For February, we’re taking a look at Lilith: Dark Feminine Archetype by Asenath Mason. This is an anthology, so as you’d expect, I have a variety of thoughts on the different pieces. Although the scale is weighted to the Draconic and Qliphothic side, it approaches Lilith from a fairly broad array of perspectives. There’s creative pieces, more studious work, and also practical workings given, so it covers the array of elements of practice as well. I’ll approach this by talking a bit about Mason, my favorite piece, least favorite, and then overall impressions.
I’ll address Mason’s contributions collectively, as there are several of them. The history she gives as the introduction is fairly good, although I wish sourcing had been included and there’s a couple things I’d quibble over here and there (but what’s new?). Getting into the actual meat of it, one of the things that’s always so interesting about Mason to me is that we have such extremely different practices and don’t agree on really any aspect of theology, but we also have such similar gnosis in many cases. And so, as I’ve already shared in the previous review, even though I just don’t jive with the Abrahamic/dualistic style of thinking, I always find her writing gives me food for thought, and a way to view concepts from a different vantage point, even if the ritual associations aren’t for me.
It was a bit hard to choose, but my favorite piece in this collection is The Inconceivable Nature of Lilith, by Leonard Dewar. I appreciate his scholarly approach to evaluating Lilith’s complex history, even if I might debate some of the connections drawn. I also felt a great affinity for the way he described Lilith in her ungraspable, vampiric nature. I would argue Lilith has a form of “care” even if it is not readily comparable to human “care,” but overall, this piece speaks to me in the way I experience Lilith, and the way I travel the left-hand path, which is a bit more similar to the Eastern definitions than the common Western ones. That is to say, grappling with discomfort, dysfunction, death, and despair are a substantial part of that process, rather than the more adversarial separation that Western LHP often seeks. I often see an avoidance of this side of working with Lilith, and it’s very refreshing to me to see it spoken out loud. I would love to sit and have a lively discussion and debate with Dewar about Lilith.
Next, for me, is the low point of the book, Selenic Face of Lilith by, strangely, someone going by the name of Selene-Lilith. Poor scholarship is rife in this piece, but even if we ignore historicity and simply observe whether these comparisons make sense, they seem absurd on their face. Essentially, the argument is that because Selene is not an entirely one-dimensional stereotype of the idea of meek femininity and has a lunar association, this must mean she is somehow related to Lilith. It uses similar arguments to equate Lilith with everything from Diana to Gaia, to dismal effect. As you might expect, the author also tries to twist Lilith into being a fertility goddess. This sort of thing is exactly what I mean when I’ve talked about the fact that we live in a culture that is so spiritually deprived of representation or respect for the diversity of the feminine that people tend to just smash all feminine entities together as if they’re completely interchangeable and basically just the Virgin Mary in different clothes.
Overall, it’s what you might expect of an anthology of such diverse perspectives, although any given individual may have chosen different high and low points. There’s some truly interesting theories and bits of gnosis on here that gave me food for thought in my own practice. There’s also a bit of neopagan white-washing, and frankly a fair amount of commodified sexualization masquerading as spirituality, primarily written by men.
But I would say this is definitely worth a read, especially for a new practitioner trying to feel out what sort of practice they might want to build. The many perspectives represented here are great for that. The one big caveat I’d add here, which frankly I think I’ll be adding to most of the books on my reading list, is to always double-check the research especially if there is no source cited. But there are definitely a good amount of intelligently written and emotionally evocative pieces here to enjoy.
I also bought this book to first start learning more about Lilith within the occult world. I think I was interested in the fact that she had many masks or faces.
I must say I tend to have a general Anathema towards most other peoples perspectives on Lilith, I always try to approach everything with a willingness to take what I can from it. Yet I always find myself becoming extremely territorial on the topic.
Lilith has been a voice in my head since I can remember. And I knew her name and had imagery of her many forms conceived in my mind long before I ever studied her, or heard her referenced in any form of historical, religious or media based context.
To me she was always like a cruel teacher, as beautiful and fierce as nature. Obviously she’s a very old entity and as I’ve grown I can’t help but notice she seems to be making a comeback of sorts.
What was once obscure and barely recognized now pops up all over. It’s certainly been an interesting experience. It does cause me trepidation though, when it comes to the writings of others.
This is no doubt partly due to me being a male, not by choice mind you, and seeing something I have always held extremely dear turned into this extreme feminist penis hating icon, or watered down into as you stated “a fertility Goddess.”
Wall of text aside, I do appreciate you doing these book reviews, they absolutely assist in weeding through the onslaught of new media and perspectives that show up constantly these days, and while I have no love for my fellow ‘Lilithians’ or people in general really. I will recognize that she takes a multitude of forms for many different people. And I am willing to at least hear out other perspectives for personal research reasons. Despite my underlying misanthropy and territorial nature.
So again. Thank you as always. And may the Dark Lady watch over you.
I know exactly what you mean. As I’ve been going through these books, dealing with my own “territorial” tendency has been something I have had to put some thought into, and consciously mediate.
On some level, I think we should expect to find at least something in almost everything we read that feels like an affront to our connection with her, because our type of connection is so antithetical to the sort of marketing that the more popular works must, by necessarily, be subject to (and I am making an effort to include less popular works for this reason, later in the year). But I also think it’s important, at least in the position I’m in, to try to see through the emotion of that connection, and try to understand what might be helpful for the neophyte who is hoping to be adopted by her, and how their experiences may differ from mine.
For you? I think you’ll get your heckles up at various points in this book. I definitely did. But I also found a couple points of feeling genuine connection to the author, and I can see it being useful to a new traveler.
Thank you, I appreciate it and always enjoy your comments.