Friday 14 December 2012

Kickstarter Campaign a No-Go but Book Still in the Works

Okay, I think I timed my kickstarter campaign for my book poorly. The campaign ends tomorrow, but with work changes, I haven't had any time to promote it or give updates, and I haven't received a single pledge. At this point, any pledges 
won't be enough, so no one will be charged anything and no money will come to me, even if people pledge in the next day. So if you were thinking about it, don't worry about it. I'll either find a cheaper or non-self funded method of publishing or it will be released later. I'm still going to try to complete it before summer, but publication will probably be further out. This probably just means it wasn't time for the book yet, which I'm fine with. I'll keep everyone updated as I progress and as I find other options if there's a better way to do it. Any advise is appreciated. You can still read the campaign, but please don't pledge on it at this point, as it won't help and will just take your time that would be better used elsewhere.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/muninnskiss/grimrs-grimoire-a-book-of-myths-from-the-spiders-w

Thursday 15 November 2012

Tuesday 6 November 2012

Book Update: Grimr's Grimoire

Okay, I'm looking at seriously moving forward on my book that I've discussed a few times. I've been working on it off and on, and have the basic idea and structure worked out, and some of the content.

This will be the first of three books if I can pull it off and there's enough interest to move forward on more after the first. I've nicknamed this one the White Book. It will be called Grimr's Grimoire: a Book of Myths from the Spider's Web. The second potential book, the Black Book, will be Tome of the Builders: a Book of More Myths from the Spider's Web. The third and final, the Red Book, will be Codex of the Dancers: the Final Book of Myths from the Spider's Web.

The purpose of the books is to teach the fundamentals of Grimr and my practice in a way that can be applied outside the Grimr context and lead people to a more independent, dynamic, and powerful esoteric practice. They will include myths, lore, poetry, experience, theory, and praxis in a consistent format that people with different backgrounds and learning styles can connect with. I will attempt to do in writing what is fundamentally accomplished through oral teaching. Not all readers will connect with the material, because it is essentially esoteric mystery. My hope is that enough will to make the writing and publishing of the books a worth while venture.

At the moment, I intend for all three books to have the same basic structure to each chapter. Each chapter will start with an opening poem to set the stage for the chapter and plant the seeds in the reader that will grow throughout the chapter. This will in a way be an invocation.

After the opening poem, there will be a major myth. This myth will be the core of the chapter, and all the myths in the books will tie together with larger themes. The myth will relate the core material of the chapter in story form, with the purpose stories in many cultures serve to pass down the ideas that are central to the family or tribe.

Following each major myth will be a commentary on that myth, helping the reader to connect on a conscious, intellectual level. After the commentary will be a ritual section, maybe one ritual, maybe three, not any more than that but I don't want to limit to one if the chapter lends well to multiple. The rituals will probably vary a lot in nature and makeup. I don't want to just give a script and say, do this, I want to provide a framework to help the reader develop their own while still experience the material in a tangible, usable way that will allow them to understand the material on a physical, emotional, and intuitive level. But I also want to help them be able to use what they learn from the material on a practical real level, not just creative visualization and psychobabble. And I want them to come away from the book knowing how to construct their own ritual to be able to do the work themselves and not just follow ceremony and scripts.

After the commentary and ritual sections, I'm planning on closing the chapter with a minor myth related to the first but pulling things back from head space and ritual space back into story, tying everything back together. And then I'll have a closing poem bringing it to a close.

The first book is currently slated to contain the following thirteen chapters:

1. Exitium in Initio Ponebatur: An Introduction to Grimr and the Grimoire
2. The Prophet and the Mirror: Through a Mirror Darkly
3. The Priest and the Bridge: Across the Abyss
4. The Poet and the Cauldron: Stillness and Motion and the Inspiration of Change
5. The King and the Wasteland: Sacred and Sacrificial Kingship and the Land
6. The Wanderer and the Mask: A Thousand Frightful Faces
7. The Mistress and the Blade: Hidden Lovers and Thrice Cut Threads
8. The Watchers and the Ten Thousand Things: A Myriad Divisions of Variety and Distraction
9. The Builders and the Compass: The Star Map of Eternity
10. The Weavers and the Threads of Fate: Into the Spider's Web
11. The Dancers and the Eternal Dance: The Catalyst and The Nexus
12. The Nagara and Everything: Secret Names and the Unity of Illusion
13. Ex nihilo: The Beginning of All Things

I have created a Kickstarter project to raise the necessary money to get the first book written and published. I'm hoping for publication next June (2013) if I can get the writing and footwork done by then. I have not made the Kickstarter project live yet, but hope to in the next week or two. I'm going to attempt to raise $2000 to cover the expenses to get it to press and available as an eBook with the major readers, plus provide some copies and fun items for some of those that contribute to the project. The project will only run for 30 days, and if I don't reach the $2000 goal, I won't get any of it to work with, so I'm hoping it brings in enough to make this happen.

FFF,
~Muninn's Kiss

Sunday 23 September 2012

Reading List


Below is my newest updated reading list.  The official version I will update, in an indexed form, can be found by link at the top of this blog or with any of the following links:




While it is practice that defines a path, tradition, or system, and it cannot be learned from books, but only passed down or experienced, books and other media can provide pointers to practice and can serve as guides or inspiration to find the Truth that must be found alone.  The reading suggestions on this page form a collection of pointers that might help the seeker, student, or practitioner to dig deeper and find the Truth they seek.  This list is mostly non-Grimr sources but contain truth and ideas relevant to Grimr.  All must be taken critically and not taken as necessarily true or complete.  There is a saying in Huna, that not all knowledge is taught in one school.  Use this list to find tidbits and hints to find what you truly seek.


Non-Fiction

The following are called "non-fiction" not because anything in them is true, but because they are no intentionally fiction. There is truth in all things, but also illusion, lapwings, and lies. Always judge for yourself. The following are arranged by category. None are directly Grimr books, but contain truth that will help both those pursuing Grimr and those on different paths. Take what you can, throw out what you can't, and weigh and judge all. May you find a seed of wisdom in each of these books. Some categories overlap, and I've listed the books in multiple categories. The categories reflect my views on the books, not necessarily those of the authors or other readers. In each category, books are sorted by author, series, and date.

American Witchcraft
  • Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America - Margot Adler
  • Fifty Years in the Feri Tradition - Cora Anderson
  • Thorns of the Blood Rose - Victor H. Anderson
  • Lilith's Garden - Victor H. Anderson
  • Heart of the Initiate: Feri Lessons - Victor and Cora Anderson
  • Etheric Anatomy: The Three Selves and Astral Travel - Victor H. Anderson, Cora Anderson
  • Evolutionary Witchcraft - T. Thorn Coyle
  • Kissing the Limitless: Deep Magic and the Great Work of Transforming Yourself and the World - T. Thorn Coyle
  • Goddess Initiation: A Practical Celtic Program for Soul-Healing, Self-Fulfillment & Wild Wisdom - Francesca De Grandis
  • Share My Insanity: It Improves Everything - Francesca De Grandis
  • Children of Cain: A Study of Modern Traditional Witches - Michael Howard
  • The White Wand: Ruminations, Meditations, Reflections Toward a Feri Aesthetic - April Niino
  • The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess - Starhawk
  • Truth or Dare: Encounters with Power, Authority, and Mystery - Starhawk
  • The DustBunnies' Big Damn Handout Volume I - Valerie Walker

Balkan Witchcraft
  • Balkan Traditional Witchcraft - Radomir Ristic, Translated by Michael C. Carter, Jr.

British Isle History
  • Book of Invasions - Anonymous
  • History of the Kings of Britain - Geoffrey of Monmouth
  • Blood & Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain - Ronald Hutton

British Witchcraft
  • Azoetia: A Grimoire of the Sabbatic Craft - Andrew D. Chumbley
  • Qutub. Or, The Point - Andrew D. Chumbley
  • Mysticism: Initiation and Dream - Andrew D. Chumbley
  • The Robert Cochrane Letters: An Insight into Modern Traditional Witchcraft - Robert Cochrane, Evan John Jones
  • Pillars of Tubal Cain- Nigel Jackson, Michael Howard
  • The Book of Fallen Angels- Michael Howard
  • Children of Cain: A Study of Modern Traditional Witches - Michael Howard
  • The Roebuck in the Thicket: An Anthology of Robert Cochrane Witchcraft Tradition - Evan John Jones, Robert Cochrane, Michael Howard
  • The God of the Witches -Margaret Murray
  • Tubelo's Green Fire: Mythos, Ethos, Female, Male & Priestly Mysteries of the Clan of Tubal Cain - Shani Oates
  • The Star Crossed Serpent Volume I: Origins: Evan John Jones 1966-1998: The Legend of Tubal Cain - Evan John Jones & Shani Oates
  • The Star Crossed Serpent Volume II: The Legacy Continues: Shani Oates 1998-Present: The Legend of Tubal Cain - Shani Oates
  • The Rebirth of Witchcraft - Doreen Valiente
  • Witchcraft: A Tradition Renewed - Doreen Valiente, Evan John Jones

Buddhism and Hinduism
  • Kalachakra Tantra: Rite of Initiation - His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Translated by Jeffrey Hopkins

Celtic Myth and Legend
  • Book of Invasions - Anonymous
  • Blood & Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain - Ronald Hutton
  • The Grail: From Celtic Myth to Christian Symbol - Roger Sherman Loomis
  • The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Myth and Legend: A Definitive Sourcebook of Magic, Vision, and Lore - John and Caitlin Matthews

Ceremonial Magic, Grimoire Tradition,Rosicrucian, Golden Dawn, and Thelema Related
  • 231 Gates of Initiation & The 32 Paths of Wisdom Tarot - Rawn Clark
  • Magic in Theory and Practice - Aleister Crowley 
  • The Book of Lies - Aleister Crowley
  • The Book of Thoth: A Short Essay on the Tarot of the Egyptians, Being the Equinox Volume III No. V - Aleister Crowley
  • The Book of the Law: Liber Al Gel Legis - Aleister Crowley
  • Chicken Qabalah - Lon Milo DuQuette
  • The Lesser Key of Solomon - S. L. MacGregor Matters
  • The Greater Key of Solomon - S. L. MacGregor Matters
  • The Middle Pillar: The Balance Between Mind and Magic - Israel Regardie

Charms and Spells
  • The ABC of Magic Charms - Elizabeth Pepper

Christian Mystics and Mysticism
  • The Cloud of Unknowing - Anonymous
  • The Interior Castle - St. Teresa of Avila
  • The Way of Perfection - St. Teresa of Avila
  • The Life of Saint Teresa of Avila By Herself - St. Teresa of Avila
  • The Dialogue - Catherine of Siena
  • Little Flowers of St. Francis - Brother Ugolino
  • Living with Contradiction: An Introduction to Benedictine Spirituality - Ether de Waal

Cultus Sabbati
  • Azoetia: A Grimoire of the Sabbatic Craft - Andrew D. Chumbley
  • Qutub. Or, The Point - Andrew D. Chumbley
  • Mysticism: Initiation and Dream - Andrew D. Chumbley

The Devil
  • Satan: The Early Christian Tradition - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • The Prince of Darkness: Evil and the Power of Good of History - Jeffrey Burton Russell

Etruscan, Greek, and Roman Myth and History
  • The Golden Bough - James George Frazer
  • The Golden Ass of Apuleius - Translated by Robert Graves
  • Diodorus Siculus: Library of History - Diodorus Siculus

European Heresy, Dissent, and Religious History
  • Miracles and Pilgrims: Popular Beliefs in Medieval England - Ronald C. Finucane
  • Blood & Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain - Ronald Hutton
  • The Return of the Dead: Ghosts, Ancestors, and the Transparent Veil of the Pagan Mind - Claude Lecoiteux
  • The Formation Of A Persecuting Society: Power And Deviance In Western Europe,950-1250- R.I. Moore
  • The Origins of European Dissent - R.I. Moore
  • Inquisition - Edward Peters
  • Dissent and Reform in the Early Middle Ages - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • Witchcraft in the Middle Ages - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • Religious Dissent in the Middle Ages - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • Satan: The Early Christian Tradition - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • The Prince of Darkness: Evil and the Power of Good of History - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • A History of Medieval Christianity: Prophecy and Order - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics, Pagans - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • Dissent and Order in the Middle Ages: The Search for Legitimate Authority - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • A History of Heaven: The Singing Silence - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • Paradise Mislaid: How We Lost Heaven and How We Can Regain It - Jeffrey Burton Russell

Faeries and other Hidden People
  • An Encyclopedia of Fairies: Hobgoblins, Brownies, Bogies,  and Other Supernatural Creatures - Katharine Briggs
  • Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia - Carol Rose
  • A Field Guide to Irish Fairies - Bob Curran

Feri Tradition and Related or Influenced Traditions
  • Fifty Years in the Feri Tradition - Cora Anderson
  • Thorns of the Blood Rose - Victor H. Anderson
  • Lilith's Garden - Victor H. Anderson
  • Etheric Anatomy: The Three Selves and Astral Travel - Victor H. Anderson, Cora Anderson
  • Heart of the Initiate: Feri Lessons - Victor and Cora Anderson
  • Evolutionary Witchcraft - T. Thorn Coyle
  • Kissing the Limitless: Deep Magic and the Great Work of Transforming Yourself and the World - T. Thorn Coyle
  • Goddess Initiation: A Practical Celtic Program for Soul-Healing, Self-Fulfillment & Wild Wisdom- Francesca De Grandis
  • Share My Insanity: It Improves Everything - Francesca De Grandis
  • The White Wand: Ruminations, Meditations, Reflections Toward a Feri Aesthetic - April Niino
  • The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess - Starhawk
  • Truth or Dare: Encounters with Power, Authority, and Mystery - Starhawk
  • The Dust Bunnies' Big Damn Handout Volume I - Valerie Walker

Healing, Plants, and Herbalism
  • The Web That Has No Weaver - Ted J. Kaptchuk
  • The Herb Book: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to More than 500 Herbs - John B. Lust
  • Practical Chinese Medicine - Penelope Ody
  • Plants of Life, Plants of Death - Frederick J. Simoons
  • The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy: Over 600 Natural, Non-Toxic and Fragrant Recipes to Create Health, Beauty, A Safe Home Environment - Valerie Ann Worwood

Italian Witchcraft
  • Aradia: Gospel of the Witches -Charles Godfrey Leland

Jewish, Arabic, and Middle Eastern Magic and Traditions
  • Black Book of the Yezidi
  • Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation
  • The Zohar
  • The Jewish Book of Days: A Companion for All Seasons - Jill Hammer
  • Magic that Works: Practical Training for the Children of Light - Frances Harrison, Nineveh Shadrach
  • I Asked For Wonder: A Spiritual Anthology - Abraham Joshua Heschel
  • The Guide for the Perplexed - Moses Maimonides
  • The Kabbalah: The Essential Texts From the Zohar - Bharat Rochlin
  • Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism - Howard Schwartz, Caren Loebel-Fried, Eliot K. Ginsburg

Judaism and the Kabbalah
  • Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation
  • The Zohar
  • The Jewish Book of Days: A Companion for All Seasons - Jill Hammer
  • I Asked For Wonder: A Spiritual Anthology - Abraham Joshua Heschel
  • The Guide for the Perplexed - Moses Maimonides
  • The Kabbalah: The Essential Texts From the Zohar - Bharat Rochlin
  • Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism - Howard Schwartz, Caren Loebel-Fried, Eliot K. Ginsburg

King Arthur, the Grail, and Arthurian Legend
  • Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Anonymous
  • The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends - Ronan Coghlan
  • The Grail: From Celtic Myth to Christian Symbol - Roger Sherman Loomis
  • The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend - Alan Lupack
  • Le Morte D'Arthur - Thomas Malory
  • The Elements of the Grail Tradition - John Matthews
  • The Faerie Queene - Sir Edmund Spenser
  • Erec and Enide - Chrétien de Troyes
  • Cligès - Chrétien de Troyes
  • Yvain, the Knight of the Lion - Chrétien de Troyes
  • Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart - Chrétien de Troyes
  • Perceval, the Story of the Grail - Chrétien de Troyes

Literary Theory
  • Monster Theory: Reading Culture - Jeffrey Jerome Cohen

Miscellaneous Non-Fiction
  • The Book of Qualities - J. Ruth Gendler
  • Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom - Caitlin Matthews 
  • Stillness Speaks - Eckhart Tolle

Mythology, Faerie Tales, Folk Stories, and Inventive History
  • Book of Invasions - Anonymous
  • Phantoms and Fairies from Norwegian Folklore - Tor Age Bringsvaerd
  • The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Arthurian Legends - Ronan Coghlan
  • A Field Guide to Irish Fairies - Bob Curran
  • Roles of the Northern Goddess - Hilda Ellis Davidson
  • The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion - James George Frazer
  • History of the Kings of Britain - Geoffrey of Monmouth
  • The White Goddess: A Historical Grammar of Poetic Myth - Robert Graves
  • The Golden Ass of Apuleius - Translated by Robert Graves
  • Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies: Shapeshifters and Astral Doubles in the Middle Ages - Claude Lecouteux
  • The Return of the Dead: Ghosts, Ancestors, and the Transparent Veil of the Pagan Mind - Claude Lecoiteux
  • Aradia: Gospel of the Witches -Charles Godfrey Leland
  • The Grail: From Celtic Myth to Christian Symbol - Roger Sherman Loomis
  • The Oxford Guide to Arthurian Literature and Legend - Alan Lupack
  • The Elements of the Grail Tradition - John Matthews
  • The Encyclopaedia of Celtic Myth and Legend: A Definitive Sourcebook of Magic, Vision, and Lore - John and Caitlin Matthews
  • Spirits, Fairies, Leprechauns, and Goblins: An Encyclopedia - Carol Rose
  • The Religion of the Teutons - Pierre Daniel Chantepie de la Saussaye
  • Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism - Howard Schwartz
  • Diodorus Siculus: Library of History - Diodorus Siculus
  • Plants of Life, Plants of Death - Frederick J. Simoons
  • The Poetic Edda - Snorri Sturluson
  • The Prose Edda - Snorri Sturluson
  • Primal Myths: Creation Myths Around the World - Barbara C. Sproul
  • Goddess of the North - Lynda C. Welch
  • Magical Creatures - The Witches' Almanac, LTD.

Northern European and Asian Shamanism
  • Phantoms and Fairies from Norwegian Folklore - Tor Age Bringsvaerd
  • Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy - Mircea Eliade
  • Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies: Shapeshifters and Astral Doubles in the Middle Ages - Claude Lecouteux
  • Riding Windhorses: A Journey into the Heart of Mongolian Shamanism - Sarangerel

Northern European and Heathen Traditions, Myth, Magic, and Practice
  • Roles of the Northern Goddess - Hilda Ellis Davidson
  • The Elements of the Runes - Bernard King
  • Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies: Shapeshifters and Astral Doubles in the Middle Ages - Claude Lecouteux
  • The Religion of the Teutons - Pierre Daniel Chantepie de la Saussaye
  • The Poetic Edda - Snorri Sturluson
  • The Prose Edda - Snorri Sturluson
  • Northern Magic: Rune Mysteries and Shamanism - Edred Thorsson

Possession
  • Drawing Down the Spirits: The Traditions and Techniques of Spirit Possession - Kenaz Filan, Raven Kaldera

Robert Cochrane, Clan of Tubal Cain, and Related or Influenced Traditions
  • The Robert Cochrane Letters: An Insight into Modern Traditional Witchcraft - Robert Cochrane, Evan John Jones
  • The Roebuck in the Thicket: An Anthology of Robert Cochrane Witchcraft Tradition - Evan John Jones, Robert Cochrane, Michael Howard
  • Tubelo's Green Fire: Mythos, Ethos, Female, Male & Priestly Mysteries of the Clan of Tubal Cain - Shani Oates
  • The Star Crossed Serpent Volume I: Origins: Evan John Jones 1966-1998: The Legend of Tubal Cain - Evan John Jones & Shani Oates
  • The Star Crossed Serpent Volume II: The Legacy Continues: Shani Oates 1998-Present: The Legend of Tubal Cain - Shani Oates

Saints, Sages, Hermits, and Other Figures
  • Encyclopedia of Mystics, Saints, and Sages: A Guide to Asking for Protection, Wealth, Happiness, and Everything Else! - Judika Illes

Taoism, Chinese Folk Religion and Practice, and East Asian Thought and History
  • I Ching - Anonymous
  • The Web That Has No Weaver - Ted J. Kaptchuk
  • The Elements of Feng Shui - Man-Ho Kwok, Joanne O'Brien
  • Practical Chinese Medicine - Penelope Ody
  • Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai - Yamamoto Tsunetomo
  • Tao Te Ching - Lao Tzu
  • The Art of War - Sun Tzu

Traditional Witchcraft and Witchcraft History
  • Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America - Margot Adler
  • Fifty Years in the Feri Tradition - Cora Anderson
  • Heart of the Initiate: Feri Lessons - Victor and Cora Anderson
  • The Robert Cochrane Letters: An Insight into Modern Traditional Witchcraft - Robert Cochrane, Evan John Jones
  • Magic and Witchcraft: From Shamanism to the Technopagans - Nevill Drury
  • The Book of Fallen Angels - Michael Howard
  • Children of Cain: A Study of Modern Traditional Witches - Michael Howard
  • Pillars of Tubal Cain - Nigel Jackson, Michael Howard
  • Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft - Ronald Hutton
  • Masks of Misrule: The Horned God & His Cult in Europe - Nigel Jackson
  • Witches, Werewolves, and Fairies: Shapeshifters and Astral Doubles in the Middle Ages - Claude Lecouteux
  • Aradia: Gospel of the Witches -Charles Godfrey Leland
  • The God of the Witches -Margaret Murray
  • Balkan Traditional Witchcraft - Radomir Ristic, Translated by Michael C. Carter, Jr.
  • Witchcraft in the Middle Ages - Jeffrey Burton Russell
  • A History of Witchcraft: Sorcerers, Heretics, Pagans - Jeffrey Burton Russell and Brooks Alexander
  • The Rebirth of Witchcraft - Doreen Valiente
  • Witchcraft: A Tradition Renewed - Doreen Valiente, Evan John Jones

War, Martial Thought, and Fighting
  • Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai - Yamamoto Tsunetomo
  • The Art of War - Sun Tzu


Poetry

Victor Anderson once said, "White magic is poetry, black magic is anything that works," and "Every poem is a love letter to the Goddess." Poetry is the language of the soul, or ritual, of magic. It speaks on a deeper level than prose does, and can say things that can't be put into words any other way.
  • Thorns of the Blood Rose - Victor H. Anderson
  • Lilith's Garden - Victor H. Anderson
  • Azoetia: A Grimoire of the Sabbatic Craft - Andrew D. Chumbley
  • Qutub. Or, The Point - Andrew D. Chumbley
  • The Faerie Queene - Sir Edmund Spenser


Fiction

Not all stories are false, not all tales are lies. The following are considered fiction because they were written as fiction, not because the are not true, or true for that matter. These is truth in all things. Read them as fiction, but look for the truth underneath. I have grouped them in categories, then sorted them by author then series. The books listed aren't the only good ones by these authors, but are the ones I see truth in relating to Grimr. My he who has eyes see and she who has ears hear.

Fantasy

Anne Bishop
  • Daughter of the Blood
  • Heir to the Shadows
  • Queen of Darkness
  • The Invisible Ring
  • Dreams Made Flesh
  • Tangled Webs
  • The Shadow Queen
  • Shalador's Lady
  • Twilight's Dawn
  • The Pillars of the World
  • Shadows and Light
  • The House of Gaian
  • Sebastian
  • Belladonna
  • The Voice: An Ephernera Novella
  • Bridge of Dreams

Steven Brust
  • Jhereg
  • Yendi
  • Teckla
  • Taltos
  • Phoenix
  • Athyra
  • Orca
  • Dragon
  • Issola
  • Dzur
  • Jhegaala
  • Iorich
  • Tiassa
  • Broken Down Palace
  • To Reign in Hell

Lewis Carroll
  • Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
  • Through the Looking Glass

David Eddings
  • The Diamond Throne
  • The Ruby Knight
  • The Sapphire Rose
  • Domes of Fire
  • The Shining Ones
  • The Hidden City

Lyndon Hardy
  • Master of the Five Magics
  • Secret of the Sixth Magic
  • Riddle of the Seven Realms

Robin Hobb
  • Assassin's Apprentice
  • Royal Assassin
  • Assassin's Quest
  • Ship of Magic
  • The Mad Ship
  • Ship of Destiny
  • Fool's Errand
  • Golden Fool
  • Fool's Fate
  • Dragon Keeper
  • Dragon Haven
  • City of Dragons
  • Blood of Dragons

Nancy Springer
  • The Book of Suns
  • The White Hart
  • The Silver Sun
  • The Sable Moon
  • The Black Beast
  • The Golden Swan
  • Chance and Other Gestures of the Hand of Fate

King Arthur, Grail, and Arthurian Legend

Stephen R. Lawhead
  • Taleisen
  • Merlin
  • Arthur
  • Pendragon
  • Grail
  • Avalon: the Return of King Arthur

Nancy Springer
  • I am Mordred
  • I am Morgan le Fay

Mary Stewart
  • The Crystal Cave
  • The Hollow Hills
  • The Last Enchantment
  • The Wicked Day
  • The Prince and the Pilgrim

T.H. White
  • The Once and Future King
  • The Book of Merlyn

Celtic Myth and Legend

Lloyd Alexander
  • The Book of Three
  • The Black Cauldron
  • The Castle of Llyr
  • Taran Wanderer
  • The High King

Stephen R. Lawhead
  • The Paradise War
  • The Silver Hand
  • The Endless Knot
  • The Iron Lance
  • The Black Rood
  • The Mystic Rose

Robin Hood Legend

Stephen R. Lawhead
  • Hood
  • Scarlet
  • Tuck

Modern Day

Hal Duncan
  • Vellum
  • Ink
Neil Gaiman
  • American Gods

John Twelve Hawks
  • The Traveler
  • The Dark River
  • The Golden City
Mythology, Faerie Tales, Folk Stories, and Inventive History
  • The Complete Brother Grimm Fairy Tales
  • One Thousand and One Arabian Nights
  • Aesop's Fables
  • Andersen's Fairy Tales

Graphic Novels
  • The Sandman - Neil Gaiman
  • Promethea - Alan Moore, J.H. Williams III, Mick Gray


Magazines and Periodicals

Magazines and periodicals of course vary from books in that they are on going, not one time projects. Because of this on going nature, they can address more topics within the stated subject. The following are magazines or periodicals that have had presented articles in the past that were interesting or helpful in context of Grimr.


Blogs and Website Articles

In this information age, many good books are available that would never have been published fifty years ago.  But there are a lot of rotten books, books that are lapwings leading you away from the Truth.  This is doubly true on the Internet where anyone with access to a computer can commit their thought or ideas where the whole world can read them.  You have to be careful and separate the crap from the good stuff.  Usually, the best thing is to use the Internet to point you in the direction of more verifiable sources, or go out and do the work yourself.  However, there are articles and blogs on the Internet worth while reading, that can lead you to Truth. The following are a few.  Some of these are my own, but most are other people's.  Some are no longer updated, but include good information.

Articles and Websites with Articles


Blogs
Forums and Online Communities

Online Texts


Shops and Businesses

Traditions and Paths



Movies, Videos, and Television

Not only written media is valuable and helpful, but other mediums as well, including film. The following are movies, videos, television shows, and other types of films that contain truth, elements, or ideas relevant to Grimr, in alphabetical order.
  • 12 Monkeys (1995)
  • The 13th Floor (1999)
  • 13th Warrior (1999)
  • Alice (Miniseries 2009)
  • Alice in Wonderland (Disney Animated 1951)
  • Alice in Wonderland (2010)
  • Brave (Disney Animated 2012)
  • The Brothers Grimm (2005)
  • Caroline(Animated 2009)
  • Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
  • Dark Crystal (1982)
  • Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)
  • Kung Fu Panda (Animated 2008)
  • Labyrinth (1986)
  • Lady in the Water (2006)
  • Legend (1985)
  • The Order (2003)
  • Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
  • Sword in the Stone (Disney Animated 1963)
  • Tangled (Disney Animated 2010)

Wednesday 29 August 2012

Book Review: The Heart of the Initiate: Feri Lessons, Second Edition,by Victor and Cora Anderson

"How the heart of the initiate thrills when the antique mysteries are written of. She or he recognizes the same great truth expressing itself in many forms, yet as one thing." ~Victor Anderson in a letter to a student, The Heart of the Initiate, Pg. 42

I have desired to read the Heart of the Initiate for a long time, ever since Karina made reference to a quote from it on a list I'm on in response to a question I asked. But it was very limited print, I think 300 copies, just for the Feri community of the time, and while I know several people with copies, they all live far from me and I've never had an opportunity to visit and read it. I was very please a few months ago to see an announcement from Harpy Press that they were publishing a second edition of the book. I immediately pre-ordered it and waited in expectation for it to arrive. I was not disappointed.

For those unfamiliar with Victor and Cora, they were amazing people, and co-founders along with Gwydion of what would become the Feri Tradition (by whatever spelling). The book is a gift from them to the Feri community. It is an amazing resource for seeker, student, and initiate alike, though it is very obviously aimed at students. It addresses many misconceptions and misunderstandings, and provides many insights I have not found elsewhere, whether from initiates in the tradition or books and writings produced by it. It is a blessing that a second edition has been published for a wider distribution.

The book is a collection of essays and letters mostly previously written, collected into one volume. It is not a large volume, only 78 pages, but it contains more lore and insight than most books four times its size. The forward by Jim Schuette states that tge book is a Valentine from Victor and Cora to you (the reader). It contains two sections.

These sections are prefaced by an essay by Victor entitled Some Pictish Views on the Old Religion. The essay discusses what is and what is not Craft, and specifically what is and isn't Feri.

The first section is made up of essays, commentaries on the tradition and elements of it, some written by Victor, some by Cora. There are no dates on any of them, so they may have been written specifically for the book. There are ten commentaries in this section.

The second section is a collection of letters to specific students, two from Cora and three from Victor. They touch on many different subjects.

The letters are followed by a prayer by Victor, first published in Witchcraft Digest Magazine in 1972 entitled Prayer for Beginning the New Path, prefaced by a short essay entitled A Prayer for the Craft Neophyte explaining the prayer and Victor's purpose in publishing it. This prayer serves as a fitting conclusion to the book.

FFF,
~Muninn's Kiss

Tuesday 28 August 2012

Book Review: The Star Crossed Serpent II: The Clan of Tubal Cain: The Legecy Continues: Shani Oates (1998-Present)

I have been reading The Star Crossed Serpent II by Shani Oates over the last month or so and just finished it. I wasn't sure whet to expect as far as form or content, as I haven't yet gotten or read Volume I. If it's anything like this one, I need to order a copy soon.

I received my copy of TSCSII on July 20th (2012) and opened it immediately, reading through the table of contents and reading the introduction and first essay during lunch that day. The book is a collection of ten essays, with an introduction by W Wagner and an epilogue by Robin the Dart. All ten essays relate to different subjects pertinant to the Clan of Tubal Cain, and relate Shani's understanding and view on the subjects. The essays are well written, and, while not forming a direct narrative or argument as a collection, inter relate and provide a very interesting and thought provoking tapestry of subjects and ideas. I started the book July 20th and finished it August 28th. Well worth the read, and not a book to read in one sitting. I recommend trying to read each essay in one sitting and allowing time to mill them over before moving to the next. There were things in the essays I swould stand up and shout amen to, and things I thought, well, I completely disagree with that, but, agree or disagree, relate to or not relate to, I was glad I read each essay and they gave me much to think about.

The introduction is entitled The Ring Troth of Cain and is a dialogue by W Wagner between Odhin and Thor concerning Cain, Thor cursing him and Odhin blessing him in response.

The ten essays follow it.

1) The first essay about the Archer's Song, I had already read in the Cauldron previously, so nothing new there. It was a pleasure to reread, however.

2) A lot of interesting tidbits in Brimstone and Treacle. The abject and advesarial distinctions, roles, and themes throughout essay were very thought provoking. The Sussux graveyard and church discussion with the North was very interesting, of what we call Potter's field, the north end, being the Devil's own, and of the Devil entering the church through the north door. The discussion of the Devil through time was bringing to mind Russell (he's a good friend of my Medeival History professor) and so was delighted to find a quote from him in the text. He's a favourite author of mine. The distinction between "witches" swearing allegiance to the Devil and cunningmen calling on the Trinity to force the Devil to serve, to do similar things was very interesting. And her closing paragraph leaves you thinking, how do I view things?

One thing in particular stood out:

"Valiente shares with us her local knowledge of eccentric customs, particularly of the speculatory aboriginal race of small dark forest dwellers frequently associated with Ashdown Forest and Romany activity until well into the 19th century and whose 'clanish' behaviour (in the sense of closed families) was treated with fear and suspicion." ~The Star Crossed Serpent II, pg. 30

Reading that and the following sentences and paragraphs, I could not help but think of Victor Anderson, (Grand Master of Feri for anyone unfamiliar with the name), and his "small dark people", who he described as the original practicers of the Feri (or Faery or Fairy) faith and Pictish Witchcraft (which Victor used to describe what he practiced and taught, which became Feri), and said he was directly descended from. He, himself, was quite small and dark complected. These "small dark people" are a foundational "myth" of Feri that has been criticised along with Murray's work. Yet we find it here in local folklore.

By far, I think this was my favourite essay, and I think the best in the book, though The Poisoned Chalice is the best written.

3) A lot of interesting material in Faith of the Wise, some new to me, some familiar. It shows an evolution of belief and practice in Cochrane that isn't evident in just the letters and articles, while pulling all of those in, giving them context. Very good and thought provoking essay.

4) The Stang was a very interesting essay investigating the Stanton and the World Tree, and trees and poles related to the feminine rather than phalic. I found how Shani related the God on the Tree with Shiva and his Shakti. Very interesting chapter, and the best after Treacle and Brimstone. The one part I did disagree with was Shani's assertion that Chokmah in the Tree of Life is feminine and Binah is masculine in relation to each other.

5) The Fourth Nail was an interesting essay. I expected it to relate to the ever heated nail in Romani legend, but it was a different idea entirely, though I can relate it to that legend. The chapter discusses the three faces of Hecate, and of Fate, and the fourth hidden face, the three nails of space and the fourth nail, time. Much more focused on science than the previous essays, the essay makes parallels between science, myth, and Clan of Tubal Cain lore. Cert interesting chapter indeed.

6) Dark Aegipan and Pale Leukothea investigates Pan as All, and as light and dark Twins, and the transition of Pan from All to a fool-like character in late folk lore. With my interest in Pan over the last year and my Feri background, it was a very enjoyable chapter to read, hitting on some points I've been looking at, and bringing my attention to others I hadn't previously seen. Very well written and very thought provoking. Definitely one of my favourites in the book.

7) Cain and Craft Diversity discusses the constellations known as Bootes (the Ploughman) and the Plough (Ursa Minor) which Shani relates as Cain, connecting the Cain legends to the progress of the constellation through the sky, and how it relates to Clan of Tubal Cain lore. another interesting essay.

8) Cain, Clanship and the Egregore digs much more deeply into the Clan of Tubal Cain, looking primarily at what clanship and suzerainty mean, both in history and in the Clan itself, and why the craft has been and is a threat to the established order based on sovereignty instead of suzerainty.

9) Patterns of Transformation: the Alchemy of Being is a discussion of alchemy in relation to spiritual progression. I honestly don't know what to say about this essay. It feels more like notes and brainstorming to me than an essay, though that could just be how it feels to me. I couldn't follow it the way I did the others. Interesting information and connections in it, though. The one place I questioned it was Shani's placement of earth, air, water, fire connected to the four worlds in Kabbalah, whereas my teaching and exerience has all four in the first world, and water (mem), then air (aleph), then fire (shin).

10) The Poison Chalice was a good ending essay for the book, I think. Not a summary or conclusion per se, but a good way to conclude a well crafted collection of essays. I'm not quite sure whet to say about the essay. While I like some of the other essays better because of content and where they took me, this was by far the best written and best crafted. It's a work of art honestly. It deals with the Graal, in progression to a chalise containing the sacrement, and on to a poisoned chalice, the cup that Fate presents. It discusses the mysteries both from the ascetic denial and the escatic indulgence side, showing the goal of both for the mystic, coming back around to the philosopher's stone of the alchemy chapter, and showing the poisoned chalice as the goal of all the proceeding essays. I think the beauty and power, the things that spoke the most to me, were in whet wasn't said, in where I was led beyond the words and beyond the pages.

The book ended with an epilogue by Robin the Dart discussing the witch 'Law' Cochrane outlined. This epilogue forms a context for the essays in the book, an afterthought that creates a framework to look back at the essays.

FFF,
~Muninn's Kiss

Sunday 1 July 2012

Book Review: Mysticism: Initiation and Dream by Andrew D. Chumbley



"Dreams are journeys, explorations of the interior infinite, starry heavens within.  Dark mysteries, exquisite and dreadful, await penetration.  Going to sleep is a new awakening..." ~Siegel, 1980

Most of my experience with Chumbley's writing has been his more veiled works, the ritual poetry of Azoetia, and the mystic poetry of Qutub.  When I first picked up these volumes, it was gibberish.  I read them and read them and got nothing out of them  I decided they were fine for Cultus Sabbati but meaningless to those not initiated in the tradition.  I  put them aside and went to other books.  A few years later, with more experience with several streams and more knowledge, I picked them back up, and very little didn't make perfect sense to me.  I had just been missing a few Keys the first time around.  But, Keys or no Keys, understanding or no understanding, Azoetia and Qutub are completely different beasts from Chumbley's essays that are found in Mysticism: Initiation and Dream.

For those unfamiliar with Chumbley, he was born in 1967 in England, and only lived to be 37.  He was an initiate into a form of Essex and Welsh witchcraft, and was the Magister of Cultus Sabbati, a collection of several traditions that came together for mutual benefit, and was involved in several non-witchcraft traditions.  He was pursuing a doctorate in religion focusing on dream incubation rituals at the time of his death.  Only a small portion of his writings have been publicly published.

This book, Mysticism: Initiation and Dream, is a set of some of his undergraduate essays that laid the foundation for his doctorate work, and reveals a fair amount about his practice that can be applied to any esoteric tradition regardless of origin.  It is masterfully written, in scholastic language, not in the symbolic and veiled language of Azoetia and Qutub.  While some words and terms might be difficult for some readers, the grammar and feel is very accessible to most readers.  It was worth the money and the time to read it.

The book is published by Three Hands Press in the UK, and is the first of three such volumes of Chumbley's essays on the subject(s).  I purchased the book through J.D. Holmes, a North American distributer for Three Hands Press.  He was a pleasure to order from, communicated personally with me about the order, and was quick to answer my questions.  I purchased it for $56.95, plus shipping, which is very reasonable for books by Chumbley, though a bit expensive for a book only 51 pages long.  But those 51 pages were packed with far more than you've get from most books five times its length and it was well worth the money.

The book consists of five essays, the fifth being the conclusion based on the other four.  These are, The Universality of the Dream, Preliminary Thoughts and Methodology, Dream Reification, Oneiric Rarefaction, and Conclusion.  At the end is a bibliography of cited works, containing a four and a half page list of fifty-four books he cited in the essays.  These books are from very diverse sources, in several languages, and about traditions and writings in many parts of the world.  They would be a joy to collect and read themselves.  This being a scholarly work written in a university setting, the large number of reputable sources isn't much of a surprise, but compared to many occult and witchcraft books, that many sources for 36 pages of text is impressive.

"We all dream; it is a mystery in which all humankind participates.  I realize this is an assumption, but it is one that I have no qualms in asserting as fact: the dream is an experiential universal for humanity." ~Andrew D. Chumbley, Mysticism: Initiation and Dream, Pg. 11

In the first essay, The Universality of the Dream, the Particularity of Interpretation, Chumbley looks at exactly that, that dreams are common to all people, so the mysteries they impart aren't limited to a group or tradition, they are available to all people.  He proposes that dreams possess secrets that spawn all religions and traditions.  This short essay is an introduction to the subject of the book.

"We might say that the dream tranforms the dreamer; that it possesses the ability to 'initiate', to bestow new meaning, to motivate new beginnings (Latin: initium - beginning), to permit our entrance (literally 'en-trance'; Latin: inire init - to go in) to new orders of relation between ourselves and the 'other'." ~Andrew D. Chumbley, Mysticism: Initiation and Dream, Pg. 13

In the second essay, Considerations: Preliminary Thoughts and Methodology, Chumbley discusses what mysticism and initiation are, and how they relate to various ancient dream accounts.  The essay is basically defining terms and creating a framework for discussion in the later chapters.

"'Dream-books' are collations of dreams and their interpretations.  It has been asserted by Peter Lambourn Wilson (in his seminal study of Sufic and Taoist initiatic dreaming entitled 'Shower of Stars", 1996) that 'the dream-book may be the most ancient unbroken continuous literary genre on Earth'.  Indeed, Wilson goes on to say that certain dream interpretations are common to interpreters as historically distinct as Artemidorus (second century AD.), Ibn Sirin (33 A.H.), and Marie Laveau (a nineteenth-century New Orleans Voodooist)." ~Andrew D. Chumbley, Mysticism: Initiation and Dream, Pg. 23-24

In the third essay, Dream-reification: The Initiatic Dream as Author, Symbologist, Composer and Prophet, Chumbley looks at eight dream-books from the last 3000 years several continents and compares and discusses them.  Basically, a dream-book is where dreams are recorded, then compared with events following them to find patterns and meanings.  The heart of the discussion in my opinion is dream informs belief, practice, and ritual, not the other way around, that religions and traditions are born out of dreams and dream analysis and interpretation.

"In a sense we might symbolize the process of oneriric spiritualisation as a 'siderealisation' - a translation of the flesh to the stars - back to the domain of the Gudean goddess, back to the domain of the primordial smaragdine book.  Such a symbolism seems apt indeed if we consider briefly the role of 'stars' in esoteric dream praxis." ~Andrew D. Chumbley, Mysticism: Initiation and Dream, Pg. 40

In the fourth essay, Oneiric Rarefaction: The Way of Ascent, Chumbley discusses the use of star meditations, and dream rooms for initiating a common dream or type of dream.  He discusses dream-incubation, the process of encouraging those common dreams to form, but within traditions and for the traditionless, dreams as teachers and initiators.  Basically, from passive dreaming, letting the dream inform, and the formation of religion, belief, and practice, this chapter discusses active dreaming, what some call lucid dreaming, the tradition or practitioner calling forth the dream.

In the Conclusion, Chumbley apologizes for the shortcomings in the essays, then summarizes them with a brief discussion of reification (descent, the bringing into existence from a dream), and rarefaction (ascent, the taking of the physical and translating it into dream) as the dual action of the dreamer.

My summaries above are very brief and don't give any of the meat or conclusions, just a taste of the subject matter. This book is one I'd recommend above most others and is well worth the expense and time.  May those needing it be able to obtain a copy.  I highly recommend it.

FFF,
~Muninn's Kiss

Wednesday 27 June 2012

Tomes of Lore, Grimoires of Wisdom

Off and on over the last few years, I've posted book reviews and book related posts on various blogs.  They have always been mixed in with my other posts, just as my poetry often was.  A little over a year ago, I moved my poetry posting to Muninn's Laughter, to have it all in one place.  I've now done so with my esoteric book related posts as well.  I have imported the posts I have of that nature from both Blogger and LiveJournal, and plan to post more reviews and book related posts in the future.  The new blog is Tomes of Lore, Grimoires of Wisdom.

For reference, here are my blogs and webpages:

Across the Abyss (General):
http://muninnskiss.grimr.org (Blogger)
http://muninnskiss.wordpress.com (WordPress - Mirror of Blogger)
http://muninnskiss.livejournal.com (LiveJournal - Try to post everything here)
http://muninnskiss.tumblr.com (Tumblr - Miscellaneous)
http://tradwitch.com/component/option,com_myblog/blogger,muninnskiss/Itemid,38/ (Blog on The Traditionalist Witches Companion)

Muninns's Laughter ( Esoteric Poetry):
http://muninnslaughter.grimr.org (Blogger)
http://muninnslaughter.wordpress.com (WordPress - Mirror of Blogger)
http://muninnslaughter.tumblr.com (Tumblr - Mirror of Blogger)
http://hellopoetry.com/-muninns-kiss/ (Hello Poetry - Mirror of Blogger)

Tomes of Lore, Grimoires of Wisdom (Esoteric Books):
http://tomesoflore.grimr.org (Blogger)
http://grimoiresofwisdom.wordpress.com (WordPress - Mirror of Blogger)

Social:
http://www.facebook.com/muninnskiss (Facebook)
http://twitter.com/muninnskiss (Twitter)

Grimr:
http://www.grimr.org (Homepage)
http://www.facebook.com/Grimr.org (Facebook)
http://www.despoena.org (Home of Arcadian Mysteries)

FFF,
~Muninn's Kiss