Raven Digitalis is one of the Pagan writers who are dressing up classic occult ideas in more hip clothing. His most recent work, Shadow Magick Compendium: Exploring the Darker Aspects of Magickal Spirituality, is an attempt to bring these occult concepts that have been lost to the general Pagan populace out in the open for mass consumption.

The work is presented in a Jungian perspective which posits that deities are aspects of the collective unconscious and our individual psyches. The author delves into the psychology of the shadow part of ourselves we keep hidden. By doing so we don't allow ourselves true expression. Shadow Magick introduces ways to tap into those hidden realms and bring balance between the light and dark within ourselves.

Polytheists may find his insistence of the Jungian archetype approach hard to swallow. He does state in the introduction this is just one way to face the shadow. The tone set throughout the book however is that the Jungian explanation of the gods and spirits is the correct way to view them.

He doesn't present this work as a treatise on negative magic or goth subculture as some may be inclined to think. It is not a spell book of harmful magic, i.e. no incantations to turn your cheating boyfriend into a toad. Again, the focus is on the middle way - the path that brings light and dark into balance.

The book is divided into five sections as follows:

In The Internal Shadow, the author has us turn inward to discover the truth about our denial of certain aspects of our personalities. He provides a self-evaluation and ritual meditation to purge negative attributes. He also explains concepts of mysticism as a vehicle for gnosis.

The External Shadow introduces practices such as invocation and fasting. He states by fasting we are forced to face our habits and reasoning behind them. He presents different types of fasts for various diets and time frames. Unfortunately, his attitude towards meat eating is condescending at best. He intimates that it is more spiritual to be a vegetarian.

At least he goes on to say that if you eat meat it's best to eat organically raised animals or wild game. This is fair if not always feasible. I do understand where vegetarians are coming from on this issue, but I disagree with the idea that vegetarianism is more enlightened.

The Astral Shadow takes you on a journey to meet the denizens of other planes including spirit and animal guides. He goes into the symbolism of creatures that some consider part of a darker realm such as the bat, vulture and wolf. A ritual meditation to discover your spirit animal is provided as well as an introduction to other modern shamanism techniques.

The Shadow of Nature explores the solar and lunar influences in our lives and magical work as well as an enjoyable section entitled A Darkly Herbal which gives a nod to a few plants that have been stigmatized.

In The Shadow of Society, the author takes his gloves off as far as his writing is concerned. He is the most engaging in this chapter where earlier in the book he at times seems to wander off into internet blog territory. He takes a critical, intelligent look at the subject that has come to be known as The Burning Times. He skillfully separates the propaganda from the truth giving a brief history of the European witch trials and some of the misconceptions that have been perpetuated in the Pagan community.

Earlier in this chapter, he provides a meditation called Scrying the Telly. This exercise forces us to look at how the media affects our minds and culture. As with other shadow work, the point is to stop being in denial about what is going on in order to better control our own lives.

As this is a compendium, I don't expect it to be a complete system of magic, and the author makes no such claim. However, I disagree with his statement in the introduction that this is not a beginner's book.

The distracting packaging is a tell-tale sign that it is marketed for teens. To be fair, I assume this was the publisher's decision. This sort of presentation isn't needed if there is enough content to hold interest for the serious student.

Regardless of my personal feelings about the presentation, I believe it's fair to say the content will be familiar to intermediate and advanced practitioners of magic. Delving into the shadow realms isn't new to experienced magicians.

The mature practitioner will probably want to give this one a miss. The newer student may find Shadow Magick a basic introduction to some aspects of the middle path. I advise using the author's bibliography for references when you want to expand your practice.