Book Review: Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow

Shannon Knight, Dark Shadow, Golden Shadow: magickal and tarot to confront your fears & free your potential. Newbury Port, MA: Weiser Books, 2025.   

 

Genre: Tarot, cartomancy

Subgenre: Psychology

Format: e-book galley

Source: Edelweiss Plus 

 

There must be a small trend of books on Tarot and shadow work going on. This is the second book on the topic I've read recently, and I got at least one more on the reading list. The first one so far, if you are curious, was Tarot and the Psychology of the Soul (link to my review). The book I am reviewing now does include other additional magical tools in addition to Tarot to help in your inner work journey. 

The book features an introduction, eight chapters, a final notes, and a list of references. The author uses secular, therapeutic, and psychological elements in the book and in their work. 

A strength of the book is in the various exercises and techniques. Some use Tarot, and for the most part as long as you have a Rider Waite Smith (RWS) deck or an RWS-based deck, you are good to go.  Note that the author says you can also use an oracle deck if you are so inclined. For other exercises the most you may need is your journal and a pen.

The books has some parts that may be a little heavy on the psychological jargon. It is not always an easy read, but hang with it. The book brings together theory and techniques to help you do your inner work and expand your self-awareness. 

An interesting element is the inclusion of the golden shadow, our positive elements we may keep buried for various reasons. This is in contrast to the dark shadow, the negative elements we keep buried and that books on shadow work usually discuss. The golden shadow adds an uplifting element, and it can help readers maintain a better overall balance. 

This may be a book for more intermediate to advanced readers. You don't need to read Jung's work or other psychological texts to read this book. If you've read those texts, you might appreciate the book a bit better. Still, I would say get the book for the techniques and exercises; you get plenty of value there and a lot of prompts for the work.

If your library collects esoterica, they may want to add this one. It might also be of interest for libraries' psychology collections. Overall, this is one I really liked.

4 out of 5 stars. 

Additional reading notes:  

The author's hope for the book: 

"My hope is that within these pages you also find value in the merger of two different, but complementary worlds: shadow work and tarot. In your shadow work quest, I hope this book becomes your companion in helping you discover deeper layers of insight, self-compassion, and a more confident understanding of yourself. The work ahead may be challenging, but it's also profoundly rewarding" (3).

 

On how to use this book: 

"Instead, this book serves as an introductory guide to help you begin (or deepen) your shadow work journey. Each chapter offers insights, practical exercises, and reflective prompts designed to help you explore different facets of your shadow self" (3). 

 

Defining shadow work: 

"Shadow work is the process of acknowledging the repressed and rejected parts of ourselves and bringing those parts into our conscious awareness to help us feel whole, integrated, and self-aware" (5). 

 

On the golden shadow, the positive aspects we may be repressing: 

"The golden shadow can include untapped or suppressed potential related to creativity, intuition, and curiosity, among other qualities. By discovering and then embracing these golden shadows, we can enhance our lives and relationships, bringing our life a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment. Shadow work is not just about confronting the dark; it's also about reclaiming the full spectrum of who we are" (11). 

 

On radical acceptance: 

"Radical acceptance is the recognition that certain things are beyond our control, and instead of resisting or fighting against them, we choose to accept them as they are. This does not mean we condone these behaviors or traits, or agree with them; it just means we accept that certain experiences that happened (or in this case, certain shadows were formed) and focus on how we respond to it" (36).

 

Why Tarot is beneficial for shadow work: 

"Tarot is a beneficial tool for exploring the shadow and its functions because it provides a visual outlet to witness shadow material and its complexes and projections in a safe and accessible way" (70). 

  

This book qualifies for the following 2026 Reading Challenge: 

 

Media Notes: Roundup for August 2026

 

 

  

 

Welcome to my somewhat random selection of the movies and series on DVD and/or online I watched during June 2026.

Movies and films (links to IMDB.com for basic information unless noted otherwise). Some of these I watched via TubiTv.com or other online source. The DVDs come from the public library (unless noted otherwise). In addition, I will try to add other trivia notes, such as when a film is based on a book adding the information about the book (at least the WorldCat record if available). 

• Aladdin (2026. Thriller. Horror). Plot description: "A group of friends vacation on a lake front cabin and find Aladdin's ancient lamp which grants 3 terrible wishes." For the record, this is not your kids' Disney Aladdin or any other sweet fairy tale. Film opens with a small narrative to tell the story of the lamp and its sinister power for wishes are not as simple as the cute fairy tales would have you believe. Beware what you wish for. From there, we move to the present day with Rachel and her partner arriving to the cabin. She finds the lamp, and initially they ignore it, but soon curiosity gets the better of her, and we all know what happens when curiosity strikes. The film uses music pretty well to set up mood and build up tension. The movie is a bit more thriller than outright horror. It builds up pretty well. The last act in the last 25 minutes or so gets a bit convoluted, but it is still an interesting twist. The movie is good, not great. Acting is decent enough; then again, it is a small cast of the four friends staying in the house for a weekend.  The plot works in a relatively simple way, and pace does move along. Not much slow time once things get going. In the end, it was OK for me, so 2 out of 5 stars. Watched 8/1/2026 via TubiTv.
• Side note. There must be a small trend going on of remaking or reshaping classic fairy tales into horror films. Cinderella's Curse, which I watched last month is an example. Most of these are independent films, and Tubi is picking up a few of them. For me, the trailers seem interesting, so I find myself watching one of these films here and there. 
• Side note. By the way, that lake front cabin is a seriously huge house, more like a mansion. The house does have some narrow hallways that can make it feel a bit claustrophobic and then some very open spaces. It all adds well to the atmosphere. Also the big house does not help Rachel's megalophobia, which we learn for certain when a friend casually mentions it; we got some hints when Rachel arrived and was uncomfortable about the house's size.
• Also, small detail, Rachel, who arrives first to the house with her boyfriend, is dressed in a top, bare midriff, and pants in green. The wardrobe in a subtle way makes her look a bit like the fairy tale princess.  
• By the way, Aladdin is barely mentioned as part of an old story one of the guys tell when researching the lamp, and a bit further down the movie plot (but I won't say more to avoid spoilers).
• Medusa (2021. Horror). Plot description: "After being bitten by a lethal snake, a young woman experiences changes in her senses and appearance, as she sheds her old self and slowly turns into a deadly weapon."  The trailer gave me the impression this might be a bit of a wronged woman finds power and gets revenge kind of story, so took a chance since I do like a revenge story now and then. This is another independent film. We start with Carly, a young prostitute with a bit of a heroin habit who returns to the campground where it seems she used to work with a few other women. Her pimp brings her back after it appears she broke off with some other guy. Everything seems fine until the pimp leads her to a client out of the campground. He happens to have an affinity for snakes, and one of them bites her when they are having sex. So we may think, OK, she got paid, guy was a little kinky, no big deal. Except soon she does start to see signs of change. Meanwhile, the madam and other girls think issues Carly may have with a client where she bites him may be due to her heroin habit, and since she is not forthcoming, they have no way of knowing. But we the audience know. Soon Carly discovers it is more than just a snake bite, and she embraces her new powers, but it does take her time to fully figure them out. Movie is a bit slow as Carly discovers her changes gradually. There is a bit of suspense, horror element is a bit on the light side. It does have a pretty good ending. Despite a bit of slow pacing, I liked this movie. To be honest, I was not sure what to expect, but what I got was pretty good. I found the story intriguing, and I appreciated Carly coming into her strength and getting her justice. 3 out of 5 stars. Via TubiTv. Watched 8/1.
• Medusa's Venom (2023. Horror). Plot description: "The beast is back and her venom is deadlier than ever. When newcomer Lola is welcomed into Medusa's circle, she endures a ritual to bring her closer to her new sisters." Turns out Medusa had a sequel, so what the heck, I am watching it. We return the prostitutes' camp, though we get a mostly new cast, members of the cult we met in the first film. When Lola arrives, the others have to decide to let her into their midst or not. There is where a bit of the movie's suspense lies. The group trying to see if Lola can join them, and Lola being a bit more curious than would be good for her. Pacing here is a bit slower than the first, focus is on Lola's eventual transformation despite initial misgivings and a young man who may be smitten with her. Movie is more suspense that horror. Most of the horror is in the last act. I like this one, but it is not a big deal. I liked it enough to give it 3 out of 5 stars, though I like the first a bit better. Via TubiTv. Watched 8/15.
• X-Ray (1981. Horror. Thriller. Also known as Hospital Massacre). Plot description: "A hospital becomes hell for a woman who finds herself at the mercy of a deranged killer posing as a doctor who may have ties to her past."  For starters, this is a Cannon Group film, which gives folks an idea what we might expect. The connection is a common story in a few of these 80s slashers: young girl rejects a boy that may or not be awkward somehow. Boy grows up, becomes successful, and wants revenge. Talk about holding a grudge. Then again, she grows up to be a bit of a bitch, divorced, and, pardon the language, so hard to sympathize with her. We start in 1961, and then movie moves to 19 years later. Overall the plot is fairly ridiculous, but the kills are fairly good for a slasher film. Still the plot as a whole is a blend of ridiculous, unnecessarily complicated, and just at times laughable. You really need to suspend the disbelief here, and that may take a bit of work. If the plot was not so convoluted, and some of the setting's choices not so ridiculous that they make you not able to just go with it, this film would work as a decent slasher movie. The kills are pretty good, and there is some suspense within the bad plotting. I'd say this is OK at most, so 2 stars out of 5, but barely. Not really the best Cannon could do. Though we can add Barbie Benton, the lead, was pretty easy on the eyes. Watched 8/2 via TubiTv. 
• The common story reminded me of the later film Valentine, which I watched back in 2021.  
• If anything, the movie early on has some small scares here or there, often with a touch of humor, just to make sure you know this is a horror movie, and there is something wrong in the hospital. 
• Gotta love these older films with details like our protagonist sitting a moment in a hospital hallway and lights a cigarette. Less restrictive times. 
• Not sure about some of the soundtrack using music that sounds like choir music from films like The Exorcist, but you do get the scary mood they are going for. Rest of the music works well enough.
• By the way, this is a seriously unprofessional hospital. The villain changes her exam results folder. Whatever is in the new folder, apparently makes it sound like she has something bad (she is there for a casual check up for her medical insurance), and no one tells her what is in the folder as doctors take turns looking at it. Then when one doctor tells her to undress for who knows what reason, she complies without even asking. Today she'd be screaming sexual harassment or at least making a fuss. By this point, I am honestly curious what the fuck did the killer put in her chart that makes the one doctor  do a full body exam on her. Oh, and by the way, no one can find her regular doctor (you can guess why). Simpler times I suppose. 
• We get halfway to the movie, and while the killer has killed a few more victims, which have not been discovered yet, no one still tells her what her condition is. Even when they redo the blood work, again, the killer changes the new folder, and apparently they think she has some deadly condition, but again, heaven forbid anyone tells her. I know keeping her in the hospital is part of the plot, but still, this is getting ridiculous.
• Oh, and the security is not that much better in the hospital. Even when people scream when getting killed, no one comes to check, no security guards, no nurses when you need them, so on. And by the way, for some reason no one ever thinks to try turning on a light switch when needed. 
• Oh, and fact she makes some dumb choices, as often happens in a slasher film, does not help her either.   
• And by the way, on a final note, we never find out what deadly disease or condition was in the fake folder that the doctors thought she had that was necessary to keep her in the hospital. 
• Oh, and that ending kind of makes you go, really? After all that, we get this?
• Beware the Lake (2017. Horror). Plot description: "A dead high schooler rises from her watery grave to take revenge on the jealous cheerleaders who drugged and murdered her." From the opening sequence, for a moment I thought I was watching the wrong movie. We seem to be in an  Eastern European setting, or at least a rural setting where they speak some kind of Eastern European sounding language, out in some woods where a little girl gets killed by a bear. Mom takes the remaining bloody ribbon of the girl to a witch, not sure why. As the scene ends, someone comes back to the mom ominously, and the opening credits roll transitioning to the present. I get now the opening is to provide a bit of clue about the curse we will see later. Overall, the movie is OK at best. The premise is good, but the pacing is slow, and the movie seems a bit stretched at times. The acting is not that much better either. Also does take a bit of a while before we get the first victim. Deaths are not terribly gory, not that is necessarily bad, but to be honest they are kind of meh. The ending felt like they ran out of time. I am willing to give it 2 out of 5 stars at the most. I'd consider this an optional watch. Watched 8/15 via TubiTv. 
• By the way, early on we learn the one girl, Tabitha, and her aunt Drina come from a Roma family, thus the Eastern European context. Her aunt and her move into a small American town. 
• The cheerleaders are mean mostly for the sake of being mean to the new girl in town. Really, other than being petty blonde bimbos and racist to boot, there is no other motivation. So let us be honest, we can't wait for dead girl from beyond to start taking her revenge. 
• The cops investigating the first death, the sheriff and deputy, are comically barely competent. Their comic relief, brief as it was, is part of why I did not rate the movie lower. His crime theories are a bit out there. 

 

Television and other series (basic show information links via Wikipedia unless noted otherwise). Some of these come in DVD from the public library. Others may be via YouTube, which, as noted before, I keep finding all sorts of other old shows in it, often full episodes:

• Gangsters: America's Most Evil (True crime. Documentary). Plot description: "documentary television series that airs on Reelz which profiles notorious criminals whose crimes involve murder, drug trafficking, racketeering, and human trafficking." Series has 6 seasons out. Tubi has the first two seasons, and I found the rest over at the Roku Channel, so I will likely catch up over there.
• I continued and finished watching the first season this month.   
• In season 2, episode 2, about Bartolome Moya, a kingpin who gets sent home by a judge to die, i.e. on humanitarian grounds, but then manages to get a heart transplant and escapes, OK, that is quite the crime story.
• How It's Made (2001-2019. Documentary).  Documentary series that focuses on how common items are made. TubiTv has 24 of the 32 seasons, which is still plenty to watch. Each episode features three or four items, and it lasts about 20 minutes without ads. I started watching this month, and I watch an episode here or there when I want something easy to watch. For the older episodes, it is interesting to see how some of the items by now may seem out of date given how tech has advanced since 2001, but for many others they are still made the same way. As a kid, this is the kind of show I would've loved, so appeals to my inner child a bit. In the U.S, the Science Channel used to carry this show. I managed to watch 7 episodes of the first season this month, and I will continue watching.
• Transformers Prime (2010-2013. Science Fiction. Animated). Plot description: "Roll out with all-new adventures starring Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Arcee, and the rest of the heroic Autobots as they battle the evil Decepticons!" Caught my eye in part due to the 3D animation.  Did not really watch this when it was on TV, so taking a chance. Tubi has all three seasons plus some specials. I started watching last weekend of the month, and I got through the first season. The series is mostly OK; we'll see if I keep watching or not next month.  
• On a small side note, the series on TubiTv lacks closed captioning.  
• Series has the usual issue with most of the Transformers series, namely, the pesky humans. Part of why I prefer series like Beast Wars and Beast Machines, no humans. 
• Once you get past the five-part pilot episode, the individual episodes vary in quality with some better than others. One or two you can probably skip. Still, so far, for some kids, the series can be entertaining. May not hold up as well for adults, though the animation looks pretty good.  
• In addition to the Decepticons, the series adds another villain: the human Silas and his MECH organization which want the Transformers technology for their own ends.  

 

10 Books About Books and Reading I Have Read

I recently realized that I have read quite a few books about books and the reading life, so I decided to pick out ten to share with my four readers. The books are not listed in any particular order, and I am including links to the reviews so readers can learn more if they wish. 

Paperbacks from Hell: the Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction.

Words Onscreen: the Fate of Reading in a Digital World.

 A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict.

 Book Love.

 

Browsings: a Year of Reading, Collecting, and Living With Books.

 The Card Catalog: Books, Cards, and Literary Treasures.

 The Bookshop Book.

 

 

 The Public Library: a Photographic Essay.

 

 

 The Library at Night.

 The Reader's Book of Days: True Tales from the Lives and Works of Writers for Every Day of the Year.

 

 

 

Book Review: Writing Timbuktu

Shamil Jeppie, Writing Timbuktu: the book in West African history. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2026. ISBN: 9780691273853. 

Genre: history, books

Subgenre: African Studies

Format: hardback

Source: Hutchins Library, Berea College.  

 

This book is a history of books and scholarly book culture in West Africa. Though much of the focus is on Timbuktu, the author makes clear that other cities in the region were book centers as well. One important detail I learned is that printed books did not arrive in West Africa until the early 20th century. Books in this context are handwritten books. Written by hand, these books for the most part were unbound pages held together by leather covers. Even with the availability of print books today, this manuscript culture still survives and thrives. 

The book features an introduction, eight chapters, and an epilogue. It also includes notes and a bibliography. In addition it features a few illustrations that I found helpful to visualize the kinds of books the author discusses. 

Most of these books were written by religions, i.e. Muslim, scholars writing for other scholars. Topics include religious commentary, doctrine, and legal opinions. Along the way, the author also discusses the book culture and how these scholars were educated by scholars who came before them. They formed a healthy scholarly community. Many students were taught in person by a scholar, but we do get at least one case of a student learning via letter writing, an early case of a correspondence course. 

I appreciated that the author acknowledges limitations. If a detail is known, he explains how we know. If not, he acknowledges we just don't know at this time. Overall, what we do know he documents well and cites sources. 

The book as a whole is interesting, especially if you enjoy books about book culture. It is an academic book, so it can be a bit dry on the narrative here and there. The author does a good job of starting at Timbuktu then expanding into the region to the writers of today. I learned a part of book history that is not widely known. I do hope more people read it and learn too. 

This book is mainly for academic libraries, especially those with strong African studies programs and/or humanities and history. Some LIS programs may find it of interest. It may be a bit too esoteric for public libraries. 

In the end, I liked it. 

3 out of 5 stars. 

 

Deck Review: Incubus Tarot

 Davide Furno (creator and artist) and Charles Harrington (text author), Incubus Tarot. Torino, Italy: Lo Scarabeo, 2024 (link to publisher). 

Genre: Tarot, cartomancy

Subgenre: demons, shadow, surreal

Format: kit with small book and deck

Source: I own this one 

The High Priestess-II 

This 78-card set includes the deck and a small companion book. Typical of Lo Scarabeo, the book's text in in multiple languages: English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. On a side note, I am wondering if the Bad Economy is affecting Lo Scarabeo because they seem to be cutting back on language translations. They used to also have languages like Chinese and Russian, but now what remains other than English are Romance languages. The book has 127 pages of text; it has 49 pages for the English text. The text is arranged as follows: 

• A deck of demons. This is a brief description of the deck's theme of demons. Demons here are not just supernatural demons; they can be your inner demons, part of your shadow. 
• A Tarot with three voices. This section explains the three points of view every card offers: essence, whispers of the abyss, and reversed, and they are briefly explained. The author recommends shuffling the cards so you get upside down (reversed) cards. I don't usually do reversals, but that is because I can usually sense a reversed meaning on an upright card. I'd say do what works for you. 
• The Devil and Angel on your shoulder spread. This a simple 3-card spread. 
• The cards. This is where you get the card entries. We start with the Major Arcana followed by the Minor Arcana suits: cups, pentacles, wands, and swords. All card entries feature the same text of essence, whispers of the abyss, and reversed meaning, basically three short paragraphs per card. 

The book overall is pretty basic, yet I found the card interpretations to be interesting and worth reading. Can you read the cards without the book? Probably, but you may miss some of the cards' full wisdom. 

The card art is mostly in grey tones with some additional limited colors such as purple tones. Up front you can tell this is a dark deck, which works fine for me as I like dark decks. If you are more into sun and light and bright, this deck may not be for you. The art at times has a surreal quality. You can see the artist paid attention to detail. The characters featured in the cards are expressive and show emotions well. 

Five of Pentacles 

For the most part, the card art falls within the Rider Waite Smith (RWS) tradition. The art is expressive enough that the deck can work for intuitive readers. The cards do spark the imagination. 

The cards measure about 4 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches. The card back art is not reversible. Each card is identified by simple print font in a black ribbon at the bottom of a card. The card stock is a bit thin, typical of Lo Scarabeo style. The cards have a soft gloss and shuffle with relative ease. 

Overall I love this deck, and it is now one my favorites. This is one I'd buy a back up copy to make sure I am not without it. You can use it year round, but I would prefer using it during the dark time of the year. This is one I highly recommend. 

5 out of 5 stars.  

 Decks with similar appeal factors that I have used. Links go to my reviews: 

• I got the deck in part because Charles Harrington wrote the text. He also wrote the text for the Murder of Crows Tarot, Tarot of the Vampires, and Tarot V. 
• The Ludy Lescot Tarot. 
• The Dark Fairytale Tarot.