“High Magick” has been high on my “to read” list since I heard it was coming out. I’ve been fascinated with Damien Echols since first hearing about the case of the West Memphis Three. From the investigation, I knew Damien was interested in “the occult” and that the murder of the innocent children was seen by many in the community as part of the “satan worship” spreading across the country. As a budding witch at the time myself, I reacted to what happened to Damien, Jason, and Jessie by covering up my pagan drawings, keeping things secret, and using code words to try to find like minded folks.
Full Disclosure: I was 100% on the “Damien, Jason, and Jessie are not guilty” team, and participated in Free the West Memphis Three events whenever I could.
With that out of the way, let’s get into the actual review.
High Magick by Damien Echols
This book is part memoir, part Book of Shadows. I listened to the audiobook version of this first, which is read by the author. Echols follows the path of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, who practices what is considered “High Magick”. He introduces the concept of what he considers “High Magick”, then works the reader through a series of meditative ritual practices that grow deeper and deeper. He encourages the reader to practice each section before proceeding to the next and tackling those longer/deeper rituals.
Throughout, he shares stories of how the practices he learned literally saved his spirit and mind while he was locked away on death row. Several times he brings up the Abrahamic basis of the practices in the book, and admonishes the reader to essentially “get over” any issues they have as a witch dealing with “Christian” names and thought forms. As he puts it, “Conservative Christianity literally tried to murder me, and I can still do these practices. You can, too.”
As witches who tend to come from Christian/Catholic upbringings, it’s sometimes a challenge to get past whatever feelings are wrapped up with that religion, especially when they are part of a practice we are looking to learn. This reminder from Echols is never harsh, but is a gentle reminder that magick is magick.
Echols works the reader through several practices, starting with the Four-Fold Breath, proceeding to the Middle Pillar exercises, Qabbalistic Cross, and ultimately to the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. For most of the techniques in the book, he provides both the traditionally practiced version as well as a modified version of his own design. Listening to the audiobook was very helpful here for getting the pronunciation correct. In the listening, there was a subtle power that came through. It was as if Echols was performing these in the reading, not just reading the words on paper.
There is also a section of the book about tools, and how you can engage in the practice of High Magick without any tools. Echols is proof that you do not need anything but yourself and your imagination to walk the path of a High Magician. From the book cover, you can see he is covered with tattoos. Many of these are part of his grimoire, allowing him to carry the magick he created with him everywhere.
In this book, Echols demystifies Ceremonial Magick, making it approachable to those who wish to learn. It’s a good starting off point for those interested in this sort off magick practices. In practicing the workings he presents, presents a solid foundation to go deeper into this magickal art.