Turtle

The title of this post is clickbait. I, unfortunately, have not read every book ever. Not all of these books are particularly “dark” either. However, these are my recommendations for your dark academia fix. The quality of each of these books varies. I have limited this list to books that are directly linked to the world of academia and/or which have a vaguely academic setting.

Dark Academia staples:

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

Dead Poets Society by Nancy H. Kleinbaum

Vita Nostra by Maryna Dyachenko

Dark academia litfic or contemporary:

Bunny by Mona Awad

The Idiot by Elif Batuman

These Violent Delights by Micah Nemerever

White Ivy by Susie Yang

The Cloisters by Katy Hays

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Black Chalk by Christopher J. Yates

Attribution by Linda Moore

Dark academia thrillers or horror:

In My Dreams I Hold a Knife by Ashley Winstead

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides

Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo

The It Girl by Ruth Ware

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian

Dark academia fantasy/sci-fi:

Babel: An Arcane History by R.F. Kuang

The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

The Betrayals by Bridget Collins

Dark academia romance:

Gothikana by RuNyx

Alone With You in the Ether by Olivie Blake

Dark academia YA or MG:

Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson

A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn

Crave by Tracy Wolff

Wilder Girls by Rory Power

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Dark academia miscellaneous:

My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou

🌌 Guiding Light of Dharma 🌷🌠

Kōshin (庚申) or Kōshin-shinkō (庚申信仰) is a folk faith in Japan with Taoist origins, influenced by Shinto, Buddhism and other local beliefs. A typical event related to the faith is called Kōshin-kō (庚申講), held on the Kōshin days that occur every 60 days in accordance with the Chinese sexagenary cycle.

On this day some believers stay awake to prevent Sanshi (三尸), entities believed to live inside the body of believers, from leaving it during that night in order to report the good and specially the bad deeds of the believer to the god Ten-Tei.

It is not clearly certain when such custom arrived or came into fashion in Japan, although it is believed that by some time in the 9th century it had been already practiced at least by aristocrats. A Japanese monk called Ennin wrote in his travel book upon visiting Tang China in 838, that “Tonight people are not sleeping. It is the same as in our country on Kōshin nights.” In the Muromachi period, Buddhist monks started to write about the Kōshin, which led to wider popularity of the faith among public. Numerous monuments or pillars called Kōshin-tō (庚申塔) (or also Kōshin-zuka (庚申塚)) were erected all over the country and the faith remained very popular through the Edo period. When the Meiji Government issued the Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order in 1872, folk beliefs were turned down as superstitious, Kōshin belief too losing popularity as a result.

Today, the Kōshin belief still survives, although it is far less popular and receives smaller recognition than it once did, due to the absence of any central organization to help promote such faith because of its folkloric nature. While many Kōshin-tō were moved, for example, to inside Buddhist temples or even to private houses to be protected, there are many remaining along historical roads as well. There are also well maintained Kōshin-dō (庚申堂), built in respect for the Kōshin, sometimes attached to Buddhist temples, or otherwise in stand-alone.

We worship kamisama, not ‘gods’. If you have to, ‘deities’ is OK to say but kami are not gods.

It is not okay to combine Shinto with anything other than Buddhism, which it has been historically connected with. If you practice something else, keep it separate.

Do not use Shinto or the kami in your western witchcraft or paganism. Those are very separate. Japanese culture has its own methods of sorcery and such which I will not share here as of now.

It is imperative that you use the appropriate suffixes for kamisama. Post on that upcoming.

It’s “Shinto”, not “Shintoism”. “Shinto practitioner” not “Shintoist”.

Don’t exoticize it. Orientalists GTFO.

Just like any religious community, Shintō and Buddhism are not free from harmful cults -- ranging from spiritual pyramid scheme groups to groups that purchase shrines and take over their administration.

For community benefit, I will list some key red flags, as these groups often post online and expand their following on social media. Please note that context should be paid attention to; use your judgement. If there are multiple traits present in a group, I highly suggest keeping your distance.

Focus on past lives. It is not wrong to believe in reincarnation, but claiming to be a reincarnation of a specific, usually powerful historical figure or kamisama/buddha etc. is an instant red flag.

Talk of Japanese being a secret lost tribe of Israel

Other, usually antisemitic and xenophobic conspiracy theories, including, but not limited to: The Star of David is the same as the kagome-mon. This type of behavior can build off of the same kind of conspiracy theories in the West; there are plenty of Qanon believers in the Japanese religious sphere, unfortunately.

Pseudohistory such as: speaking of the Hitsuki Shinji oracles as legitimate historical texts, or favoring Jindai Moji scripts.

Claims to reconstructed prehistorical Jōmon era religion - this can include some Koshintō movements, so again, use your judgement well.

Reliance on one figure as a central authority, especially when disregarding others.

Reliance on oracles and prophecies heard by one central figure

Putting down other sects or traditions

Circumventing ordainment/training for clergy

Talk of auras, "the spiritual" in a vague sense, referring to shrines and temples as "power spots" (some more normal folks do this last one, but that's because the influence of New Agers is actually pretty significant -- but it decenters the importance of kamisama in a shrine or buddhas/bodhisattvas etc. in a temple).

Focus on prehistoric shamanic queen Himiko, female kamisama and Ryūjin-sama (use your judgement wisely here). TERFy New Age cults exist in Japan as they do elsewhere, and this often is accompanied by focus on Himiko etc.

Overemphasis of shamanic elements of Shintō (while a historic truth, often endangers people with mental illness and lacks healthy balance)

Using nonprofit or charity-type locations that seem secular at a glance to recruit members (the infamous Aum Shinrikyō has two descendant cults which recruit through yoga classes)

Talk of ancient mother goddess worship (influenced by Western pseudohistory, a la Wicca)

Excessive focus on messages and signs from kamisama, usually in the context of shrine visits (this is not to say you cannot have signs, but rather that balance is necessary)

Damaging shrine property; hugging goshinboku

Ignoring or speaking over experts and clergy, especially when asked to stop

Informing other worshippers at a shrine that they are bowing, clapping wrong

Incorporating Western New Age or pagan practices

Focus on healing (with the common sense exception of kamisama or Jizō known for healing)

Suggesting or demanding you buy a product or service, especially for health conditions, job issues etc. There is a reason for the common trope of shady people selling expensive ceramic pots to people who are vulnerable.

Multiple members are romantically or sexually interested in or involved with the leader/central figure.

Recruitment either by lay members or from officials. This situation can be tricky, but most shrines no longer do this. Shrines with official worship groups will have posters and such, but will not prosletyze.

Slavic mythology from A to Z:

Slavic culture

aka the place to start whether you are curious about the customs of your slavic ancestors, looking into slavic witchcraft or interested in pre-christian slavic religion

Slavic folklore - didactical guidelines by Laima Anglickiene: a great handbook on the subject of slavic folklore in general originally created for the use of lithuanian students

Some of my personal favorites:

Russian folk belief by Linda Ivanits

Russian folk epics by James Bailey and Tatyana Ivanova

Coexistence or Conflict? The Problem of Dual Belief in Polish Folklore by Anna Brzozowska-Krajka

Collection of articles gathered by Lamus Dworski (mostly Western Slavic).

Slavic pantheons

That’s right I said pantheons. There was no one universal pantheon for all slavic tribes and every internet-bred divine family tree that tells you otherwise is misinformation.

Non-academic intro post - why slavic paganism IS NOT CLOSED and why some people claim that it is

The mythology of all races volume III - celtic, slavic by Jan Máchal: I don’t see this little gem mentioned a lot but the slavic section of this book is a great introductory read for people interested in slavic religion 101 course; it’s sadly quite old and we certainly made some more progress since, but when it comes to slavic stuff one just has to work with some older material

Sources of Slavic Pre-Christian Religion by Juan Antonio Àlvarez-Pedrosa: this brilliant (and quite recent) creation compiles all known medieval sources on pre-christian slavic religion, segregated by language.

The gods of Ancient Slavs by Myroslava Znayenko: if you can’t afford the one above there’s always free access to this collection of sources on pre-christian slavic religion; a bit aged publication though

Supernatural beings from Slovenian myth and folktales by Monika Kropej

Journal Studia Mythologica Slavica: some articles were featured in Lamus Dworski’s collection, but much more came out since

Slavonic Pagan Sanctuaries by Leszek Paweł Słupecki: focuses on ancient slavic places of cult - temples, idols, sacred groves etc. and the way they functioned in slavic society and religion

New Researches on the Religion and Mythology of the Pagan Slavs edited by Patrice Lajoye: a great collection of articles about Slavic Paganism, though I wouldn’t recommend it as your very first read on the subject, you can sample it by reading the “Slavic deities of death” linked further on the list.

Baba Yaga. The Ambiguous Mother and Witch of the Russian Folktale by Andreas Johns: in case you wanted to get engaged in the is-she-or-isn’t-she-a-deity discussion

Fierce Feminine Divinities of Eurasia and Latin America by Małgorzata Oleszkiewicz-Peralba: this is a bit of an odd duck in the group as it focuses on four different deities (Baba Yaga, Kali, Pombagira, Santa Muerte) and only one of them Slavic; nonetheless if you are starved for academically approached discussion on Baba Yaga as a goddess you’ll very much enjoy the first part, with other parts being no less captivating although more distant culturally.

Favorite bastard child:

Slavic gods and heroes by Judith Kalik and Alexander Uchitel

Kalik and Uchitel attempt to prove that slavic pantheons as we tend to imagine them nowadays never existed and instead suggest slavs worshipped tribal heroes and tribal totems. 

Pros: amazing info about cult of heroes and totemic animals, LOTS of quotes from primary sources, thought-provoking, even if you don’t agree with their conclusions you get to do some critical thinking about your beliefs

Cons: you need critical thinking skills, also not the best book to start your adventure with

Here’s a review of the book by someone better qualified than me.

Collection of my favorite articles that were not listed in the sources above:

Slavic deities of death, looking for a needle in a haystack by Stamatis Zochios

Saint Perun and Saint Volos by James Joshua Pennington

The Role of Legend in Constructing Annual Cycle by Mirjam Mencej

On the concept of Chernebog and Bielbog in Slavic Mythology by Myroslava Znayenko

Sacrifices among the Slavs by Isabella Wenska

The revival of Ukrainian Native Faith by Adrian Ivakhiv

Non-Iranian origin of the Eastern-Slavonic god Xursu/Xors by Constantine Borissoff: okay this one is listed in the Studia Mythologica Slavica link but I just wanted to give it an extra shout out

The Dyadic Goddess and Duotheism in Nodilo’s ‘The Ancient Faith of the Serbs and the Croats’ by Suzana Marjanić

The problem of mysteriousness of Baba Yaga in religious mythology by Evgenia V. Ivanova

Mythical beings punishing breaking of taboos on spinning by Mirjam Mencej

Websites I actully can recommend (supported on academic research):

Słowiański bestiariusz - The Slavic Bestiary

Solntsa Roshcha reconstructionist blog

To be honest at first best avoid all sources that are not academic publications written by specialists on the subject. There’s so much BS about slavic paganism and witchcraft floating on the internet right now you’re just gonna get bombarded with misinformation. And regrettably some slavic online groups spread very problematic ideologies.

Slavic witchcraft

The bathhouse at midnight by W. F. Ryan: the go to book about Slavic witchcraft

Witchcraft Casebook: Magic in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, 15th-21st Centuries by Valerie Kivelson

Witchcraft in Russia and Ukraine 1000-1900 by Valerie Kivelson and Christine Worobiec

Witchcraft in early modern Poland 1500-1800 by Wanda Wyporska

Charms and charming - studies on magic in everyday life edited by Éva Pócs: a fantastic collection of articles on slavic witchcraft

Charms, charmers and charming: despite similar name this is a different collection of articles from the one above, one section is centered around russian and slavic oral charms, quite Russia-centric

Articles about Polish magic:

Slavic protective magic in the Early Middle Ages on polish territories by Joanna Wawrzeniuk

Witches’ herbs on trial by Michael Ostling

The Curse, On Folk Magic of the Word by Anna Engelking

Articles about Eastern Slavic zagovory:

Russian Ritual Incantations: Traditions, diversity, continuity by Joseph L. Conrad

Sound-shaping of east slavic zagovory by Alla Astakhova

Aspects of Historical Poetics and Pragmatics of Slavic Charms by Pieter Plas and Alexey Yudin

Verbal charms from a 17th century manuscript by Andrei Toporkov

Russian village magic in the late soviet period: one woman’s repertoire of zagovory

Miscellaneous articles:

The role of plant characteristics in slavic folk medicine by V. B. Kolosova

Charmers on the folk practice of charming in Serbia by Sonja Petrović

Waxing Like the Moon: Women Folk Healers in Rural Western Ukraine by Sarah D. Philips

Charms in the context of magic practice. The case of Slovenia by Monika Kropej

🛑 To avoid 🛑

Anything by Dmitry Kushnir

Encyclopedia of Russian and Slavic Myth and Legend - W. F. Ryan’s review for additional info

Illustrated Encyclopedia of Ancient Slavic Gods and Spirits

Slavic-Aryan vedas

Book of Veles

Słowiańska wiedźma 

Wikipedia website (it actually has been improved recently but I still advise caution, it’s previous contents teach us that anyone can edit it back into an abomination any time)

Slavorum website

The white goddess website

Wiara przyrodzona website

Any website that offers you a large family tree of slavic gods without making a disclaimer about it being completely fictitious

And many more

So, this has come up as a subject in the Slavic discord (you should totally join, it is a wonderful place). I have had a number of people ask me what it is I do to connect to the old ones, how do I reach out. So I have decided to make a post, and maybe give a few examples.

Disclaimer; I am by no means some omnipotent being who knows everything and has everything figured out. This is just what I do, based off research, conversations with others and personal experience.

First of all… Pray. A lot of people don’t like that word. For a lot of people, it is a word associated with mindlessly repeating words that are not our own to appease a distant diety. That is not what I mean. Talk to them. The old ones always listen. When I talk to them… I tell them secrets; I tell them about the annoyances and fears. I tell them the mundane; like when I feel low and lonely because the sky is grey and gloomy. The big; like that I am afraid of the shadows the talk to me. And everything in between.

Another way I have found much love for is dedicating my creativity to the old ones. Write, draw, sing and dance. The old ones do not care if you are a professional. Your devotion is enough. The effort and intention counts.

Maintaining an altar for the old ones is a very good way to connect to the old ones; it has the virtue of being as simple or as complex as you wish it to be. You can make it as personal as you wish, decorate it with fruits and flora of the season, your own craft, candles, crystals… Cloths etc. It can be as small as a tin box with a candle light and some leaves, if you have to hide your beliefs or simply don’t have the space. Tending to your altar, adding to it and changing it up is a wonderful exercise of connecting with the old ones.

Along that note, making offerings is another very good way. I have found many people around me struggle to come up with fitting offerings so I will suggest some down below. I personally like to use blood (normally own) as an offering to the two old ones I communicate with most often, as well as baked goods and different flora. Those are rather universal offerings, and can be used in addition/mixed in with other things. So here are a few examples of offerings and altar decorations I make and use;

Morana; dog rose, lilies, poppies, chrysanthemum, crow and raven feathers, fresh blood, bones (I like to use bones from my meals), graveyard dirt, black and white candles, obsidian, labradorite, dried fruits, velvet, rag dolls, pieces of paper with things I’m afraid of

Veles; pine cones, willow leaves, daisies, coins, bear or cattle statuettes, black, grey, and green candles, song lyrics, sheet music, drawings quartz, emerald, lightning stones, most fabrics really, apples, blueberries, raspberries, herbs, incense, secrets I’m not supposed to tell anyone written down on things like napkins, pieces of fabric etc.

Mokosh; roses, lavender, chicken feathers, flowery materials (such as shawls and table cloths), phallic statues and imagery, knitted handywork, locks of hair, sweet foodstuffs, red, brown, white and purple candles, interestingly shaped pebbles, carnelian, drawings, daily matters, such as things I need to remember organised on a list

Perun; oak leaves, nuts, steel, blue and white candles, silk, fresh produce such as bread and spiced meats, leather, celestite, sapphire, lightning imagery, white feathers,

★ THE GIVEN BOYS BAND ★