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Book Review: Curses, Hexes, & Crossings by S. Connolly

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
curses-hexes-crossings-by-S.Connolly-book-cover The universe likes balance. Creation and destruction. Light and dark. Good and bad. All Witch’s should know about blessings, healing and positive magic; along with curses, hexes and negative magic.

Knowing about and understanding how curses, hexes and the like work, enables a Witch to better protect themselves and others against this sort of magic.

In my personal practice I would be more likely to bind (to stop) or to banish (to get rid of) someone or something that is having a negative impact on me or those around me, rather than Curse or Hex them.

Now with all that written, let’s get to the review:

This superb book has been written for the experienced Witch. It covers what cursing is. The Ethics of Exceration Magick, with the key messages here being: is a curse justified?

It takes a lot of energy to create and maintain a curse. Are you willing to take responsibility for your magick and any consequences (be them intended or unintended)? There’s a fantastic chapter on the history of cursing from ancient history up until recently, covering a wide range of cultures from across the world.

Curses, Hexes, & Crossings covers the psychology of a curse. That the victim being aware that they are cursed can attract negative energies and be self fulfilling – even without the Witch ever actually doing a ritual or casting a spell.

Connolly explains how the Witch can make their own curses and spells; before providing a large number of curses, hexes, & crossings with Connolly sharing her experience with each.

The curses, hexes and crossings are from a wide range of cultures, but many are highly influenced by Daemonolatry and Santansim, which is not surprising given the author’s occult background.

Connolly writes about herbs and stones for cursing, then explains how to break curses. Connolly writes about unintentional or curses cast by your subconscious without your conscious awareness, we’ve all done it. Throughout Connolly writes about how understanding curses and how they work can be used to defend against them and deal with curses aimed at you from others.

Connolly has a fascinating perspective on curses, she explains that a curse can be the start of the emotional healing process. By casting a curse, the Witch can release the intense emotional reactions of rage, anger, frustration and the need for revenge. The Witch having let go of these emotions, can then start the healing process.

The whole of this book from start to finish is brilliant. Connolly’s passion for the topic comes through in her writing. She is not afraid to speak her mind and be honest with the reader, knowing that not everyone will like what she writes. Here are some examples:

Right now I think it’s prudent to point out that some people will object to this book’s mere existence…

The modern Wiccans, for example, have been so busy trying to be accepted by the Christian mainstream that they insist upon distancing themselves from anything that could be misconstrued as “evil”. This includes cursing…

I believe there are instances where curses are appropriate. As I mentioned earlier I also believe curses can go a long way to helping the magician psychologically. For everything negative something good will come of it. Everything is a shade of gray. We could reasonably argue that prosperity magick has a dark side…

“If you discuss ethics and cursing you’re a fluffy bunny.” This is often said by people who want to practice only the blackest magick and arts so arcane that they may dress in black and purport to be the scariest mosty evil magicians to walk the earth. To them I say, eventually you’ll grow up, get off your high horse, and join the rest of us in reality.

(From: Curses, Hexes, & Crossings by S. Connolly, pages: 4-5, 2011.)

The only way this book could have been any better if Connolly included some more advanced protection magick. Curses, Hexes, & Crossings by S. Connolly has been self-published on Amazon. I’m so glad for self-publishing, as this book probably wouldn’t have seen the light of day without it, given its subject matter.

Curses, Hexes, & Crossings by S. Connolly is available to buy on Amazon.

If you like books about this subject matter, you may also like Utterly Wicked: Curses, Hexes & Other Unsavory Notions by Dorothy Morrison. Utterly Wicked is currently out of print, but Morrison (the author) is in discussions with another publisher to have it re-released. So wait for re-release until you purchase to get it at a reasonable price.

Review soon,

Antony

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Saturday 11 May 2019

Book Review: The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind by Barbara K. Lipska

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
the-neuroscientist-who-lost-her-mind-barbara-lipska Imagine spending your life studying the brain and mental illnesses like schizophrenia, only to find yourself start exhibiting the same symptoms.

This is what happened to Neuroscientist Barbara Lipska in this powerful memoir, The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind.

Lipska describes her life before any symptoms. She was/is highly functioning in all areas of her life. In her career she managed/manages a foundation and a brain bank.

In her personal life she has a loving husband, children and grandchildren. The family are into fitness and Lipska describes being physically fit and always pushing herself, to run further, to go faster.

Suddenly one day Lipska is on a run, a regular route she’s done thousands of times before, but she can’t remember where she lives.

This is just the start of the sometimes bizarre, sometimes difficult and sometimes downright scary symptoms. Lipska goes to the hospital, family in tow and is diagnosed with a brain tumor.

As the tumor is being treated Lipska’s symptoms worsen. She becomes abrupt and emotionally hurtful to her family. It is a strange thing. Looking back now, Lipska can understand how some of the awful things she said would have hurt her family and how she now knows that they were hurt by their reaction. Yet she can still remember how she felt and what she was thinking at the time. I think it would be fair to say Lipska losing her empathy was probably one of the most challenging symptoms for her.

Lipska describes her journey through the American healthcare system and how she managed to get enrolled into a clinical trial programme, after checking that her insurance would cover the costs, that probably saved her life. I must admit this part made me feel extremely grateful for the National Health Service (NHS) that we have here in the UK, which is free, paid for through taxation.

The ending is ultimately positive. As Lipska continues to be treated her symptoms start to lessen and eventually disappear. Her cancer goes into remission. Reading The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind made me feel like I’d made a new friend in Lipska. This is because stories, especially personal, intimate and ones involving vulnerability help people form meaningful connections with one another. I will admit that this book made me cry at one point, which is extremely rare and a testament to Lipska’s writing and honesty.

Despite the subject matter, Lipska’s tone is warm, engaging and makes the book a page turning read. I read it in a few settings, never wanting to put it down.

I would highly recommend The Neuroscientist Who Lost Her Mind to anyone that likes memoirs, or stories about dealing with adversity.

Review soon,

Antony

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Monday 6 May 2019

Book Review: The Chimp Paradox by Prof Steve Peters

By Amazon, Books & Authors, Health, ReviewsNo Comments
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 Peters is a Consultant Psychiatrist, who is a Dean for undergraduate students at Sheffield University Medical School. He is also credited with helping athletes achieve success and has worked with: Sky Pro Cycling team, Olympic Gold medal winners and Liverpool Football Club.

The Chimp Paradox is not a new theory. Peters has taken an old theory and repackaged it, making it more accessible to more people. The theory goes that within our mind we have three aspects: the computer, the chimp and the human.

The computer stores autopilots (useful beliefs or behaviours), gremlins (destructive beliefs or behaviours that are removable/changeable in the computer) and goblins (destructive beliefs or behaviours that are difficult to remove/change).

All of these are based on past experiences. The computer also holds the values and beliefs that we live our lives by.

The chimp is the emotional part of your brain and is wired for survival and procreation. Whenever the chimp perceives a threat he will decide to fight, flight or freeze. The chimp can hijack you and is responsible for often irrational or destructive behaviours.

The human on the other hand is the logical and rational part of you. The problem comes that the chimp responds 5 times quicker than the human. So it is up to the human to learn to manage the chimp and to change the programming of the computer, so that all parts of the brain work towards the same goals without conflict.

Here’s a video that explains the concept:

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Anyone struggling with emotions, emotional intensity or regulation will find The Chimp Paradox useful. The book covers improving: day to day functioning, motivation, health, success and happiness.

Overall Peters should be commended for making the psychological theory more accessible. The Chimp Paradox is simple to understand and includes plenty of real life examples. The only downside to this is that Peters sometimes over explains the obvious.

If you’re into self-improvement, self-help or other similar topics, then you’ll enjoy The Chimp Paradox.

Review soon,

Antony

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Sunday 31 March 2019

Book Review: Wilful Blindness by Margaret Heffernan

By Amazon, Books & Authors, ReviewsNo Comments
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 Wilful Blindness is when a person or people chose to deliberately pretend not to know about or ignore ethically dubious acts.

It happens on both a micro and macro scale. It spans all parts of society. It can have devastating consequences to both individuals and communities.

Wilful Blindness was originally a legal term, but once Heffernan heard the term she started seeing Wilful Blindness everywhere.

In our collective history of the past and in how governments and businesses operate today.

Heffernan started talking to people, lots of people, from different professional backgrounds and they all knew what she was talking about.

They were all able to give examples of Wilful Blindness in their lives.

In Wilful Blindness, Heffernan identifies the causes and gives examples of the negative consequences of Wilful Blindness. She explains how to expand your mind to be less susceptible to the epidemic of Wilful Blindness.

Heffernan uses psychology to explain human behaviour when it comes to Wilful Blindness and suggests that:

  • We like people that are the same or similar to ourselves. This can lead to blindness to difference and diversity and the benefits of the challenges that they bring.
  • Love of people, ideas, money, things, values, can make us blind.
  • Holding on to deeply held beliefs can mean we miss or ignore evidence that is contrary to these deeply held beliefs.
  • Everyone’s mind has limits and these limits are stretched to make some very complex organisations, which make it difficult to see the truth or know what’s going on.
  • We bury our head in the sand. We hope that difficult issues will go away. We even delude ourselves by not looking, acknowledging or talking about issues.
  • We blame external sources for ethically difficult decisions and justify it to ourselves and other by stating: I was just doing my job.
  • Cultures, conformity and the craving for acceptance from our peers can make us blind to other, broader or different perspectives.
  • People that see what others are blind to and do nothing reinforce the status quo. Not only that, but they also imply through omissions that everything that makes up the status quo is acceptable.
  • Physical distance from a situation or problem can lead to cognitive dissonance and make someone blind.
  • Money and the removal of ethics from work makes people obey and conform. They are much less likely to notice issues or be brave enough to make a stand.
  • People who challenge Wilful Blindess have a tough time. But common qualities in these people include: a sense of social justice, they are generally nonconformists, they are often trendsetters, they feel compelled to raise an uncomfortable truth, they have determination, a high level of resilience, they obsess about the truth and the truth others are ignoring, they have an eye for detail and are willing to suffer both personally and professionally to get others to see the truth.

Throughout Wilful Blindness Heffernan presents a compelling argument and engaging narrative, which is enhanced with fully referenced examples. Examples include: child abuse in the Roman Catholic Church, problems in BP, the banking crash caused by subprime mortgages and derivatives (2007-2010), the Nazis in World War 2 and post operative child deaths in Bristol.

Overall the book is a fascinating exploration of human psychology and why we often fail to see the obvious. If you’re interested in psychology, self-awareness, leadership or business you should read this book.

Review soon,

Antony

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Saturday 3 November 2018
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