In the Dark Places of Wisdom

In the Dark Places of Wisdom shows Apollo in his darker, underworld roles that often aren’t examined in great detail- nor in accessible details by scholars, in tandem with the writer’s own explorations of philosophy and his own thoughts on the unfolding of the mystery. He also talks about the duality and relationship of Persephone where it relates to Apollo- another subject not often explored.

It’s a book that examines wisdom, as well as older practices of sleep incubation- a form of trance to go the other worlds and meet the gods for knowledge or healing. (If you are interested in this topic, we also recommend reading on Diana’s cult in Aricia.) It explores initiation, ecstatic trance, world travelling, mystery cults and merging with the gods. It looks at the concept of the underworld in relation the gods, their stories and us.

This book, although sourced oddly- appearing as notes at the back rather than footnotes- is solidly based in academic research. However, those looking for an academic book may be put off by the wandering writing style and the explorations into philosophy and story telling. Whilst neo-pagans may be frustrated by the leading of the reader to many questions, only some of which are answered, and are left without any practical, easy, suggestions on how to adapt the writings and knowledge to their own works.

That being said, many will appreciate the slow unravelling of knowledge itself within this book, acting almost as though a waking dream of sleep incubation itself. It’s a book you may find yourself re-reading a lot to truly gain all the wisdom contained within. A good introduction to the concept of the Underworld Apollo, and a good place to start researching from if the subject interests you.

Why we love it

Even though the notes are at the back as opposed to being footnotes, there are still some great areas to research further. The book is a great introduction top some of the underworld aspects of Apollo that are so often ignored by not only the neopagan community, but also the academic community. If you’re hoping for an easy methodology or ‘a big secret’- you’re not going to find it here, but what you’re going to find is an exploration and inspiration of where to further explore and adapt to your own practice. We’d personally prefer it if he got to the facts a little quicker, be we’re well aware that the book was made for non academics, so expecting it to read like an academic book is foolish. It’s a book we go back to a lot when researching sleep incubation cults in the ancient world, and the footnotes at the back are worth having. The Philosophical side to the book is also well worth a read, and letting the brain meander on the subject does present with some exciting theories of the ancient world. It’s very clear that Kingsley loves the gods and the mysteries in this book- and we personally thinks that counts for a lot. Stick with it past the first few chapters- the information is worth it!

272 pages

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