Customer Reviews

Slavic Sorcery: Shamanic Journey of Initiation

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I was really excited to come across a copy of this book after searching at length for information on this subject. Unfortunately it was a great disappointment! It is a glorified travelog masquerading as in depth scholarship. One gets the sense that Johnson simply didn't spend enough time in the field to acquire adequate information to speak authoritatively on the subject. Perhaps a more accurate title would be " My New-Age Russian Vacation" because it has little to do with any Slavic country besides Russia and even less to do with ancient practices. I realize that this book was published by Llewellyn and so I didn't expect it to be strictly anthropological but I did hope to find SOME substance within it's pages (or atleast a decent bibliography). I've honestly found more information on ancient Slavic spiritual practices in books about folk art like pysanky or embroidery. Goddess Embroideries of Eastern Europe by Mary B. Kelly is a good place to start. Where is a reader-friendly book about our ancestors religion, gods, and lifeways?!? Unfortunately I think I may have to write it myself.

This book was indeed, excellent. However, it wasn't exactly what I had been hoping for. I had been hoping for a book detailing Slavic Sorcery, its uses and practices. Instead, this book chronicles the author's efforts to be accepted into the vestigal groups of slavic shamans; and his experiences among them.

I had been hoping more for a history followed by some recipes and practical applications of Slavic paganism. While this wasn't exactly what I had hoped for it was still an excellent book.

Most of the reviewers have said it all. The author didn't accomplish what he goes to find out, the dregs of sorcery left over in the villages, instead he sticks in the city and follows around a Russian who seems to be heavily influenced by neopaganism, using Russianized Hindi terms like prana-va and yoga etc. The mythology was pretty spot on, but shamanism? none. sorcery? well, there were a few spells, nothing much.
I wanted to scream at him as an educated person he kept spouting Marija Gimbutas and some silly ideas he has about the Neolithic, of which it's obvious that he knows nothing, really, don't write a book about something you know nothing, at least read more than Marija Gimbutas! There is absolutely NO evidence of any Neolithic Goddess culture, it's just a fantasy, and really, study up on the subject before you write about it!
Another thing that really was irritating was that when he was told something about Russian spirits, he self-righteously calls them deities, like "pshaw, they call them spirits, but we westerners know they're really deities" I wanted to slap him. If they call them spirits, then shut your western mouth and let them be called spirits!
Also I got tired of the neopagan "archetype" stuff...
I should have been warned because Llewellyn published it, but I was hoping that it was old enough that maybe it was pre Llewellyn the Ultra Fluffy.
If you're a neo pagan interested in feminized, all love and positivity, making sure the negativity is white washed or left out entirely, this is the book for you.

As my heritage is Russian and I am also a Pagan, I enjoyed reading this book. Many of the excercises given in the book were enjoyable as well. I liked Johnson's story-telling style of his personal journey throughout. Those readers who do energy work will relate to some of the healing methods explored.

This was the first book I have seen about Slavic shamanism. I was surprised to discover how much of the pagan culture had hidden under the guise of christianity. It also went on to disuss some of the practises of the modern day shamans in Russia. Definately well worth the read.

I found this book to be far more a presentation (and a good one, at that) of elements of Slavic folklore and mythology, than anything clearly to do with Sorcery. THere is information on the Slavic Gods and (single) Goddess Moist Mother Earth summed up by Vladmir of Kiev in 980, as well as description of the several nature spirits such as the Leshii or Forest Lord, the Rusalka, deadly maidens of the waters, the Domovoi or House Spirit, the Bannik of the Bath House, the Polevik of the Fields, the fairies or vile, as well as the "Death Crone", Baba Yaga.Also there is lore about the importance to the Russians of water, and polarities of Sky and Earth, and the Slavic World Tree with its 3 realms of Underworld, Middle World and Otherworld. There are some spells or charms, and correspondences to the 4 directions. There are some very nice illustrations.

In the midst of this presentation of folklore, which is quite good, Johnson weaves his travelogue and personal journey of observing and working with two Russian energy workers, who may, or may not be "Slavic sorcerers." Given that these two energy workers are educated, sophisticated men (one a parapsychologist who spoke dismissively of Russian folk sorcerers as "primitive", the other a tramp-like man who had formerly been a university professor and psychologist), they don't fit the image or expectations one might have had, when reading the title of the book, that Johnson was going to travel to a Russian backwoods, find a village remote from outside influence, and reveal native sorcery in a relatively "pure" form, which also bore resemblance to practices in other European pagan sorcery or witchcraft.

It was disconcerting to see how, in fact, these two Russian energy workers use language and terminology that sound derived from Eastern or New Age systems, such as yoga, chakra, AUM, energy tube. One of the men spoke from Slavic mythology as well, referring to the Otherworld and the Leshii and Rusalka, but all the "teachings" he had to share with Johnson seemed to me like "non-denominational" or New Age energy work. NOt that some of these practices might not be authentic to Slavic Sorcery, but they just bore little resemblance to what I've read elsewhere of sorcery or witchcraft in Europe, for instance in "Balkan Traditional Witchcraft", which presents a far "darker" and more primitive feeling craft. On the other hand, given that Sorcery for our times may actually need to be something different than it was for our ancestors, one can read this book with an open mind and value the wisdom in it for what it is, whether or not one chooses to see the teachings as "sorcery."

I have recieved this book from kwartstudios, through Amazon.com.
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I recieved this book faster then expected, and praise the media mail system and kwartstudios for such prompt service.
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The book in itself is informative and easy to read, especially for someone just discovering the shamanic path.