The Esoteric Book Review

Tantra Sadhana: A Practical Introduction to Kaula Magick by Mogg Morgan (Sahajanath)

reviewed by David Rankine for the Esoteric Book Review

Mogg Morgan is one of the great invisible pillars of the modern magical revival.  He has contributed continuously and over a wide range of fields for the last thirty or so years, always producing quality, be it as magazines, events, groups, lectures or books.  This book, Tantra Sadhana, is an excellent example of his work.  It is full of practical, interesting, and more enjoyably, exciting material which you want to try out.

The material is divided into two main sections, with the second building on the first, and then a wealth of rewaring material follows in the appendixes.  The author starts by laying the foundations, explaining the nature of Tantra, and then moves on to explore practice (sadhana), sounds (mantra), images (mandala/yantra), gestures (mudra), consecration (nyasa), meditation (dhyana), ritual (puja), initiation (diksha), magick and liberation and individuality.

The second section goes into the the practices and exercises of the Sadhana, the month long practice which helps the practitioner align themselves with the essence of these techniques and discover the currents they embody.  This is lucidly laid out in a way that makes the practice extremely accessible.  Ganesha the elephant-headed god who removes obstacles also is honoured, with information on practices with him included in this section.

The appendixes are like a treasure box of assorted gems.  It includes such subjects as invocation of kundalini, the grammar of tantra, Ganesha legends, the demon doctrine and the roots of Tantra, the Tantrik knuckle bone oracles, the Hindu lunar calendar and many others.  There is also a poignant supplement entitled When your guru goes gaga, recounting the problems that arose for members of Amookos with their guru prior to his death.

All in all this is an excellent and very enjoyable book, which should appeal to anyone interested in magic, not just tantra, as much of the material is thought-provoking whatever your path may be.

Secrets of Planet Earth: Wisdom of H-A revealed by Tony Neate

reviewed by Sr_Chamos

This book was difficult for me to review, as it is on a subject which immediately makes me sceptical, i.e. channelled wisdom.  Until such channelled wisdom provides new information about something useful to science, rather than speculative stuff about this area being this chakra of the earth that anyone could make up, I remain unconvinced.  I know many people find these books comforting and useful, but to me they are just one person’s perception, possibly coloured by something else.

So to try and give an unbiased flavour of the book, here are the chapters to provide a clearer idea:

In the Beginning, Planetary Consciousness, The Garden of Eden, The Fall of Atlantis, Return of the Gods, The Olympian Civilization, Issues Concerning Race, The Mission of the Nazarene, The Rise of Religion, The Soul of Avalon, The New Earth, The Atlantean Heritage, Return of the Christ, Collective Responsibility, The Way Ahead.

The book tells us what we need to do to make the world a better place, sadly like all the others of its ilk, it doesn’t provide any useful methodology for doing so.  If you enjoy channelled material then you will probably enjoy this, otherwise read something which focuses on facts not fictions.

The Star Temple of Avalon: Glastonbury’s Ancient Observatory Revealed

by Nicholas R Mann & Philippa Glasson

reviewed by John Canard for the Esoteric Book Review

This is a fascinating work which illuminates a complex field.  Archaeoastronomy is a difficult area, as much of it is by its nature speculative, exploring the patterns of movement of the stars and planets in monuments left by our ancestors.  In the days of computers and modelling software, we can obviously make more informed decisions rather than having to rely so much on guesswork, but the artistic element is still present in deciphering the references in myths and legends.

This book is absolutely full of pictures and photographs, which are necessary to explain the abundance of references to the positions of heavenly bodies at significant times, such as the solstices and equinoxes.  One area where this book leaps ahead is in its consideration of the whole landscape and its connection to the stars.  The authors do not just concentrate on the Tor at Glastonbury (though this does form a large part of the discussions), but also look at all the features in the surrounding landscape.

This is a challenging book, as it is one of those leading the way in what is a relatively young field, and as such there are sure to be many more questions than answers.  Having said this, it is fascinating, and left me pondering the relationship between the earth and the heavens, and how man not only is influenced by it, but records and uses it too.