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Out of the Shadows: An Exploration of Dark Paganism and Magick
 
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Out of the Shadows: An Exploration of Dark Paganism and Magick [Paperback]

John J Coughlin (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)

Price: $18.67 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Book Description

May 1, 2001
Reclaiming the word darkness from its evil associations, this book explores the aspects, imagery, and spirituality of darkness.

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with Shadow Magick Compendium: Exploring Darker Aspects of Magickal Spirituality $13.19

Out of the Shadows: An Exploration of Dark Paganism and Magick + Shadow Magick Compendium: Exploring Darker Aspects of Magickal Spirituality


Editorial Reviews

About the Author

John Coughlin, also known by his Internet handle Dark Wyccan, has been involved in the craft for over 16 years. In that time, he has worked with several groves and covens, although he primarily prefers to walk a solitary, eclectic path.

Also associated with the Gothic scene, John has incorporated his personal aesthetics and ideals into his spirituality giving him an often unique perspective on Wicca and Paganism in general.

Currently, John is Editor of the NYC Pagan Resource Guide and has created many other web-based projects for both Pagans and Goths on waningmoon.com such as the Pagan Personals, Gothic Personals, Corporate Goth and Gothic Guide to Nail Care.


Product Details

  • Paperback: 276 pages
  • Publisher: 1st Book Library (May 1, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 158820801X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1588208019
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #981,880 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John J. Coughlin has been a practitioner of the Occult Arts since the mid-1980's. In that time he has worked with several groups, although he primarily prefers to walk a solitary, eclectic path. Also associated with the Gothic scene, John has incorporated his personal aesthetics and ideals into his spirituality giving him an often unique perspective. His pivotal work _Out of the Shadows_ has lead some to consider him the father of Dark Paganism, given he was the first author to publically explore that concept.

Preferring to consider himself an "obscure occult writer" due to his distaste for self promotion, John believes those who will benefit from his work will eventually stumble across it when the time is right. Professional writers are cursed with having to sacrifice their integrity to please the majority in order to sell their work to the masses. John does not seek to make a living off his writing and is therefore free to write about what he finds interesting and important regardless of its trendiness or political correctness. Much of John's work remains in private distribution within the various magical groups with which he works.

Books by John Coughlin:
* Out of the Shadows: An exploration of Dark Paganism and Magick
* Ethics an the Craft
* A Cthulhian Grimoire of Dream Work
* Liber Yog-Sothoth

As a lover and collector of books, John is also the founder of Waning Moon Publications where he produces both hand bound limited edition as and mass produced titles on various occult-related subjects.

More information about John Coughlin as well as his various web-related projects can be found at http://www.waningmoon.com.

 

Customer Reviews

36 Reviews
5 star:
 (27)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (36 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome! A must Read!, November 3, 2002
By 
This review is from: Out of the Shadows: An Exploration of Dark Paganism and Magick (Paperback)
I learned about the existence of this book just as I was desparing that there were no good intermediate or advanced pagan books out there. "Out of the Shadows" was everything I was looking for and more. As someone who has long been attracted to dieties with darker, less nurturing aspects like Sekhmet, Kali, and Coyote, I agree that this book was much needed in presenting paganism without the "good vs. bad" dualism. The left hand path is often misunderstood, and I think this book is a wonderful introduction to it. It is a very psychological, thought provoking view. One will find no pre-made spells or rituals here; Coughlin explores the philosophy and mechanics of magic to help you understand why they work. -Quite a liberating thing!
It is also a joy to read; I really enjoyed the conversational style of writing that Coughlin used. He defines and clarifies several aspects of dark spirituality/goth subculture that I would not normally have read about, such as Vampirism and Satanism. He also goes into depth about subjects that would never see the light of day in other books: blood, pain, insanity, sex magic, curses, and drugs. Always there, though, is a reminder of the need for balance and responsibility. The final chapter on haunting was superb; it made sense of the hauntings that I have experienced and caused me to see them in a new way. This book tops my list of favorite pagan books; I reccomend it to everyone who can handle the subject matter and wants a full course meal in magic.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Dark Paganism from Out of the Shadows, May 21, 2005
This review is from: Out of the Shadows: An Exploration of Dark Paganism and Magick (Paperback)
In Out of The Shadows, author John J. Coughlin trys to
rebuild the balance 'Light Paganism' has created. He
gives an easy and understandable description of what
the Darkness and 'Dark Paganism' actually are. Though
the focus of this book is 'Dark Paganism', the author in
no way tries to deny or degrade Light Paganism. In
fact, Coughlin actually describes it's benefits and
necessities in modern paganism.

In his explanation of the Darkness, Coughlin gives
information on "dark siders" including the Gothic and
Vampiric Sub-Culture. He gives a clear and understandable explanation of "The Shadow" in psychological terms, as well as symbols, images, and archetypes associated with darkness. I found the section on dark deities to be especially interesting,
where Coughlin offers information on specific deities
from various pantheons including Celtic,Egyptian,
Greek, and Hindu.

Part Two is an explanation of the nature and structure of magick. This section explains how and why magick works as well as it's limitations and psychological factors. Coughlin takes you through each step of the
spellcasting process by describing what and how to conduct ritual. This section also contains information on psychic abilities, chaos magick, and sex magick.

Out of The Shadows is really two books in one.
It is and exploration of Dark Paganism, but it is also
a guide to magick. Because so many books are focused
on Light Paganism, this text is truly ground breaking.
This book does an excellent job of providing the
seeker with the proper tools to explore yourself. It's
goal is to suggest, if not test, you to personalize
your belief system. You will learn the truth about the Darkness and Dark Paganism. It was an excellent read and I'd
highly recommend it to all Pagans.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book that will get you thinking, September 20, 2004
This review is from: Out of the Shadows: An Exploration of Dark Paganism and Magick (Paperback)
What I like about this book is the author's upfront honesty. this is a book about magickal theory and exploring your dark side. The author never sets out to do a book that's focused on practice. He wants you to critically think and explore the concepts that he touches on, but in a manner that I believe gives a lot of respect to the reader.
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