Customer Reviews

Dark Mirror of Magick, 2nd Edition

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Bobbing amid the flotsam and jetsam that pollutes much of the wave-spume of New Age thought is a clean new appreciation (exhibited by many in the psychological community) for the skills and the powers of the primitive shaman. We are fascinated and amazed by the uncivilized magical escapades of the tribal medicine man or the village holy woman who travel in vision to the heavens and hells of the spiritual world to diagnose an illness or bring back important words of prophecy. For the most part, this respect (while long overdue) is eminently deserved, because once the colorful cerements of superstition are removed, we come face to face with new and exciting ideas concerning the awesome potential of the human mind.

Western civilization also has a rich and powerful shamanistic tradition, one that has for centuries been practiced in an environment of extreme secrecy. Long condemned by the Church as evil and satanic, it is just as colorful, and can be just as efficacious as its more primitive counterpart. This tradition is called spirit evocation, and Carroll (Poke) Runyon (aka the Magister Thabion) is arguably the world's most knowledgeable and outspoken proponent/practitioner of this marvelous spiritual art form.

DARK MIRROR OF MAGICK - The Vassago Millennium Prophecy is a provocative and intriguing documentary film by veteran television journalist Wayne Darwen (Inside Edition, Hard Copy, A Current Affair, Strange Universe, Now it Can Be Told). Darwen documents a ritual of spirit evocation conducted in January of 2001 by Runyon and several members of his magical order for the expressed purpose of receiving an oracle from the ancient goetic spirit Vassago concerning future events at the dawn of the new millennium.

The oracle that resulted from this magical operation is amazing -- perhaps even disturbing (especially in light of the way world events have unfolded since the evocation). It is sure to be condemned by religious zealots as words of the devil, dismissed as delusion or chicanery by skeptics, and denigrated by dilettantes and armchair wizards of all persuasions. I doubt that Runyon will (or should) care. As for Darwen - he characterizes the film as "...the most remarkable record of a supernatural event I have ever witnessed."

Only time will reveal if Vassago was a true and faithful servant or a lying spirit. But what is not uncertain is the fact that Darwen's documentary is a true and faithful record of a classic operation of western ceremonial magick, brilliantly executed by a master of the art. Like Maya Deren's classic film, The Divine Horseman: The Living Gods of Haiti, DARK MIRROR OF MAGICK is an historic document that will continue to inform and fascinate devotees and scholars long after we've all gone to the spirit world ourselves.

If you've ever wondered about the mystery schools of ancient and modern times--and what practical use they might be--then this videotape is for you.

I had heard about it shortly after it was made in early January 2001. The story was that one event--the assassination of a prominent leader in Africa--of many prophesied on the video had already come true.

But I don't follow politics that closely, and I was too busy getting back into the swing of things after a busy holiday season to pay much attention.

All that changed the following September 11th. After spending weeks weeping and scrambling to cope with personal ravages by the recession, I recalled the video. I wondered if it could shed any light on the lunacy I felt plunged into and witnessed all around me. And what about the quality of the video presentation itself? Would the ceremony be understandable? Would it be interesting? I ordered the tape to find out for myself.

Boy, was I in for a delightful surprise. I found the presentation professional and the whole experience mesmerizing as well as illuminating.

An accompanying booklet reviews the entire prophecy and includes detailed analysis and interpretation by two key figures conducting the magickal operation. These mystics also answer hard-hitting impromptu questions by the interviewer to provide background on this system and how it compares and contrasts with other spiritual traditions. One example is how the great King Solomon of Judeo-Christian tradition figures into the practices of a modern sect of mystics calling forth ancient and archetypal energies to provide inspiration and guidance for contemporary concerns.

I, for one, will be re-reading the booklet and reviewing the video as events in the prophecy continue to unfold.

Students of prophecy will love this video set! Students of the occult will find themselves gravitated towards it as well, but for different reasons.

I liked the video, but I loved the accompanying booklet. The video starts off exciting, filming the process of a prophecy being made in the making. It then trails off to show how one allows a spirit (or jinn, more specifically, the Arab word for genie) in while you look at a mirror, and I personally don't care much for possession, but if you want learn how to see a genie talking to you, then the middle of the video is worth watching, but wait till you get to the end. You get to see the whole prophecy, and it's worth it!

If you were as anxious to see the prophecy as I was, look at the nifty accompanying booklet. It gives every word of the prophecy and an accompanying interpretation by the two guys who did the operation, Poke and Solomon. I enjoyed the Cabalistic interpretations, even though many would argue anything can be derived from Cabala.

The real test is if the interpretations will pan out. Will Saudi Arabia remain strong with the United States as the prophecy implies, in spite of Mayor Giuliani's rejection of the $10 million of disaster relief offered by the acting head of Saudi Arabia, due to a disagreement over Middle East Policy? Will China actually join us in the conflict in more than just word. Most importantly, will there be a war in Israel, as the prophecy implies so strongly? The foreseeing of the 9-11-01 World Trade Center disaster is also pretty good.

But one overall trend should be noted. If Vassago's foresight is to be interpreted in light of modern occurences, then he is politically incorrect to the max, but what more can we expect from a jinn? This is a pretty good video and well worth the price. A nice memento and timepiece for this era in history. I'll give it five stars, because the booklet really tops it off nicely.

Those who have the original 2001 VHS version of this amazing video documentary should be the first to get the new 2003 DVD "Second Edition." The DVD has 12 minutes of completely new footage; mostly current interviews with Frater Solomon and Frater Thabion dealing with the remarkable results of the spirit Vassago's "Millennium Prophecy." --But there is also a new follow-up from Vassago himself!....All this and for five dollars less than the earlier VHS version.

For those who don't have the VHS version yet, this Second Edition should be their first choice. Dark Mirror of Magick is the only complete, fully documented visual and sound recording of an actual Solomonic Goetia evocation operation. No rehearsals, no retakes. You see and hear it all. It was video-recorded by a professional t.v. news crew in January of 2001. 13 days after the Spirit Vassago predicted "The Slaying of a Son of Africa," the president of Congo was assassinated! Vassago went on to predict the present War on Terror in the Middle East and even hinted at the coming 911 disaster.

This was all videoed inside the impressive magical temple of the O.T.A. in Southern California. Director/narrator Wayne Darwen interviews the magus and the seer before and after the operation. Their unrehearsed answers to his penetrating questions give the viewer an insider's perspective on modern magick that is invaluable.

The producers of this DVD version have also up-dated, enhanced,extended and digitally re-mastered their companion video doumentary The Magick of Solomon. This production gives detailed instructions, with full-dress in-temple demonstrations, on how to perform the kind of operations seen in Dark Mirror of Magick.

It was awesome to actually see a Goetic Operation on camera. This is probably the first time such an evocation has ever been filmed and made availible to the public.

The Prophecy from Vassago was neat, because it only took 13 days for part of it to be fulfilled. Though I can't say I understand everything the Prophecy is about, the booklet that comes with it helps. Of course, like the prophecies of Nostradamus, they are cryptic. But when they are fulfilled, it becomes not only obvious, but clear the revealing spirit had the intelligence to conceal exactly what he knew until time unlocks the veil.

This whole tape is reminiscent of Nostradamus, Mother Shipton, and St. Malachy, and I think centuries will look back on the revelations of Vassago as another milestone in the world of prophecy.

Poke Runyon is the modern master and authority on the art of spirit evocation and for the first time in a professionally done taping, we get to see an actual working from opening to close.

For anyone interested in seeing what really goes on in the "secret" world of the ceremonial magician, this is a rare opportunity to find out how "normal" it really is. Not the scary, evil stuff that you might have been led to believe.

All in all this is a bold step on Poke's part, to just let a camera crew film an actual working without special effects or editing and just let the viewer decide for themself what to make of it. So, if you have ever had a desire to see the inside of a Magick temple or learn more about what Magick is all about, then this tape is a great place to start.

For those of you out there that are already conversant with these things, then seeing a Master in action is also well worth the price of admission!!

This video is a remastered version of that issued in September 2001, just before the September 11th bombing of the World Trade Center. In it, Wayne Darwen, a professional maker of documentaries, visits "Poke" Runyon/Frater Thabion at the OTA temple in Southern California for an example of Goetic evocation. The gist of this documentary, unlike "Poke"'s very worthy "Magick of Solomon", isn't to walk one through a Goetic evocation step-by-step, but rather to illustrate the prophetic potential of the Goetic spirits. Thabion decides to evoke Vassago, the third of the Goetic spirits, and a Prince assigned to the sphere of Jupiter, who "declares all things past, present and future, discovers things lost or hidden". The ritual ensues, with Brother Michael/Frater Solomon, described as Thabion's "apprentice", serving as scryer and channeling the words of the Goetic spirit. As is typical of prophecy, Vassago's words are cryptic:

"War upon an Eastern star
The King of Oils joins the Union
36 items of note
A house divided
God against Mammon
Mammon claims to be God
God is called Mammon
Fiery scandals are covered by a deluge
3 ½ years of strife
A presiding one shows his genius
But it is not what you think
The slaying of a son of Africa undoes a man
The son of the South is truly the son of the North
Vidar sits in silence
Satan fights with violence
What is hanging by a thread is saved when the snake is shed"

Clear, right? Anyway, 10 days later, on January 13, 2001, Laurent Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, was assassinated by a bodyguard. Darwen, who probably thought the whole OTA prophesy nothing worthy of note, suddenly had an event strikingly similar to part of the prophecy as well contemporaneous with the revelation itself. The documentary was broadcast on TV in February, 2001, thrusting Thabion and the OTA a bit out of the shadows of "that weird group of people" and into celebrity.

All would have been well and good had they chosen to stop there. "Poke" chooses to describe himself as "the Angel Magus" who is "friendly and reserved, with a certain distance in his eyes that seemed to say `I have seen strange things'". Had they left the obvious success of the Goetic operation to speak for itself, this would have been a vastly more successful work. However, "Poke", presumably an experienced magician, seems to fall prey to the limelight and overlooks or ignores the basic premise of prophesy (that all prophesies are understood only upon the cusp of the event, or after the fact), and elects to interpret, with Brother Solomon, the cryptic revelations of the demon. Ignoring the fact that the revelation which already seemed to come to pass dealt with the DRC - treating it as a side note from Vassago to simply get their attention, or enhance their celebrity - they proceed to "expose" the true meaning of the prophesy - all of which dealt with events in or around the USA and its allies. Anyone who has cracked open any attempts at interpretation of Nostradamas' prophesies knows that interpretations of all outstanding prophesies are made to focus entirely on events to come in the USA, or on events directly affecting it. Having been given a key as to the possible true subject of the prophesy, Thabion and Solomon instead go about fitting the pegs into odd shaped holes - anything as long as the USA is the subject of Vassago's words. "Stars" and "oil" and "sons of the south/north" and "presiding ones" all become references to America and Israel, reflecting the apparent preoccupation with the "Land of the Free and Home of the Brave" and its allies in the spirit world. Hint, hint, fellas - have a look at the DRC and its history and politics of the time the prophecy was made.

Anyway, shortly after the video was released, we have the WTC attack. Thabion and Solomon, quoting "this information just had to come out" repeatedly like a mantra, create an addendum to the original, again re-interpreting what was previously so very clear, and again attempting to focus Vassago's words on the USA. This addendum was prepared in 2003, and tacked to the end of the re-mastered DVD for its issue later that year, along with a booklet thoroughly detailing Solomon's visions accompanying each of the elements of the prophesy. One would think hindsight would make the whole process more accurate, but one would be wrong.

This is all very sad, since the documented issuance of the prophecy itself on film, and the subsequent events of January 2001, make a compelling case for the potency of the operations undertaken. "Poke" has always struck me as a very modest man, often in the face of derision from both mundane observers and his magical peers. He's also quite the insightful fellow, as can be seen from the current practice of using dark mirrors in Goetic operations (he re-discovered the technique) - though his habit of re-organizing the angels of the Shemhamphorash is undeniably arrogant. Why he elects to abandon this at this point is a mystery, but he and Solomon manage to erode in the process much of the credibility they otherwise would have achieved.

The Dark Mirror of Magick is the second video by Poke Runyon following "The Magick of Solomon". My opinion is that it cannot compare to the first video but is still interesting and educational none the less. It was interesting to see the interior of his apparently new or maybe just redecorated temple and the various magical implements he uses.

A large part of it deals with the evocation of the spirit Vassago and trying to get him to reveal some prophecy about the future. Personally i find prophecy to be a big waste of time since its always so cryptic and overly useless and can always be interpreted in an infinite number of ways. It seemed like this video was aimed more at trying to convince people of the power of magical evocation by trying to verify the validity of Vassago's cryptic words of warning more than anything else.

I would say that most everyone who would buy this video does not require any convincing and that they would already most likely be studying or performing these rituals themselves at least to some extent.

On a more positive note I was most impressed with Poke Runyons ritual experience and knowledge of magick and its clear that he has been doing this for a long time. His voice is very hypnotic and magical and its like listening to Gandalph or Saraman from Lord of the Rings as he speaks. He is very confident and calming and i find my own beliefs in magick are strengthed and reaffirmed just by watching and listening to him speak. I completely enjoyed the interview section of the video with Poke answering some tough questions about his practice and belief posed by the interviewer. I would have loved to see more of him speaking about his beliefs and knowledge than anything else because i do think he has a lot to teach and say that is not coming across in his videos. He seems exceptionally gifted as a speaker and is very good at putting things into perspective in regards to the magical arts especially since the interview questions were completely spontaneous and unrehersed.

Overall i would say that there is not too much new information that is very useful in this video if you already own his first video "the magick of solomon" but if your a hard core magician and really into magical evocation then i would recommend it anyway at least for his interview session if nothing else.

This DVD Is fantastic. It should be seen by all students of the Occult.

I watched the movie with a friend. He liked what people were doing. It is now 2 days after I saw it for the first time and I keep going back to the tape. I have been hitting the research books and am having great fun in trying to "pick out" what the prophecies are referring to. I have since learned about Mammon and the history of the "don't tread on me" snake. The original request said for a few years. There is so much to discover, we keep theorizing about how it could be fulfilled, which ones already have and whether we agree with the preliminary assumptions made in the tape. We are watching the news more closely. It is great fun and I expect we will continue to seek out the solutions to the mysteries for several years.