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Tok: Magick Tale, by Pablo Reig Mendoza

Tok: Magick Tale, by  Pablo Reig Mendoza
Babelcube Inc., 1071582852, 290 pages, April 2021

Tok: A Magick Tale by Pablo Reig Mendoza is the most wonderful occult fiction book I’ve read in quite some time. This insightful, illuminating tale of magic is so realistic that at times I found myself thinking, “What if this really happened..” In the midst of a time when conspiracy theories run wild about the elite, it seems this book could easily tell the secret magical history of the world. In many ways, I’d like to believe it does, which is evidence of Mendoza’s fiction’s ability to transform the reader. His quality of writing drew me in enough to forget reality, while simultaneously thinking about how to propel myself into a new one.

The premise of the book is about the events that bring together a great London magician, Gerard Duprey, and a former boxer turned mineral magician, Juan Chamorro, who is being initiated into a secret society intent on preserving magic in the world. During the book, the two men’s stories are told simultaneously, with chapters going back and forth from the backstory of past events to the current moment of these two character’s worlds colliding, in a well-coordinated and foreseen timeline.

It is the Bond that decides their fates, which all initiates of the order live to fulfill. Those who are successfully initiated into the Bond can communicate with others telepathically (including other species), gain unique occult powers, and are awakened to the fullness of life through their kundalini energy.

“In every age, there have been two types of people: the disconnected and the connected ones. It is more correct to speak of the conscious and the sleeping, for everything that has neutral or electromagnetic activity of some kind is in line with the Bond, whether deep in the subconscious or on the surface, where the awakened man has managed to give birth to his inner “I”, bringing it from the dreams realm.”1

However, there’s even more to the story. A whole species of occult dragons, who arose from the collective consciousness of man and are keepers of the Bond, have their livelihood at stake because gold is disappearing in the world. Up to the current point in the novel, the dragons had The conflict of Vietnam, supposedly about oil and foreign interest, is actually happening because a Japanese general is stockpiling gold in a hidden spot in the jungles of Vietnam.

It is not only those dedicated to the Bond that are searching for the gold; their enemies, the magicians of the Vatican, who have tried to steal all the magic in the world through the false god, or golem, that is man-made. It is up to Juan with his newly acquired power as a mineral magician to beat the Vatican to it, for the sake of the English Crown.

Oh, had I forgotten to mention Queen Victoria and then Queen Elizabeth is one of the highest initiates of the Bond? It is an elaborate plan by Queen Victoria and her lover the Munshi that all that guides the events of the story in order to liberate magic from Vatican control and restore it to the it’s proper place. Queen Elizabeth guides initiate Mohandas Karamchand (Gandhi) to go off and fulfill his mission in India, while Gerard Duprey will remain in London as the city’s magician. Both are to serve in their own way as peacekeepers for the Crown and play their role in the plan to restore magic.

See, I did say the story could start sounding like an elaborate conspiracy theory: secret foriegn affair and war interests coupled Vatican power plays and secret society-initiated royalty. However, there’s so much more to the story that integrates tons of occult history and knowledge!

For instance, Mendonza’s tale also weaves in the role of Aliester Crowley, John Dee, and Mabel Besant — all initiates of the Bond in his book. It was truly fascinating to see how he depicted Crowley’s role, especially, who was under the guidance of Zor the dark dragon. Suddenly the serpent of the beast makes all that much more sense. Until him, it was Tok, the dragon of justice, who was the leader. The more primordial Zor holds of the knowledge of what happened before the dragons and humanity can remember, such as the race of humans that formed Atlantis.

I also loved his take on Mabel Besant and her mother Anne Besant, along with their role in the Theosophical Society. I recently read the book Mystical Vampire that is all about Mabel Collins, who perhaps Mabel Besant was named after, as her mother had close ties with Mabel Collins when they were both Theosophists. Being emerged in mystical year 1888 through Mendoza’s writing, when the occult seemed so much more alive, was a real pleasure.

Another really neat aspect of the book is all the quotations that Mendona uses to frame each chapter. The book starts out with a passage from Book XVI of the Corpus Hermeticism, which comes full circle by the end. From the get go, I was drawn in, as my current practice is a process of moving through the alchemical stages based on the work as it is described in the Corpus Hermeticism. Other quotes include those from Arthur C. Clarke, Ursula K Le Guin, and Helena Petrovna Blavatsky.

Tok is so interesting because it could be read on the level of an ordinary supernatural tale, but for those with knowledge of the occult, it’s a true gem. The level of esoteric knowledge Mendoza has clearly demonstrates his mastery of esoteric studies. To even piece together the concepts he has in Tok, such as “dreaming peace,” in which Duprey has had to dream of violence in order to maintain peace, until the end where he must do the opposite and unleash all the animosity he’s quelled through the decades.

Then there’s Besant’s automatic writing, which foresees events down to minute details. His explanation of the bond and how energy works in the world shows he has done much work to achieve certain states of consciousness. It’s truly the way Mendoza bridges his imagination with occult history to create such an intriguing tale that is the real magic of this book. I mean, bringing to life Gandhi and Crowley’s spiritual journey, woven together through the steam of higher-knowing that infuses the world is pretty incredible.

Also explored is this notion of spiritual partnership, which I greatly resonated with and have experienced myself. Duprey and Besant are essentially spiritually married, united fully through the Bond, however they do not ever get to physically consummate this relationship or be together after their initiation. I really loved how Mendoza showed there’s a spiritual purpose behind many things that happen in our lives, and what happens when we choose to surrender to the will of spirit rather than forcing one’s own desire on the world.

Even how Mendoza reframed the intent and purpose of the Vietnam War was interesting. Particularly to me because once in a past-life meditation, I received the information that many men had to die at that exact moment in time in order to be reborn again in the current time with the knowledge they gained from that life experience. It’s been one of those things that came to me in meditation that I don’t think of often; I accepted it for what it was at the time. But then reading Tok, I was instantly reminded there are higher purposes to things that we often do not understand.

“… in reality, darkness worked as a just and necessary balanced in such a polarised world. He knew that he intentions that governed the events of men contained the seeds of their opposite, the good, the intrinsic evil, and vice versa.”2

The culmination of the book was incredible. It promotes this sense of integration, evolution, and moving beyond dualities. There’s a new future at hand, for those who have the courage to leave the past behind. This path has been forged by many great minds, powerful movers of energy, and spiritual forces dedicated to something beyond themselves.

I think all magicians would enjoy this book, especially those with background knowledge of the occult and particularly the period of the late 19th century. My only quip would be the lack of women magicians, aside from Queen Elizabeth and Mabel Besant, the narrative was mostly male-centered, but atlas, that seems to be a dominant theme in the Western occult. Nevertheless, I still truly loved the book.

I certainly will be recommending it to the fellow occultists in my life. From Atlantis to Zoroaster, necromancy to the keys of Solomon, this book delved into so much wisdom and perfectly blends it all together. I highly suggest reading Tok to see Mendoza’s fascinating literary craftsmanship.

Sex Witch, by Sophie Saint Thomas

Sex Witch: Magical Spells for Love, Lust and Self-Protection, by Sophie Saint Thomas
Weiser Books, 1578637201, 240 pages, February 2021

The idea of a powerful woman, who is sexually liberated and enjoys her own pleasure, has always been seen as taboo and a threat to those who would seek to subjugate her. In Sex Witch: Magical Spells for Love, Lust and Self-Protection, Sophie Saint Thomas takes us on a journey of self-discovery that ultimately treads the path of self-empowerment and pleasure, with plenty of naughtiness along the way.

Saint Thomas has written about sex and the occult for years in various roles at many publications. Her distinct writing style immediately makes you want to call your friends and put her on speakerphone, which is ridiculous because this is a book. After reading this though, I know what my close friends are getting for their respective festive holiday seasons and it isn’t going to be fruitcake. 

Saint Thomas makes sure the reader knows what they are getting into right off the bat in the introduction, where she describes a candle magick session for love involving a red, penis-shaped candle and a conjuration of Lucifer. While the spell didn’t go precisely as planned, she did point out the red flags she discovered in hindsight and that’s very helpful for those of us who tend to plunge ahead with only a loose idea of how it should go. The reinforcement of preparation and self-awareness is refreshing, as some authors merely give you the spell and leave you to it. Saint Thomas doesn’t and says, “To manifest what we want, we must integrate knowledge and reason. We can’t just dance under a full moon.”3

Saint Thomas writes through a lens of someone who has been there, done that, and is now sharing what she has learned. From the table of contents, a pattern emerges: the journey begins with the basics covered off in Magickal School and Sex Ed. From there, we head into subsequent chapters on self-love, seduction, and sex. Once the basics are established, we move into deeper waters of seduction, sex, love, protection. The last two chapters are perhaps the most powerful: revenge and healing. To be clear, the section on revenge isn’t about hurting your ex because they left, it’s about obtaining revenge through healing yourself and being successful, which is much better in my opinion.

The order of the chapters makes perfect sense: you need to learn how to walk before you can run. In Chapter 1: Magickal School, Saint Thomas says that “… sex magick is not just spells for attracting more sex. Sex magick is harnessing your orgasms for manifestation.”4 She also touches on Chaos Magick, which is something I personally ascribe to, as well as sections on colour correspondences and, of course, candle magick. This section is truly meant for those at the start of their magical journey, with instructions on how to cast a circle and what the four elements and their correspondences are. Still worth a read as far as I am concerned, as each interpretation reveals new knowledge.

The detail that Saint Thomas goes into is staggering. While undoubtedly meant for those not familiar with witchy terminology or supplies, Saint Thomas goes above and beyond to include nuanced tidbits for even the most seasoned of witches. I could literally write an entire review about the first chapter but since that’s not why you are here, I will tear myself away from it and move on to the rest of the book.

Subsequent chapters dealing with self-love, seduction, and sex are well written and fulsome. It would be easy to get lost in this book except for the fact that there are many spells sprinkled throughout that makes the reader want to stop and try them out along the way. There is a lot of Shadow work in here, especially in the Self-Love chapter.

There is one particular spell I tried out on page 88 called Break Toxic Cycles. It’s a cord cutting ritual involving a length of black string. You basically tie knots as you call out patterns you want to break. Things like “I ignore red flags” and “I expect people to change” and such. You go down the length of the string, calling out patterns and making knots, until you’ve called out all patterns. This is where it gets interesting: you tie the ends together to form a loop and drape it over your hands like shackles. You are encouraged to feel how toxic the patterns are, and then taking scissors, snip between each knot, freeing yourself. Take all the bits of string and knot and burn them, removing the residue from your home once done.

I’ve been in therapy for a few years now dealing with my own baggage and trying to free myself from toxic patterns that keep plaguing me. I did this spell during the waning moon and although there was no bolt of lightning at the end to show that I’d broken each pattern, there was definitely a lightness within me that hasn’t been there in some time. Simple, effective, and to the point spell casting is my jam, and this book is full of spells like that one.

Sex Witch would do well in the hands of someone who isn’t afraid to explore their sexuality or who is firmly grounded in who they are sexually. There is no room here for kink shaming or slut shaming: it’s all pleasure and it’s all normal. I especially love how Saint Thomas just dives right in and talks about things like drugs and threesomes and how to protect yourself against STDs. She completely understands that while some will be attracted to the book based on how much sex they think they might be able to conjure, others will read it and understand the nuanced messaging around self-love, protection, and freeing yourself from the expectations of others, both inside and outside of the bedroom.

Egyptian Magick, by Mogg Morgan

Egyptian Magick: A Spirited Guide, by Mogg Morgan
Mandrake of Oxford, 1906958992, 432 pages, November 2020

The influence of ancient Egypt has remained strong in the imagination of Western magic through the Hebrew and Greek traditions and was popularized again in its revival during the Enlightenment. While this energy is still potent centuries later, it is often molded into the one-size-fits-all, easy-to-digest books that make this type of magickal practice easily accessible to the reader. This is wonderful for those who do not intend to delve into a full practice, but it often leaves those who seek to deepen their magick wanting. Cue Egyptian Magick: A Spirited Guide by Mogg Morgan, which is just the book for those who truly wish to expand their practice into a working system.

Morgan is both a practitioner and scholar of the occult. The level of detail described in Egyptian Magick duly reflects this combination, which clearly showcases the relationship between scholarship to inform practice and practice contextualizing scholarship. He has authored quite a few other titles, the most notable being Isis: Goddess of Egypt & India, Supernatural Assault in Ancient Egypt: Seth, Renpet & Moon Magick, The Ritual Year in Ancient Egypt: Lunar and Solar Calendars and Liturgy, and Seth & The Two Ways: Ways of Seeing the Demon God of Egypt. His area of focus is “the connections between the popular magick of ancient Egypt and its continuation/crossover with the living magical traditions of the middle East, and the Kaula/witchcraft of south Asia and beyond.”5

Egyptian Magick is Morgan’s compilation of the core ideas from his previous books all brought together to create one authoritative guide. And let me tell you, it is PACKED with information. I will admit, I was a bit intimidated when I began reading this book. With only a novice level of knowledge about Egyptian Magick, I instantly felt like I was in over my head. At first I did my best to find my footing in the book by dutifully going through it page by page, but quickly I realized I could jump around a bit within each chapter and slowly weave together the tapestry of information. This method helped me to not feel overwhelmed and discover my own method of working with the book rather than becoming inundated (and stuck!).

There are eight chapters in the book that are all filled with sub-sections and even more small headers with information. At times this can feel a bit choppy, but I also believe this style offers as much information as possible within the framework of the book. The book begins with an invocation and then delves into Heka & Hekau. This section really stands out because it describes all types of Egyptian magick: sleep magick, image magick, human sacrifice, funeral rites, and more! So often, scholarship wants to overlook these gruesome details within occult practices, but Morgan does not shy away from topics such as decapitation and reversals or cannibalism. It’s a bit gruesome, but at the same time enlightening, and almost liberating, to be able to delve into such taboo topics.

Reading on, Morgan expands on his reasoning for the basis for this work with contextual references to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and Aliester Crowley. He writes, “I have come to believe that the real ‘Golden Dawn’ is an experience rather than an organization.”6. He then encourages the reader to “try to put aside what you know and approach the surviving records of ancient Egyptian magick with a fresh mind.”7 This sentiment really stuck with me, as many of the techniques and practices I’ve learned thus far have stemmed from the Golden Dawn. Some of the fascinating topics that resonated with me most were the correspondences of Greek vowels with elements, secret languages of magicians, the relationship between sigils and hieroglyphs, Egyptian numerology, and an impressive array of seals.

Chapter four, “The Temple of Imaginarium,” was probably my favorite in the entire book. Ever since I learned about this mind-mapping technique in Masonic Magician by Philipa Faulks and Robert L.D. Cooper, I’ve been fascinated but haven’t been able to learn more. Morgan explains it well in writing:

“What else is a temple but a representation, in material, of the cosmology of the people who built it? The temple represents the archeology of gnosis, the sequences of a journal through the temple represent the initiatory journey to the ‘holy mountain’.8 It can be an imaginarium or House of all Possibilities, a theatre in which to locate one’s magick.”9

Morgan offers a guided visualization to move through this temple to discover your own magical potency. You gain the ability to move through and access the energy of Egyptian deities, performing the role of a priest. I’ve only tried this once, but found it quite impactful. I plan on familiarizing myself with this exercise when I have time to truly dedicate to experimenting with the technique.

The following chapters detail the rites of initiation, lead the reader through the underworld, and then go into the longest chapter about the ritual year of the Egyptians. These chapters are the real key to opening oneself into this working system of Egyptian Magick. The rituals can be performed at the start of each month and help to orient the practitioner to the time of year and energy available. Since I prefer attuning to the spirit of the place where I physically am, I haven’t tried any of the rituals. However, for a reader who wishes to fully work this system, everything that is needed is within this chapter.

What strikes me the most about Egyptian Magick is the level of insight that Morgan has accumulated. I would guess this isn’t his last book, but in many ways it feels like a magnum opus. Without hesitancy, Morgan clearly elucidated occult practices with objectivity, reverence, and awe. The book is clearly shaped by Morgan’s unique perception, but in no way does it feel contrived to push a practice. Rather, it clearly lays it all out for the reader, from the taboo to the mundane aspects of this work, and offers an all-encompassing guide to Egyptian magick.

Overall, Egyptian Magick is a trustworthy source for expanding one’s knowledge of the Egyptian occult and how this magick can be practiced today. It beautifully blends scholarship with experience to offer a compendium of information. I hesitate to recommend it to a novice practitioner, but I do believe that is a must-have for anyone working with Egyptian deities or is interested in learning more about Egyptian practices. Within these pages is a year-round system of Egyptian magick that utilizes techniques that have amply survived the test of time.

As Morgan writes, “Ideally this becomes part of a practical theology by which the practitioner becomes, through ‘dynamic resonance’ the image of the gods or divine forces he or she emulates.”10 I feel putting this book into effect could absolutely achieve these results. It certainly is not for everyone, but Egyptian Magick is a reliable resource for those who are ready to take their practices to the next level.

Queering Your Craft, by Cassandra Snow

Queering Your Craft: Witchcraft from the Margins, by Cassandra Snow
Weiser Books, 1578637218, 288pages, November 2020

From now on, whenever someone asks to me to recommend a book about getting started in witchcraft, this is the book I am going to recommend, whether or not that person is queer.  I say this because Queering Your Craft: Witchcraft from the Margins by Cassandra Snow breaks the practice of witchcraft down into simple components that can be picked up by anyone, anywhere and used however they wish, making the craft of magick much more of a personal celebration of creativity, passion and power.  To make the craft of magick-making accessible to a diverse, marginalized population, Snow guides their readers on how to customize their craft so that it can hold meaning and be powerful, even when practiced individually, on a budget and with limited resources. 

This is a “how-to” book on making magick and living a magickal lifestyle. First though, Snow tells us why we need a specifically “queer” magic textbook. The two most influential craft-based magical lineages in the West, Gerard Gardener’s Wicca and Alistair Crowley’s Thelema use symbolism and themes strongly rooted in gender-binaries, which can be alienating to the growing population of the magickally inclined who identify as non-binary. 11

For Snow, queering magic is recreating symbols, themes, and sacred space for a wide variety of gender and sexuality variance.  Their first step on this path is offering a “Queer Witch Manifesto” in the introduction of the book, which Snow refers back to repeatedly throughout the book as an ethical framework for practicing magickal craft and identifying as a witch.  Snow’s “Queer Witch Manifesto” acknowledges (in sum):

✨Infinite genders and sexual identities. (Throughout the book Snow uses the abbreviation LGBTQIA2SP+ whenever referring to queer-identified individuals)
✨The need to dismantle white supremacy and patriarchal power and the need for this dismantling to come from the non-white community.
✨The positivity of all expressions of consensual sexuality.
✨That anyone can invoke Goddess energy regardless of whether they have a uterus.
✨Physical, emotional, and mental disabilities do not make a person unable to practice magic.
✨Personal healing is a precursor to collective healing.
✨We must protect and heal the Earth.
✨We are all equals in magic.
✨All bodies can be magical, regardless of ableism.

I kind of want to needlepoint this onto a pillow! How about you?! 

Laying out this list (with much clearer articulation and more detail than my summary here) at the beginning of the book, the rest of the book is about practicing the craft of magic-making.  Snow knows history and as a result is able to deconstruct magical rites, rituals, and practices from their origins in order to present them as something simple anyone can start to practice. For example, they note the transformative magick of making lists, ““My money magick usually… starts with a list of my financial goals and immediate needs and then I add a list of long-term goals.” 12. Then for the the transformative magick of prayer to a spiritual being, Snow writes “Prayer is so easy, free, and accessible that anyone can do it…. A quick prayer that is literally just ‘thank you’ when you get unexpected luck or a despairing “please help” when you’re feeling your absolute worst is enough.” 13

Snow strongly advocates a DIY Witchcraft, which is making your magickal craft out of what is available to you and infusing your magick with intentions specific to you.  While she does discuss some examples of collective magick, such as covens or working spells in a group context for political aims, Snow acknowledges that for queer people, the most powerful accessible magick may be that which they create on their own from their own hodge-podge of wisdom, creativity, desire, and power. Snow even offers a “how-to” worksheet for designing one’s own spells.

My personal favorite parts of Queering Your Craft is the section on “Fashion and Style Witchcraft” where your magickal intentions can be enhanced by dressing a certain way. Snow writes, “I might pull out a purple outfit for creativity.  I also might pull out a long pencil skirt and a button-down to give myself that “professional writer” feeling.”14 Then later in the book, I also really like Snow’s list of LGBTQIA2SP+ aligned gods and goddesses, including Athena, Loki, and my personal favorite discovery — a Drag Queen God from the Voodoo tradition named Ghede Nibo.15

For the seasoned practitioner, this book may seem elementary.  Snow summarizes common methods of divination such as tarot, astrology, and runes.  They explain the significance of the Four Elements (five including “Spirit”) and how to call them in. They offer a guide to the Lunar phases and Sabbat holidays. This is truly an inclusive essential starter handbook, inclusive on all fronts! However, the manner in which Snow explains the cornerstones of witchcraft and presents them in regard to the Manifesto outlined in the front of the book widens the lens through which these practices are understood and used — and this is exactly the point.  For the purpose of this book is to make magick accessible to anyone and to make magick empowering to those who may not feel at so at home in straight cis-gendered spaces. 

Queering Your Craft concludes with a queer grimoire, including spells “A Protection Spell for Trans People in Small Towns,” “A Protection Spell for QTBIPOC,” A Spell of Protection Against the Patriarchy,” “An Anti-Gatekeeper Spell,” and “A Spell to Protect Activists,” plus many more spells to fill all categories.