They don't teach this at Hogwarts

John Michael Greer, who currently resides in Maryland, is a prolific author and blogger. He has published books on such diverse topics as peak oil, sustainable living, UFOs and the future of spirituality. One of Greer's tomes reveals how to create your very own secret society! Another deals with – wait for it - monsters.

“The Druid Magic Handbook” is one of several books from this writer about ritual magic. Greer belongs to a Meso-Pagan current known as the Druid Revival and was until recently the “Archdruid” of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA). The handbook is mostly based on the rituals practiced by this group. Later, Greer attempted to fuse the Revival with a somewhat different magical tradition, that of the Golden Dawn. Those interested can find the details in “The Celtic Golden Dawn” or contact the author's new group, the Druid Order of the Golden Dawn (DOGD).

Those who believe that magic is similar to Harry Potter's or Tinker Bell's exploits might be confused or disappointed by “The Druid Magic Handbook”. While AODA's magic can be used to improve the contents of your purse, Greer emphasizes other and more lofty goals: spiritual enlightenment, reconnecting with Nature, cleansing Nature of negative energies, and developing a more balanced attitude to life. At one point, the author summarizes this as an attempt to “re-enchant the world”. It's probably not a coincidence that David Spangler (ex-Findhorn) has written the foreword. Many of the magical techniques described in the handbook are psychological in character. They work on the practitioner's mind, rather than on tangible material reality. Complex rituals, divination with the aid of the Ogham alphabet, and discursive meditation form important parts of the AODA curriculum.

The rituals are based on the metaphysical idea that everything in the universe is imbued with a vitalist life force which connects matter and spirit. “Magic” isn't miraculous (or “magical” in the everyday sense), but simply the ability of the mage to work with (or manipulate) this force in its many manifestations. The Earth is constantly influenced by two spiritual energies, known as the solar and the telluric. The solar current comes from the Sun and is also reflected by the Moon and the planets, while the telluric energy rises from the bowels of the Earth itself. The goal of Neo-Druid magic is to combine these two forces, thereby giving birth to the lunar current. This is symbolized by the Holy Grail. One chapter deals with a practice similar to that of “raising the kundalini” and “opening up the chakras”, although Greer emphasizes that this should be done gradually, and that the goal is to balance various cosmic energies, rather than the more dramatic space-out typical of kundalini yoga.

As already mentioned, the rituals described in Greer's book are complicated and obviously not for everyone. Those who master them will be able to communicate with divine beings and spirit-beings of diverse kinds. Astral travel and communication with trees are other possibilities. Nothing is said about demons and other malevolent entities. Greer believes that Christians can practice the rituals by simply replacing the Celtic pagan terminology with names of saints and angels, but he never discusses this at length. It's interesting to note that AODA regards the divine beings as real, not as mere projections of the human psyche. Nor are the gods “illusions” in the Hindu-Buddhist sense. Finally, the gods and spirits are never “bound” by the magician or forced to do anything. Rather, they chose of their own free will to impart esoteric knowledge onto the mage. The rituals place the practitioner in a right relationship with the life force, but doesn't give him power over the angels. (Hopefully, the Sphere of Protection keeps those monsters at arm's length!)

“The Druid Magic Handbook” can be tedious for the general reader, but if you are seriously interested in ritual magic and what esoteric orders do behind closed doors (or out in the wilderness), this may be worth looking at. Just forget about Harry Potter...