Book Review-Song of the Dark Man: Father of Witches, Lord of the Crossroads by Darragh Mason
Book Review
Song of the Dark Man: Father of Witches, Lord of the Crossroads
By Darragh Mason
Publisher: Destiny Books
187 page paperback
Release Date: August 6th, 2024

Song of the Dark Man: Father of Witches, Lord of the Crossroads is a book that wasn’t on my radar, but was more than enthused to select for review. As I’ve covered in my monthly column for October 2024, which can be found here, The Dark Man of Witchcraft is a figure not unfamiliar to me, having been a Luciferian, Setian and Satanist in previous years before finding my true path in Paganism, Witchcraft and the Crooked Path. The Dark Man defies all categorization, cultural impetus and goes beyond names. In my experience, The Dark Man is unnameable, unknowable, and enigmatic, and Darragh Mason’s work on the subject verifies just that. Mason begins with various historical accounts of the Devil, Witchcraft and the Black Sabbath of Witches, adding in his own personal experiences with the Dark Man. In the second half of Song of the Dark Man, Mason and other writers, witches and those who have had experiences with the Dark Man in his different guises, share their experiences, gnosis and research about this enigmatic, shadowy figure of witch lore.
As I progress in my Craft, I’ve come to find that I lose interest in instructional type books, that cover a topic per chapter, then give rituals, spells and the like. Not that I don’t or won’t read those kinds of metaphysical and spiritual books, but I find that the voices of experience, academia and lore mixing together gives me the most inspiration to incorporate an idea, theory or paradigm into my craft. Song of the Dark Man is just that; there’s no instructions on how to summon him to your aid, nor are there invocations, prayers or anything like that contained within its pages. Instead, the historical lore, folklore, and modern experiences with the Dark Man seem to speak for themselves. and I personally felt the Dark Man through the pages of this book. Towards the end of the book, Mason gives reasons as to why he chose to write this wonderful book, which coincidentally aligned with my urge to write on him as well for my monthly column, shortly after finishing this book. Seems as though the Dark Man wants his gnosis shared.
This is an excellent book for Witches, Pagans, those interested in folklore, and especially Traditional Witches, Luciferian type magickians, and those like myself who straddle the Left and Right Hand paths. Because of this, I believe that this work is groundbreaking in its’ research, depth, and quality of content. I give it a 5 out of 5; this is probably one of my favorite books I’ve reviewed thus far, and a favorite and influential one for my year, personally.
Darragh Mason is a writer, researcher, and award-winning travel and documentary photographer. He hosts the well known podcast Spirit Box. Darragh is best known for his work on the Djinn and Aghori. He lives in East Sussex, UK.
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Author Bio:
The Modern Merlin has been a Polytheist and Animist Pagan, Witch, Sorcerer, Wizard, Druid, Mystic, Ceremonial Magician, Occultist, Shaman, Seer and Soothsayer for 15 years, worshipping and casting magick with deities and spirits from many cultures, including Ancient Greece, Rome, Norse & Germanic, Celtic, Egyptian, Sumerian, as well as many Faeries, Nymphs, Dryads, Ancestors and other nature and land spirits and spirits of place. He has experience in the Left and Right Hand Paths, working with both hands as needed. He currently practices Necromancy and Deathwalking, as well as Traditional Witchcraft, Druidry, Hellenism and Ceremonial Magick, incorporating all of them into a cohesive practice, with some shamanic touches. He studies and practices Astrology as well as Tarot and other forms of divination such as Runes, Palmistry and Ogham. He has a personal blog where he shares Astrological, Pagan, and other magickal wisdom for free! He gives readings and other spiritual services on his Facebook Page, The Modern Merlin, as well other free informational posts for everyone to see!

