($18ppd Runa Raven Press PO Box 557, Smithville TX 78957)
In the beginning of this book Don Webb explains that he's wandered between 2 basic camps throughout his life: that of the practicing occultist & that of the scholar. The entirety of the text herein is a fine example of that, giving 2 basic reasons for reading it: 1. for applying experience from previous students of Typhonian magic to your own inner exploration & self-empowerment; 2. for learning the intriguing history behind the basis of these practices. Or, naturally, you can further utilize this book by combining both aspects into knowledge & practice. Using the magical papyri of Thebes & curse tablets from the Mediterranean vicinity, alongside Hermetic texts, Don gives an in-depth exploration into the god Set-Typhon. He notes that merely using another spiritualist's work rather than doing your own exploration is laziness -- & that using your own model with no structure can leave you with no challenge for your own blind spots, or true verification of your progress. What then? Compromise. Apply yourself to your system, but also use guidelines for completing & testing it. Refine your own meaning & ethics. In the detailings of the history of the Papyri, he explains how they survived the perpetual bannings against magic. The list of Roman emperors who enstated such bans include the entire family of Augustus, & the 1st of the Christian emperors (eg Marcus Aurelius). Of course the Augustine family also considered Christians to be a heretical cult of cannibals who worshipped a torture device, but that isn't particularly pertinent here. When Christianity united with Rome, it drove most magical practices underground. The papyri were apparently spared by being buried (generally this was only done with damaged scrolls), & later found in large & generally intact caches. In the late 1700s & early to mid 1800s they were entered into the relics trade & sold off to various museums around the world. This began their full re-entry into the world (or at least ended their hiding). The papyri were translated from Greek & archaic Egyptian Demotic, with very few leanings toward Coptic. The roots of relevant mythologies (& the combinations thereof, as cultures collided & dominated one another) are explored. Set-Typhon (in various aspects) was the god of conquesting foreigners, & therefore an element of chaos. This is speculated to be one of the 1st forms of Satanism, as it included the religious reverence of a cultural "bad boy". After Christianity largely drove magical practice underground, there was still a flourish of Typhonian magic through the Academy of Athens, but the negative portrayal of accepted standards (eg Christians as Titans) caused Justinian to close the Academy in 529 CE. The Academy then moved to Harran, modern-day Turkey, where it somewhat flourished under the Moslems. After the papyri resurfaced, aspects of them were seen in S. L. Macgregor Mather's Golden Dawn writings, used (successfully) by Aleister Crowley in 1900, & urged toward single edition collection by Florence Farr. Here you also see the evolution of Michael Aquino's modern Temple of Set, & its roots in psychological/iconic Satanic exploration. Perhaps slightly more interesting to me is the representation of etymological history, defined both by the histories of Set & Typhon & by a study of the enclosed spells/rituals. This also touches heavily upon symbolism, such as with Set's bearing of the birthing knife-tipped spear (with which he slew Apep, the dragon of delusion). Also of incredible interest (can someone shut me up here?) are the recountings of Set's surges & declines in popularity as both a representation of initiation & expansion, & as an "evil" omen. As I said, even if you don't give a damn about the rituals in here you'll still find a wealth of incredibly interesting historical reading. If you do give a damn about the other aspect, Don intensively explains the translations & modernizations of various "spells" (alongside the etymology & symbolism present within them). There is much theorizing on the individualism & control of magicians; a self- initiation rite; spells for love, general empowerment, magical servants, the binding of enemies, dream oracles, restraining anger, creating sexual attraction, & various curses (as always, here's to hoping people define their personal moral systems before touching any of this); a Coptic oil spell for sealing a marriage with hot sex; the fundamental Setian idea of The Book of Knowing the Spiral Force of Re and the Felling of Apep; a comprehensive listing of resources & reference materials; etc. I've let myself ramble far too long here so I'll close off with one more comment: if you have any interest in the study of magical history, or in applying such practice for yourself, you'll find this to be an incredibly fascinating read. An introduction by Michael Aquino is included. -Jasmine Sailing