Polarity Magic: The Secret History of Western Religion »

Wendy Berg (England) is a direct recipient of the branch of the Western Mystery Tradition that comes, via Dion Fortune and Gareth Knight, from the nineteenth century Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Gareth Knight was trained in the Society of the Inner Light which was founded by Dion Fortune following her own Golden Dawn training. He founded his own Lodge (known outwardly as The Gareth Knight Group) in the early 1970s. Wendy joined that Lodge after Mike Harris; Wendy was previously a prominent figure in the burgeoning British Wiccan movement of the time. Wendy was a member of the original Company of Hawkwood, that loose knit but influential magical association convened and presided over by Knight in the early 1980s. Members of that Company came to comprise the foremost practitioners and commentators of the present generation of initiates of the Western Mystery Tradition, including Dolores Ashcroft Nowicki, R.J Stewart, Marion Green and John and Caitlin Matthews amongst its number.

Mike Harris (North Wales) is a direct recipient of the branch of the Western Mystery Tradition that comes, via Dion Fortune and Gareth Knight, from the nineteenth century Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Gareth Knight was trained in the Society of the Inner Light which was founded by Dion Fortune following her own Golden Dawn training. He founded his own Lodge (known outwardly as The Gareth Knight Group) in the early 1970s. Mike was one of the original members of that Lodge which Wendy Berg joined later. Mike was also a member of the original Company of Hawkwood, that loose knit but influential magical association convened and presided over by Knight in the early 1980s. Members of that Company came to comprise the foremost practitioners and commentators of the present generation of initiates of the Western Mystery Tradition, including Dolores Ashcroft Nowicki, R.J Stewart, Marion Green and John and Caitlin Matthews amongst its number.

Polarity magic is at the heart of the Western Mystery Tradition, though few are aware of its theory and practice. Even so, it constitutes the core of all mythology and mystery teachings. It recognizes that the most powerful creative force is found in the fundamental energies exchanged between a man and a woman. It exalts, rather than negates, human sexuality in spiritual and magical endeavor.

This book explores the hidden traditions of the Western mysteries, focusing on the divine feminine and the sexual dynamics of magic. It shows why the feminine principle must be restored to magic, and offers practical magical examples of how this may be done. Sympathetic reconstructions of priest and priestess rituals are offered, which feature ancient historical and mythological couples such as Isis and Osiris, Taliesen and Ceridwen, Arthur and Gwenevere, Merlin and Gwendydd, and Akhenaten and Nefertiti. The magical implications of the relationship between Mary Magdalene and Christ are also addressed.

Also featured in this one-of-a-kind magical volume is advice on forming working partnerships with beings of the fairy realm, and techniques for the lone magician who works with inner-plane partners.

Library Journal

If you are interested in building a "magical relationship with an incarnate magician of the opposite sex, working on a priest/ priestess basis," this book is for you. Berg and Harris attempt to convince male and female Wicca practitioners to become "spiritually and magically mated" in order to strengthen their power. To prove that males and females are more powerful when they cooperate, they retell the stories of ancient historical and mythological couples such as Isis and Osiris, Taliesen and Ceridwen, Arthur and Gwenevere, and even resort to Mary Magdalene and Christ. They also outline a few rituals for couples and some techniques for lone magicians and provide a section on working with beings from the "faery realm." Basically a "sex magick" book without the sex, this is a ponderous, insipid, pseudoscholarly work that is unconvincing on all levels. There is really nothing here for readers interested in learning about Wicca, and it is hard to believe that it will convince Wicca practitioners to change their practices. This volume might be useful to a public library that serves an active Wicca community or an academic library with a special interest in this area.-Mary E. Jones, Cty. of Los Angeles P.L., Agoura Hills Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.