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Title: Occult Tibet: Secret Practices of Himalayan Magic by J. H. Brennan ISBN: 0-7387-0067-3 Publisher: Llewellyn Publications Pub. Date: April, 1902 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.33 (3 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Entertaining Read, Not a Book for Practising Magic
Comment: The information provided is rather skimpy but the "light" treatment makes it an entertaining read for those who have no idea at all of Tibetan magic. If you want a better exposure of the practices, look for books on the Six Yogas of Naropa and also books written by Alexandra David-Neel.
Rating: 4
Summary: Good, but uneven in its accessibility.
Comment: I must first state that I have only completed an initial reading of this book, and I have not yet attempted to practice any of the exercises. At times, I found this work to be profoundly informative and engrossing. However, it seemed to me that the author did not keep a steady focus on the identity of his audience. Too many of the relatively few pages of this book were written in an effort to convince a skeptic of the powers of, say, visualization or the existence of past lives. I think these were wasted pages as Mr. Brennan could have easily assumed that his reader needed no convincing. Further, a few too many pages strayed from the Tibetan systems of mystical practice to detail Western techniques and practices, which are widely available elsewhere and detracted from the focus of the book. My final criticism is that a lot of the material is somewhat inaccessible. While Tibetan mysticism may well lay largely beyond the grasp of the Western mind, there are simple things the author could have done to ameliorate this somewhat. For example, in the section about Tumo, he could have suggested a course of study similar stating when you should move on from one exercise to another. I have no idea whether I should complete all of the preliminary exercises in one sitting or seperately, and whether they need to be practiced in conjunction with the remaining exercises each time, or whether they can be perfected and then replaced with the advanced exercises. In addition, perhaps he could suggest alternatives to visualizing complex Tibetan letters, which I doubt have any inherent power other than the cultural significance attributed to them over time, which most Western readers will lack. I plan to draw the letters over and over while meditating on their alleged significance before attempting any of these visualizations. The value of this book would have been augmented had Mr. Brennan suggested similar techniques for making the visualizations meaningful and accessible.
That said, this book contained very interesting information about karma, Tibetan mystical practice, and the history of Tibet. The segments on sound and the Tibeten understanding of the body's subtle energy systems and chakras were particularly informative. I also found the summation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead to be succinct and informative.
In all, I was not dazzled by this book, but it contains a lot of potentially useful information, provided you have the skill, time, and perseverence to find ways to make it accessible to you personally.
Rating: 5
Summary: Pleasent blend of theory and practicality, but too short!
Comment: Though we may harvest for paper all the Earth's trees, and on them print every known datum of Tibetan spiritual systems, the ultimate cavernous depths remain secluded. Even having the procedures of the ancient rituals written in detail gains us nothing without the ability to properly digest and experience the wisdom internally. J.H. Brennan knew well these barriers, yet he proceeds to offer a functional glimpse into, and a taste of the Tibetan spiritual experience within the pages of Occult Tibet: Secret Practices of Himalayan Magic. In this work, Brennan unfolds the history, philosophy, and mindscapes of the humans that grew upon the icy, wind whipped rocks of the Tibetan plateau.
Much of the book consists of a brief, concise overview of the historical and philosophical aspects of the intricate Tibetan magical protocols. Brennan goes the extra mile to offer correlations between ancient paranormal rituals and modern scientific experimentation. I particularly enjoyed his musings on the physical power of sonic energy and have applied much of his theory in my own use of ritual harmonics. Brennan even supplies the reader with several basic, yet powerful, protocols which allow direct experience of Himalayan Magic. I found the procedure for raising basal body temperature, known as "Tumo," effective even in the abbreviated form that Brennan offers within this short book. Also, in the chapter on reincarnation, the author offers effective suggestions for initiating and structuring past life regressions. The book also touches on methods of lucid dreaming, and dream yoga, and methods to employ Tibetan meditative symbology.
I have added to my own personal grimoire several of the magical exercises presented in this work. This book allows a surprisingly deep philosophical and experiential understanding of Tibetan magical systems. Brennan's ability to weave a skillful pattern of theory and practice makes the spirituality of this book easily digestible, and therefore, ultimately, useful. Due to this balance of philosophy and protocol I consider this book an important and functional part of my library of magical systems. I have only one complaint: I wish Brennan had written two or three thousand pages of theory and exercises instead of just under two hundred. Otherwise, I consider Occult Tibet an important and worthwhile read.
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Title: Magic and Mystery in Tibet by Madame Alexandra David-Neel ISBN: 0486226824 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: June, 1971 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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Title: Magical Use of Thought Forms: A Proven System of Mental & Spiritual Empowerment by Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki, J. H. Brennan ISBN: 1567180841 Publisher: Llewellyn Publications Pub. Date: December, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects by Alexandra David-Neel, Yongden ISBN: 0872860124 Publisher: City Lights Books Pub. Date: June, 1981 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: Initiations and Initiates in Tibet by Alexandra David-Neel ISBN: 0486275795 Publisher: Dover Pubns Pub. Date: June, 1993 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines or Seven Books of Wisdom of the Great Path by W. Y. Evans-Wentz, Donald S. Lopez Jr. ISBN: 0195133145 Publisher: Oxford Press Pub. Date: July, 2000 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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