll see. I also tweaked the links list/blogroll and such, and may add extra categories as I need them.

Lately I’ve been doing some light reading, and I just picked up The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Alchemy by Dennis William Hauck, mostly just some quick refresher reading. I own his other two books, Sorcerer’s Stone and The Emerald Tablet, both fairly good reads for anyone wishing to pop their cherries on the topic of alchemy. I plan on passing this particular one off to my lifepartner who lives in Germany, once I’m finished reading it (as I originally bought it for him anyway).

There will be more stuff here as time goes on, as I continue reading, researching, growing and experimenting with various things.  I’ll also be doing some activist posting here too, as there are some topics that are very close to me right now that needs addressing, and will probably reach a larger readership than my private LJ anyway.