Resource Materials and Books

I noticed we didn't have a section for Books or Resource Materials. I don't know if it would be best to make a seperate forum or have a sticky topic under each kin type and probaly the magic forum for resource materials and books that people can look to for help.

Even if you don't agree with the source yourself at least it'd give everyone a place to share materials, books, internet sites that they found helpful for kin or even for magic.

Thoughts?

moved to media and stickie'd. we can make more topics like this if it gets too long.

i love:

- "visual magic" and "helrunar" by jan fries
- "the way of the shaman" by michael harner
- "principia discordia" by malaclypse the younger

i do not recommend:

- "der schamanische weg des träumens" ("the shamanic way of dreaming") by carlo zumstein (terrible writing style. you cannot wait for him to get to the point. he keeps saying: "blah blah, but we'll get to that later. blah blah blah, but more about that later..." and then, when you finally get to the exercises, they are half a page long and then he starts babbling about something else again. really annoying.)

still reading some more, and my wish list is looooong.

kahoku Wrote:- "der schamanische weg des träumens" ("the shamanic way of dreaming") by carlo zumstein (terrible writing style. you cannot wait for him to get to the point. he keeps saying: "blah blah, but we'll get to that later. blah blah blah, but more about that later..." and then, when you finally get to the exercises, they are half a page long and then he starts babbling about something else again. really annoying.)

still reading some more, and my wish list is looooong.

I hate when books do that.

Back on topic, about the Fae I recommed most of what Brian Froud has written -- I second what other people have told me in the past; although I have not managed to get a copy of "Faeries" yet, I have been hooked on his work since I was around 10.
Any book on mythology, legends, etc can be helpful if you check the POVs, etc... which is usually "different perspectives are always welcome".
I also recommend the book on Irish legends, "Ancient Legends, Mystic Charms and Superstitions of Ireland" by Lady Wilde.

ETA: I do not recommend any "dream interpretation" guides; as most of it present a bit dogmatic vision of possible symbols... which do not always mean the same for everybody, they are highly subjective.

I'm not a huge fan of Harner and core shamanism. Very incomplete picture of shamanism. Then again, most neoshamanisms tend to pick and choose areas of interest and emphasis, and rarely talk about the dangers inherent in shamanic practice. I wonder how many neoshamans have picked up Mircea Eliade's "Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy"? http://www.wildspeak.com is one of my preferred websites for shamanism; much more grounded.

http://lupabitch.wordpress.com/category/shamanism/ has reviews of books on shamanism I've read, and links to my main book review blog. There are too many books in general on that blog to list here in general, so just feel free to poke around there at whatever looks interesting. The left sidebar has links to other reviewers, too.

First I would like to ask a few questions. What is a general consensus on Phil Hines works, if any? Also can anyone recommend any short reads (between 50 and 150 pages) that deal with philosophy, occult or esoteric, religious or just inspirational in some way? Now for my recomendation
"The secret doctrine of the rosicrucians" by magus incognito. It was short and to the point and gives you an overview of rosicrucianism, and it doesn't get so into it that you loose interest. It really got my mind juices flowing .
I will second the Principia discordia and add to it "Quantum Psychology" by Robert Anton Wilson.

Also on a second request if any one is a gamemaster or player who knows of a god balanced and quick(emphasis on quick) pen and paper rpg?

I personally like Hines. He's well-thought-out and articulate, and usually knows what he's talking about.

Is Hines pretty quick and to the point though? One of the things I hated about Crowley is how he drabbles on and on(I prefer his poetry).

Specifically for the "magic foxes":

Books:
Alien Kind by Rania Huntington
The Cult of the Fox by Xiaofei Kang
The Fox and the Jewel by Karen Smyers
(I also have Discourse on Foxes and Ghosts, and The Fox Koan to read, but I cannot comment on them as being good resources or not yet).

I don't like FoxTrot's Guide to kitsune lore (a website), it's only made for roleplay purposes and focuses on the Nozaki kitsune book (a real book actually) a bit too much, making speculations seem like fact. So I highly encourage anyone interested in kitsune to avoid that site.

But Coyote.org is good: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.coyotes.org/kitsune/">http://www.coyotes.org/kitsune/</a><!-- m -->
No roleplay bs there. Even the "kitsune classifications" are kept simple, not being built upon too much. And there's a variety of cultural stories, which is a bonus.

(I'll add reviews later)

For a general introduction to otherkin, I'm a fan of Lupa's A Field Guide to Otherkin (if you can get past the obvious lack of a competant editor).

For psi vamps..I found Belanger's Psychic Vampire Codex to be a pretty good read.

For general what are vampires and what are they not, Belanger's Vampires: In Their Own Words was rather decent. At least I found it interesting.

In the way of animal magic connecting with one's therioside and general shamanism...Lupa's Fang and Fur, Blood and Bone and DIY Totemism are rather good.

Most of the things I'd mention, already have been. However, I have a couple of things to offer.
Mostly, the quick way to research is through google. Put into google any of the following.

- "Transmigration of the soul"
- "Ian Stevenson" (preferably with the words Reincarnation and Research for optimum results)
- "Jim Tucker" (same as the above)

That aught to get you started.