He holds an interesting perspective about angels that is different from what I am used to and completely opens up things. It could also make one uncomfortable if they aren’t ready to hear this information though. He asserts that angels are just pure light energy that everything is made from, so we have the ability if we do desire to tap into this power with our honored practice. He also stated that we ourselves have angelic energy running through us — we are unconscious angels who do not know our power.

In this book he goes over ways to awaken and harness this energy as well as lots of great info on beginning a magical practice. If you get the printed book, there are included black & white imagery to help you along with this.

I am pleased with the focus on the angel energy and kept interested by the different choice of topic from other angel books: where angels are seen more as one of us or we are seen as more like them. It’s a very interesting read.

Thanks to Netgalley, publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a follow up book to Damien's book High Magick. The focus would be for the more advance magician who has mastered the rituals in High Magick and are ready to move forward. Unlike High Magick this book is more focused on angel magic which is an interesting topic even if you are not a practicing magician.

This was quite a strange book. The introduction alone took up a mammoth amount of space before the book actually started which meant that you were itching to get to the information on the angels and archangels and were starting to skim some sections. There is a lot about the author's magick and also his background in prison and death row. I was expecting something similar to the books I have read before and also to angel and archangel cards but this was very much a different aspect. It attached some strange attributes to the subjects which delved into enormous detail, sometimes far too much so you felt overwhelmed. It was almost as though the angels and archangels were being shaped to fit in with the author's own beliefs regarding them. So I'm sad to say this book just wasn't for me, it was so different from what I was expecting.

For the unaware, Damien Echols spent years on death row (yes, death row!). Accused of murder despite lack of evidence, the case of Echols and the rest of the “West Memphis Three” represents the utter nadir of the 1980s and 1990s Satanic Panic.

Throughout his incarceration, Echols studied and practiced Western ceremonial magic. He developed an affinity for working with angels. Echols walked free following a controversial “Alford Plea,” and has since written several books on magic
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The tone and word choice gives this book a dense, dry feeling. Authors on ceremonial magic often come across that way, and it can be difficult to learn about this path for that reason. Nevertheless, Echols packs his writing thick with information and insight, making it a worthwhile read, if a bit slow to absorb.

Much of it reads like a catelogue of information or encyclopedia, and I can imagine many budding magicians eagerly flipping through a well-used copy of this book. I actually recommend using the book like that - read it once through, then refer back as needed.

If you’re hoping for Doreen Virtue-esque meditations on love and light-filled guardian angels, this book will disappoint. Expect an older, more nuanced approach to the concept of angels.

Echols has never seemed one for unverifiable personal gnosis (at least not in print), and draws from the deep, fertile well of the Western occult tradition. He does an excellent job covering Tarot and its connection to traditional angelic spirit work, and it was this part of the book that most interested me.

Tarot has long been used as a method of connecting with spirits, and Echols provides the necessary toolkit for this in an angelic context. The descriptions of astrological correspondences for angelic beings are worth it for me, too.

While my own occult practice tends more in the direction of witchcraft, I spend a few years focusing on ceremonial magic. It still exerts a lot of influence on my practices, and I could see myself referring back to this book often.

I give this book three out of five stars. I didn’t enjoy it as much as Echols’s earlier book, High Magick. I also think the encyclopedic tone might be somewhat alienating for beginners.
I do recommend this book, but only for those with some existing knowledge of the subject matter to build on. Pairs well, as I said, with Echols’s earlier book, or existing texts on Enochian and other angel-based traditions.

I loved Damien Echols book High Magick. When I saw he was coming out with a new one about angels and archangels I knew I had to read it. In the book he teaches you about the history as well as the basics of angel magick. He also encourages you to develop your own senses and abilities with consistent practice. I would definitely recommend this book!

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Excellent book that is meant to be done to fully realize the benefits. His first book High Magick probably should be read first, but this is a stand alone title. You can just have this one and practice what is given and succeed. However reading and doing what is given in HIgh Magick will make this easier to understand.
The premise of the interaction with Angels has a foundation in the lesser banishing ritual of the pentagram. In fact most all of the rituals and teachings mostly center around this ritual. That said anyone who is a itual magician or following the western magical tradition will find this title worthwhile and a true gem of a course to be done in sequence.Damien has outdone himself with this positive and helpful book. Also vey practical, no large amount of stuff bought from the local metaphysical store needed.

“The ultimate goal of working with angels is to become one ourselves. That’s what people actually are—unconscious angels.” —Damien Echols

"Angels and Archangels: The Western Path to Enlightenment" is the latest book from Damien Echols, whose story as part of the West Memphis 3 is widely known but whose story after his release from death row is a just as riveting story of enlightenment, healing, empowerment, and a sharing of the spiritual path that helped him survive while incarcerated and has allowed him to grow into his current journey.

Echols is the author of "Life After Death," "High Magick," "A Course in High Magick," and co-author of "Yours for Eternity" with his wife, Lorri. "Angels and Archangels" is essentially an expansion of the foundation that Echols laid in "High Magick," a deepened exploration of the material and a practical exploration of the angels, archangels, and actual rituals utilized in the practice of high magick.

While I would love to say that I have followed Echols's journey from release, the truth is that I largely became more aware of Echols's post-release life thanks to his wonderful appearance in the Tamar Haviv music video for "The Good Has Won," an absolutely delightful song with a video I still play on an at least weekly basis if not more frequently.

Following the video, I began exploring what Echols had been doing post-release. While I had not read "High Magick" prior to reading "Angels and Archangels," I have since done so and doing so is something I would definitely recommend as it lays a solid foundation for the easily accessible, informative, and enlightened information and teachings that Echols offers here.

"Angels and Archangels" may seem like a quick read as quite a few of the pages have simple descriptions of the angels and archangels, but if you are a practitioner of magick or truly interested in it then the book becomes a slower read as it's material that needs to be understood and integrated into one's daily life. As I went further into the book, I found my reading slowed down as my mind integrated the weaving together of information with ritual.

With "Angels and Archangels," Echols provides beautifully written and accessible guide to calling on the divine assistance of angelic forces to shape one's life and accelerate spiritual practice. Echols stresses that these forces are present whether we believe in them or not.

In this book, Echols shares that the angelic forces respond to our calling not because we "tell" them to but because they perceive the divine within us.

The material that Echols covers includes:

1) A basic and clearly understandable guide to the angels and archangels honored throughout the history of mystical traditions including their names, element associations, tarot associations, Tree of Life Associations, and Zodiac associations.

2) Foundational practices and medications for building magick skills.

3) Clear, understandable guidance on calling on angels for blessings, protection, invocation, the creation of talismans and sigils, and for other purposes.

4) Clear, understandable guidance on advanced magick rituals, material for which it truly helps to have read "High Magick" first, including the Rose Cross, the Celestial, and the Shem Operation,

5) Clear, understandable information regarding the Holy Guardian Angel, which Echols explains to perfection.

Into the fabric of "Angels and Archangels," Echols weaves his own life experiences and his own magick experiences - especially those practiced while incarcerated. He explores the reasons for using high magick and provides what has to be one of the most clearly written, understandable, and accessible guides to the practice of high magick that has been written.

Echols builds a strong foundation for the material he presents including an understanding of the history of high magick and its relationship to other faith traditions including Buddhism, Christianity, and others. He also explores the history of practices, rituals, and symbols utilized including those that carry with them negative connotations in modern times.

There's a tremendous energy that is present throughout "Angels and Archangels," a breeze of enlightenment that flows from page to page and is obviously present in Echols's words, knowledge, insights, and testimony.

"Angels and Archangels" is an essential addition to any magickal library from a man who has both lived its truths and learned how to teach its truths. For those seeking a better understanding of the angels and archangels and the angelic forces and how to call upon them, "Angels and Archangels: The Western Path to Enlightenment" is a valuable resource and a most enjoyable read.

I did not finish reading this book. I don’t think I believe all the writing as is believed by this author. I started the book but had to put it away. My beliefs are definitely different about angels and how I believe they surround me and respond to me. Did not enjoy what I read.
#NetGalley

Damien Echols provides an interesting update on two of the basic techniques of the Golden Dawn system of magic: the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram and the Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram. These techniques are opened up to working with a greater number of angelic forces, building up on each other for greater pathways of manifestation and spiritual growth.