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Kali Kaula: A Manual of Tantric Magick
Kali Kaula is a practical and experiential journey through the land of living magical art that is Tantra, guided by the incisive, inspired and multi-talented hands of Jan Fries. By stripping away the fantasies and exploring the roots, flowers and fruits of Tantra, the author provides an outstandingly effective and coherent manual of practices. Acknowledging the huge diversity of Tantric material produced over the centuries, Jan Fries draws on several decades of research and experience and focuses on the early traditions of Kula, Kaula and Krama, and the result is this inimitable work which shines with the light of possibility. Unique in style and content, this book is more than a manual of tantric magick, it is a guide to the exploration of the inner soul. It contains the most lucid discussions of how to achieve liberation in the company of numerous Indian goddesses and gods, each of whom brings their own lessons and gifts to the dedicated seeker. It is also an eloquent introduction to the mysteries of the great goddess Kali, providing numerous views of her manifold nature, and showing the immense but hidden role played throughout history by women in the development and dissemination of tantric practices and beliefs. Jan Fries explores the spectrum of techniques from mudra to mantra, pranayama to puja, from kundalini arousal to purification to sexual rites, and makes them both accessible and relevant, translating them out of the Twilight Language of old texts and setting them in the context of both personal transformation and the historical evolution of traditions. The web of connections between Tantra and Chinese Alchemy and Taoism are explored as the author weaves together many of the previously disparate strands of philosophies and practices. This book challenges the reader to dream, delight, and develop, and provides an illustrated guidebook on how to do so. Bliss awaits those who dare.
576 pages, Hardcover
First published September 8, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 16, 2012
Jan Fries’ Kali Kaula is quite simply the best introduction to tantra written by a contemporary occultist ever.
Showing a firm commitment from the beginning to acknowledging the complexity and multivocality in those traditions we have come to know as “tantric” (Fries points out that “Tantra” as such, is an etic term) Fries has broken away from all the standard “approaches” I’ve come to expect from occult authors – which is to say that he actually is aware (gasp!) that there are tantric texts, quotes from them, and encourages the reader to dig them out and read them as well. Also, unlike the majority of occultists who attempt to deal with this vast and complex subject, he is aware that the last thirty years has seen a massive growth in “tantric studies” in the academic world, not only in traditional Indology and textual analysis, but also in ethnology and gender studies for example. Fries draws heavily on the work of well-known scholars such as David Gordon White, Douglas Renfrew Brooks, and June McDaniel – but again, he’s not doing what lesser authors tend to do – which is standing as an intermediary/interpreter – so that readers don’t have to read the scholarly work themselves. Fries actively encourages his readers to read the same books he’s drawn on. He actually makes it clear when he’s generalising or about to simplify a complex topic. His forays into cross-cultral comparativism are both thoughtful and well-argued, with good supporting evidence, and he admits that he’s had to leave a lot of areas either untouched or only sketched out lightly – topics such as alchemy or sorcery for example, or tantric traditions such as the Sahajiya or the Khartabhajas. Fries also breaks with “occult tradition” by giving clear references and quotations – you won’t find any vague wittering about “ancients” here!
I’m not going to go through Kali Kaula chapter by chapter, but instead, I want to draw attention to particular topics and how Fries deals with them. I was particularly charmed for example, by chapters 9 & 10 – which deals with what might be termed “Heart practice” and owes at least some debt to Paul Muller-Ortega’s The Triadic Heart of Siva (1989). It’s refreshing to see this kind of material making its way into the “occult” domain. Chapter 11 is perhaps the inevitable chapter on chakras, kundalini and so forth. Although Fries does discuss the chakra schema made familiar through Sir John Woodroffe’s The Serpent Power he stresses the metaphorical nature of chakras, points out that there are a multitude of schemas, rather than the reified schema one often finds in contemporary occult texts.
Chapter 5 – “Masks of the Divine” sees Fries getting to grips with the difficult issue of “Gurus” – the necessity of having a human guru is fairly central to Indian tradition, but is perhaps one of the most tricky areas for contempary western occultists to deal with. Fries doesn’t offer any simplistic prescriptions either for or against the idea of the guru, but like many themes in this book, treats it as a complex phenomena which can be approached from different directions. The remainder of the chapter takes a look at some historical female saints, ascetics and tantric practitioners.
What about practice? Fries provides some really useful information on practices such as Nyasa, Mantra, Mudra, and breathing – the latter quite extensively, and some discussion of perceptual and memory exercises (which some readers may recall from his earlier book Visual Magick) and makes some highly plausible connections between some “tantric” practices and the “shaking” practices in Seidways. There’s useful chapters on approaching magical practice with the Mahavidyas and of course, with Kali in her various forms. There’s a good discussion of ritual-oriented practices such as Bhuta Suddhi.
As a “manual” Kali Kaula does not spoon-feed readers with simplified accounts of complex ideas, nor does Fries play the reductionist game of making tantric themes merely exotic analogues of already familiar western occult concepts. Fries’ attention to complexity and detail can make the book difficult going at times – but its well worth it. The book ends with a glosary of terms, a short section on language & pronunciation, and an extensive bibliography.
Really, for anyone who is at all interested in tantra-oriented practice, I cannot reccomend this book too highly.
Showing a firm commitment from the beginning to acknowledging the complexity and multivocality in those traditions we have come to know as “tantric” (Fries points out that “Tantra” as such, is an etic term) Fries has broken away from all the standard “approaches” I’ve come to expect from occult authors – which is to say that he actually is aware (gasp!) that there are tantric texts, quotes from them, and encourages the reader to dig them out and read them as well. Also, unlike the majority of occultists who attempt to deal with this vast and complex subject, he is aware that the last thirty years has seen a massive growth in “tantric studies” in the academic world, not only in traditional Indology and textual analysis, but also in ethnology and gender studies for example. Fries draws heavily on the work of well-known scholars such as David Gordon White, Douglas Renfrew Brooks, and June McDaniel – but again, he’s not doing what lesser authors tend to do – which is standing as an intermediary/interpreter – so that readers don’t have to read the scholarly work themselves. Fries actively encourages his readers to read the same books he’s drawn on. He actually makes it clear when he’s generalising or about to simplify a complex topic. His forays into cross-cultral comparativism are both thoughtful and well-argued, with good supporting evidence, and he admits that he’s had to leave a lot of areas either untouched or only sketched out lightly – topics such as alchemy or sorcery for example, or tantric traditions such as the Sahajiya or the Khartabhajas. Fries also breaks with “occult tradition” by giving clear references and quotations – you won’t find any vague wittering about “ancients” here!
I’m not going to go through Kali Kaula chapter by chapter, but instead, I want to draw attention to particular topics and how Fries deals with them. I was particularly charmed for example, by chapters 9 & 10 – which deals with what might be termed “Heart practice” and owes at least some debt to Paul Muller-Ortega’s The Triadic Heart of Siva (1989). It’s refreshing to see this kind of material making its way into the “occult” domain. Chapter 11 is perhaps the inevitable chapter on chakras, kundalini and so forth. Although Fries does discuss the chakra schema made familiar through Sir John Woodroffe’s The Serpent Power he stresses the metaphorical nature of chakras, points out that there are a multitude of schemas, rather than the reified schema one often finds in contemporary occult texts.
Chapter 5 – “Masks of the Divine” sees Fries getting to grips with the difficult issue of “Gurus” – the necessity of having a human guru is fairly central to Indian tradition, but is perhaps one of the most tricky areas for contempary western occultists to deal with. Fries doesn’t offer any simplistic prescriptions either for or against the idea of the guru, but like many themes in this book, treats it as a complex phenomena which can be approached from different directions. The remainder of the chapter takes a look at some historical female saints, ascetics and tantric practitioners.
What about practice? Fries provides some really useful information on practices such as Nyasa, Mantra, Mudra, and breathing – the latter quite extensively, and some discussion of perceptual and memory exercises (which some readers may recall from his earlier book Visual Magick) and makes some highly plausible connections between some “tantric” practices and the “shaking” practices in Seidways. There’s useful chapters on approaching magical practice with the Mahavidyas and of course, with Kali in her various forms. There’s a good discussion of ritual-oriented practices such as Bhuta Suddhi.
As a “manual” Kali Kaula does not spoon-feed readers with simplified accounts of complex ideas, nor does Fries play the reductionist game of making tantric themes merely exotic analogues of already familiar western occult concepts. Fries’ attention to complexity and detail can make the book difficult going at times – but its well worth it. The book ends with a glosary of terms, a short section on language & pronunciation, and an extensive bibliography.
Really, for anyone who is at all interested in tantra-oriented practice, I cannot reccomend this book too highly.
June 2, 2022
A rare NLP book creating another potential way of approaching Tantric Magick
Pros: Much outstanding research, many compelling presentations, this NLP infused book does much gaslighting of other teachers of different paths and much praising of others with little coherence other than perhaps a colonialist middle-class grad student-esque “voice.” Covers a little Crowley and Golden Dawn, covers some versions of Taoism and some schools, but missed the one that uses Buddhist tantric practices to have orgasm and achieve union. Naturally, the most delightful parts were her skilled use of NLP suggestions, her stories with embedded suggestions, and her specific practices the read can do.
Cons. Non-trantric chapters, NLP modalities, Reich worship, and the dozens of tangents would be better in other books. Robert Dilts and others more recent Bandler infused NLP cover those modalities.
Pros: Much outstanding research, many compelling presentations, this NLP infused book does much gaslighting of other teachers of different paths and much praising of others with little coherence other than perhaps a colonialist middle-class grad student-esque “voice.” Covers a little Crowley and Golden Dawn, covers some versions of Taoism and some schools, but missed the one that uses Buddhist tantric practices to have orgasm and achieve union. Naturally, the most delightful parts were her skilled use of NLP suggestions, her stories with embedded suggestions, and her specific practices the read can do.
Cons. Non-trantric chapters, NLP modalities, Reich worship, and the dozens of tangents would be better in other books. Robert Dilts and others more recent Bandler infused NLP cover those modalities.
June 6, 2022
Wow, what a journey! By far the best book on tantra I've ever read (thus far), and highly recommended for anyone dipping their toes into it who wants to know more about the history and theory. You won't find any new age 'pop tantra' trappings here. This is an authentic, straight-up, and endlessly fascinating deep dive into texts, traditions, and practices that date back almost to the dawn of civilisation itself. My only critique would be that it's A LOT to take in, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing (just took me ages to finally finish it). But, if you're on board for the ride, you will be greatly rewarded for your perseverance.
August 1, 2023
Quite the tome but worth every page!
Took a few months to get through this, but wow what a journey. Fries has left no stone unturned in explaining the history, the principals, the mythos, and everything that you didn't think you needed to know about Kali and Eastern religions. I can't stress how important this book is for anyone who is considering becoming, or like me who has been, a Kali devotee. You won't regret the time, the expertise, the humor, and the candor of this book.
Took a few months to get through this, but wow what a journey. Fries has left no stone unturned in explaining the history, the principals, the mythos, and everything that you didn't think you needed to know about Kali and Eastern religions. I can't stress how important this book is for anyone who is considering becoming, or like me who has been, a Kali devotee. You won't regret the time, the expertise, the humor, and the candor of this book.
April 15, 2022
Este es el libro que tienen que leer los progres new agers que piensan que practican brujeria. Tremenda fuente de contenido para toda la desinformación que hay sobre miles de temas, en especial el hinduismo.
December 19, 2017
Secrets revealed.
May 5, 2023
This is by far the most complex and complete book Ive ever read on Tibetian Buddhism. Thank you. 🤍
July 11, 2025
I just love how Jan Fries writes, how he views anything. This book feels more than something well researched, it's something that you can tell was experienced first hand by the author. His insights gets my brain buzzing in the best way. Thank u Mr Fries.
May 9, 2013
Very extensive and passionately written book on authentic Tantric traditions. Might have benefited from additional editing, but unique and valuable text in English. Not too miss.. and get a hardback copy to keep
August 26, 2019
A book that will be cherished in my library
abandoned
January 17, 2018Lo abandoné porque mi copia es muy mala y no se ve en el kindle, pero por lo que leí hasta ahora lo super recomiendo.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews