A review of Yogini Magic by Denny Sargent (Hermeticusnath)

Śiva speaks of the Yoginis. They look terrifying, with blazing eyes and 50 lakhs (5,000,000) of faces.

-Yogini Tantra

The roots of Yogini worship are outside the normal orthodox Brahmanical traditions. The Yogini traditions are tantric in nature and therefore have strong connections to rural and tribal traditions. The origin of the Yoginis appears to be in small, rural villages. They are local village goddesses, grama devatas, who look over the welfare of an individual village . Through Tantrism, these local deities were able to gain new forms and vitality as a group of goddesses who could impart magical powers to their worshippers

http://www.mahavidya.ca/2010/02/11/the-64-yoginis/

Gregory Peters is a Tantric brother and accomplished author, and I am honored to recommend his new delicious book on the Yogini. The Yogini have a number of aspects but no book that I have read strikes me to the heart about these demi-goddesses like this book- I can not recommend it enough. Not just because of the factual and esoteric information, but because it is rare to have such a book pull you into the magic and mystical world of these powerful and real spiritual forces. It is less a book about Yogini and more a travelog about entering the secret world of the Yogini and sharing the mind-blowing experiences and transformations of the author in the embrace of the Yogini. I have begun with two quotes to both offer an explanation about what the Yogini are but also, hopefully, infer that in the Twilight World of our Tantrika things are not so defined. Other places refer to Yoginis as holy women Tantrics who achieved a kind of divinity, other places refer to them as Nature Spirits, manifested personas of Kalika, Jai Ma! Wholly Tantric in nature, often ignored by Brahmanical Hinduism, Mr. Peters has peeled away the layers, slowly, carefully, sometimes drifting into visionary experiences and direct gnosis of these powerful goddesses who are, when we look, everywhere. No one has really delved as deeply as Mr. Peters has into the eternal Shakti mysterious magic of these holy helpers, initiators, and energy-transferring goddess forms. He calls these female demi-gods ‘Witch Goddesses’ with real insight, for they are the spirits who dance about Kali and Shiva and offer up the true Tantric view of Magic, spells, transformations and orgasmic experiences as he tracked amidst the high peaks of the Himalayas! The scene where a Yogini Spirit reached into him on such a trek and (literally) blew his mind stuck with me. The reason is that I have had such experiences in our fantastic Tantric universe, I’ve had Naga Spirits open my mind and speak with me, I’ve had the goddess Kali embrace and change me, I have seen and been transformed by the wild Ganas, feral spirit horde of Shiva led by GanaPati. As I read this book there were a number of ‘YES!” moments for me in tune with his experiences. His treks are more adventurous than mine, but I have chanted in the high peaks of Nepal, been to Pashipati Nath and visited many Nath Guru shrines- most of all, and here is where my heart beats with him- I truly embraced Kali Ma during a festival where the river ran red with goat blood and the spirits, aspects and powers swirled about me. I mention these experiences because Mr. Peters ignites his mystical potent experiences into a flame of real gnosis and in this book, lets you sit by the fire of Ma and open to the magic that Tantrika can bring. With Kali Ma comes the array of Yoginis and they descend when you are open as primal powers of magic who exist to continue illuminating those who are ready.

I have recently been writing books on Feral Magic, focusing on liminal and feral deities who are deep natural, animistic entities and shapeshifters. This book fell into my hands just as I was presenting on primal shapeshifting and -yea! Mr. Peters book on Yoginis opened yet another door into the feral, primal mysteries. I love this book. As a Witch as well as a Tantric, I am enthralled by how this book unfolds, anyone involved in primal ‘trad’ magic or witchcraft will immediately recognize hundreds of similarities. Fantastic stull. Mr. Peters opens many gates but avoids being pedantic or overly academic, bringing the reality and spiritual powers into a narrative that is both succinct and trance-inducing. If you have had mystical experiences, encounters or visions of otherworldly spirits and deities, or experienced trance possession and the flow of magic through you, you will find this book very useful.

The Great Goddess is the pivot around which this book turns. Mr. Peters and I both refer to Kali as the supreme goddess in places (We belong to some of the same lineages so no big surprise!) but he also makes sure to emphasize the fluidity and multifacetedness of Maha Devi; The Great Goddess. He significantly points to one of Her titles being Maha Yogini which struck me like a bolt of lightning- indeed! As Kaulas (Tantrics) the title Kaula Yogini resonated with me as well. Are the Yogini transcendent femaleTantrikas who became divine? Are they Nature Spirits, Empowered Witches, aspects of the Great Goddess? They are all these things! One of the things this book does well is gently drop the reader into the Tantric world where contradictions are fine and where entities and experiences can be many things at once, this is a powerful truth. As the book progresses he wanders like a sadhu in the mountains, touching upon the powerful Nath Guru Matsyendranath and the seminal book he wrote on the Yoginis and the various Yogini Cults while pulling the reader more and more into our Tantric twilight world, this was a real joy for me to read. The revelation of the mysterious Moon Island of the Yogini, the magic of the Shaktis or energies unlocked in the body and mind, the weaving of chakras in this Magic, all are wonderful. I especially loved the image of the horned ‘Lord of the Sabbat’ image, a bow to western Witch Cults, so much like the Yogini Cults. In a similar way Mr. Peters dives into the sacred Matrikas, the great Mothers, an ancient grouping of fierce, powerful goddesses I got to know well during my Time in Nepal. This all madam me so glad, because we are in the HEART of ancient Tantra here, not Hinduism (a religion) but the Magical tradition. We work directly with our gods, goddesses and spirits, we don’t need priests to do so or orthodoxy or lots of books. We immerse in magic, direct gnosis and dancing with the spirits, especially the Yogini! Mr. Peters does an excellent job conveying all this in a personal and interesting manner throughout. When he unveils the siddhis (magic powers) conveyed by the Yoginis I was overjoyed, here was a clear unfolding of a complex topic and I learned a lot from this. Such things can become so arcane, wrapped up in complex mystical language but Mr. Peters clears the path and keeps things centered and focused so anyone entering this delightful forest wont get too lost. I especially agree about the importance of Bhakti, intense devotion, this is something I too write about in my Tantric work. LOVE is the key to working with all the Tantric gods and goddesses, but he makes it clear how intensely such human-divine relationships, and the universe, are centered on Bhakti. One of my favorite quotes is where he makes a crucial comment about the wildness of real Tantra! The need for Gurus, hierarchy, strict initiation and so on is not always as crucial as some believe. While I very much honor my Gurus and initiations, he makes the important point that anyone can enter the Twilight World as they will, most easily in wild nature. As he states regarding seeking Yoginis in this way:

In my experience, tantra, and specifically the Yoginis, are open to everyone with a sincere heart and desire. No tradition or person holds the key; the gatekeepers are the Yoginis themselves. Initiation into their Mysteries will come directly from the Yoginis. If you can win their favor, they will initiate you.

Exactly. This happened to me with the Naga.

To wrap us (I could go on!) I shall point out a few key things in this amazing work that I heartily agree with and bow to his wisdom in offering and explaining to his readers.

Meditation is crucial in this and any other Tantric work. If you are serious about working with Dakinis and other Tantric deity forms, you really need to be meditating regularly. It has been crucial to my work for several decades and Mr. Peters beautifully explains its importance. Mr. Peters extolls and explains visualization, pranayama, asanas, mantra, kavacha, mudras, chakras, Shri Vidya and more. All these are ancient and practical Tantric practices (and more) that are key to all Tantric magic and he clearly shows how this is done so anyone with this book can dive in. Bravo!

One of my favorite lines in the book is sincerity and intent are paramount. Indeed. I would add consistency as well. Another key to this book is how very important Kali is. Many goddesses entered what is now Nepal and India as tribes entered and changed the cultures there, but Kali, ah, she has always been here. She is MA, the protector of the Kaulas and so important when doing Magic, for she is the ultimate Magical being!

Mr. Peters really brings so many crucial aspects of Yogini Magic and Tantra home by revealing how to do this magic and how to tie it all together and make it work. This book is delightful, easy to follow and I recommend that anyone interested in Yogini Magic or Tantra in general get this book and follow its instructions! I have been a Tantric since 1980 and have experience, I ran a Kula and temple for years and just finished a book on Tantra: Here is the greatest praise I can give this book: There is nothing in this book that I disagree with in any way. Not one thing. I would feel very comfortable handing this book to anyone interested in the Tantric path and will recommend it to everyone.. Thank you Gregory Peters, Adesh Adesh Svechacharya !