Customer Reviews

Signs, Symbols & Omens: An Illustrated Guide to Magical & Spiritual Symbolism

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

 

 

We have many symbols from many different cultures that are part of our everyday lives. In this age of global communication and our ability to call upon research material for cultures from the past as well as around the world, we encounter many symbols that have been incorporated into our lives.

Raymond Buckland provides us with a book of collected symbols that spans time and cultures. The well presented book is divided into different cultures and topics, places each symbol according to its original association (ex. Alchemy or Ancient Egypt) and in most cases has researched the symbol to the origins and places it in its part in history.

Mr. Buckland has done a lot of research here, and provides a good graphic for each symbol, a very clear and a well written explanation when available. Those things that are part of 'mystery cults' he states clearly, such as "The Corn Sheaf was the symbol of the Great Mysteries at Eleusis, and of all corn deities." Nothing added on or made up to cover what we do not know. Just the facts as we know them.

Many topics are covered, making this a very diverse book of symbolism, and it is interesting to read about the different facets some symbols have taken on over time. The inclusion of lesser known symbols makes this a good choice for those who think they know everything but are not familiar with uncommon or obscurer material.

This book covers much material that is included in some lesser known books that are either out of print or hard to find. This makes this book a valuable addition to any library that is missing those more difficult to obtain titles.

The book has a good bibliography, but lacks an index for quick reference.

A good reference book for anyone who has interest in symbols. boudica

I've always enjoyed Buckland's writing, but when I first heard about this book, I started to wonder if I'd get just a rehash of some of the same books on symbols I already own. Not the case, not at all.

This book contains quite a few areas I haven't seen in my other books: Australian Aborigine, Buddhist, Freemasonry, Hindu, Islam, Rosicrucian, Shinto, Sikh, and Travelers. It also contains what are often considered "standard" categories for the practicing witch or magician: alchemy, ancient Egypt, astrology, Ceremonial Magic, magical alphabets, Voudoun, and Witchcraft.

For those of you who hate fluffy books, I'm glad to say that this one isn't. It's concise, with a good bibliography at the end, and a large percentage of the books he lists are pre-1980 and are not all from his publisher, so he's done his homework.

A good addition for the library!

This is an excellent introduction to ancient symbols from across many cultures: egyptian, aborigine, buddhist, celtic, greek, native American, chinese, roman, etc. I emphasize that this is an introduction to these since you could find whole books on the symbolism of each ofthese cultures. The section on celtic ones for example is only 5 pages long and rather skimpy as are the others but at least you can get your feet wet and then seek other books where you want to gain more depth. The images throughout the book are hand drawn but seem to be pretty well done. Throughout each chapter there are short stories/information relating to why certain symbols were used, roles of men and women in society, beliefs that the culture carried and that are expressed in the symbols. Overall a good book - having good breadth, just a little short on depth. I think the title is a little misleading since this is more about ancient cultural symbols (which I was looking for) and less about magic which the subtitle infers. I think this is a god starting point for further research.

This is an excellent, well written, easy to understand and browse, thoroughly enjoyable book. i gave it 4 stars because there weren't very many omens covered, but if you want this book for things like magical alphabets or ancient scripts or sybols and their meanings, id definitely suggest it!

When buying this book I was impressed with the broad amount of different cultures and symbols used. While there is a lot of visual references listed, there would be times that I would question how much this author really knew about certain subjects, and in some cases I could have seen where better visual representations could have been used. I was also disappointed in the section covering Japan, and felt it had missed some key points. So while this may be a good place to start, I would not take all the information to heart.

I did a search inside this book for "Shinto" and what I see looks wrong.

I think the Shinto references need updating. The information is in error in this book. Shinto as a "state religion" was nationalized in the Meiji period, but as a spirituality it is indigenous to Japan. It survived 6th century introduction of Buddhism from China, but Shinto beliefs were in already in place in many areas of Japan.

Two shinto texts, The Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) and
the Shoku Nihongi and its Nihon Shoki (Continuing Chronicles of Japan) date from the eighth century.

Yes, the government and shintoism was separated after 1945, but the shrines, core belief systems and shrines that had operated for hundreds of years still exist.

I am more inclined to agree with other writers such as Joseph Campbell, and Thomas Kasulis' study of Shinto from the University of Hawaii Press (2004).

I thought this book was very nicely illustrated, because he drew all of the symbols in the book. The book even had alphabet and runes, which I had never seen before.

Buckland was bucking for a paycheck on this one. The sigils are cheated out by using two start circles or two end lines on them, some of them are even SIDWAYS.

Frankly, it seems as if he had contemplated plagiarism before publishing the book, then someone told him he'll get sued, so he decided to add his resources last minute & screw the corrections on all of the images he changed by 10 percent!

I had to give this book one star because the drop down menu wouldn't allow for NO STARS.

Buckland knows better than to publish a complete pile of poop for the Magickal Community without getting a firm correction from his peers.

Do not waste your money on this book. Take your time and *research* what symbols you are in need of. Buckland's got his bibliography down, but he does NOT COPY THE INFORMATION properly.

Honestly, sticking to Magickal Tables, the Goetia, (etc.) would have been a smarter move on my part. I had given him the benefit of the doubt and I was sadly disappointed.