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Out of the Shadows: An Exploration of Dark Paganism and Magick
Reclaiming the word darkness from its evil associations, this book explores the aspects, imagery, and spirituality of darkness.
276 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
30 people are currently reading
163 people want to read
About the author
John J. Coughlin
3 books2 followersJohn J. Coughlin, often considered the “Father of Dark Paganism,” has been a practitioner of the Occult Arts since the mid-1980’s. In that time he has worked with several groups, although he primarily prefers to walk a solitary, eclectic path. Also associated with the Gothic scene, John has incorporated his personal aesthetics and ideals into his spirituality giving him an often unique perspective.
Preferring to consider himself an “obscure occult author” due to his distaste for self promotion, John believes those who will benefit from his work will eventually stumble across it when the time is right. Professional writers are cursed with having to sacrifice their integrity to please the majority in order to sell their work to the masses. John does not seek to make a living off his writing and is therefore free to write about what he finds interesting and important regardless of its trendiness or political correctness. Much of John’s work remains in private distribution within the various magical groups with which he works.
John is also webmaster of waningmoon.com which is the mother site for his various (mostly dated) web projects geared primarily to Gothic and Pagan audiences including the now-retired Gothic, Pagan and Vampire personals. John was also founder and editor of the NYC Pagan Resource Guide which served the New York tri-state area for 15 years between 1996 – 2011. He enjoys promoting a sense of community through his websites.
As a rogue scholar of sorts, John Coughlin has been researching the history and evolution of Wiccan ethics in order to show how the religion’s perception of ethics has developed since its inception and to promote true scholarly research into the Craft’s history.
Currently John’s focus is on independent publishing via Waning Moon Publications and on various projects geared toward bringing the ideals of self-development and personal initiation to a wider audience by finding ways to present esoteric ideals and techniques without the trappings of occult imagery and jargon which can often become distractions and blinders.
Besides his occult-related studies, John is an avid hiker. His hobbies include martial arts, learning piano, cooking, and the Japanese language (he is close to N4 certification level).
Preferring to consider himself an “obscure occult author” due to his distaste for self promotion, John believes those who will benefit from his work will eventually stumble across it when the time is right. Professional writers are cursed with having to sacrifice their integrity to please the majority in order to sell their work to the masses. John does not seek to make a living off his writing and is therefore free to write about what he finds interesting and important regardless of its trendiness or political correctness. Much of John’s work remains in private distribution within the various magical groups with which he works.
John is also webmaster of waningmoon.com which is the mother site for his various (mostly dated) web projects geared primarily to Gothic and Pagan audiences including the now-retired Gothic, Pagan and Vampire personals. John was also founder and editor of the NYC Pagan Resource Guide which served the New York tri-state area for 15 years between 1996 – 2011. He enjoys promoting a sense of community through his websites.
As a rogue scholar of sorts, John Coughlin has been researching the history and evolution of Wiccan ethics in order to show how the religion’s perception of ethics has developed since its inception and to promote true scholarly research into the Craft’s history.
Currently John’s focus is on independent publishing via Waning Moon Publications and on various projects geared toward bringing the ideals of self-development and personal initiation to a wider audience by finding ways to present esoteric ideals and techniques without the trappings of occult imagery and jargon which can often become distractions and blinders.
Besides his occult-related studies, John is an avid hiker. His hobbies include martial arts, learning piano, cooking, and the Japanese language (he is close to N4 certification level).
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 7, 2011
Ever want to align yourself with the Dark Side of the Force? Ever find yourself being jealous of the villains because they could do what they wanted or because they had so much power? Well don't worry this does not make you evil. It might make you more of the independent sort. This is a great book for beginning and mid level pagans who are looking for something beyond the light fluff bunny new age paganism that is being peddled these day. True Paganism is about balance between light and darkness. Now there is too much focus on the light.
Dark Pagans and Dark Siders are drawn to darkness of night and tend to be more independent than dogmatic. They believe in taking responsibility for their own actions and they believe in thinking for themselves. Dark Siders tend to have more self knowledge and are in touch with their darker aspects. Of course this does not mean that they act upon their negative impulses, rather it means they are aware of it.
There are several types of people drawn to the dark side of life besides dark pagans. Many of these dark siders are involved in the LARP or role playing schemes. BDSM, the vampire scene are also dark siders. Each category is thoroughly discussed. Needless to say most people in the vampire scene do not beliweve they are vampires but there are a few out there who do have some unrealistic beliefs. Got to be careful in any situation.
Our darkside is our Jungian shadow. The shadow is parts of our selves and experience that we have shove away into our subconscious so that we could fit in to society. Many try to ignore the dark side out of fear but doing so comes at great peril, because the more you push it in the deadlier it becomes. Eventually we project our negativity onto others and we end up disliking those who we dislike or worse. The object is to integrate our dark and light halves and become a whole person.
Dark deities are discussed. War like Deities such as Aries, Sctach and Morrigan are discussed. Odin and his berserkers are given fair mention as are Lilith and Hecate. The discussion on dark deities is culled from various paradigms and the description is rather through. There is no discusion of demons as pagans do not really believe in the concept of evil. In nature there are destructive and constructive forces and they must be both embraced. Demons simply do not exist. The Demons maybe projections of our own inner darkness that we are denying.
Satanism, Temple of Set, Taosim and Chaos magick are some left hand paths one can explore. Satanism is not about the Christians devil. It is elitist and it does promote the idea that the individual is is his/her own god and must choose life as they see fit and taking the consequences as well. Taosims is about becoming one with the self and nature. While Chaos magic believes there is non ultimate truth while the practitioner frees themself from dogma and does what works for them. belief is a tool and it is belief that animate the system the magician is using even if it involves fictitious characters.
The author gives over some good common sense about magic. You must be willing to work for the objective you cast the spell for. Magic is not the easy road. It takes the path of least resistance. So if you wanna turn off a light switch get up and turn it off do not cast a spell. Magic also conforms heavily to laws of nature. In other words do not expect miracles.
I would like to finish off with a structure for raising magic along with techniques. The first phase of magic is getting yourself into a receptive state of mind. This is done by meditation, ritualized movement. Next your raise the energy with visualization ,breathing techniques and movement. Net you direct your energy into the goal and lastly you ground your self.
This is a great starting point for those interested in traversing the realm of shadow. The magical advice is common sensical and down to earth I like it,
Dark Pagans and Dark Siders are drawn to darkness of night and tend to be more independent than dogmatic. They believe in taking responsibility for their own actions and they believe in thinking for themselves. Dark Siders tend to have more self knowledge and are in touch with their darker aspects. Of course this does not mean that they act upon their negative impulses, rather it means they are aware of it.
There are several types of people drawn to the dark side of life besides dark pagans. Many of these dark siders are involved in the LARP or role playing schemes. BDSM, the vampire scene are also dark siders. Each category is thoroughly discussed. Needless to say most people in the vampire scene do not beliweve they are vampires but there are a few out there who do have some unrealistic beliefs. Got to be careful in any situation.
Our darkside is our Jungian shadow. The shadow is parts of our selves and experience that we have shove away into our subconscious so that we could fit in to society. Many try to ignore the dark side out of fear but doing so comes at great peril, because the more you push it in the deadlier it becomes. Eventually we project our negativity onto others and we end up disliking those who we dislike or worse. The object is to integrate our dark and light halves and become a whole person.
Dark deities are discussed. War like Deities such as Aries, Sctach and Morrigan are discussed. Odin and his berserkers are given fair mention as are Lilith and Hecate. The discussion on dark deities is culled from various paradigms and the description is rather through. There is no discusion of demons as pagans do not really believe in the concept of evil. In nature there are destructive and constructive forces and they must be both embraced. Demons simply do not exist. The Demons maybe projections of our own inner darkness that we are denying.
Satanism, Temple of Set, Taosim and Chaos magick are some left hand paths one can explore. Satanism is not about the Christians devil. It is elitist and it does promote the idea that the individual is is his/her own god and must choose life as they see fit and taking the consequences as well. Taosims is about becoming one with the self and nature. While Chaos magic believes there is non ultimate truth while the practitioner frees themself from dogma and does what works for them. belief is a tool and it is belief that animate the system the magician is using even if it involves fictitious characters.
The author gives over some good common sense about magic. You must be willing to work for the objective you cast the spell for. Magic is not the easy road. It takes the path of least resistance. So if you wanna turn off a light switch get up and turn it off do not cast a spell. Magic also conforms heavily to laws of nature. In other words do not expect miracles.
I would like to finish off with a structure for raising magic along with techniques. The first phase of magic is getting yourself into a receptive state of mind. This is done by meditation, ritualized movement. Next your raise the energy with visualization ,breathing techniques and movement. Net you direct your energy into the goal and lastly you ground your self.
This is a great starting point for those interested in traversing the realm of shadow. The magical advice is common sensical and down to earth I like it,
January 10, 2023
Just an explanation of why I only gave the book 3 stars.
While the book itself is good, it's really basic. I found much of it to be redundant and inconsistent, at times. However, the book is good for those who might be considering joining the dark side. Lol.
Another little annoyance (just my personal take on this) is the words "darksider" and "lightsider." I was waiting for some sort of rumble from the 50's, a la "The Outsider's." I know that sounds a bit silly, but it's the first thing to pop in my head when I saw those monikers.
3.5/5
While the book itself is good, it's really basic. I found much of it to be redundant and inconsistent, at times. However, the book is good for those who might be considering joining the dark side. Lol.
Another little annoyance (just my personal take on this) is the words "darksider" and "lightsider." I was waiting for some sort of rumble from the 50's, a la "The Outsider's." I know that sounds a bit silly, but it's the first thing to pop in my head when I saw those monikers.
3.5/5
December 16, 2012
This is the book -- literally, the book on Dark Paganism and Magik. It's well-researched by a man who has been on the Goth scene for over 16-years. He really demystifies the Dark Path. All of those who are innately drawn to Darkness, as well as all of the lost souls who misinterpret this path should read this book.
October 15, 2019
This is a manifesto of Dark Paganism. It presents a view of Dark Paganism as the shadow side of Paganism, after the white washing of New Age. Only in Darkness does Light make sense.
Coughlin attempts to give a balanced view of Dark Paganism, acknowledging much about the culture, the social imagery and seeking to provide illumination on a difficult subject. This is only meant to be an introductory primer as the subject matter is worthy of lifetimes of study. Ultimately Coughlin presents a two-fold view with two values. We either find growth in ourselves or outside ourselves. We either embrace an image, which means a philosophy or some kind of guidance, or we seek the unknown, in which we must find our own path. Either way, all these options coexist, and it is up to us to navigate among them. The most superficial of practitioners would hold only one aspect as the way, and that imbalance is dangerous.
I don't know much about the subject but Coughlin provides an skeletal exploration, listing various aspects and then describing how this aspect fits within the whole. He sounds pretty thorough.
Coughlin attempts to give a balanced view of Dark Paganism, acknowledging much about the culture, the social imagery and seeking to provide illumination on a difficult subject. This is only meant to be an introductory primer as the subject matter is worthy of lifetimes of study. Ultimately Coughlin presents a two-fold view with two values. We either find growth in ourselves or outside ourselves. We either embrace an image, which means a philosophy or some kind of guidance, or we seek the unknown, in which we must find our own path. Either way, all these options coexist, and it is up to us to navigate among them. The most superficial of practitioners would hold only one aspect as the way, and that imbalance is dangerous.
I don't know much about the subject but Coughlin provides an skeletal exploration, listing various aspects and then describing how this aspect fits within the whole. He sounds pretty thorough.
July 2, 2020
Good read
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in building on what they already know he explains a lot of the how's and why's of the aspects of the dark path and magic even if you are not a dark side this book will answer a lot of your questions
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in building on what they already know he explains a lot of the how's and why's of the aspects of the dark path and magic even if you are not a dark side this book will answer a lot of your questions
December 17, 2017
A really good 102 book that explores elements of the Pagan world that many are scared to seek. Will read again.
October 30, 2019
Good jumping off point for those who want to explore the darker aspects of the occult scene.
November 14, 2021
A very good exposition of the psychology, mindset and philosophy of the void sprung nature of pagan ways.
May 27, 2015
This is one of those books that really makes you think and it may be the best book on dark paganism I've ever read. I didn't agree with all of it, I didn't like everything the author said, and I found some of his message a bit redundant in that he kept emphasizing certain points perhaps a bit too much. But in the end I really liked this book because it challenged me to think and question my own beliefs and ideas about concepts of darkness and related to darkness. At no point does this book ever shy away from tackling really difficult subjects, from sex and sacrifice to demons and death. The author does a good job of defining what he considers dark paganism to be and what he feels "lightside" paganism is and the differences between the two. This is not a workbook or guidebook to practice but rather an exploration of the ideas and culture that shape dark paganism which explain the foundational beliefs and allow a practioner to create their own personal system of practice or modify an existing one. The author does however include a section on practicing magic within a framework of dark paganism, and I found it interesting to see how he felt the different philosophy changed the magical practices. I would have rated it higher except that the section on deities had some pretty glaring errors in the mythology, particularly the Irish; however despite that small segment I think overall the book was very well done and a needed representation of what it is to be a dark pagan.
March 21, 2017
There need to be more books on Dark Paganism as good as this one. Being a practicing Dark Pagan, people automatically assume I eat or sacrifice children to a couple demons each night. NO. That is so far from what Dark Paganism is.
This book explains that; it explains what Dark Paganism is, and what it is NOT. It explains to those unknowing why we are called Dark Pagans, as opposed to simply Pagans, and there is a reason- but it has nothing to do with what those full of ignorance and judgment may think.
All in all, to keep this one short, I think this book should be read by people of all spiritual beliefs or non-beliefs, especially before they begin to talk about us, who we are, how "evil" we are, etc... For this does nothing but spread lies, misconception and hate. Out of the Shadows is a great read for it exposes the truth, so whether you are a Dark Pagan, a pagan or someone of any other belief system - if you want to speak on the path of the Dark Pagan, I highly suggest reading this book first.
This book explains that; it explains what Dark Paganism is, and what it is NOT. It explains to those unknowing why we are called Dark Pagans, as opposed to simply Pagans, and there is a reason- but it has nothing to do with what those full of ignorance and judgment may think.
All in all, to keep this one short, I think this book should be read by people of all spiritual beliefs or non-beliefs, especially before they begin to talk about us, who we are, how "evil" we are, etc... For this does nothing but spread lies, misconception and hate. Out of the Shadows is a great read for it exposes the truth, so whether you are a Dark Pagan, a pagan or someone of any other belief system - if you want to speak on the path of the Dark Pagan, I highly suggest reading this book first.
November 8, 2014
A good book for people who are studying paganism and or magick.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews