"Dark Arts of Immortality" - a Book Review
 December 2, 2006

The Dark Arts of Immortality: Transformation through War, Sex and Magic by Ross G. H. Shott is a look at Left Hand Path possibilities seen in the context of Germanic mythos. It is easily readable, and I finished it in less than two days. On the whole, it is quite rewarding. I disagree with it in parts, but in the whole, agree. A 48 year old fat arthritic woman is not likely to achieve 'preternatural levels' in the physical arena. Putting her in martial combat with some jujitsu expert would be stupid and fruitless. That woman (me, sigh!), would get thrashed, and what would that prove? I would say, interpret this in your own context. Perhaps the 48, 68, 88 ... year old fat arthritic woman can summon enough 'fury' to keep herself from getting 'disabled', the fate of too many when they get old. That is the hope. Certainly, whatever state we are in can improve.

Also, I really don't agree with him that pain is necessary for mystical rituals. However, if it's necessary for Schott to have it, I won't tell him he's doing it all wrong. Each person must decide for themself what is the best blend of techniques. We are all different.

While Shott 'enjoys' the whip and other such devices, he isn't much in favor of sitting cross legged on the mat, aka meditation: "Why would we pursue higher consciousness through a state closer to sleep (meditation) rather than farther away (i.e. excitation)?) (pg 151) Most meditators will tell you that in the meditation state they feel extremely aware, much more so than in mundane activities. Only the body is still. To those people, his remarks may sound a bit flippant. But there are people who can't make use of its benefits. I knew one, our late Laura. She didn't understand meditators and called them navel gazers. But she had an entirely different makeup than the average person. After her first heart attack, they tried to put her on bio feedback to learn how to relax. It didn't work. She became anything but relaxed. To slow her heart rate, she needed hard physical activity.

I bet this guy Shott and Laura are a lot alike in other ways, too. Yes, other things he mentions, yes, Laura liked things similar. She also had an amazing charisma. Some might think some of this falls under just plain braggadocio. Actually, not really. It's just different personalities need different things.

I most like what he says about the Sal-Odr-Ond, ('dark shadow core, inspiration, divine spark'), "...focus your intent toward manifesting your Sal-Odr-Ond triad and fetter that power to your Self in a process of self-deification." (pg. 150)

"Exaltation generally results in a form of awareness and clarity of understanding expanded to preternatural levels. It is an overwhelming sense of one's self and personal identity in relation to the greater Universe (to include all three dimensions). For all that it elevates the Self, there is a corresponding relinquishing of bodily concentration and a dulling of the senses." (pg 144)

I would say, it's not so much that the senses are 'dulled', but that we are operating then with the inward looking eye, rather than the outward looking eye.

For all that I quibble with, he nevertheless presents tantalizing proposals in his book, and anyone who is a student of Left Hand Path will find it a valuable read.

In the Altar of my Being is a short poem in which I try to capture that feeling of fully embracing one's divine aspects.

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