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reviews of pop culture magick lifted from taylor elwoods site>
Pop Culture Magick Reviewed in Pagan Muse, 5 out of 5 stars!
Being of the generation X grouping, I found Taylor Ellwood's Pop Culture Magick to be highly thematic for the times. I can't be the only one who sees the necessity of the subject, nor the obvious validity of the magickal path he describes. I have children who watch Anime, I play an RPG with magickal connotations; from where do folks suppose the mythos and magick for those current cultural icons come from? It didn't just appear on its own..
Uh huh, I thought so - your brain is working now, isn't it?
Taylor has, in a quiet way, forced minds to work. I have to wonder how many "Ah HA!"s sounded across campuses and in homes after the book was released. Even though I had made those cross-references in playing the games and watching the Anime with the kids, I caught myself saying "Of course!" and "How could I have missed that before?".
Even Bugs Bunny is not immune to observation and scrutiny - and finding the archetype within the cell.
Taylor has found the bridge between generations and explained the path in such a way that no one should be able to walk away from the book confused. Just watch an episode of Pokemon, you'll see it.
by ierne Editor - Pagan Muse
Review of Pop Culture Magick by Vaughan of Pagannews.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. You can use Pokemon characters as points of focus for ritual if you really want. Taylor Ellwood's new book Pop Culture Magick explores this concept in a lot more depth., examining ways that we can use contemporary icons in place of deities from ancient times. Undoubtedly, some people will be offended by this concept. For that reason, I think that this book would be most beneficial for those people that are quite far along in their personal spiritual path, and have come to realize that the public images of Britney Spears, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Captain Kirk are clearly egregors; Constructs worshipped on a daily basis and on a much larger scale than Isis or Dagda or Thor (unless you're talking about the Thor from Marvel Comics). In this books the author forces us to face the truth of that, and it is a truth that many people may not be ready or willing to accept.
It is clear that the author has studied a lot of the different genres in detail, because there are an incredible number of references from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons to Star Trek.
For those readers that can get past the obvious paradox of not wanting to accept pop culture idols as actual idols, Ellwood includes several useful pathworking exercises, suggestions for franchies to use as a base pantheon (Star Wars, Dragonball Z etc) and also shows us how to set up a Pop Culture Altar. The meat of the book is in the first 161 pages, followed by the seven appendices that provide a lot of useful reference information. It is a relatively quick read, although it will take longer if you pause to do the exercises at the end f each chapter. All in all, I enjoyed this book. I don't think I am ready to set up an altar to Arthur Dent in the hope that he can provide me with the Question to the Answer of Life, The Universe and Everything (the answer being `42'). But the book has certainly given me food for thought and discussion. In the final analysis, that is really what matters...
Pop Culture Magick by Taylor Ellwood Reviewed by Gwinevere Rain
If you read the last issue of Copper Moon E-zine you may have come across a unique article that involved a melding of Harry Potter and real magick. Who would come up with such a different concept? Two words - Taylor Ellwood. He is the author of Pop Culture Magick. In this book we see an analysis of contemporary culture icons with magick intertwined.
The underlying theory isn't bubblegum witchcraft but instead more occult philosophy. On page 51 the author writes, "When you or I believe in a concept, we give it reality and when a lot of people believe in it, they give it power."
Topics range from TV characters, Sci-fi shows, cartoons, comics and video games. It is important to note that this isn't directly a Wicca book. Where as some practitioners may be interested in utilizing this eclectic format its overall theme is an occult based system of magick.
Most notable is Ellwood's authentic passion for this subject. I applaud his creativity and willingness to challenge traditional views.
Review of Pop Culture Magick By Shade Ouroborous For SilverStar Magazine
Here we have a remarkable examination of the possibilities of developing a magical system based on the active images of the 21st century. All Pop Culture is essentially a form of outsider art, revolutionary by nature if not always by intent, ripe for the exploitation of the Spectacle that blinds the masses, but not yet absorbed into the mainstream. The cliques of gamers and fanboys who explore comix, manga, Japanese anime, role-playing or computer games are creating a whole new mythology, and an archetype in a new form retains primordial power while providing the thrill of novelty. Drawing on the surprising implications of psychology, technology, Chaos and sigil magick as well as the work of mages such as William G. Gray, Stephen Mace and Hakim Bey, Mr. Ellwood has really produced some unique ideas, carefully and systematically explored step-by-step. Jung’s Collective Unconscious just isn’t what it used to be… Our reality is formed by our environment, and that inevitably includes television and film, music and magazines, computer and video games. Can we assume the god-form of Superman or Xena, Warrior Princess? Do superhero costumes create effects through the same color codes employed in sorcery? Can we weave sigils into our collages and implant them into interactive gaming networks? Are the characters in fantasy novels or the complex and occasionally inscrutable metaphysics of anime now manifesting the spirits of old? Are the magicks of media replacing the doctrines of religion? Are the cards of Magic: The Gathering comparable to the Tarot? Strange thoughts for the traditionalist, perhaps, but we live in times of rapid and radical change. For the open-minded, this is an extremely thought-provoking book. How modern can magick truly become? |
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