Out of the Shadows: An Exploration of Dark Paganism and Magick [ペーパーバック]

I learned about the existence of this book just as I was desparing that there were no good intermediate or advanced pagan books out there. "Out of the Shadows" was everything I was looking for and more. As someone who has long been attracted to dieties with darker, less nurturing aspects like Sekhmet, Kali, and Coyote, I agree that this book was much needed in presenting paganism without the "good vs. bad" dualism. The left hand path is often misunderstood, and I think this book is a wonderful introduction to it. It is a very psychological, thought provoking view. One will find no pre-made spells or rituals here; Coughlin explores the philosophy and mechanics of magic to help you understand why they work. -Quite a liberating thing!
It is also a joy to read; I really enjoyed the conversational style of writing that Coughlin used. He defines and clarifies several aspects of dark spirituality/goth subculture that I would not normally have read about, such as Vampirism and Satanism. He also goes into depth about subjects that would never see the light of day in other books: blood, pain, insanity, sex magic, curses, and drugs. Always there, though, is a reminder of the need for balance and responsibility. The final chapter on haunting was superb; it made sense of the hauntings that I have experienced and caused me to see them in a new way. This book tops my list of favorite pagan books; I reccomend it to everyone who can handle the subject matter and wants a full course meal in magic.

In Out of The Shadows, author John J. Coughlin trys to

rebuild the balance 'Light Paganism' has created. He

gives an easy and understandable description of what

the Darkness and 'Dark Paganism' actually are. Though

the focus of this book is 'Dark Paganism', the author in

no way tries to deny or degrade Light Paganism. In

fact, Coughlin actually describes it's benefits and

necessities in modern paganism.

In his explanation of the Darkness, Coughlin gives

information on "dark siders" including the Gothic and

Vampiric Sub-Culture. He gives a clear and understandable explanation of "The Shadow" in psychological terms, as well as symbols, images, and archetypes associated with darkness. I found the section on dark deities to be especially interesting,

where Coughlin offers information on specific deities

from various pantheons including Celtic,Egyptian,

Greek, and Hindu.

Part Two is an explanation of the nature and structure of magick. This section explains how and why magick works as well as it's limitations and psychological factors. Coughlin takes you through each step of the

spellcasting process by describing what and how to conduct ritual. This section also contains information on psychic abilities, chaos magick, and sex magick.

Out of The Shadows is really two books in one.

It is and exploration of Dark Paganism, but it is also

a guide to magick. Because so many books are focused

on Light Paganism, this text is truly ground breaking.

This book does an excellent job of providing the

seeker with the proper tools to explore yourself. It's

goal is to suggest, if not test, you to personalize

your belief system. You will learn the truth about the Darkness and Dark Paganism. It was an excellent read and I'd

highly recommend it to all Pagans.

What I like about this book is the author's upfront honesty. this is a book about magickal theory and exploring your dark side. The author never sets out to do a book that's focused on practice. He wants you to critically think and explore the concepts that he touches on, but in a manner that I believe gives a lot of respect to the reader.