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theesotericcamel's review
3.0
It had been a while since I've read Kenneth Grant, but this book was surprisingly easy to get into than some of his others. The jacket claims the book is about arriving to and exploring what he calls "The Mauve Zone." This zone is supposed to be the astral realm of Daath, the pseudo-sephiroth and entry way into the Tunnels of Set that make up the Nightside Tree. What the book is actually about is an examination of two instances where other magickians reached the so called "Mauve Zone" independantly of Grant's own magickal order.
The first part of the book, however, is an examination of the Kaula Rite of the Fire Snake and the Hindu Sri Chakra. Grant claims that the methods of his Typhonian O.T.O. are a direct descendant of these ancient Hindu rites, and goes on to site many ancient Hindu texts to support his claim. In the process, we the readers actually learn a lot about the Kundalini, and various ways it was stimulated in various ancient tantric practices. It is clear that Kenneth Grant is very well versed in Eastern esoteric practices and magick. This is not, however, a manual of practice. It is more of a philosophical and mystical exploration and comparison with western esoteric practices and symbolism. Some fascinating connections are made, though not all of them are necessarily valid. His corroborations are often hindered by his trademark use of Gematria, which as I've mentioned before in other reviews of his books are highly suspect. Part of the reason is that he jumps between different alphabets and values, and often equates words as being related when their values are off by a digit or more. These paragraphs of numbers and letters are always my least favourite parts of his books. And I feel that he over stretches the rules of Gematria to fit uncomfortably over his ideas.
The second part of the book was an analysis of the Liber Pennae Penumbra, a book that was channelled by Soror Nema. (A handwritten facsimile Liber Pennae Penumbra is included in this book as Appendix I.) This is not the first time he has examined this book, as he devotes a few pages to it in "Circles Out of Time." But this time around, he gives it a more rigourous textual analysis. Kenneth Grant hopes to prove that it is an authenticly channelled book that independantly coroborates with his Typhonian philosophy.
The third part of the book deals with the Ecclesia Gnotica Alba, an O.T.O. sect originating in Yugoslavia. It chronicles the creation of this sect by it's leader Zivorad Mihajlovic Slavinski, who went on to establish a channel of communication with cosmic entities, and perfected a method of doing so.
Grant uses Nema and Zivorad as means of proving the validity of his own magickal philosophies, and claims they share "The Mauve Zone" as a common source of their experiences. The book has lot of interesting ideas, but as usual for Grant's books, expecially in the latter trilogies, they should be viewed through a critical eye. There is certainly knowledge to be gained for those willing to sift through the silt for the gold. And in order to get the most of this book, it is recommended that you read at least a few of the earlier books in the series, as it makes constant reference to them.
The first part of the book, however, is an examination of the Kaula Rite of the Fire Snake and the Hindu Sri Chakra. Grant claims that the methods of his Typhonian O.T.O. are a direct descendant of these ancient Hindu rites, and goes on to site many ancient Hindu texts to support his claim. In the process, we the readers actually learn a lot about the Kundalini, and various ways it was stimulated in various ancient tantric practices. It is clear that Kenneth Grant is very well versed in Eastern esoteric practices and magick. This is not, however, a manual of practice. It is more of a philosophical and mystical exploration and comparison with western esoteric practices and symbolism. Some fascinating connections are made, though not all of them are necessarily valid. His corroborations are often hindered by his trademark use of Gematria, which as I've mentioned before in other reviews of his books are highly suspect. Part of the reason is that he jumps between different alphabets and values, and often equates words as being related when their values are off by a digit or more. These paragraphs of numbers and letters are always my least favourite parts of his books. And I feel that he over stretches the rules of Gematria to fit uncomfortably over his ideas.
The second part of the book was an analysis of the Liber Pennae Penumbra, a book that was channelled by Soror Nema. (A handwritten facsimile Liber Pennae Penumbra is included in this book as Appendix I.) This is not the first time he has examined this book, as he devotes a few pages to it in "Circles Out of Time." But this time around, he gives it a more rigourous textual analysis. Kenneth Grant hopes to prove that it is an authenticly channelled book that independantly coroborates with his Typhonian philosophy.
The third part of the book deals with the Ecclesia Gnotica Alba, an O.T.O. sect originating in Yugoslavia. It chronicles the creation of this sect by it's leader Zivorad Mihajlovic Slavinski, who went on to establish a channel of communication with cosmic entities, and perfected a method of doing so.
Grant uses Nema and Zivorad as means of proving the validity of his own magickal philosophies, and claims they share "The Mauve Zone" as a common source of their experiences. The book has lot of interesting ideas, but as usual for Grant's books, expecially in the latter trilogies, they should be viewed through a critical eye. There is certainly knowledge to be gained for those willing to sift through the silt for the gold. And in order to get the most of this book, it is recommended that you read at least a few of the earlier books in the series, as it makes constant reference to them.
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