{"id":547,"date":"2017-04-02T10:50:52","date_gmt":"2017-04-02T14:50:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/?p=547"},"modified":"2017-04-02T10:50:52","modified_gmt":"2017-04-02T14:50:52","slug":"talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/","title":{"rendered":"The Talismanic Tome: Books of Hidden Power"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Three
Three of my black books where I record my most important lore. Photo by Coby Michael. Art sicker by Zaheroux.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Some books are more than just objects to be read.\u00a0 They are magical tools to be explored.\u00a0 Not only the magical lore contained within them, but the\u00a0body of the book itself is imbued power during its conception and assemblage.\u00a0 A magician need only to carry such a book to be influenced by its protective and illuminating powers.\u00a0 Books created as talismans are enlivened through ritual processes utilizing planetary positions and other occult correspondences.\u00a0 Many medieval and early modern grimoires were carried as protective talismans, but conferring spiritual protection to the holder.\u00a0 Today, there are some occult publishers continuing this tradition of beautifully made magical literature; oftentimes sold in limited fine editions along with mass-produced paperback copies.\u00a0 The beautiful pieces from publishers like Xoanon, Scarlet Imprint, Ouroboros Press<\/em>, and others are a testament to traditional book-making.\u00a0 Using both modern and traditional printing techniques, hard copies bound in leather with cover art inlaid in gold is often a unique feature of these books.<\/p>\n

The timing preparation and process these books go through in publishing enliven them with a unique energy, setting them apart from mass produced copies solely for reading and studying the material.\u00a0 Such books have a spirit of their own.\u00a0 One exquisite example that I would like to point out is, \u201cThe Devil\u2019s Dozen\u201d<\/em> by Gemma Gary published by Troy books.\u00a0 This is a perfect example of such a book.\u00a0 While not specifically talismanic; the time, effort and thought that has gone into this from its beginning stages creates an uncanny pull towards this tome.\u00a0 Sitting on a shelf in my study, it patiently waited for me to finish a couple of other books that I was reading.\u00a0 However, during this time I felt a strange pull from this book.\u00a0 It kept popping into my head, often distracting me from what I was <\/em>reading.\u00a0 When I finally did begin reading it I realized more so the powerful nature such a book has, and its transformative ability.<\/p>\n

Sometimes it is just a matter of finding the right book to inspire and reignite our passion for the search of knowledge.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The rites and rituals, of which there are thirteen, draw from traditional folklore and are written and devised by the author.\u00a0 It can be used by those who are new to the path who wish to dedicate and initiate themselves to the Crooked Way.\u00a0 It is also for those who currently tread the Path and desire to explore the Mysteries of the Old One in his guise of the Devil.\u00a0 It may also be used to reinforce one\u2019s connection with their own practice through a re-affirmation of oaths to the Unseen.<\/p>\n

For me, the physicality of this book, being the size of an adult hand, having the old style fell adds so much to the overall experience of its content.\u00a0 The small, unassuming size of such a powerful tome gives the impression that there is power in each page.\u00a0 Every word is carefully thought out, and there is no excess filler to increase its length.\u00a0 The voice of the author is practical and down to earth, without unnecessary embellishment.\u00a0 It reminds me of the feeling that I get when I hold one of my black books<\/em>.\u00a0 I can feel the weight of the ink on the pages, and the power within the words.\u00a0 The collective energy of the magical lore combines to create a unique aura that is felt through the covers.\u00a0 That is how this book feels.\u00a0 The time and effort spent on bringing theses thirteen rites into manifestation fills this book with sprit, acting as a vessel for power.<\/p>\n

Reading as Ritual<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reading a book like this can be a transformative initiatory experience.\u00a0 The thought process encouraged by reading Gary\u2019s poetic prose awakens that occult curiosity within us that at times goes dormant.\u00a0 Mundane reality and its distractions can temporarily take away our sense of intrigue.\u00a0 Sometimes I lose interest or get burnt out, and it can be difficult to get that inspiration back.\u00a0 Books like this restore one\u2019s sense of wonder and mystery, what brought us to magical study in the first place.\u00a0 There is still so much to be discovered, and magic is constantly evolving.\u00a0 I remember a kid, anything I could find online or in a book to read on witchcraft would bring me that sense of wonder.\u00a0 Over the years and lots of books later, my taste has become more discerning towards what I read.\u00a0 Every now and then I come across a book that gives me that feeling of genuine wonder and curiosity.<\/p>\n

Another book that I hold to similar esteem is Veneficium: Magic, Witchcraft and the Poison Path<\/em>, by Daniel A. Schulke and Three Hands Press.\u00a0 I coveted this book for some time before acquiring a copy.\u00a0 For me, it holds a similar certain sense of power and intrigue.\u00a0 Many esoteric publishers have continued a tradition of fine quality book binding using classical techniques.\u00a0 Many of these limited editions are well worth the high price paid on the second hand market once these books have sold out.<\/p>\n

Troy Books: Publishers of Traditional Ways<\/a><\/p>\n

The Esoteric Book Conference<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are many types and styles of book making; all of them an art form. Esoteric publishers take this art to another level by incorporating magical timing, ritual, and symbolism as part of the publication process; creating not only beautiful works of art, but also powerful magicalobjects. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2804,"featured_media":548,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[54,50,26,74,8,9],"tags":[66,24,106,111,27,47,52,114,51,16,112,10,113,25,43],"class_list":["post-547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-modern-witchcraft","category-occult-artifacts","category-personal-practice","category-recommended-reading","category-thearmchair","category-traditionalwitchcraft","tag-academic-occultism","tag-armchair-paganism","tag-classical-witchcraft","tag-gemma-gary","tag-grimoire-tradition","tag-horned-one","tag-occult-artifacts","tag-occult-publishers","tag-ritual-tools","tag-the-devil","tag-the-devils-dozen","tag-traditional-witchcraft","tag-troy-books","tag-witchcraft","tag-witches-tools"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Talismanic Tome: Books of Hidden Power<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are many types and styles of book making; all of them an art form. Esoteric publishers take this art to another level by incorporating magical timing, ritual, and symbolism as part of the publication process; creating not only beautiful works of art, but also powerful magicalobjects.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Talismanic Tome: Books of Hidden Power\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are many types and styles of book making; all of them an art form. Esoteric publishers take this art to another level by incorporating magical timing, ritual, and symbolism as part of the publication process; creating not only beautiful works of art, but also powerful magicalobjects.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Poisoner's Apothecary\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"www.facebook.com\/cobymichaelward\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-04-02T14:50:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/713\/2017\/04\/altar-book.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"354\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Coby Michael Ward\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Poisonpath\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Coby Michael Ward\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/\",\"name\":\"The Talismanic Tome: Books of Hidden Power\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-04-02T14:50:52+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-04-02T14:50:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/#\/schema\/person\/be274c85d969d57890cd944f510bd75c\"},\"description\":\"There are many types and styles of book making; all of them an art form. Esoteric publishers take this art to another level by incorporating magical timing, ritual, and symbolism as part of the publication process; creating not only beautiful works of art, but also powerful magicalobjects.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Talismanic Tome: Books of Hidden Power\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/\",\"name\":\"Poisoner's Apothecary\",\"description\":\"Traditional Witchcraft: A Modern Reconstruction\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/#\/schema\/person\/be274c85d969d57890cd944f510bd75c\",\"name\":\"Coby Michael Ward\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/be417cb931b458e50f7d9300bac29113?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/be417cb931b458e50f7d9300bac29113?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Coby Michael Ward\"},\"description\":\"I am a scholar by nature, ever curious, my studies continue to lead me into new and exciting directions. I consider my spiritual path that of a Modern Pagan, the definition of which is constantly evolving. I majored in Religious Studies with a focus on the pre-Christian traditions of Europe and the history of Christianity in its relation to the evolution of magic. My main area of interest has always been magic, witchcraft and occultism, and the historical sources that have contributed to its development in western esoteric traditions. My personal practice is a land-centered animistic practice rooted in European Paganism, including an exploration of classical witchcraft. The various branches of what has come to be known as \\\"traditional witchcraft\\\" includes imagery of the medieval witches' Sabbath, the folk practices of country-dwelling people, and the application of plants traditionally associated with witches and the spirits that ally themselves with them. The use of these plants in spirit work, soul flight, trance and spell craft has been called the Crooked Way, the Poison Path, and Esoteric Herbalism; and it consists of a collection of historical folk lore combined with modern occult practices and medieval alchemy producing a potent synthesis of practice. One cannot walk the Path of the Poisoner without coming into contact with the Old One, who is the horned master of the wild, teacher of the arcane arts and his partner the Witch Queen ruler of the other side and embodiment of the sovereignty of the Land.\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\",\"www.facebook.com\/cobymichaelward\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Poisonpath\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/author\/cmsmith\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Talismanic Tome: Books of Hidden Power","description":"There are many types and styles of book making; all of them an art form. Esoteric publishers take this art to another level by incorporating magical timing, ritual, and symbolism as part of the publication process; creating not only beautiful works of art, but also powerful magicalobjects.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Talismanic Tome: Books of Hidden Power","og_description":"There are many types and styles of book making; all of them an art form. Esoteric publishers take this art to another level by incorporating magical timing, ritual, and symbolism as part of the publication process; creating not only beautiful works of art, but also powerful magicalobjects.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/","og_site_name":"Poisoner's Apothecary","article_author":"www.facebook.com\/cobymichaelward","article_published_time":"2017-04-02T14:50:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":600,"height":354,"url":"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/713\/2017\/04\/altar-book.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Coby Michael Ward","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Poisonpath","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Coby Michael Ward","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/","name":"The Talismanic Tome: Books of Hidden Power","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-04-02T14:50:52+00:00","dateModified":"2017-04-02T14:50:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/#\/schema\/person\/be274c85d969d57890cd944f510bd75c"},"description":"There are many types and styles of book making; all of them an art form. Esoteric publishers take this art to another level by incorporating magical timing, ritual, and symbolism as part of the publication process; creating not only beautiful works of art, but also powerful magicalobjects.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/2017\/04\/02\/talismanic-tome-books-hidden-power\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Talismanic Tome: Books of Hidden Power"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/","name":"Poisoner's Apothecary","description":"Traditional Witchcraft: A Modern Reconstruction","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/#\/schema\/person\/be274c85d969d57890cd944f510bd75c","name":"Coby Michael Ward","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/be417cb931b458e50f7d9300bac29113?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/be417cb931b458e50f7d9300bac29113?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Coby Michael Ward"},"description":"I am a scholar by nature, ever curious, my studies continue to lead me into new and exciting directions. I consider my spiritual path that of a Modern Pagan, the definition of which is constantly evolving. I majored in Religious Studies with a focus on the pre-Christian traditions of Europe and the history of Christianity in its relation to the evolution of magic. My main area of interest has always been magic, witchcraft and occultism, and the historical sources that have contributed to its development in western esoteric traditions. My personal practice is a land-centered animistic practice rooted in European Paganism, including an exploration of classical witchcraft. The various branches of what has come to be known as \"traditional witchcraft\" includes imagery of the medieval witches' Sabbath, the folk practices of country-dwelling people, and the application of plants traditionally associated with witches and the spirits that ally themselves with them. The use of these plants in spirit work, soul flight, trance and spell craft has been called the Crooked Way, the Poison Path, and Esoteric Herbalism; and it consists of a collection of historical folk lore combined with modern occult practices and medieval alchemy producing a potent synthesis of practice. One cannot walk the Path of the Poisoner without coming into contact with the Old One, who is the horned master of the wild, teacher of the arcane arts and his partner the Witch Queen ruler of the other side and embodiment of the sovereignty of the Land.","sameAs":["http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary","www.facebook.com\/cobymichaelward","https:\/\/twitter.com\/Poisonpath"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/author\/cmsmith\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2804"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=547"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/547\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poisonersapothecary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}