Raven Digitalis

Obviously, not all Goths are pagans and not all pagans are Goths. Yet, the two universes can easily overlap, and many Goths indeed can be attracted by modern esoteric movements (Asatru, Wicca, Thelema, Satanism...). Why is that? Raven Digitalis is a Goth. He also defines himself as a witch and a neo-pagan priest. Being part of both world, I thought it would be interesting to get his view. Well...

He brushes a vast overview of the Goth movement, showing why it's not surprising some of its most show more common features (use of pseudonyms, body arts, sexuality, fascination with the dark and gloom...) can fit in really well with some spiritual New Age cults. Was that interesting? Yes. Was that instructive? Well... I love dark and extreme music, yet I can't care less about occultism - which I personally consider mumbo jumbo. So, the author being way into it, I was interested by the connections he made; but his attempts to sell me his doolali (or so I felt) annoyed me quite frankly.
Now, what about the music? Well, I had a laugh about how he sees the Goth scene! Here's your typical trendy teenage boy, putting as much emphasis on hair styles and clothing than music. Whatever. I don't want to be negative though, so, at least, I will give him credit for throwing lists of bands worth a listen...

If you're a pagan and a Goth, with an open mind... show less

I...don't even know where to start, this was dark, chilling, and each story brought horror in its own unique way. I enjoyed each story, the characters, the magic, the worlds, and the darkness they brought. The stories are varying lengths, some might take you a few minutes to read, others a little longer. Honestly, I read through this quite quickly, curious about what new horrors awaited. I was already familiar with The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe, and it was easily the least chilling story show more of the bunch. (I read it again out of curiosity, as it's been quite a few years since I read Poe). Some of these can get quite graphic and gorey, but it all fits in well with the story being told. Each story is memorable, but I'd say Don't Forget to Feed and Red Gifts will likely haunt my dreams, for very different reasons. (But I don't want to give spoilers, so I won't go in depth). Honestly, we'd be here for a while if I were to touch on each story and what stood out to me the most from it, but I don't know if I'd be able to without accidentally giving spoilers, and you really need to experience this for yourself. show less

There’s a lot of information floating around about empaths, and what they are, but this not only covers what an empath is, but how to work that unique facet of yourself into your magick. Not everyone is an empath, and that isn’t a bad thing. Just like everyone has a unique personality, and their own strengths and weaknesses, this is true when it comes to your practice as well. Even if you don’t do magic workings, the meditations included in this book could be very helpful for helping show more recenter and ground yourself. The book is well organized, and you can easily go back and reference the parts you want to later on, or only read the sections that most interest you. I found the meditations to be very helpful, personally, and I intend to use them in the future and incorporate some of what I learned into my own practice. show less

Review located at http://lupabitch.wordpress.com/2007/05/22/goth-craft-raven-digitalis/