A magickal vision quest for enlightenment and personal redemption in Thailand
A magickal vision quest for enlightenment and personal redemption in Thailand
• Details the author’s profound encounters with Thai magick during 4 separate pilgrimages to Thailand
• Explains the ritual process of the author’s multiple Sak Yant tattoos as well as other powerful magickal rituals and initiations he experienced
• Shares how his initiatory experiences with Thai Buddhist magicians helped him destroy his destructive former selves and discover profound healing for his mind and soul
Sharing his profound encounters with Thai magick during four separate pilgrimages to Thailand, writer and musician Sheer Zed details the intense personal initiations and rituals he experienced with the sect of Thai Buddhist magicians known as Ajarns.
Traveling all over Thailand to meet with holy monks in sacred places, the author undergoes powerful Thai magickal rituals. Among these are the Gold Face Blessing, where gold leaf was hammered onto his face to form a mask, and a Satuang ritual, traditionally performed for returning soldiers, that crescendos with the release of 21 unruly catfish into the Ping River during a Wolf Moon. As Zed explores the cultural context of Thai Buddhist necromancy, he details firsthand the pain and transformation of his multiple talismanic Sak Yant tattoos, ritually done by hand by Ajarns in magickal inks, including one that spiritually transformed him into a tiger. He shares his experiences of intense Serm Duang ritual baths, the insertion of a gold Takrut needle into his arm, and a rare initiation to connect him directly with spirits.
Revealing the extreme personal losses and traumas that led to his spiritual transformation, Zed shares how his initiatory experiences with Thai Buddhist sorcerers helped him destroy his destructive former selves and discover profound healing for his mind and soul. Exploring chaos magick, pop culture, and esoteric Buddhism, he also examines the artistic and occult influences that shaped him into a magickal practitioner—from the underground electronic music scene and the work of the Beat Poets to the writings of Aleister Crowley and the Buddhist Anarchism of Gary Snyder.
“A powerful account of traditional Thai magick written into the skin of a dedicated spiritual seeker. Sheer Zed approaches his pilgrimage and healing journey with great sensitivity and bravery and is transformed in partnership with the Ajarn and living spirits who now share his body. An important resource for those drawn to the transformative magic of tattoo and the traditional magical arts that the Thai people have gifted to the world.” Peter Grey, author of The Red Goddess and cofounder of Scarlet Imprint
“An authentic initiate, Sheer Zed has written an intriguing, indepth exploration of Sak Yant and the complex initiation practices of Thai Buddhism, sharing his own moving story of loss, discovery, and transformation during four separate pilgrimages. Essential reading for anyone interested in Thai tattoo magick.” June Kent, editor of Indie Shaman
“A fascinating glimpse into the invisibilia of Thai culture, and one that invites—even needs—participation in order to be fully understood. Herein, the reader will find luck-bringing Jing Jok spirits, a ‘redneck ghost doctor,’ and a person seeking—and perhaps finding—something clear and real while still sitting with human(e)-ness with its foibles, its messiness, and its often-unseen beauty. Sheer Zed takes us along for the trip through an autobiography en spiritu traced upon skin and etched in the heart-mind.” John Anderson, DAOM, author of The Way of the Living Ghost and Opening the Vermillion Spirit
“Sheer Zed offers this fascinating account of the forgotten sacred art of body inscription. Vivid, visceral, and valiant. Stories of integrity and adventure abound. As readers, we travel on the author’s words to a world rarely seen and reverently understood.” Sara McCarthy, musician and professional tarot reader
Sheer Zed is a writer, Buddhist shaman, musician, and artist. He has contributed to Hadean Press, Indie Shaman, Rituals & Declarations, and many other publications. A countercultural activist, underground music artist, and magickal practitioner for more than 30 years, he lives in Bristol, United Kingdom.
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