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I’m very pleased to announce the release of a new edition of my book exploring the early passage of knowledge about chakras into Western Esotericism. This new edition collects the material originally published as a series of 4 chapbooks in 2018, and I’ve added some more information about the early tantric traditions.
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Kālī Magic brings together Mike Magee’s decades of experience in translating and elucidating tantrik texts. The first section—Sadhana—explores the ritual worship of Kālī through mantra, her various aspects, and her yantras. The second section—Tantras—includes new English translations of the Mātṛkābheda, Toḍala, and Yoni tantras, plus two Kālī Upaniṣads and abstracts of ten tantras related to the worship of the goddess. With a comprehensive bibliography and glossary of key terms, Kālī Magic will be of great value to devotees and scholars of the goddess alike.
322 pages, illustrated by Jan Bailey, Foreword by Phil Hine.
“An exceedingly valuable resource for those brave enough to plumb the liturgical details of Kali worship. Thematically organized while consisting substantially of translations from Sanskrit scriptures, this is less a how-to guide than a survey of major tantric ritual components as presented in medieval sources. Three newly translated tantras and summaries of ten more round out the book, alongside copious illustrations and a lightly but helpfully annotated bibliography. Dive in!”
Joel Bordeaux (International Institute for Asian Studies/Leiden University)
Kālī Magic is available from Amazon.
Mike Magee’s new book Yakṣiṇī Magic is now available from Amazon.com as a print on demand paperback.
Yakṣiṇī Magic is the first extensive treatment of Tantric texts dealing with practices that relate to the Yakṣiṇīs, an ancient class of female spirit beings often described as “fertility deities” and said to inhabit wild places, plants and trees. Drawing on a wide range of tantric textual sources, many of which are presented here for the first time summarised into English, Mike Magee examines the various practices through which a tantric practitioner could propitiate these powerful, fierce and sometimes jealous female spirits. Yakṣiṇī Magic affords us a fascinating glimpse into this hitherto unexplored aspect of the tantric world. Continue reading »
Copies of Mike Magee’s new book Yakṣiṇī Magic can now be purchased from my Twisted Trunk website. There are only two copies left, so act fast!
I’m very pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of a new book by Mike Magee, Yakṣiṇī Magic. Continue reading »
If you are an occultist of any stripe, chances are you know what Chakras are. If you were interested in magic back in the 80’s and 90’s you definitely know what chakras are because they were covered in nearly every book on magic, witchcraft, Kabbalah, or occultism that was on the market, whether it made sense to cover them in the book or not. I still wonder if there was some kind of secret chakra tax-break for publishers in the 80’s. Unfortunately, what was written in those about chakras bore little resemblance to any teachings that originated in India. Like Karma, Tantra, and bland curry – the west put its own spin on it and never looked back to see if they got it right. Continue reading »
Yoginis: Sex, Death and Possession in early Tantras
Phil Hine, Twisted Trunk 2018, 32pp chapbook
This is a refreshing survey of the elusive presence of Yoginis in the tantras. Pithy yet deep in its exploration, this booklet is not the usual Western re-working of these traditions. Rather, Phil Hine has given an extensive survey of the tantric landscape and the presence of the divine feminine that dances throughout the ages within these teachings.
We start with a survey of the origins of tantra, tracing its roots from the ancient Saivite traditions and development in Indian traditions through its flowering into Buddhism, Jainism and beyond. Of particular interest was a reference to an early female Kapalika named Kapalakundala, and her yogic powers of flight.
Tantrik possession is dealt with prominently. Exploring the phenomena of possession is something that seems lacking in much of the popular western literature on tantra. Phil does not disappoint but gives many examples from the source material and good hints for following up. There is an excellent survey of the different types of entities that afflict people and places. Continue reading »