Shadow Magick Compendium: Exploring Darker Aspects of Magickal Spirituality (Paperback)

by Raven Digitalis (Author)
Key Phrases: exiting your lips, godform assumption, shadow magick, The External Shadow, The Shadow of Nature, The Astral Shadow (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Embracing the darkness is part of divine balance.

Everyone has a shadow, a dark side. Exploring the shadow self is not only safe, it's necessary for balance and healing. The author of Goth Craft invites you down a unique magical path for navigating inner and outer darkness and harnessing the shadow for spiritual growth.

Shadow Magick Compendium sheds a positive light on this misunderstood and rarely discussed side of magical practice. There are ritual meditations for exploring past experiences, dispelling harmful behavior patterns, and healing a fractured soul. Learn how to safely fast and perform other methods of self-sacrifice, invoke a deity into yourself (godform assumption), get in touch with your Spirit Animal, take advantage of the Dark Moon and eclipses, and perform a unique ritual with your television for a new perspective on society. From astral journeys to sigils to dark herbs, you'll find an array of magical techniques to navigate the shadows and mysteries of yourself and the world at large.

About the Author

Raven Digitalis (Missoula, MT) is the author of Shadow Magick Compendium: Exploring Darker Aspects of Magickal Spirituality and Goth Craft: The Magickal Side of Dark Culture (Llewellyn). He is a Neopagan Priest and cofounder of the "disciplined eclectic" shadow magick tradition and training coven Opus Aima Obscuræ, and a radio and club DJ of Gothic and industrial music. Also trained in Georgian Witchcraft and Buddhist philosophy, Raven has been a Witch since 1999 and a Priest since 2003.

Raven holds a degree in anthropology from the University of Montana and is also an animal rights activist, black-and-white photographic artist, and is the co-owner of Twigs & Brews Herbs, specializing in bath salts, herbal blends, essential oils, and incenses. He has appeared on the cover of newWitch magazine, is a regular contributor to The Ninth Gate magazine, and has been featured on MTV News and the ‘X' Zone Radio program.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (September 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073871318X
• ISBN-13: 978-0738713182
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #654,419 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you Raven!, August 30, 2008

By	Aradian (Oregon) - See all my reviews

Looking for an interesting, and most often left out, take on the Craft? Read this book, and make sure to read "GothCraft" also!

Raven is not a fake. He is not a fluffy-bunny. Sure, he's gothic and bisexual... Who cares??? "All acts of love and pleasure are my rituals," said the Goddess, so let people be who they're going to be!

This book, and GothCraft, have brought us new material, something that the pagan community has needed for a long time. So many of the books out on the market are nothing more than Wicca 101... Raven's books go above and beyond 101 and force you to think outside the box, and thank Goddess for that!

Thank you Raven, for another fabulous book.

Love and Light,
Aradian

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!, September 13, 2008

By	Molly Riker (Jacksonville, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A wonderful book that introduces the basics of many ideas and practices that are seen to be along the darker side of paganism. Digitalis is a very well written author who puts a lot of time and thought into his works. And he provides a wonderfuly long bibliography for those wishing to pursue their own research on the subjects he presents.

For those looking for balance in their spiritual lives, this is a good book to help you on that path.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shadow Magick Compendium Review, January 17, 2009

By	Melanie J. Harris - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Shadow Magick Compendium
A Review by Melanie Harris

Shadow Magick Compendium: Exploring Darker Aspects of Magickal Spirituality
By Raven Digitalis
Published by Llewellyn Publications, September 2008
ISBN: 9780738713182


Those in a spiritual rut, prepare to be wrenched out. Going where fluffy bunnies fear to tread, Raven Digitalis takes us on a breathtaking walk in the dark in Shadow Magick Compendium: Exploring Darker Aspects of Magickal Spirituality (Llewellyn Publications, 2008). Looking into the shadows can help us progress spiritually, and this second title by the author of Goth Craft (Llewellyn Publications, 2007) is a vehicle to do just that.
This is NOT a book about "bad" magick; the focus here is on spiritual balance and magickal development. Shadow Magick Compendium is a book about acknowledging and examining the dark side of things, those characteristics of self and nature and life and death that are more often feared, misused, or ignored than they are understood.
There are lots of interesting things lurking in the darkness, and this book is divided into five sections to take you there: The Internal Shadow, The External Shadow, The Astral Shadow, The Shadow of Nature, and the Shadow of Society. Each chapter presents an overview of the particular aspect of shadow, and offers practical exercises to apply the knowledge in your own life. It's a good mix of solid information, progressive ideas, and creative techniques - one of the signature flairs of this author.
Despite his hip-sounding name, young age (mid-twenties), and modern eclectic Neo-Pagan identity, Raven Digitalis hearkens back to the old school days of magick, a time when well-reasoned creativity, logic, research, practicality, tradition, and plain old studying were a bit more often valued in magickal circles than they are today. This kid does his homework, and even seasoned occultists and witches will pick up new perspectives and new modes of magick from Shadow Magick Compendium, while beginners won't be, dare I say, left in the dark.
Chapter 1, The Internal Shadow, takes a look at negative behavior patterns and offers tools for getting out of them, including a self-evaluation checklist to discover just where your imbalances and repressed feelings might lie. The checklist is frank and cuts to the core; readers evaluate statements such as, "I stress about my obligations and requirements more than I should," and, "I tend to manipulate other people," to see if they feel the statement applies to them. This sort of soul-searching is essential, Raven teaches, for anyone hoping to spiritually progress. The book states, "We can only change the external world by transforming the internal; both simultaneously co-create each other. Every single one of us has behavioral and perceptual patterns that somehow hinder our full spiritual development - or else we wouldn't be here!"
A ritual meditation for "Purging the Shadow" is given, followed by a positively fascinating tour of the mystic experience and the many ways it can be achieved. Here, well-researched facts about the Qabalah, Sufism, and other methodologies that can lead to the mystic experience are presented.
Chapter 2 discusses the external shadow, which encompasses godform assumption and invocation, fasting, the art of creating sigils, and more. The fasts are particularly interesting, ranging from a traditional food fast to a very modern fast from technology. "Eliminating technology from one's daily operation is, like all sacrifices, both difficult and rewarding," writes Raven. "Such an endeavor illuminates our modern lifestyle, and reminds us that humans operated without electronic technology for aeons." He encourages readers to design their own structure for the fast, deciding how long and how strict the fast will be.
Chapter 3 is about astral projection, power animals, and other elements of the astral shadow. This chapter includes an essay by Estha McNevin on spirit guides. Estha is Raven's priestess and she is the co-founder of their shadow magick tradition, Opus Aima Obscurae. Estha explains the concept of spirit guides and guardians intelligently, imparting a credibility that is often not present in discussions about the subject.
Chapter 4 is dedicated to the Shadow of Nature, and teaches the reader how to best use the power of the dark moon, eclipses, and the shadier portions of the wheel of the year. This chapter also contains an invaluable mini-herbal, a guide to the magical attributes and properties of "dark" herbs, those plants that are particularly well-suited for shadow magick.
Chapter 5, the Shadow of Society, is bold and frank. Raven speaks about problems within the occult/magickal scene, and he also deconstructs many of the myths that often surround the Burning Times, a.k.a., the era of burn `em at the stake witch hunts. His honesty, objectivity, and adherence to facts is refreshing.
There is so much more that this book discusses, and so much more depth, analysis, and practical application offered on the topics I did mention. For anyone with an interest in spirituality or magick, Shadow Magick Compendium is truly fascinating.