2 posts tagged “book reviews”

Our google alert brought up another reader review, we thought we'd share with you, the word is spreading:

review

Book Review
The Red Goddess By Peter Grey
Scarlet Imprint,
UK Summer Solstice 2008 edition

I enjoy the mythos of BABALON. There is something about powerful and sexual female energies that sits right with me (having worked in the past with Lilith and Morrigan, whom I still work with). But BABALON is the best aspects of both in a single entity.

So when I heard about this book, I insisted on buying it. Although the first time I heard about it, the first 2007 print run had been done (156 copies) and was sold out in quick time. And then I found a 2008 run being done, 777 copies (I got #63) with 49 hand bound leather editions being made. I bought both (still waiting for the hand bound edition to be finished and then arrive, it will be a few months).

This book is very hard to describe in words in a coherent manner. It is a wondrous mix of history, and gnostic speculation on the behalf of the author, Peter Grey.

He starts with the history of Babalon and her appearance in The Book of Revelations and why she is essentially feared by the Phallo-jealous monotheists. She empowers the freedom of enjoyment, pleasure and powerful-dangerous womanhood.

To quote two small paragraphs:

We are watchers of the dance of veils as Salome, Mary Magdalene, Isis and Astarte display the shrine of the mystery to our hungry eyes. She is a pole dancer, a dollar whore, a catwalk advert for impossibly red lipstick, a beautiful young girl. Your first love.
She is the Sophia of the Gnostics, a Black Madonna, a heroine of the heretic heart.

Both Aleister Crowley and Jack Parson's get a good lot of mention throughout the book, although in itself, it is not a Thelemic portrayed idea within the pages. Infact Grey spends a small amount of time politely attacking Crowley as a person and his documented behaviour towards women, whilst praising his spiritual practices and the path the To Mega Therion paved for the rest of us. In my reading, Grey's approach to Crowley didn't sit badly, although it may annoy or upset Othodox Thelemites partially.

The second third of the book, where the references to the O.T.O and Thelema exist the most follows on the history of Babalon to historical manifestations of her and her worship. Jesus is mentioned, along with Simon Magnus, Jack Parsons and other quite interestingly Iohn Dee, alongside his Enochian discoveries.

The third and final part explores the means to worship and bring Babalon into your life, through ritual practices, ingesting sacraments, sexual acts, bondage, chemicals and even as simple as inhaling the scent of a Damascus rose. But, as warned by the author, bringing Babalon into your life may leave scars, as she is a Goddess of both Love, Lust and War.

And last and not least, before words fail me entirely, the visual presentation of this book is breathtaking. White cover, with the BABALON lamen / sigil pressed into it in red, the bookends in a deep scarlet red, lovely thick stock paper, with smatterings of red text sprinkled throughout. And four gloss plates, illustrating Babalon herself in various forms. The Thoth Lust card by Lady Frieda Harris being the last plate.

I won't recommend everyone buys this, it may not be for them, but at least taste from its pages and get a feel for the Holy Whore, the Scarlet Woman that Rides the Seven Headed Beast.

With well over a hundred copies gone, we have been overjoyed with the response that we have received for the book.

Whilst we are awaiting a net connection in order to update www.scarletimprint.com we wanted to share some of the reactions and reviews from our readers.

These do not include the kind letters, phonecalls and personal thanks.

This is more than just a book to us.

We have moved past the hundred mark and there are still copies available, please email us to reserve a copy if you have not done so, as we do want practitioners to get them rather than collectors.

Names have been removed to protect the anonymity of our readers:

"Of all the grimoire texts I've purchased, this one seems to be the most viscerally and palpably magickal. I can feel the whole books pulsating with its living current, and I am most inspired by its talismanic power. Thank you for creating such a precious, welcome, and imposing treasure. This is clearly a book of great power."

"Yours is an important book, and clearly a work of love. The perfumed rosepetals that adorned that talismanic package are now resting in a white bowl on my altar"

"I have nearly finished my reading of /The Red Goddess/. I must say it
is was an absolutely wonderful volume! If you can imagine: there i
was, sitting in the middle of a field, unwrapping this beautiful
talisman, the scent of rose and spikenard (i think) saturating my aura
with a glorious and sumptuous bliss. Oh, if only all gifts (and i am
strongly aware that such a book is a gift, even though it was i who
purchased it) were so wonderfully presented. The wax seal and rose
petals are now permanent additions to my altar.

And the text; well-researched, amusing, insightful, witty and
sarcastic in turns, but always with its face turned to Her. The
playful and careful subtextualising is marvellous. Her veils are drawn
back, one by one, a striptease indeed! Until finally, we are teased
with the barest glimpses of the powerhouse of the author's magick; but
those glimpses are more than sufficient.

And it is always so visual! In truth, it is rather more about what
Peter's writing made me *see* than it made me *think*: to ignite the
Vision is a rare thing in a book. And that in itself it makes it
impossibly hard for me to write the review i intended to write here. I
will have to settle with what i have managed to wring from the stone
here.

It is a great thing that all these ideas have been collected together
into one volume and presented to the world. Therefore: Bravo. I seethe
with envy and admiration "

"The book arrived perfectly preserved today and all I can say is Wow. You've done a fantastic job. For once, this is a magickal text I can't wait to read through - most we get sent I go, oh that looks interesting, set it to one side and dip into it on occasion. This is a book which will be read, most likely reread and certainly treasured."

"You've done a fantastic job and should be well pleased."

"Wow what a book. So far I have just skimmed the text, but it is clearly a highly important book and beautifully produced."

Our heartfelt thanks.

In Nomine Babalon

Scarlet Imprint x