Daven from Daven's Journal
[T]his is a HUGELY needed work, and anyone who is involved in the Esoteric, Magick, Discordianism, Pop Culture, Chaos workings or even standard Ceremonial magickians or Witches would be well advised to read this book, if for no other reason than to understand this important core concept.
Pagan Muse (from Amazon.com, December 9, 2004
Being of the generation X grouping, I found Taylor Ellwood's Pop Culture Magick to be highly thematic for the times. I can't be the only one who sees the necessity of the subject, nor the obvious validity of the magickal path he describes. I have children who watch Anime, I play an RPG with magickal connotations; from where do folks suppose the mythos and magick for those current cultural icons come from? It didn't just appear on its own..
Uh huh, I thought so - your brain is working now, isn't it?
Taylor has, in a quiet way, forced minds to work. I have to wonder how many "Ah HA!"s sounded across campuses and in homes after the book was released. Even though I had made those cross-references in playing the games and watching the Anime with the kids, I caught myself saying "Of course!" and "How could I have missed that before?".
Even Bugs Bunny is not immune to observation and scrutiny - and finding the archetype within the cell.
Taylor has found the bridge between generations and explained the path in such a way that no one should be able to walk away from the book confused. Just watch an episode of Pokemon, you'll see it.
by ierne Editor - Pagan Muse
Vaughan of Pagannews.com
I've said it before and I'll say it again. You can use Pokemon characters as points of focus for ritual if you really want. Taylor Ellwood's new book Pop Culture Magick explores this concept in a lot more depth., examining ways that we can use contemporary icons in place of deities from ancient times. Undoubtedly, some people will be offended by this concept. For that reason, I think that this book would be most beneficial for those people that are quite far along in their personal spiritual path, and have come to realize that the public images of Britney Spears, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Captain Kirk are clearly egregors; Constructs worshipped on a daily basis and on a much larger scale than Isis or Dagda or Thor (unless you're talking about the Thor from Marvel Comics). In this books the author forces us to face the truth of that, and it is a truth that many people may not be ready or willing to accept.
It is clear that the author has studied a lot of the different genres in detail, because there are an incredible number of references from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons to Star Trek.
For those readers that can get past the obvious paradox of not wanting to accept pop culture idols as actual idols, Ellwood includes several useful pathworking exercises, suggestions for franchies to use as a base pantheon (Star Wars, Dragonball Z etc) and also shows us how to set up a Pop Culture Altar. The meat of the book is in the first 161 pages, followed by the seven appendices that provide a lot of useful reference information. It is a relatively quick read, although it will take longer if you pause to do the exercises at the end f each chapter. All in all, I enjoyed this book. I don't think I am ready to set up an altar to Arthur Dent in the hope that he can provide me with the Question to the Answer of Life, The Universe and Everything (the answer being `42'). But the book has certainly given me food for thought and discussion. In the final analysis, that is really what matters...
Gwinevere Rain of Copper Moon E-zine
If you read the last issue of Copper Moon E-zine you may have come across a unique article that involved a melding of Harry Potter and real magick. Who would come up with such a different concept? Two words - Taylor Ellwood. He is the author of Pop Culture Magick. In this book we see an analysis of contemporary culture icons with magick intertwined.
The underlying theory isn't bubblegum witchcraft but instead more occult philosophy. On page 51 the author writes, "When you or I believe in a concept, we give it reality and when a lot of people believe in it, they give it power."
Topics range from TV characters, Sci-fi shows, cartoons, comics and video games. It is important to note that this isn't directly a Wicca book. Where as some practitioners may be interested in utilizing this eclectic format its overall theme is an occult based system of magick.
Most notable is Ellwood's authentic passion for this subject. I applaud his creativity and willingness to challenge traditional views.
Shade Ouroborous for SilverStar Magazine
Here we have a remarkable examination of the possibilities of developing a magical system based on the active images of the 21st century. All Pop Culture is essentially a form of outsider art, revolutionary by nature if not always by intent, ripe for the exploitation of the Spectacle that blinds the masses, but not yet absorbed into the mainstream. The cliques of gamers and fanboys who explore comix, manga, Japanese anime, role-playing or computer games are creating a whole new mythology, and an archetype in a new form retains primordial power while providing the thrill of novelty. Drawing on the surprising implications of psychology, technology, Chaos and sigil magick as well as the work of mages such as William G. Gray, Stephen Mace and Hakim Bey, Mr. Ellwood has really produced some unique ideas, carefully and systematically explored step-by-step. Jung’s Collective Unconscious just isn’t what it used to be… Our reality is formed by our environment, and that inevitably includes television and film, music and magazines, computer and video games. Can we assume the god-form of Superman or Xena, Warrior Princess? Do superhero costumes create effects through the same color codes employed in sorcery? Can we weave sigils into our collages and implant them into interactive gaming networks? Are the characters in fantasy novels or the complex and occasionally inscrutable metaphysics of anime now manifesting the spirits of old? Are the magicks of media replacing the doctrines of religion? Are the cards of Magic: The Gathering comparable to the Tarot? Strange thoughts for the traditionalist, perhaps, but we live in times of rapid and radical change. For the open-minded, this is an extremely thought-provoking book. How modern can magick truly become?
Michael Szul, webmaster of Key23 and Mad Ghoul
Taylor Ellwood's Pop Culture Magick can best be seen as a transitional book taking one from the world of fantasy to the real magick that exists behind every doorway and in every shadow of our world. Popular culture may not be popular among many of today's occultists (with the exception of some of the Chaotes), but if Carl Jung was right, and humankind does play out its rite of passage in dreams - or even if Kenneth Grant is right, and literary workmanship is the result of transdimensional communication - popular culture can then be said to have evolved from the archetypal images implanted into our thoughts. It is our ultimate play of inspiration like Shakespeare's portrayal of the Faerie Folk in Neil Gaiman's A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Most of those that get into the occult do so from various other mediums, whether it is comic books, role-playing games, or paranormal television shows. Most also struggle when first entering the occult scene because of the voluminous amounts of texts and practices required to make any real progress. Many give up on the occult not long after due to frustration.
Ellwood's book presents the occult framed by the modern images of popular culture, including those aforementioned comic books and role-playing games. If ever there was a book that eased the transition from fantasy to reality, this would be it.
This isn't to say that Pop Culture Magick is a beginner's book. Though Taylor Ellwood tries to keep the mumbo-jumbo down, and makes each and every exercise as simplistic as possible, there are a few assumption made that will force the novice to look elsewhere for additional material. This book, however, was never meant to be the end all. It was specifically meant to show individuals how to incorporate pop culture into there own current occult work, and Ellwood opens up many pathways for the user to accomplish this feat.
The most intriguing chapter of Pop Culture Magick has Ellwood dissecting anime cartoons with a hair-splitting scalpel. He manages to inform the reader of all the occult and spiritual dogmatism present in anime, and goes at great length to examine the similarities between Neon Genesis Evangelion and the Kabbalah. Quite fascinating indeed.
Pop Culture Magick is a book of ideas. No, scratch that... a book of new ideas; and a refreshing change from the regurgitated techniques and information spilling out of many current publications.
Lupa, occult author (from Amazon.com, July 23, 2005)
Okay. I admit it. I’m a little bit of a culture snob. Maybe two bits a culture snob. I have the tendency to eschew television and movies in lieu of books and the internet for entertainment and information, so I’ll admit that the idea of pop culture as a magickal paradigm wasn’t an appealing one at first. But a slew of good reviews and recent familiarity with the author both convinced me to think again, pick up Pop Culture Magick (PCM)—and I’m glad I did.
This book, in large part, may as well be subtitled “Magick for Geeks.” Media like anime, comic books, and sci-fi/fantasy are prime examples of pop culture useful for magickal purposes. In PCM Taylor not only explains the energies behind these subcultural phenomena but details how to work with them to great success.
PCM is worth its weight in Tribbles solely for the first three chapters. Those who are a bit mystified as to the exact definition of what pop culture is will have this dilemma quickly and thoroughly solved. Following that enlightenment is an entire chapter that not only summarizes previous exercises in breaking your brain (ie, escaping tunnel reality) but further explores this process—I particularly enjoyed the “How are these two objects the same/different and how many ways can I view them” exercise in Chapter 2. And the third chapter deals with the joys of the Temporary Autonomous Zone (TAZ) as well as how it pertains to pop culture and how, in many manifestations, pop culture is a series of TAZs.
I was particularly glad to see the discussion of how mainstream culture appropriate and assimilates pop culture over time. It’s important to remember this when working with pop culture because this shift of focus alters the power of each pop paradigm to some extent, if not draining it of all potency. The lesson therein, in fact, applies to magick in general—oftentimes it is the blade’s edge of magick that cuts best, and not the handle that everyone else has a grip on.
Another point that is repeatedly stressed is the power of group belief. Remember that episode of The Simpsons where all the giant advertising icons come to life? The Springfield version of the Big Boy with his giant donut, and the neon Laramie Man rampaged all across the town. They were all defeated when our protagonists managed to draw the crowd’s attention away from the icons until they lost all their power and were destroyed. It’s like that. Pop culture icons have power because so many people feed them with the energy of attention. Taylor shows the reader how to get the most out of that source of magickal potential.
The chapters that discuss specific areas of pop culture such as comic and sci-fi/fantasy books, anime and video games offer a wealth of ideas for prospective pop magicians. Geeks will find it an easy transition (if they haven’t already) from mundane to magick. Taylor demonstrates a number of ideas ranging from invocation through cosplay to taking all those nifty bits of memorabilia and making them into a functional altar. Not only are his suggestions valuable in and of themselves but they also serve as an excellent springboard for further innovation, an effect that is hardly accidental. The general feel of the book is “This is magick made *fun*--go out, enjoy it, play with it and see what you can do with it yourself!” It builds on the foundation created by Chaos magick until there’s an entire new world to explore, largely untapped by today’s magick-workers.
Taylor has quite obviously practiced the paradigm he describes extensively. Not only does he speak with authority on the matter, but he provides numerous examples from his own experiences. One clarification I found particularly enlightening is the difference between invoking an energy into yourself, and invoking yourself into that energy. I’d never really thought that the former was all that risky, until he brought up the concept of letting the energy take you over—in others words, “getting too into it.” Fortunately he explains the concept of invoking yourself into a god-form or other entity, supplying you with an answer to your potential problem.
Now, I know that at least a few of you reading this have already done experimentation in this direction, to include invoking characters from various sources for metamorphic magick and evoking energies and concepts for an array of intents. While those new to the concept of pop culture magick will find this to be a superior primer, seasoned magicians ought to snag it for the same reason I buy every single book on animal magick that comes out—the Search for a New Perspective ™. PCM is full to brimming with ideas fit to oil even the most advanced magician’s mental clockwork.
Time for magickal experimentation? Grab a copy of PCM and start playing with modern icons and powers. The possibilities are only as limited as pop culture itself, and considering it’s an ever-renewing entity there’s little chance of boredom. Just do me a favor—if you’ve got any intentions of evoking (or invoking!) anything from the Overfiend series of hentai for a sexual attraction spell, count me out.
Lupa's note: I suppose eventually I'm not gonna be able to review Taylor's books any more.
Taylor adds: At least not publicly. ;)
Jewels from Jive magazine
Occult for the Geek? Hmmm… Let us summarize shall we? Here’s a short list of a few chapter titles:
--Fantasy/SF Entities
--Cartoon and Anime Entities
--Time/Space via Comics
--Games of Strategy
--Video Game Magick
--How to Build a Pop Culture Altar
And the list goes on…
I’ll admit I found this severely odd book on the far side of “wtf” and a little to the left of “huh”. Despite myself, the strange philosophy pooling out of the mind of Taylor Ellwood was as intriguing a page-turner as, well, a well-adored trendy manga or an addictive video game. Was that the point?
JIVE Magazine Rating: 4 out of 5 moments of clarity
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