Customer Reviews

Nocturnal Witchcraft: Magick After Dark

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I found this book very useful. Although it is not a complete course in magick, it does offer a unique perspective and approach I have not found in any other Wicca or Witchcraft books. I agree that it may seem a little trendy to the casual observer, but honestly what mass produced books on Wicca aren't trendy these days? I thought the book was a refreshing change from the New Age/Wicca books currently flooding the market.

But this book isn't for everyone. If a person has a deep love of the entity known as night then the book will resonate with them. Otherwise it is easy to dismiss it as a trendy goth work (although the author doesn't spend much time discussing that particular sub-culture). Personally as a non-Goth I appreciated the author's insights into the night. His approach is more about a naturally based identification with the night than a socially based one.

As far as modern reworkings of the old magicks go, I think Konstantinos has done a good job with this book. Of course it isn't a stand alone work, but it is a good primer for those who love the night and want to work with it in a deeper way.

This book grabbed me the first time I saw it. Konstantinos is a genius is explaining this issue to a new level. I have read his books before and am by no means new to magic or the dark night, but he has outdone himself once again. I look forward to reading his next publication. I already knew most of what he was saying in the book, but it helped make it easier to clarify some of the things I was already doing. This is a love it or hate it book, so if you are not nocturnal...... you might wanna pass. 5 stars!

This book is what anyone who wants to know more about shadow magick should get. Even though there are books out there that deal with this topic, Nocturnal Witchcraft takes it steps further. Konstantinos excellently tells what exactly the shadows are to witches and how it can be used in everyday magick. Plus, he adds extra information(a listing of the deities, herbs used during certain rituals) to help the novice or experienced witch what they need in order to come closer to the shadows. He does not try to candy coat anything, just explains with detail and his own personal experiences with this magick.
I have already told many people about this book and I hope through this review and many others, that witches do purchase this book. Such a wonderful insight into the shadows...

I love the material in Konstantinos Nocturnal Witchcraft he touche on subjects that other witchcraft books will not even go there. I like finding out that I am a good dark soul. He has helped me to recongnize why so many people come to me for help in dealing with evil dark souls. I have always been more interested in the darker aspects of witchcraft and the Crone aspect of the Goddess. This book is a must have for those out there that are just not getting the information they need or want with traditional witchcraft books. This is a first on dark magick and the "good side" of it. I recommend this book for a beginner or advanced practioner as it has techniques I have never read about and i have studied magick for 4 years. For anyone interested in finding out the 4 different soul types and why you may be drawn to the darker energies of witchcraft i recommend this book. Even if you don't agree with all his methods this is a must have referrence. Thanks Deb

I suppose I should be fare and assume Llewellyn would not allow an unbiased approach to "darkness" since that may challenge their other books, but that does not excuse the Author for signing with them if this was this case. With that said, although I think I get the point the author is trying to make, it offers more the impression of "hey this is a new fad, lets see if I can cash in on this". Again I am not sure if this tone was the publisher or the author, but either way that is what I see clearly on every page as I read the book.

Basically the book is a hodge-podge of info from his earlier books mixed with some Wicca 101 and gothic trappings. Some of the wording is just comical, such as "Casting the Nocturnal Circle", etc... it's the same old stuff with words like "nocturnal", "dark", and "black" thrown in for effect. The concepts of "good dark" and "bad dark" loose the whole point of darkness as that which transcends morality, forcing one to find one's inner integrity instead of blindly following laws in fear of the "or else" clause. Bad, bad, bad and I expected more from this author. His other books are summaries of more detailed work of others so are good starters. I feel this book had the same intended purpose - to simplify the work of other authors, but in this case he has fallen short of the mark. This is not a book about darkness.. it just says it is. ...

Though I'm inclined to agree that 'Nocturnal Witchcraft' seems to be "trying to cash in on Blair Witch-style, neo-Goth hype" as J. Gelling wrote (especially when you look at what's written on the back of the book) I think it may not be as much the intent of the author, as it is the aim of his publisher. I suspect Konstantinos is gothic himself, so I can hardly blame him for writing about what he knows.

I found it a very useful resource to balance the countless books on Wicca, most of which seem to focus on the 'light' side. It is indeed important to understand that 'dark' is not synomymous with 'evil', and I did not feel that Konstantinos overstressed it. In fact, he only covers that aspect in the beginning of the book.

I am not "good dark", as Konstantinos calls it, but I there was a lot in 'Nocturnal Witchcraft' that has helped me improve myself. I found his way of 'drawing down' Gods particularly inspiring. When I invoked my patron Goddess during Mabon last year, I felt her embrace unlike ever before. For that reason alone the books was already worth reading. Of course, the technique will probably work differently for everyone, but for me it worked!

Besides an invocation technique, Konstantinos provides us with excersizes to improve psychic abilities, ritual techniques, and a starting point for nocturnal Gods. He doesn't provide the reader with much information on Gods (only a general overview), but I think it is exactly what the author intents. In order to truly know a Deity, we must go on a personal journey ourselves. There are hundreds of books available on Greek Gods and Mythology alone. All I needed to know was a name, and I could start searching.

It is important to keep in mind that the 'truth' is inside you, and not every aspect of each book will ring true to you. I found I disagreed with Konstantinos frequently. Nonetheless, his view helped me balance mine better. I am a better witch today.

I would not advise this book as a starting point in Witchcraft, there are far better books available for beginners, but it may very well be an interest read for someone who has practiced Witchcraft for a couple of years. It served as a refreshing point of view, and made me re-evaluate my own perception of the world.

I have been studing witchcraft for over seven years but always felt like there was something missing from magick, another half of the answer to a question I couldn't quite put my finger on. On a whim I picked up this book and started reading the introduction. Saying I was blown away is an understatement. I found myself reading words I had felt for so long. Though, understandably, the author mentioned things in the first part that I had already known from prior studying, it was comforting in a way to know that he wasn't some newbie quack babling about something he was way off on, or worse some crack job cultist.
The exersises are outlined very simply and in a way that even a first timer could understand and what's more he tells you what you can expect and aproximately how long it will take or a truelly positve affect to manifest.
The best part is that he mentions his own personal experinces in such a way that you know he is preaching what he practiced. This is very reassuring for individuals who fear negative repercussions of an occultic nature.
The other thing I found impressive was that I felt compelled to e-mail the author to tell him how great his book was, not expecting a response. Two days after I sent him my thoughts I was floored to see his response. This is not only a man who knows what he is talking about but enjoys hearing what others fell about his writting.
I urge everyone who practicise to give this book a try. It is well worth the fourteen dollars to do so! You will not be disappointed.

I have to agree with many of the other reviewers here. I myself am fairly new to mystical studies, but even I can tell from the several other books I've read that the author of Nocturnal Witchcraft is just trying to cash in on Blair Witch-style, neo-Goth hype. Fully half this book is devoted to endlessly pontificating on how it's possible to be "good dark." This gets old very, very quickly for the reader, let me assure you.

Konstantinos seems to want to pretend that wicca/ceremonial magick systems have ignored the dark aspects of nature. This may have been the case in the more distant past, but everything else I've ever read on this subject makes it clear that nature is an endless duality of male/female, light/dark, sun/moon, etc. that seem opposite but all ultimately lead back to a Universal Source of Creation. By focusing on the dark as more interesting than the light, or suggesting that some people should only study the darker aspects of nature, he seems to ignore the very duality of nature that he himself acknowledges.

Regardless of whether or not you have a preference for the dark of night, I would deeply suggest that you not let this book see the light of day in your book collection. It truly contains very little practical or even significant information. It is less than Wicca 101... it's Wicca 0 (or worse). Try Kraig's Modern Magick as an infinitely better beginner's guide (for those of you that want a formal, ritualized system) or just about any other Wicca book for a better rundown on these basic principles.

This is a book that presents an intriguing concept with little depth or originality to the magickal system it presents. All of the techniques given, from banishings to development of the mind, are a (sometimes lack-luster) rehash of what is already in print. An example of this would be the author's version of the Pentagram ritual with its sole point of departure from other versions being its mono-dimensional invocation of the elements from the night to honor the 'Old Ones'. While the author has found a truly interesting slant of the Craft to explore, the best thing this book has to offer is its bibliography.

This book really helps to lay a solid foundation for Nocturnal
Witchcraft and Occultism. It is a wonderful book for anyone who
is more attuned to the Nocturnal cycles and the powers that are
readily available in the dark of night.

You will not find a great deal of in depth information here but
he did a wonderful job of helping me to sort out my thoughts
and approach to the subject.

I have a few of his books and intend to purchase the rest.