Coming in January! An introduction to many different kinds of psychic, magical, mystical, and spiritual energies.

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Product Description

Energy. Psi, prana, mana, chi, divine power, the tao, reiki, or "vibes," every system of magic and mysticism calls the energies that power its practices by different names. Whether questioning the power of prayer or a healing session with a Reiki master an underlying question exists of whether this energy is all the same or if they exist as distinctly different "wavelengths" of some universal power?

When New Agers, occultists, spiritual healers, metaphysicians, artists, and Neopagans talk about the "energies" they use, what do they actually mean? Now, for the first time, a single book discusses the vocabulary, magic, metaphysics, art, and science of energy from a multi-model, 21st century perspective.

Lessons included will cover: • Physical vocabulary of energy • Metaphysical vocabulary of energy • How the laws of magic affect energy • The Importance of Focus

Real Energy will then take these lessons to the next level giving you direction on how to understand and begin working with different energies. Half of the book is dedicated to showing you how to work with specific energies, including: the four elements, crystals, plants, animals, your own body, nature spirits, ancestors, and deities to accomplish your goals and enhance life experiences. Specific energy work practices are also covered, including: Reiki, The Huna System, working with "Pure" ESP and PK, Feng Shui, and the Tantra System.

With tips from scientists, artists, magicians, and spiritual teachers, Real Energy will give you a solid introduction to both the theory and practice of energy work.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #177150 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

About the Author
Isaac Bonewits, author of the classic occult text Real Magic, received the world's first academically accredited degree in the magic in 1970. Since then he has become one of America's best known writers on magic, witchcraft, druidism, and earth religions. Bonewits conducts presentations and rituals across the country.

Phaedra Bonewits has been a practicing psychic, witch, ritualist, and ceremonial magician for thirty years and is an early co-conspirator and a former national officer of CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans).

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Customer Reviews

A REAL primer on energy work
If you're looking for a book that provides you a thorough examination of the basic concepts of energy work, in terms of both personal energy and environmental energy then you'll find that this book is right up your alley. Phaedra and Isaac do a wonderful job of explaining energy and its connection with elemental energy, astrology, natural resources, Chinese belief systems, and more.

This book is theory intensive. They provide a few basic exercises so readers can work with the concepts, but their focus is moreso on explaining the why and how of energy work. I would've liked to have seen more focus on practice, and particularly some intermediate and advanced energy work, but even without that the theory in the book can provide readers an opportunity to experiment if they are willing to take the concepts and run with them.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about energy work and what it involves. You'll also get a dose of Bonewits humor, always good for giving you a moment to take a break and think, "Did they really say that?"

A more than worthy successor to Real Magic
To be honest, I wasn't really expecting to enjoy this book quite as much as I did Bonewit's earlier work, "Real Magic". Boy, was I wrong. I devoured this book.
Both Issac and Phaedra have created here something very special and unique. Where to begin?

First off, as a person with a technical background, I was throughly impressed and grateful to see that the inclusion of physics and quantum mechanics in the book were discussed factually and accurately, with no "fluff" or twisting of facts to fit preexisting hypotheses or ulterior motives. The Boneswits' are among the very few who are not afraid to attempt to reconcile magic, to some degree, with the scientific worldview. At stated in the book, there is no such thing as the Supernatural, all things follow natural laws, whether or not modern science is yet cognizant of them.
However, I believe it is not the authors' intent to "prove" anything to a non-believer, but only to provide insight and education to all those that believe or merely study the topic academically.

If there is one possible exception to the above, it's in one of my favorite sections where the authors discuss the modern (over?)usage of the word "Energy" by the New Age crowd; contrasting it first in strictly physicists' terms, they then make a rather appealing allowance for it's more colloquial and abundant usage by revealing startling similarities between ancient Hermetic concepts and modern string theory, among other cutting-edge modern day scientific constructs.
Like Real Magic, both Eastern and Western mystical concepts are covered in the book, from the Greek roots of the word "Spirit" to the Chinese "Qi" to the Indian "Prana", among others, all of which pertain, etymologically and interestingly, to "breath".

There is an updated section on the "Laws of Magic" formerly discussed in Issac's seminal "Real Magic", as well as treatises on traditional mystical sources of energy such as the Aristotelian Four Elements; herbs and plants; gemstones and minerals; Gaia(Earthmother/Biosphere)and Cosmos, and of course, animals and living beings. A very brief discourse on spirits, faeries, djinns, and the like, is also offered towards the end, as is a larger section on generating and controlling previously discussed energies.

Overall, I immensely enjoyed this book, and I would even recommend it over Real Magic, if one had no option but to choose between the two. However, the best option, by far, is to get both of them!

Essential Isaac
Isaac Bonewits is treasure. The more of your life you spend digging him, the better off you'll be at the end of your personal rainbow quest.

All of Isaac's "Essential" books should be in the library of every seeker of truth or teacher of seekers: especially those prepared to appreciate the difference between wisdom and witchcrap. This one might just be the most essential of them all, in that it addresses a core component of many Neopagan belief systems from physical and metaphysical perspectives, toward a more complete understanding of the worlds we inhabit. The wonder of the thing is that this goal is achieved without robbing magic of its magick.

Something that distinguishes Isaac's teaching is a take-no-prisoners commitment to honesty. He debunks the debunkable without mercy, yet will never try to persuade you to believe something just because he thinks it's believable. Instead, he presents the facts, interprets them with skill, then weighs in with ideas to guide you through taking the next steps on your own, like the grounded grown-up he assumes you are. When you compare this with the usual hand-holding how-to books on the metaphysical shelf of your local bookstore, you might think that sounds a little tough, but in fact, something else that characterizes Isaac's teaching style is his extraordinary gentleness. Phaedra conveys both these sides of the Essential Isaac effectively, shading her narrative with just the right touch of Bonewits charm.

The result is an empowering read.