Customer Reviews

Secrets of Ancient Magic: Path of the Goddess

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This is the type of magical information that gives a link between the Ancient Semitic Ilm al-Hikmah "Knowledge of Wisdom" (Magick), and traditional Golden Dawn & Crowley material.

It is a well written book; indeed a treasure trove of ancient Qabbalistic, Pre-Arabic and Quranic (Sufi) teachings [actually, it has more Qabbalistic and pre-Arabic teachings than Quranic] concerning topics such as the Aiq-Beker & "Secret Whisperer" system of calculating the name of your Guardian Angel, interactions with the Jinn, the use of Taweez (talismans), divination with Ziraja (arabic arithmancy), etc.

One thing I really wanted, but couldnt get, before buying was a list of contents of the book. I'm giving it now for the benefit of other buyers out there. I hope its helpful..........

1. The Magical Path

2. The Magical Circle

3. Magical Light

4. Magic of Love

5. Life Magic

6. Angelic Magic

7. The Guardian Angel

8. Transformational Magic

9. Magical Protection

10. Magic of the Jinn

11. Empowerment Magic

12. Magical Initiation

13. Talismanic Magic

14. Art of Divination

15. Conclusion

Appendix 1: Cursive Arabic

Appendix 2: First Heaven Angelic Aids

Unfortunately, the omission of an index is slighty irritating, but the content more than makes up for this little glitch. So, all in all, is it worth your money? Yes, Indubitably!!

Shadrach & Harrison's _Secrets of Ancient Magic_ is a very interesting book. They have provided a number of translations of Hebrew and Arabic texts that aren't extant (or at least common) in English. I recognize parts of the 5th century CE Hebrew _Book of the Angel Raziel_ (definitely not Savedow's "translation", but the real deal), along with a number of other magical techniques culled from various Arabic and Hebrew sources in addition to the Picatrix and standard Western GD corpus. They have constructed their own system around these sources with decidedly mixed results.

The "metasystem" that is built around the magical techniques given is loosely Neoplatonist/Valentinian Gnostic, very similar to later German Rosicrucianism. The Creator and Source of all things is the unknowable Light with the goddess Ishtar/Anat cast in the role of the cosmic Sophia who mediates the Light to the Universe(s). There is also a fair amount of "hidden masterism" a la Theosophy. Elemental names of power are given in Arabic and Hebrew along with fairly standard instructions as to their use. Planetary workings are given along with a system of Planetary names referred to as "Tahateel" - there are also some standard talismanic recipes provided using these names, though there is a sense that most of the talismans were truncated (usage for almost all the talismans is the 1st and 8th or 7th and 8th names, without mention of the others). Information is given on ways to analyze the birth name for information about the Guardian Angel, and several methods are given for contacting the Guardian Angel which are much more practical than the Abra-Melin system. Emphasis is strongly placed throughout the work on working with angels and benefic spirits and avoiding negative spirits and "demons".

One of the more unusual sections is on working with the Jinn, which are also referred to as the Sidhe throughout the book. While the authors have obviously decided that the faerie traditions of the Celtic countries are identical to the djinn traditions in the Mideast, they make little or no effort to justify or explain this assumption. Throughout the work, I got a strong sense that the authors were either omitting or missing large amounts of explanatory material.

My biggest pet peeve with this work is its complete omission of either an index or a bibliography. No sources are cited for any of the works provided, so there is no way to know what is original to the source, what is the invention of the author, and what is a hybrid of the two. While this may prove only a bit of an inconvenience for a magician (who can ask the spirits themselves), from a scholarly perspective it makes this book extremely sketchy. The authors' tendency to blend traditional Islamic and Sufic sources (which rely heavily on the Qur'an) and traditional Hebrew sources (which draw on the Merkavah and Qabalistic traditions) gives a sense of disjunction, since the systems were not designed to be worked together and had evolved in very different directions over several centuries. Adding in their own invented system of Ishtar-worship muddies the waters even further.

From the perspective of 20th century occultism, this resembles Rosicrucianism overlaid/infused with heavy reference to primary sources in Semitic traditions. It's more than worth the money for the primary source material provided, but have a trusted divinatory spirit to rule on the advisability of putting any of it into practice.

After seeing bookstores with New Age sections filled with the same old titles rehashing the same old material, "Secrets of Ancient Magic: Path of the Goddess" was a real breath of fresh air. Nineveh Shadrach has unearthed a tradition millenia old, far older than the Golden Dawn and Wicca, and has resurrected it, made it new again, and brought it into the light of a new day.

I was pleasantly surprised on how this book was such an easy read (I read it in less than a week) yet the practical content was so thick, it would easily take a lifetime to master. Many readers will see some familiar formulae with the variations on the Middle Pillar and the LVX formula, but the enhancements raise the techniques to a new magnitude of power. However, what is much more plentiful are the lost Divine Names, magical alphabets, and ancient techniques never before found in print. From its step-by-step basics on breathing, relaxation and visualization for beginners, to its deep rich history dating back to the Chaldeans, to its calculative theory of magic squares and determining the name of your Holy Guardian Angel, to the intense and complex ritual practice of Magical Initiation the the Contact of that Holy Guardian Angel, this book has something special for every occultist, from Neophyte to Magister, from Kaballist to Kitchen Witch.

There are a few sections of the book that really stand out and shine their own Light. The Codex of Love is nothing short of a work of Art, and its impact is nearly impossible to put into words. However, I am certain it speaks to each individual in a different fashion, in a manner the reader needs to hear. It is nothing short of Magic. Accolades go to the author for their chapter on Magical Initiation. Unlike other disingenuous authors who change their positions and publish self-initiation books just to make a buck...at long last, an author who has enough knowledge, experience and ethics to place the self-initiation process exactly where it belongs, with the aspiring mage humbly beseeching to be graced with initiation by the hands of the Divine. Lastly, there is the chapter which bring back to light the venerable race of spiritual beings known as the Jinn...but that is as far as I will mention it here!

The only recommendation I would give to the reader is to read Chapter 11: Empowerment Magic either just before or after Chapter 5: Life Magic. It has some basics on the Tree of Life are more helpful in the beginning chapters. And the only recommendation I would give to the authors is to add an index in the Second Edition.

In closing, I would say that "Secrets of Ancient Magic: Path of the Goddess" deserves a place on the bookshelf of every occultist who has the first and most basic quality to be an occultist: an open mind!

This is an awesome book, quite unlike anything else on the market today. There are alot of traditional elements that would appear at first glance to be familiar, but are brought to the reader from a wholely new perspective, and with a history that explains their origin, and how and why it works. LOTS of new material that can not be found in any other book on any shelf of any store. It is filled with extremely practical and useful rituals for everyone from the novice to the experienced magi. I can not say enough good things about it!

This is an increible work & much needed addition to the currently available materials on the path of magic. "Secrets of Ancient Magic" draws deeply & directly from the ancient tradition of the Magi of old, bringing forth for the modern Magician an incredible body of practical knowledge that has remained hidden for hundreds (if not thousands) of years from all but the initiated.

From the outset the author makes plain one of the most sought after principals of the Ancient Magical tradition, the process of arriving at direct communion with one's Holy Guardian Angel. The work progresses rapidly discussing the nature of sacred alphabets, the **TRUE & AUTHENTIC** construction of Magic Squares, the Qabalah, Angelic Magic and the very obscure Jynn Magic.

This book is a veritable wealth of knowledge. Any student or adept of the esoteric arts of Magic, if serious, should include this work in their collection of **primary** reference materials.

The book is dedicated for working in the Divine Light.

A wonderful treatise on arabic magick, however it did not fit well in my paradigm. I evoke angels and this book says thats a big no-no, for whatever reason. Show interesting gems are to be had. The HGA name calculation leaves much to be wanting IMHO. I bought the book to learn more on the dijin. This was a minor aspect and one that is almost glossed over by the author by the same logic that one should not evoke the angels. Basicly it says by doing the work the good dijin will show. The spells go on and on, although one could trim and work them. Look else where , heck a book on elemental magick would be better! Woth a read over though.

Finally! For a long time many Western Occultists have been waiting for something, anything that helps rebuild the links we have to our Arabian roots. Christian Rosencreuz supposedly was educated in Arabia and many qabbalistic writtings that were penned durring the golden age of Islam, now we finally have some of those links back! This book is a great introduction to those formally "lost" bits of western occult tradition, detailing angelic magick, jinn magick, and many other useful techniques. I for one am very pleased that such a book is finally available in english! It, and the other books in its series stand to be a great contribution to the western occult tradition.