Book Description
Whose relationship -- or lack of one -- couldn't use a little magic now and then?
Sometimes Cupid needs a kick in the pants. for every woman tired of waiting for the right man to come along, Bewitch a Man is a fun, empowering manual that shows how to conjure him up fast. Real-life witch Fiona Horne offers effective, easy-to-master spells, charms, and magical know-how so you too can:
• be irresistible to the man of your dreams
• bring a straying lover back to the fold
• ward off a potential rival
• fire up his libido and keep a relationship sizzling
• and yes, hex the jerks who truly deserve it.
Customer Reviews:
More good than bad.......2007-01-09
I received this book as a Christmas gift, and am almost finished, but wished to share my thoughts. Fiona Horne is very important to me as her book "Witch: a personal journey" (published in Australia) actually set me on my Witchy path, so I will always have a soft spot for her.
I enjoy the way that Fiona writes, as if it was a conversaton with your girlfriend, but I think maybe living in LA has changed Fiona into dropping famous people's names more often, which is a shame, but I guess that is LA. Also, I am a bit disapointed in the underlining theme of the book that females have "power over" men, and that this book will help you increase that power. Yes males have had power over females for too long a time in history, but we should know be viewing the sexes as equal.
That aside, I love the section on "Poetry in motion" on page 112 and will use that myself, aswell as the "Let it go" ritual on page 103. All rituals you can use in your everyday life. Also the story on Yhi in the introduction is a must-read for all Witches, and Fiona's explanation of how a spell works expresses her breadth of knowledge. Even though the title suggests this is a "fluffy" book, Fiona Horne is not a "fluffy" witch.
Book Description
• The #1 guide to sex and mysticism, redesigned in full color for the new millennium.
• More than 600 illustrations of the erotic sentiment, 200 in full color.
• More than 1 million copies sold with translations in 19 languages.
• Combines the wisdom of the great Eastern sages with images from the West to present a celebration of creative sexuality.
Sexual Secrets is the definitive guide to sex and mysticism, revealing the wisdom of the sages of India, Nepal, Tibet, China, and Japan whose teachings on sexuality unveil how physical love can be the pathway to spiritual liberation. Containing more than 600 illustrations--the most comprehensive collection of images expressing the erotic sentiment--and with more than one million copies sold in more than 19 languages, Sexual Secrets unlocks for everyone the experience of ecstasy once sealed in the ancient texts and art of the East.
In celebration of its 20th year in print, Sexual Secrets has been completely revised and redesigned and includes 200 color illustrations to complement Penny Slinger's unsurpassed black-and-white illustrations, which evoke all the major cultures of the East. Working from contemporary models and from ancient pieces originally commissioned by kings and emperors, Slinger blends images of the West with the sentiments of the East to further enhance the experience of the text and to help in the transmission of the secrets--a celebration of creative sexuality.
Customer Reviews:
great overview of sacred sex practices.......2006-04-27
First published in 1979, this popular book (over 1 million copies sold) presents a concise and articulate overview of the history and philosophy of sacred sex. Practical exercises and meditations are interspersed throughout. It will work well for people who like to know the background of what they are doing and would like to pick and choose and create on their own the activities they will do in their exploration. It overflows with wonderful erotic drawings by Penny Slinger.
Poor Title, Awesome Book.......2006-03-28
I often laugh at all those articles in men's and women's fad magazines that promise to reveal new "sexual secrets". You know which ones I mean . . . "Become an Animal in Bed"; "9 Ways to Turn Him On"; "Keep Her Motor Humming"; "Sex Secrets Your Neighbors Won't Tell You"; "11 Erotic Uses for a Chicken Baster" . . . stuff like that. The list goes on and on, ad nauseum. Geared towards couples who have their obligatory sex two times a week for 30 minutes and need new, neat little sound-bite ideas to keep things from getting boring. All heavy on fancy shtick and paint-by-number techniques, light on any real depth or substance.
And so . . . I write this review to promise readers that, despite the poor choice of main title, this exceptional tome is not like that at all. "Secrets" here refers to holistic, ancient wisdom that celebrates the beauty and power of the sexual energy within all of us; sexual energy that permeates all of life. Thus the subtitle, "The Alchemy of Ecstacy", more accurately hits upon the truth. The word 'tantra' means 'interwoven'. The two authors have compiled a veritable bible of ancient tantric wisdom illuminating the interconnectedness of all things - an interconnectedness that has its most wonderful, powerful, and delicious expression in the sexual union between two people.
Think of this book as an encyclopedia of sacred sexuality, albeit one not in alphabetical order . . . and not sold by traveling, door-to-door salesmen, thank goodness. It is a guide to everyday living, but not from a dogmatic perspective. It is a grand expose of everything sexual. The authors provide explanations of yoga poses, stretching techniques, and breathing exercises (for instance, to summon that kundalini energy up the spine). They even have small sections devoted to food, water, clothing, massage, worship, and service to others. But it also probes (pardon the pun) the depths of the stories of Brahma the Creative, Shiva and Shakti, and Vishnu the Preserver. And of course, there are plenty of sexual positions and sensual poetry. With pictures! We like pictures!
The whole point is that, despite what organized religion would like us to think, we are sexual creatures and we should be celebrating that fact every day through our everyday activities. All of these things (eating, yoga, service, etc) ARE manifestations of our sexual energy - giving to and connecting with Life and with others. Cultivating that sexual energy (indeed, our very life-force energy and the energy that creates Universes . . . if you will allow my melodramatic flourish) is a constant, all-day thing. But not with the sole purpose of "getting some" or even "being a better lover". Instead, to connect with Source through sexual union and remember our Oneness. As the authors say in the Introduction, "It is for those who wish to use the sexual bond as a means to liberation and who desire to transcend the limits of the individual self."
This book helped start me down the path of tantra and sacred sexuality a few years ago. May I humbly recommend it to others who seek the same.
Homophobic and Inaccurate.......2005-12-20
Homosexuality is treated as a flaw to be overcome. It is said that practicing gay men can make no spiritual progress. Tantra and Yoga are offered as means by which one can cease being gay.
Much of the historical notes were dated at the time of the book's original publication and only seem more so after so many years.
Thoroughly engaging book.......2002-10-25
I bought this book for a class I was taking in college on human sexuality. It definitely presents a different take on normal sexual practices. I hadn't heard of the kundalini, or even the chakras, and other sacred sexual beliefs until I read this book. The author is long-winded and detailed, but that's to the benefit of people like me who are novices to Eastern philosophy. I read this book at length, and after my class, I gave it to my girlfriend, and we've enjoyed reading about some of the more uncommon sexual techniques described in detail (here's one: for deeper penetration, place a pillow underneath your or your partner's body during intercourse). The author also talks about the sacred aspect of sex, and how it can enhance your connection with your partner. Although this book isn't for everybody, if you have an open mind and are willing to try new ideas, you might enjoy this book.
the heavily annotated Kama Sutra.......2001-10-10
This book came very highly recommended to me by a couple whose sexual bravado I respect. They went through all the positions, raving over each new plateau. So I got the book, of course. It was a good recommendation, but it requires patience to plow through some things that simply won't apply to you. If you have an erotic library or a lonely coffeetable, this book will not fail to do justice to either, but if you're looking for one definitive manual to begin with, look somewhere else. If you're looking for erotic art of eastern and Indian origin this is a good book to have, there's a voluminous sampling of it. The book is definitely better explored between lovers; it was written by lovers for that explicit purpose.
Amazon.com
It's dangerous to blame too many of our behaviors and tendencies on raging hormones. We are, after all, creatures of free will. But after reading Theresa Crenshaw's book, you'll never again see your free will as being all that free. The book functions as both an encyclopedia of our attachment-related hormones, telling us exactly what they are and exactly what modern science thinks they do, and a guide to what we can do to get them to keep functioning the way we want them to.
Book Description
Are you in charge of your love life?
If you think so, you're wrong -- hormones control our sex drives and direct our love lives. In The Alchemy of Love and Lust, Dr. Theresa Crenshaw, a renowned sex therapist and researcher, unmasks the hidden agendas of our hormones as we progress through different sexual stages -- from adolescence through old age.
Along with well-known hormones, Dr. Crenshaw introduces lesser known but potent influences that make up our "sex soup." The effects of these chemicals working together and individually offer insight into some compelling issues:
- Do people become addicted to one another through scent and touch?
- Can we determine our romantic destinies by altering our hormonal profiles?
Romantics needn't worry that science will eliminate the mystery of attraction. To the contrary, this program helps us discover romance, rekindle it, and keep it alive. Filled with often surprising information, The Alchemy of Love and Lust explains the effects of our sex hormones and gives us specific, practical suggestions on how to monitor them.
Customer Reviews:
The Alchemy of Love and Lust.......2007-02-22
THis is a fantastic book with information that everybody NEEDS to know. It will greatly improve your understanding of relationships and hopefully your quality of life as you get older. The book is very well researched and very descriptive - though it can be quite difficult to take in all the info at times. However - there are very useful summaries at the end of each section in each chapeter which summarise the main points.
Extremely revealing and a great read.......2006-03-18
Do you want to know what makes men and woman tick?, how they work on the inside?, what chemistry really is? - then look no further. This book is extremely revealing in that ive learnt that even an intimate cuddle can produce a chemical called oxytocin. And thats not all your learn. You will learn much more than a few buzz words in this book, what they are, how they are generated by the body and affected by external elements too - I highly recommend it to anyone that is even the slightest curious about all those feel good chemicals that our bodies produce during cuddling, menopause and even orgasm - its all in here. I found this an excellent book and companion resource for my NLP and psychology study.
understanding hormones influence in Love.......2002-11-10
Everyone should read this book before they think they are madly in love. It will help anyone discern whether it is the chemistry of our hormones or real love, or maybe both. In our lives it is often "hard to see the forest for the trees". This would help alot of people avoid making life mistakes.
Chemical determinism is not enough.......2001-12-15
The author of this book contributes interesting material on the important biochemicals (dopamine, estrogen, progesterone, LHRH, testosterone, prolactin, oxytocin, and others) that influence and help to regulate the universe we think of as "human sexuality." You will learn more than a few things. It seems that a working knowledge of high levels of testosterone can teach us quite a lot. (Women, proceed with caution!)
Unfortunately, she neglects other factors (and there are so many that make up human choices in love and sex: psychology, for example - and whether or not a couple has a single thing besides the kids to talk about after twenty-five years of marriage) that for me the information loses any authority it might have had.
In addition, she has an ax to subtly grind, and it is that men and women in their fifties (and older) have the very best chance for sexual compatability - for a set of specific chemical and biologically determined reasons. This information would seem to argue for couples staying together, but as we know, there are many other factors beyond sexual compatability (which is often fully present in couples who are literally coming apart - in every other way) that must contribute to couples' happiness - not to mention fidelity.
This book has interesting information about biochemicals' influence on our sex and love lives. You will doubtless recognize yourself and your mate in some of her descriptions, but as science it should be taken with a large grain of salt.
Chemical Bonding..........2001-05-05
The insight of how the range of hormones effects the F/M relationship was wonderful! Hormones is what makes love happen...It explains how these hormones control our thought, how we perform, and the part they play in our associations from birth on up. This book also gives information about Progesterone's and Estrogens and the use of these in Hormone Replacement Therapy. It helps you see and understand the actual chemical bonding which happens between F/M.
Average customer rating:
- I vote 5 broomsticks for this book
- Simple & It works
- The book is awesome!
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White Spells: Magic for Love, Money & Happiness
Ileana Abrev
Manufacturer: Llewellyn Publications
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ASIN: 0738700819 |
Customer Reviews:
I vote 5 broomsticks for this book.......2007-07-19
I truly enjoy reading through this book.
Being new to Wicca, I need all the help I
can get. This is a great little book,
and there are spells to cover so many
occasions.
Loved it!
Simple & It works.......2007-05-25
Wanted to find something easy to conjure up some abundance. I never thought I would reference this book so many times for so many friends. The money spells really works and I am grateful for stumbling upon this little gem.
The book is awesome!.......2002-07-26
This book was so easy to read and understand.I enjoyed reading it and I still continue to thumb through it daily.If you want a simple and easy book this is the one to buy.
Book Description
HARNESS THE MOST POWERFUL ENERGIES YOU HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED
Unlock the powerful energies raised during the sex act and use them to manifest your deepest desires. During the sex act, your attention becomes focused into a "laser beam" of concentration. This power of concentrated thought is the foundation of all magical systems. Sex Magic's "secret" is that it's a tremendously powerful and easily learned way to consciously direct sexual energy and accomplish material and personal goals.
Male and female energies are often entirely different and it would be folly to deny this; but experience shows that female magicians can be particularly successful in using and developing Sex Magic. Consequently, this book is aimed at both male and female readers unlike more traditional teachings written for men.
Of all secret lore, Sex Magic has been reputed through the centuries to be the most dangerous. Today we know that this attitude was largely a reflection of the hostility held towards the flesh held by repressive religions. If we learn one thing from the shamanic cultures, it is the strong emphasis upon the role of the body in magic. Mind and Body are two facets of the One Thing in which Will, Imagination and Gnostic Trance are the three pillars of success. Contrary to the principles of Eastern Tantra, Western Sex Magic emphasizes the importance of actual orgasm, both male and female. Orgasm is the moment when the walls between consciousness and subconsciousness are sundered and direct access to the deeper levels of the psyche become possible, freeing up possible paranormal powers. Orgasm itself is sufficient to achieve gnostic trance provided that control is maintained and one does not simply lose consciousness, as most people do at the moment of ecstasy. Secrets Western Sex Magic teaches one of the oldest disciplines of this secret lore. It is a complete system of Sex Magic, in theory and practice - with exercises to develop related abilities for visualization, concentration, breath control, psychic energy arousal and flow along with full instructions on the projection of sexual energies for healing and manifestation, their use in Sigil Magic and the charging of Amulets & Talismans, Group Ritual, and the assumption of god-forms when working as a priestly couple, and the divine Chymical Marriage of ultimate union.
This book is also an introduction to the entire field of practical magic, using our natural interest and involvement in sexual pleasure to illustrate and develop magical abilities and techniques.
Customer Reviews:
excellent book.......2006-07-01
Another book on sex magic, well worth picking up. Frater U.D. avoids being pretentious and expresses the concepts behind sex magic in a clear and coherent manner.
I particularly liked the exercises he included, which he made very accessible. His use of references gives him another bonus in my book.
I also liked that he presented sections of sex magic for people who aren't heterosexual. It's strill relatively rare to see books that offer that for people who choose to live a different lifestyle. I only would've liked to have seen a more comprehensive section under kink.
A disappointment.......2005-12-18
the so called 'secrets' that are mentioned in this book have not been secrets for decades. the majority of the book is a history lesson about the OTO.
Tyson does a much better job on inner planes lovers and his techniques work but are very dangerous. see my review on Donald Tyson and Sexual Alchemy.
if you are truly interested in secrets of western sex magic, i would look further afield than this book.
Highly recommended.......2004-03-15
Frater U.:D.: has provided a practical guide to sex magick, one that's been long overdue in occult literature. A brief overview is given of the history of Tantra and the `Inner Alchemy' of Taoism in comparison to western sex magick, dispelling common worries and fears regarding this much misunderstood branch of the western magickal tradition. He comments on the tendency of certain types of authors to `try to tackle a subject about which they know little only because it sells well', while noting that others often tend to exhibit `a vein of arrogance which looks down on the readers and believes that they are not yet "mature" enough for "real" knowledge'. I fully share his opinion that `secrecy has its place during learning and practicing, but not among authors who claim a desire to convey knowledge out of an inner commitment' (pg xi). Fortunately, this excellent text avoids these pitfalls.
Finally, a book on sex magick clearly written for both men and women, removing the patriarchal bias common to most texts of this genre. 'Secrets of Western Sex Magic' is aimed at consensual adults of any sexual preference or orientation, be they gay, straight, or bisexual. Even going so far as to state that `there is no such thing as total heterosexuality, as there is no such thing as total homosexuality' (pg 162); while in principle I agree, I am certain this will be a point of contention amongst many readers. He suggests that the practitioner aim for the more balanced androgyne, as he says: `Without making needless distinctions, traditional attachments and moral codes are set aside in favor of `Do what thou Wilt'. For the sex mystic, sexuality is a holy expression of one's highest destiny anyway' (pg xii).
Frater U.: D.: does an excellent job laying the ground work and getting, or informing the magician the `right' state or frame of mind, noting that `...it is not necessary to become a perfected, fear-free being to practice sex magic. It is only necessary to face up one's own fears and inhibitions with brutal frankness. If magic shall actually lead to freedom, than it must be transpersonal freedom, optimum in breadth of choice, and not some predefined norm which once more degrades humanity and wants to impose some new straightjacket' (pg 16).
U.: D.: refers to western magick as `applied mythology', referencing many ideas found within chaos magick, noting that `it does not matter which of the models you choose so long as it convinces you personally.' Recommending that one should `become familiar with as many models as possible, because each system has its limits and flexibility is needed for magic' (pg 83), instead taking magickal theories and ideas as `mythical truths' rather than restrictive objective absolutes. Though he cautions that one `should not overdo the individuality of our own correspondences. It is useful to follow traditional correspondences for metals, numbers, colors, gems an deities because they have a certain consistency.' While commenting on the power of `traditional' symbols, because `to use them is to tune into the traditional `current' of these magical symbols, making it easier to work with other magicians from a common basis' (pg 80).
Briefly, he discusses various OTO factions and the higher grades involving sex magick, and how they've chosen to represent them. While also combining numerous practical techniques, beginning with the more basic meditative and silencing of the mind, some pranayama, sigil magick, invocation as well as some physical discipline, and even a few aphrodisiac recipes are given - all without dumbing it down, while still remaining `down to Earth'.
As little background as possible is given when it would sidetrack from the original topic at hand, and in place he instead provides relevant and specific references for further information; which, while being both concise and useful, can also be a little frustrating at times. Then again there is only so much space one can dedicate, and as much as it does cover there is no substitute for experience, as he notes `in many respects it had to remain incomplete. It is my opinion that material, fleshy experience should always be preferred to purely mystical speculations. Only when this has been mastered will sex mysticism make any sense, and only then can the symbols become alive and images turn into reality' (pg 217).
Above all this book is practical, easy to read, astonishingly direct and honest in its approach and language, not to mention beautifully illustrated. Techniques and variances are explained in detail and are well-written. It's a shame more of his works have not been translated into English, especially those referenced throughout the book, numerous articles, essays, etc., which are, as far as I know, only available in German. Highly recommended.
German Occult Sex Magic.......2003-09-01
First off, nowhere does it state that this book is about the Tantra. This book is German Occult Sex Magic at its finest and most practical. It is about magic, about using your sexual energy, releasing it, and bringing about changes.
I grew up reading the likes of Cavendish, Waite, and others, and, personally, I like this book. It's breathing exercises are fantastic, it's sigil magic is great. It's inspiring and never sets on my bookshelf for very long.
Pretty straight forward.......2003-08-25
I bought this since practical sigil magic was hard to find.
It has the extra specifics & extracurricular activities tied to german sex magic in kind of a handy guide.
I've used the techniques to gain results in doing magic and improving my life.
To those who see it as vile or "black, etc etc"....no duh. This ain't for you. This is not even for people interested in tantra. Sure, it glosses over the tantra subject, but tantra is only a means to an end here. Were here to do MAGIC. Look at your life and see just what kind of MAGIC you've created. Tough to accept, I know.
Anyways, it's a 4 star read since it worked for me. But most of the book's subject matter is extracurricular to the basic sex magic techniques available in practical sigil magic(or on the internet). I just wanted something in my possession.
Book Description
It is vital for love partners to take the time to see which way the powerful forces of nature are moving. These forces play an essential role in determining when to enter a relationship or marriage, and what to do once in it. The spiritual principles revealed in the ALCHEMY OF LOVE RELATIONSHIPS will be of the greatest practical utility to every man or woman desiring to build, nurture and maintain a healty love relationship. These truths are the unseen forces that direct every relationship. Use them to take control of your love and experience it on a higher level. Without the knowledge of these laws, you will continue to revisit old patterns and make the same mistakes, brutally shortening the lives of many promising relationships and breaking the hearts of love partners. Knowing the implications and applications of these forces, coupled with personal responsibility, will give you a repertoire of expanded options in manifesting a fulfilling love life.
Customer Reviews:
From Darkness to Light.......2002-02-04
This book is a real gem - it has helped me in my life and provides practical solutions rather than vague concepts like many other books. The guidance given allowed me to heal myself and my relationships and to be concious. I highly recommend this book to everyone who is in or hoping to be in a love relationship.
Alchemy of Love Relationships.......2000-09-05
I have studied Kabbalah and various forms of yoga for many years now. As in the case of his other books, Gurunam has not only given the reader important concepts to consider, he has offered concrete steps to take toward fixing the problems and imbalances. It is my impression that Gurunam believes more in positive action than in continuous deliberation of a problem. The meditations have inspired much growth in me and in those who I have shared them with.
Book Description
Make your own oils, blends, and fragrances and make your dreams come true!
The proper oils, blends, and fragrances are central to the practice of Wicca and essential for many spells, candle magick, mojo bags, ritual bathing, incenses, floor washes, potpourri, anointing sacred objects, and much more. For over thirty years, Wiccan expert Lady Rhea has been creating her own special formulas that she supplies to some of the world's quintessential Pagan stores such as The Warlock Shoppe and Enchantments and now she shares them with you!
In the Enchanted Formulary, Lady Rhea gives you the recipes that she perfected over three decades and also shows you where to get some of the harder-to-find ingredients. Some of the blends included are formulas for love; money, luck, and success; healing and personal transformation; and uncrossing and protection. You'll learn:
The magick of oils Mixology (how to mix and blend) Magickal application (different uses of oils for magickal purposes) Popular perfume fragrances today and their role in magick Astrological influences on when to blend your oils.
The Enchanted Formulary can be easily used on its own or with Lady Rhea's The Enchanted Candle, and each recipe comes with detailed information on the origins of the fragrance. The road to self-empowerment begins here!
Customer Reviews:
impractical.......2007-05-09
First off the ingredients in many of the recipes are oils of desinger fragrances. while these are easily obtainable, I doubt the average household has them on hand. it's just kind of a pain having to go out to the mall and buying oils when I have a full cabinet of essential oils at my disposal.
my second reason for disliking the book is more on the personal level. I found many of the love oils highly sexual in nature, and while I'm no prude for me love is more than just sex and am chaste. I was hoping for more romantic and platonic love recipes rather than the erotic ones found within the book. also two of said love recipes struck bad notes with me the first being "Scared Love" the discription was: ... sex is healthy! the first mother knew this and she taught her children. this was the way before we were taught by Christianity that sexual desire is something to be ashamed of. we as pagans know to celebrate love and to recognize the sacredness of two people joining their bodies together in an act of love". This statement made me so angry I'm thinking of writing the author a nasty letter.
first off the idea that sex outside of marriage is a sin goes back way before Christianity does. The church does teach that outside of marriage, it's a sin; however, it also teaches that conjugal love is good; "it aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that, beyond union in one flesh, leads to forming one heart and soul".(CCC 1643) "Sexuality, by means of which man and woman give themselves to one another through the acts which are proper and exclusive to spouses, is not something simply biological, but concerns the innermost being of the human person as such. It is realized in a truly human way only if it is an integral part of the love by which a man and woman commit themselves totally to one another until death."(CCC 2361) I do not know where the author gets off saying that Christians do not "recognize the sacredness" of love making.
The Second being "Ocsar Wilde": it says in the description "in honor of Oscar Wilde, who we know suffered imprisonment for his gay lifestyle". Oscar wilde was a pederast (that wasn't what he was condemned for, though) who in my opinion deserved to be in jail.
--------
Do not buy this book there are better Formulary books out there, anything by Scott Cunningham is good. I also enjoy Kelli James Klymenko's formularies.
Average customer rating:
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Alchemy of Love
Craig Gilbert
Manufacturer: BookSurge Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1588989224
Release Date: 2003-07-07 |
Book Description
Craig Gilbert's second poetry book explores the four seasons of nature, the warmth and the cold, the dark and the light. It is a work inspired by the world around us, and the inspiration that can be seen in the scenery and the life of the planet.
Book Description
Set against the brilliantly drawn backdrop of India at the turn of the millennium, The Alchemy of Desire tells the story of a young couple, penniless but gloriously in love. Obsessed with each other, they move from a small town to the big city, where the man, who dreams of being a writer, works feverishly on a novel, stopping only to feed his ceaseless desire for his beautiful wife.
A chance occurrence allows the lovers to abandon the city for a mist-shrouded spur of the lower Himalayas and move into a sprawling old house, which they hope will embody their love. At first they pursue their deep physical need with a reckless intensity. But during renovations of the house, a set of diaries written by the original inhabitant—a glamorous American adventuress—is unearthed, and the narrator finds himself irresistibly drawn away from his wife and thrust into another world and time, into the hole of history. As his life and love fall apart, he slowly begins to uncover the dark secrets at the heart of her story, until the shocking truth is laid bare and all certainties are overturned.
Inventive, playful, heartbreaking, brimming with ideas and memorable characters, The Alchemy of Desire celebrates the chaotic spirit of a country during a time of great change. It also offers, in searing, lucid prose, a deeply sensual and moving meditation on the nature of desire, history, truth, and art. This is a major novel by one of the most significant new voices of his generation.
Customer Reviews:
Price of Lust and Greed !.......2007-05-30
The nameless protagonist starts the book with "Sex is the greatest glue between two people!" He describes his love life and sex life (Prema - Love), his struggle to be a writer because he wants to write an epic, a book of mythic proportions and not about small things! He is also trying to hold a job (Karma _ Duty). Then he gets the windfall (from his alienated and dead Grandma). (Artha - Money). From this money they buy a house built in the colonial times in the mountains and start renovating it. Now another windfall! The journals of a white woman who once lived in that house are discovered. The author becomes obsessed both with the contents and its author and is alienated from his wife. The journals contain the detailed descriptions of the woman's childhood, her love and sex life and finally her possessiveness of her married lover and where it leads her. Her journals also contain her gay husband's life and sex life etc. (Desire - Kama). In the final chapters, the author finds the missing pieces of the puzzle (not found in the journals) by talking to people whose parents either were her employers or lovers. Now that he is done with the journals and found good material for the book, he has time for her and ready to reconcile with her. He ends the book with "Love is the greatest glue between two people!" (Satya - Truth). Like all great truths this realization comes only after much lust, loss and struggle. Of course! The windfalls helped him. It would have been better to have a name for the hero whose journey ends with the realization that it is not Sex, but Love, which is the glue between two people.
I found the writing about the house and the mountains very good. The protagonist when struggling to be a writer trashes two books he has written, but not only after letting the readers know the stories, but also repeatedly bringing them up in other contexts which I thought was totally unnecessary and irrelevant. Just like a dish, which is too spicy, or a cake with too much icing, there is too much sexual explicit material all through the book. The details are more graphic from a man's perspective, but when it comes to the woman, it is more in clichés, for e.g., "she served a dish fit for a king" etc.
Last but not the least, I disagree with the statement I found on the front cover of the hardback edition. "At last - a new and brilliantly original novel from India." I don't think this is the first brilliant and original novel. There have been others. What about the book by Ms. Roy? In many ways, she was the first one to come out of the closet and dared to call "a spade a spade". Since then there have been more brilliant and original books from India and Indian Diaspora.
If you can put up with some excesses, it is a good read, but I think some parts are more comprehensible if you are familiar with Indian history and politics.
Also in Lust with Words.......2007-02-24
I may be jumping the gun in writing this review before I have finished the book but in all honesty I don't know if I will be able to. I am about half-way through and am exhausted by the sheer wordiness of the story. This novel would have benefited from some judicious editing, especially in the overly detailed descriptions of landscape, architecture, secondary characters, etc. There is an overuse of words and expressions that only someone familiar with India would be familiar with and the inclusion of the "story within a story" that he ended up discarding was totally unnecessary. There is minimal character development of Fizz other than being the receptacle for the main character's constant and abiding lust (I haven't gotten to the part where this ceases). If I do finish the book I will come back and amend the review. LATER: OK, I've finally finished the book, and the only amendment is the deduction of a star - the site won't let me change to a 2-star rating, but there you are! Wish I had back the hours spent muddling through this mess!
A truly original novel set in the subcontinent of India.......2007-01-01
On a flat marble slab, in a thick black Gothic style, busy with curlicues, was engraved: "Who can ever hold the essence of fire? Who can ever know the alchemy of desire?" Below it was written: "Catherine of Gethia, wife of Syed, daughter of John. Died 1942."--From the final chapter.
In The Alchemy of Desire, Tarun J. Teipal, who lives with his wife and younger daughter in New Delhi, has written a stunningly original novel. Containing torrid homilies on hedonism, and bristling scenes of erotic passion, the story skates dangerously over the thin ice of pornography, threatening to sink into its brackish waters.
Indeed, moralists will brand The Alchemy of Desire an obscene work--not a story to be read aloud in genteel society. Others will argue that Teipal's literary artistry lifts it above the crude and the common, thereby confirming the truth of Nietzsche's aphorism, "What is done out of love always happens beyond good and evil."
But therein lies the rub. One of the key relationships portrayed in this novel happen not out of love but out of a demonic obsession to squeeze the last drop of pleasure out of besieged and battered flesh. The frenzied, desperate pursuit of sensual delight is doomed to failure:
"But pleasures are like poppies spread, / You seize the flow'r, its bloom is shed; / Or like the snow falls in the river, / A moment white--then melts forever; / Or like the borealis race, / That flit ere you can point their place; / Or like the rainbow's lovely form / Evanishing amid the storm."--Robert Burns, "Tam O'Shanter: A Tale."
The unnamed protagonist (let's dub him "T.T" or "The Fool") is enchanted with Fiza ("Fizz"). Theirs is a beautiful relationship, one in which true love and desire meet in harmony. She encourages him in his attempt to write The Great Indian Novel, but he experiences writer's block and consigns one failed work to the waters of a lake and the other to the fireplace flames.
T.T. and Fizz move to Delhi, where T.T. finds a job as a subeditor for a newspaper and Fizz is employed as a proofreader and researcher for a publishing firm. They struggle financially, but are supremely happy in their reciprocal love.
In a seemingly fortuitous turn of events, T.T. becomes the heir of a fortune, a financial windfall that allows him and Fizz to purchase a sprawling old house situated 5,438 feet high in the foothills of the Himalayas. As they work to renovate the estate, they believe it will be the perfect place to embody their perfect love.
But then, as in the opening notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, fate knocks at the door. "The Fool" (for that is what we must now call T.T.) discovers a cache of long-abandoned diaries, 64 identical tan-leather notebooks packed into a wooden chest, in four stacks of 16 each. They are the erotic diaries of the previous owner of the estate, a beautiful American woman named Catherine.
Over the next six months The Fool becomes obsessed, night and day, with deciphering the wordwheels of the diaries. His desire for Fizz dwindles and she, rightly feeling ignored and rejected, packs up her bags and leaves. For the next three and a half years, The Fool immerses himself in his "magnificent obsession," slowly deteriorating in body and mind, possessed by Catherine's nightly incubus.
A servant wisely tells The Fool, "Men must know the difference between gold and brass, or be forever doomed." Slowly but surely, The Fool sees the skull beneath the skin, the serpent in the garden, the decay inherent in the act of creation.
At first intriguing, the story within a story--the various encounters between Catherine and her lover, an Indian named Gaj Sigh, described in the leatherbound notebooks--begins to pall. The fascination of their frenzied couplings becomes banal; the chemistry of their unbridled sexuality ends in ennui.
One thinks of Schopenhauer's arresting theory, in "The World As Will and Representation": "Life swings like a pendulum to and fro between pain [the emptiness and suffering caused by need] and boredom [the satiety following the quenching of desire], and these two are in fact its ultimate constituents."
As The Fool wipes the dust off of his neglected typewriter, he senses the presence of his returning muse: "I rolled a sheet of paper through the smooth platten of the Brother, put the quivering tips of my fingers on the shining black keys, and began to hammer. The clacks ran out like rifle shots. Sex is not the great glue between two people. Love ..."
The Fool, let's now call him The Wise Man, has begun to write The Great Indian Novel. And, as a working title, he may even have called it "The Alchemy of Desire."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tarun J. Tejpal has been a journalist for 23 years. He is the founder of Tehelka.com, a news-and-views magazine that has garnered worldwide acclaim for its journalism. Previously, he was editor of India Today and managing editor of Outlook, one of India's premier newsmagazines. He has also written for several international publications, including The Paris Review, The Guardian, The Financial Times, and Prospect. In 2001, Business Week declared him among the fifty leaders at the forefront of change in Asia. His older daughter studies at Hampshire College, Amherst, while the younger lives with him and his wife in New Delhi.
A Stunning New Novel from India.......2006-11-30
Intro
A few months ago, I had the pleasure of reading an exciting new Indian author, and subsequently requested that the Category Leads add it to this website.
Tarun J Tejpals The Alchemy of Desire was published in 2005, shortlisted for the Prix Femina and won Frances Prix Millepages for Best Foreign Literary Fiction. Tejpal worked in journalism for about twenty years before writing this novel; in 1997 he published Arundhati Roys The God of Small Things and currently runs Tehelka, the leading weekly independent newspaper in India.
The Story
Setting is contemporary India, between 1979 and 1999. Also late 19th- early 20th century America (Chicago), Paris and India. The action takes place mainly in bustling, crowded Delhi, small rural villages and lower Himalayas.
When it opens, the novels protagonist (whose name is never mentioned unless Ive missed it somewhere) is reflecting on the day he discovers he no longer desires his beautiful young wife, Fiza (or Fizz). Since theirs is a relationship built on intense eroticism something is obviously very wrong.
The couple have moved from Delhi to an old house in the Himalayan foothills. Here they can give full vent to their lust while the husband (a former journalist and editor who has lost creative inspiration in the city) tries in vain to write yet another novel. During this time the house is being renovated and in the process an old trunk filled with diaries is unearthed. As writers block sets in, the husband becomes disheartened with his work and begins reading the diaries, written by the houses previous owner (Catherine, a wilful and adventurous American woman). Over time he becomes so immersed in the diaries which document Catherine's extraordinary life and unbridled sexuality, he gradually loses interest in Fizz.
Hurt and uncomprehending, she packs her bags and leaves, and for the next five years he works his way through Catherine's notes. After much reflection on his life, marriage and work, he comes to realise how physical desire has been transformed into something stronger and more meaningful.
How Its Done
This is an amazingly rich and complex novel which does not follow a linear storyline and is full of digressions and reminiscences. Written in the first person it is narrated by the protagonist (except for the section on Catherine's life - third person).
The plot contains a second story which impacts in an unexpected and disastrous way on the couples relationship, with vignettes and asides running parallel to the action, and occasional lapses into stream of consciousness or internal commentary. The prose is brilliantly textured and diverse, shifting from the serious or erotic to irony or humour, keeping the reader intrigued and wanting more. Starting with the end of a relationship and a search for literary inspiration, the novel concludes its cycle with the narrator's reminiscences of how that relationship began.
Numbering over five hundred pages, the book is divided into five sections: Love, Action, Money, Desire, Truth, with the narrative moving back and forth between them. The bereft husband ponders past events, recalling the early years of his relationship with Fizz, their mutual manic passion, his time as sub-editor in a highly competitive office (described in wonderfully satirical prose) and the tension created by the disparity between driving lust and loss of creativity.
India in all its colour, smells and diversity is evoked: cuisine, vegetation, dust and mayhem, along with a series of characters, from the crazy to the endearing. The question of national identity is raised as well as the factors which have shaped it, and while Tejpal mocks those who persist in clinging to British ways, he is equally scathing about the politicians of the day and their followers. All of which provides a rich and complex backdrop to the story.
As one would expect from an ex-journo, reporter or editor, the language used here is confident and innovative; the prose shifts effortlessly between lyrical, erotic, humorous and descriptive. The following example typifies the chaos of Delhi's infrastructure:
All through the journey the road was flanked by unfinished buildings. Iron rods sticking out, floors half-finished, walls unplastered, windows and doors missing, terrace balustrades half done. The roadscape suggested no one wanted to finish a building any more everyone wished to keep open the option of endless addition. As Hindus know, we live forever: there is no hurry to complete anything. But what appeared now on the last stretch, on both sides of the highway, was a half-made urban sprawl that was devastating. Harsh, without a trace of green. Tiny, naked houses, their bricks stitched together with ugly cement, jostled with each other to gain some air. Most were boxes, two storeys high, with barely a window. The paths between them were unpaved; the sludge clogged the open gutters; garbage heaps grew where they could find purchase; black hairy swine nosed in them for succour; small green-black ponds played host to man and buffalo.
[...]
But perhaps the most powerful element of Tejpal's writing is how he brings eroticism to the page. As all writers (and wannabe writers) know, sex scenes are hard to do tastefully and convincingly, yet Tejpal turns raw lust into poetry, using smells and textures to heighten the readers senses: &I put my hand on her hair and ruffled it slowly, lifting the bunched black curls and dropping them. Like her flawless skin, her hair was alive. It moved in the hand, as if caressing you back.
...and The room was dark and my mouth was everywhere and the white cotton she was wearing was crisp and thin and I was firm and insanely in love and she was wet and impossibly beautiful and our hands were potters and our flesh was clay; and then there were voices outside the door and she was on the edge of the bed and I could smell her love and I could taste her love and I could hear her love and my love was straining for her love and then I was where I belonged and where I wanted to live and where I wanted to die and the world was a slip of skin and the world was two slips of skin and the world was only slips of skin and the world was liquid and the world was tight and the world was a furnace and the world was moving and the world was slipping and the world was exploding and the world was ending and the world was ending and the world had ended.
There's lots of humour which often derives from situations and quirky characters as well as some brilliant imagery:
The vehicle my friend had deployed to transport us to Delhi was a Second World War truck converted into a bus. [&] It had a snout. Slightly open, as if it was having trouble breathing. A recent paint job blue that could not conceal its age. Fat round tyres with no tread on them. And two-by-two seats running its length along a narrow aisle.
The colonel examined it like a horse, walking all around it and feeling its flanks. He even tried the doors, opening and shutting them. As if lifting skin flaps to check gums.
He said, We used to have a couple of these in the regiment in the fifties. Solid fellows. They served Monty well at Alamein.
Should they be on the road? I asked hopefully.
In a museum, in a museum, he said, This should be in a museum.
But in India we know everything that should be in a museum is out on the roads being abused. From ideas to artifacts to buildings. People too, actually.
I said, Colonel sahib, will it make it to Delhi?
All the characters are lovingly and convincingly drawn: the husband, with his deprecating and often mocking self-perception; Fizz, in her vulnerability, integrity, innocence and sweetness; Catherine, a sexual parallel in the past, described with astonishing insight and understanding. The secondary personalities provide colour and depth to the story, reflecting India's complex and diverse melting pot.
Conclusion
There is so much to say about Alchemy that I cant possibly do it justice here, except to say that it has immense power and is hard to put down; moving, funny, erotic and satirical, it catches you in its momentum so that when its over all you can do is go Wow!
The book has been enormously successful in Europe and should be released in the US some time this month. Readers who enjoy contemporary Indian literature are likely to get really passionate about this one.
Look out for it in the bookstores!
Lust rediscovered within love.......2006-05-31
Well,
i have know Taruns journalistic work for over a decade, and it was exciting to see a veteran of journalism trying his hand on fiction.
I must say that the it was sexual passion of his book that made me take up this wonderfully narrated "alchemy of Desire" since i just finished reading "The Couples" by John Updike (Economist said on his obituary that he wrote mostly 'salacious literature'.... how prudish these brits can be?) and "158 Pound Marriage" by John Irving, and i wanted to dialate in lust (i am using more of lust since i also read a pro LUST book by Simon Blackburn)for some more time.
But the book was much more than all those graphic sexual narration, 'eating' instead of 'doing' and all. and i found that he beats both John's in his dscription. Since i also visited Almora and lower himalayan places i was taken up by his sharp observation of places and life.
i dont want to write the story itself but the way it has been written has reminded me some of the great essays and narrative fiction.
A worthwhile reading for somone who really relisesh...written words.
bhole
Book Description
Need cash quick? Want to make your love interest swoon? Hoping to land that plum job or nab that key parking spot? 10-Minute Magic Spells will help you do that and much more! Designed for the novice spellcaster, these simple enchantments can be done in minutes and don't require funky ingredients that are hard to find--or hard to pronounce. A modern spin on magic as in the same no-nonsense voice as other 10- Minute books. This makes for a good impulse buy or a perfect gift book for any wannabe witch.
Skye Alexander is the author of 10-Minute Feng Shui and 10-Minute Crystal Ball (Fair Winds Press, 2002), as well as other four other New Age offerings. She has also written for radio, television, magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. She was featured on the Discovery Channel performing a magic ritual at Stonehenge. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts, with her cats.
Books:
- Beyond the Cognitive Map: From Place Cells to Episodic Memory
- Bioelectrodynamics and Biocommunication
- Biogeochemistry of Environmentally Important Trace Elements (Acs Symposium Series)
- Bioindustrial Ecosystems (Ecosystems of the World)
- Biomonitors and Biomarkers as Indicators of Environmental Change Handbook (Environmental Science Research Volume 56) (Environmental Science Research)
- Blueberryland: Taming the Maine Wild Lowbush Blueberry
- Brain Sex: The Real Difference Between Men and Women
- Breast Cancer and Iodine : How to Prevent and How to Survive Breast Cancer
- Call of the Wild: Quotes from the Great Outdoors (Running Press Miniature Editions)
- Carbon Dioxide, Populations, and Communities (Physiological Ecology)
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