Customer Reviews

The Mystic Foundation: Understanding and Exploring the Magical Universe

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fantastic book. I've been waiting for it's release ever since I heard about it on deo's Shadow. Christopher Penczak's scholarship and insights are delivered with his ever enjoyable prose. It facinated me to learn about the common metaphysical "foundations" found throughout Eastern and Western traditions, and has sparked some great discussions with friends and family.

It's pretty clear what this book is supposed to be about, or should be clear if you read the description: "This nondogmatic primer outlines the mystical teachings of Paganism, Christianity, Islam, and other spiritualities spanning Eastern and Western traditions."

I have several books by Chris Penczak, and they all have been tremendously helpful to me on my spiritual path. This one is no different. It is not a Temple series book, but a fanatastic overview of many other traditions. Great for anyone who wants to broaden their knowledge, I highly recommend it, along with any other book by this very talented author.

Mystic Foundation is a brief overview of some of the major religions, mystical traditions, and esoteric concepts held around the world. Anyone picking this up should see this as a sampler of the possible paths any aspiring initiate could take. Yet this is not in-depth by any means and often misses out on the intrinsic values held within the esoteric traditions. This is not to downgrade his extensive writing, simply to show that one cannot compile all that information in an easy-to-carry binding.

So if you are starting on your path to enlightenment or just looking around the world of the mystical - this is your book. Even if you are well on your way up the path and would like to learn more about other beliefs, especially based on Christopher Penczak's suggestion that we must have a foundation of all religions to understand our own completely, then pick this up and give it a look.

I generally love Christopher Penzcak's books. I consider him to be one of my teachers, as I have used his Temple books as a basic foundation in the Craft. They are well-researched and well-written - truly excellent and practical, and not the usual fluff. One can tell that he really knows and practices the Craft. However, I would have to agree with 'Seeker Scott' on this one. It is well-written, but much of the material seems to be rehashed from previous books. I am really looking forward to the next book (Air?) in the Temple series!

This was actually my first book by Christopher, and after reading several other of his books I do have to agree that Mystic Foundation does not bring anything new to the table... other then perhaps the simple message that "there are many paths up the mountain". I actually would consider this book as a prerequisite for his temple series, though i have only read the first book (in the 'Temple series').
For me personally, this book changed my life and someday i will thank Chris in person. I also found this book 'easier to digest' then the temple books, as he doesn't constantly use 'witch' several times per page as he does in the other books I read by him.
I liked this book so much I flew across the country to give my mother a copy, then went home and bought another for my self.

Christopher Penczak has written a real jewel. The content of this book can only be catagerized in only one word. "Life". It's a philisophical book even if it has practical excercises. Mr. Penczak writes with a unique style, that goes straight to the grain in every moment, using a certain sweeteness that caracterizes him. In a personal note, he is one of the best writers now.

I have read the books in his Temple Witchcraft series, so I thought I would like this. I was wrong and this was not quite what I expected. This book is mostly information and a few exercises from his previous books, along with a general overview of religions outside of Witchcraft and Wicca. The descriptions of religions seem like an editorial review. So if this is your first book by him you read up it to 3 or 4 stars, but if this is say your second book you read by him, it is 2 stars. If you have read three or more books by him, downgrade this to 1 star, for lack of new material. Although it is generally written well with good information, it is not new information if you have read him before. I would wait for more books in the temple series.