Defense Against the Dark

As I’ve mentioned briefly before, I’ve written a book called Defense Against the Dark that’s coming out in the middle of March.  Here’s my obligatory post telling you all about it and asking that you buy it and tell all your friends to buy it.  Pretty please with sugar on top?  Ok, here goes.

When I first entered the world of magick and metaphysics I was delighted to find the spiritual and philosophic satisfaction that I had never found in more mainstream systems of belief.  In my naïve eagerness I dove in head first, with little thought to the strange and dangerous creatures that might be lurking beneath the surface.  I learned the hard way that some old wives tales are true and that there are things that go bump in the night.  At the time I had a very hard time finding information on how to deal with and protect myself against such things.  Now, many experiences later, I’ve written the book I wish someone had handed to me all those years ago.

My book introduces the reader to the darker denizens of the magickal world and the dangers they present (yes, there are plenty of friendly creatures out there but you hardly need me to tell you how to deal with friendly creatures that want to help you – do you?). In Defense Against the Dark you learn the common lore surrounding malevolent creatures and malicious magick and how to deal with them should you encounter them.  For each entity or magickal occurrence detailed in the book you will find information on how common they are, how dangerous, what other names it might be called, the common symptoms that give evidence of their presence, and concrete, practical methods for alleviating the danger they present.  In other words, this book tells you all about things that go bump in the night and then tells you how to bump back.

Beyond stating what negative entities and magick do, this book also clarifies what they do not do.  Unfortunately, the magickal world is full of misconceptions and misinformation.  Common misconceptions, and how to avoid them, are included in the lore for many entries.  Learn how curses actually work, that faeries aren’t always nice (Red-Caps, need I say more?), and that modern vampires do exist but really aren’t all that dangerous.

One of the features of the book of which I am most proud is the Index of Symptoms.  There is an index in the back of the book that lists all of the common symptoms that malevolent magick and creatures create and list what might be responsible.  With this tool you can readily identify the most likely magickal culprit in any situation and then just flip to that entry for information on what to do about it.  However, use this with caution and don’t let yourself be carried away.  Just because you experience symptoms commonly caused by a goblin doesn’t mean that it isn’t just bad curry and lack of sleep.  Most of the time there is a rational mundane explanation for what you experience.  This book is for the times when the rational explanations fail.

Knowledge is power and with this book that is my gift to you.