Customer Reviews

Magick, Shamanism and Taoism

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If you're into Thelema, Aliester Crowley, The Golden Dawn, OTO, or similar topics, this may be a book for you. If, on the other hand, you want I book on Taoism, I would recommend any other but this one.

With the core topic about Taoism and the I ching, the author has wrapped them in a veil of Neo-Paganism and other-Asian practices. This book reads as a compilation of texts that others have previously written, with introductions into chapters quoting Aliester Crowley's text. If you are into Eastern philosophy and thinking, you'll easily discern that this book is not written with the type of focus or commitment to preserve that Asian flavor (some Asian practices blended with neo-pagan practices and presented as western thought).

The material presented herein is spread to thin and over to great of subject matter to have any solid foundation as a book on Taoism. Simply, the material presented is inaccurate.

The exercises he gives within this books pages are Shamanic at best (not Asian or Taoist) and a lot of detail is left out about these things he has decided to include.

The mis-use of mudras and associated practices demonstrates this sort of hodge podge approach, as does the using the "Assuming the form of Fudo" for everything....... Fudo is Japanese Buddhism, Taoism is Chinese Taoism. Also, Fudo's attributes are mis-represented in this text as is the symbolism that is associated with him (for example, his sword in this text is not drawn with the symbolic Vajra handle, nor is the definition of the weighted rope, held by Fudo, accurate). The "Diamond Thunderbolt" Mudra (which is Japanese Buddhist) is mis-used, and, the specific practices associated with its use are not included. I could go on.

If you are looking for good books on Taoism, please refer to books written by an actual Taoist Priest. I would recommend:
Taoism and the rite of cosmic renewal by Michael Saso
Blue Dragon White Tiger by Michael Saso

...... and interestingly, Fudo isn't mentioned in these text, nor is Aliester Crowley.

This is not a traditional commentary on Taoism. The title should make that clear enough. It's a book about common practices of meditation, magic, concentration, and ritual that run through Taoist practice, ritual shamanism, and what we might simply term general Asian magical practice(i.e., things that have a "magical" flavor to us nowadays, but back then were probably lumped into everyday ritual, healing, alchemy, meditation, etc.) All of these systems have common elements and have influenced each other greatly. It also obviously focuses on the I-Ching as a tool of illumination and awakening rather than a simple divinatory oracle we might consult to find out whether to buy chicken or beef for dinner tonight. This is not the main focus of this text however, and it spends more time outlining the very unique, interesting, and useful practices employed by Taoist alchemists, Onmyojin, and other masters of old.

If you want endless commentary on the I-Ching, don't buy this book. If you want some sort of manual about the root practices of Taoist masters via indigenous Asian shamanism, don't buy this book. If you're seeking to change your own pathwork by adding uniqueness, craft, style, and to employ useful tools and techniques to awaken or change your perception, buy and devour this book. I have read no other text that got me thinking so far outside the box of my normal work. Most of the methods and techniques outlined in the text will not necessarily be new to, say, Western magicians, but the difference is in the details; we certainly banish in Western magic, and we certainly invoke godforms or angels or relevant beings for banishment and protection, but it never occurred to me to actually become the god himself and chain and slay my own demons while in the throes of his obsession; we certainly form symbols and sigils in Wesetern magic, but it never occurred to me to draw them in nontoxic ink on edible rice paper and consume them in a ritual act of becoming one with the energy of said sigil.

This book is about the practical application of magical techniques and how to apply them to personal pathwork. It includes information about the ritual sword, central to Asian cultural mindset and somewhat similar to the ritual wand in Western magic, the creation talismans, the ritual fan, a unique form of banishing, the setting up of stone warriors for protection, the use of the Kuji-in and Kuji-kiri, and much, much more. It is a rich synthesis of these cultures' spiritual practices and a highly recommended addition to the library of any student of esoterism.

I have not read this book but the aforementioned complaints make no sense to me.
Ninjutsu and Taoism(which is a form of shamanism) Started in Tibet/China.
While being seperate paths, they originated of one source thus I can see connections just from my own research.

I haven't read the book but I am about to buy it so this isn't a review it's just a comment on the other reviews.

I don't know exactly how the writing linked Taoism and Ninjutsu as I haven't read the book. I just wanted to say this isn't the first time I have heard of this.

It was in one of either of these two books I can't remember which (I would bet on the first):

Mind Manipulation
The Ninja - Steven Hayes

They discuss the development of alot of the psychoogical aspects from the Taoist 5 elements and there was a reference to some "5 element ninjas." There was even a Japanese word for them.

I remember this clearly coz at the time I was doing XIng Yi Luihe a Taoist art with the 5 elements at its heart. Also the 5 element ninja idea sounded cool.

I am not concluding anything...just offering a bit of info in passing.

PS. My rating was just to try and not mess up the rating by others.