The subtitle to The Tree of Enchantment reads: Ancient Wisdom and Magic Practices of The Faery Tradition. The author, Orion Foxwood, believes communication with the Faeries is a valid spiritual path. He indicates that he believes “being one with the creator” is a basis for this spiritual path. I found this book to be more of an explanation of a religion and an invitation to a particular spiritual path. One should not expect it to be a simple “how to” book.
The Tree is introduced early in the book and Foxwood states that as presented in this book, it is “a living, diagrammatic description of creation, destruction, and regeneration, and of the beings that these processes.” The author uses lots of charts and symbols in his explanation of this path. He begins with the premise that everyone needs to be changed and that one must “engage the forces of the tree to be changed.” Engaging the forces of the tree is pretty involved and takes a lot of figuring out. To give you an idea, he introduces three worlds “that are not distinct places, but functions or expressions of one constant, dynamic, creative life-force.”
The “Seekers”, as he calls us, are asked to accept certain core beliefs such as that we are composed of three souls animated by one spiritual core. We are introduced to the Threefold Life Concept, telling us that our consciousness and presence extend through multiple states of being simultaneously. He gives us copious involved explanations, visualization exercises, and projects to do.
One of the practices is to awaken the Gods of the Flesh. Some suggestions to invoke the Gods of the Flesh, include BDSM (which may or may not be sexual) practices such as whipping, spanking, bondage, etc. or to use mind and mood altering drugs.
Foxwood is asking the Seeker to accept a lot of concepts in order to traverse his Enchanted Tree. At the end, I couldn’t help thinking of Tinker Bell asking us to close our eyes and repeat, “I believe.”
~review by Jae Napolitano
Author: Orion Foxwood
Weiser Books, 2008
pp. 264, $19.95
