Post No. 833 - Some minor, mostly magickally focused comments on “The Dresden Files” – Part One (Books 1 to 6)

Much as I recently wrote about magickal aspects of Katharine Kerr’s magnificent Deverry series, I thought I would also write about magickal aspects of Jim Butcher’s Dresden series. Unlike my approach to the Deverry series, where I specifically wrote about what I disagreed with, I will be making more comments in this instance. As with Ms Kerr’s series, I will probably have to read this series of books a few times to get all the comments I want added in – ain’t that a shame, eh :)
(You’ll probably also notice that I tend to make fewer comments in the climactic scenes of the books –I tend to get caught up in the story telling, and forget to be objective. My apologies, and I’ll go back and read them again, and try to do better, eh :) .)

Now:

• all page references are for the copies I have;
• I’m not doing a normal review of the book – you can find plenty of those elsewhere;
• I’ve tried to avoid giving spoilers: hopefully you will buy any books that appeal to you – you can find out a little about each book from Mr Butchers website - here. (His other work sounds interesting as well.) In fact, quite a few of these comments will be best understood if you have a copy of the relevant book by your elbow. No apologies for that: writers have the right to earn a living.

Other posts in this series: 

• Part Two - http://gnwmythr.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/post-no-834-some-minor-mostly.html; 
• Part Three - http://gnwmythr.blogspot.com.au/2016/03/post-no-838-some-minor-mostly.html;
• Part Four - http://gnwmythr.blogspot.com.au/2016/04/post-no-848-some-minor-mostly.html.

More to be posted as I complete them.

Book No. 01 – Storm Front
(Orbit Books, 2005 [first pub. 2000), ISBN 978-0-56-50027)

• being mocked by a mail delivery person (p. 2):
  in actual fact, here where I live such behaviour could possibly be construed offensive language under Section 17 of the Summary Offences Act. In any case, Harry’s failure to respond could be a case of teaching people how to treat us. He could be assertive, rather than aggressive, couldn’t he? Well, in actual fact, being brow beating by society on something like this is stronger than most people can handle – I can think of two (Gandhi and Nelson Mandela) who were strong enough to beat this.
• a client’s house not being haunted (p.3):
  this can indeed happen – and occupants being alcoholic or drug users is very likely to blow their auras open enough for earthbound entities to attempt an obsession or possession, and wind up affecting either the house or the person’s perception of the house. Such people need to learn the basics of protection – flaming, grounding and shielding, including closing one’s aura, as well as becoming clean and sober. It is worth doing some research on poltergeists to get an insight into the connection between people and problems that apparently plague a particular location.
• effect of magick on technology (p. 4):
  this is an interesting idea – particularly given the historical view given to this in later books. Now, according to the theory as written in the books, I don’t have enough power to do this - although I suppose I haven’t ever really tried, and, given the cost of replacing things, don’t particularly want to. However, I suspect such interference is more connected to emotions, than magick – for more on this, see here, here, here, here, here, here for a sceptical viewpoint, your research on poltergeists, Lyall Watson’s writings about the connection between anger and psychokinesis / telekinesis in “Supernature” (Pub. Sceptre, 1989 (first printing 1986; first pub. Hodder and Stoughton, 1973; first pub. in paperback Coronet, 1974), ISBN 0 340 40429 1), and my car during any particularly frustrating drive to work :)
• the significance of names (p. 5):
  these comments are about, with regards to people, what some term the “soul name” or “spirit name”. It’s really something that sums up one’s essence and history – one’s energetic signature, in a sense – a little like the names that the Ents in Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” give things. Very few people ever come close to ever knowing theirs. There is a discussion in one of the books in Katharine Kerr’s Deverry series which covers some of the aspects of this quite well: pp. 432 – 433 of “The Gold Falcon” (my copy Pub. DAW Books, Pub. 2007, ISBN 978-0-7564-0419-2).
• soul gaze (p. 9):
  whilst there is an element of truth to this, it has been given a dramatic twist / emphasis – and looking psychically at someone’s aura, or even one’s past life memories of them, can also give very good insights.
• the “White Council” and its “Laws of Magic” (p. 16 – and elsewhere):
  this is a dramatic device for the story telling – and, as such, works brilliantly well. In real life, there are various groups that have similar roles to the fictional “White Council”, for instance the “White Lodges” and “Great Brotherhoods” people like Alice Bailey have written about: none of them has sole precedence over all the others, and spiritually advanced groups do NOT describe themselves as white – it would be clear light, if anything, or perhaps phrasing along the lines of my suggestion of BPM, or even terms along the line of the “New Group of World Servers”. Using the descriptor “white” is an indication of the ubiquity of racism in our culture – particularly when it is given positive associations and “black” is given negative associations. The TV series handled this better by referring to this body as the “High Council”.
  Going back to the issue of “rulership” over conduct, the Law of Karma gives us feedback on the good and bad we do, but the primary rulership over our conduct – magickal or otherwise – is our own conscience, which is why this structure makes a point of listing our Higher Self above other group influences.
• magic is created by life (p. 16):
  well, yes, but that is a reference to much, much, MUCH more than just physical life.
• evocation vs. invocation (p. 17)
        Oxford English Dictionary:
           invocation: The action of invoking someone or something: his invocation of the ancient powers of Callanish; An incantation used to invoke a deity or the supernatural.
           evocation: The act of bringing or recalling a feeling, memory, or image to the conscious mind; The action of eliciting a response: the mutual evocation of responses through body language.
        Looking up a range of sites gave a range of meanings, including:
           invocation is when one calls an entity to come inside oneself, whereas evocation is one calls an entity and it stays outside;   evocation is silent and invocation is spoken;   invocation is a spell to affect oneself, whereas evocation is a spell to affect others. A Theurgy site says “To "invoke" is to "call in", just as to "evoke" is to "call forth".
  The definition used in this book is reasonable, particularly in the context of Theurgy and dictionaries, but be aware others may other associations.
• spells require one to have direct line of sight (p. 17):
  no, not necessarily.
• description of using objects to establish a psychic connection (p. 18):
  this is basically correct.
• emotions make a psychic working stronger (p. 18):
  yes, this is true enough – providing the emotions are compatible or can be used for the spell. In fact, some forms of psychic attack are pure emotion. If, on the other, the emotion is boredom, it is unlikely to be helpful …
• women are better at hating than men (p. 19):
  rubbish – the hating just tends to be done in different ways, and over different things. A key aspect of the lead character who expresses this view is that he is “old fashioned” with regard to women – does what he thinks is caring, which he is aware of, but he is unaware of the misogyny of views such as this, and is – in several story lines – manipulated through this view of his. (None of this necessarily implies that the author does or doesn’t hold such views.)
• the “never never” (p. 26):
  as used, this is basically a different term for the many astral worlds. There is a famous Australian book which uses the term, but with a slightly different meaning.
• fear at coming across something strange (p. 23):
  sadly, this is true of too many people – and it results in the world being a worse place.
• comment made that metaphysical powers are not fully understood (p. 39):
  while this is true enough, it fails to acknowledge the millennia of study into such things – particularly in Asia.
• using mirrors to disperse energy (p. 46):
  this can be done – I’ve considered hanging those strings of small (about 2 or 3 cm square) mirrors (claimed, in the shops that sell them, to be a feng shui device) around the fenceline as part of the protection of houses, for instance, but mirrors can also be portals for entry by unwanted entities / energies / units. If I do ever get around to using the mirrors, I would possibly attach suitable runes to each mirror – which I could do, as I haven’t seen them for sale for a while, and would have to make them (I even have all the ingredients … currently packed away for our eventual move … SIGH).
• offerings to the Little People (pp. 60 - 68):
  this is the traditional sort of offering made to the Little People (i.e., household fae). The later use of pizza is a story telling device – one which, frankly, I love and find hilarious (there is a lot of humour in these books, and I enjoy that). The comments about circles and the need for concentration (aka focusing one’s Will) are god, and the comments about “true names” are near enough. I disagree with the comment that nonhuman lifeforms do not have a Soul / spirit: they do, as they are on their own paths of evolution. I also would want something better than a triple recitation before I gave trust/belief, but that’s possibly because I have too much experience with duplicitous humans.
• the behaviour of warden Morgan (p. 70):
  the vindictiveness and sadism of Morgan in this and most of the other books where he appears is behaviour which is unacceptable ethically, LEGALLY and spiritually. Harry is an idiot for putting up with it – after all, we train others how to treat us. This sort of abuse tends to happen far too often when one gives power over others – and is one of the biggest inherent problems with policing and judicial systems throughout the world. It even crops up in Council officers.
• the stupidity of narrow minded bigots is well illustrated on p. 75.
• death sentence (p. 77):
  death sentences are spiritually wrong – the simply lead to a spirit reincarnating with their original problems exacerbated by whatever they felt as a result of being killed, and without any experience of restraint or similar consequences for their actions.
• Bob the Skull (p. 83):
  the author’s explanation of how this character came to be is amusing – to me, at any rate. I’m aware of entities with a similar function, but without any need for a protective physical vessel – nor the obsessions of Bob.
• potions (pp. 87 - 91):
  I have never come across this approach to potions. However, if the idea is altered slightly - e.g., to having substances to facilitate connections between originator, beneficiary, and assisting energies / entities, could be interesting to try. Drinking something, however, is not necessarily the best way to achieve the desired effect. Again, however, this works very well in the books. The comments about working with energy as part of this are very good – reminds me very much of working with the Signs of the Enterer and of Silence in LBRP rituals, for instance.
• vampires (p. 103):
  ho-hum, vampires, yawn. In general, I consider this topic done to death – and badly, other than in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (which uses vampires and other monsters, in part, as symbolic devices) and these books. In my real-life experience, I have met energy and other life-sucking vampires, and they are inevitably bad. Now, in terms of dealing with ANY threat, it helps to be confident, calm, and have the – preferably psychic, in the case of a nonphysical threat – appearance of fearlessness. This is, for instance, a part of dealing effectively with uncooperatives, who are usually being a threat to someone.
  The comments about the associations with giving one’s word and then breaking it I agree with – see my post “Mind Your Mӕgan”, for instance.
  The comments about mythological lore and devices which work are no doubt well researched (although I’ve been told it is garlic flowers, not the cloves, which work against vampires in mythology – see, for instance, here, here and here). In my real life experience, they’re all irrelevant, as everything is happening on a nonphysical level – including emotional and psychological levels.
  There are a few others aspects to this topic:
   - I have come across claims that some entities act as scavengers and “clean up” by consuming stray energies associated with people passing over. I am dubious about this as (i) scavengers in the physical world are creatures which effectively – in my opinion - contribute to recycling, not only “cleaning up”, which is not the behaviour being described here; (ii) I’m not aware of “stray energy” from transitions; (iii) I have considerable doubts about the source who made this claim;
   - some people need at times a boost to their energy – for example, struggling with the kids and doing shopping and trying to cope with the frenetic energy of a shopping centre. Such people may, at times, drain energy out of others. There is, however, an ethical alternative: ask mentally if there are any healers nearby who would be able and willing to give you a boost of energy. I’ve done this, and it has worked;
   - there are people in the physical world who literally do consider themselves to be vampires: some try to be ethical (e.g., Michelle Belanger), others don’t. I’m dubious about their spiritual and psychic well-being and health.
  As a final comment, an alleged vampire is used in an exchange between the narrator and Don Shimoda in Richard Bach’s book “Illusions” to illustrate the selfishness of the narrator.
• death curse (p. 109):
  the ancient Egyptians, I understand, used to torture and then kill people as part of creating the psychic protection around the tombs of the Pharaohs – and I’ve come across similar claims in other contexts. Emotions can power spells, and, as I’ve said, a lot of psychic attack is due to uncontrolled emotion. Thus, the concept behind a “death curse” is well-founded, although, for story telling purposes, it has necessarily been extended.
• demons (p. 158):
  such entities do exist, but are nonphysical. That doesn’t work as well in stories for most muggles, so they’ve often been made physical, and this series continues that literary tradition.
• using the energies of a storm (p. 176):
  as an aside, I love storms – I love the wildness, the lack of human constraint, the sheer elemental joy of them ... but they can also be signs of an astral conflict – for instance, a few people have told me that this UK storm was the deliberate magickal act of someone who was extremely nonBPM. As someone who has worked weather magick (as has, I suspect, my birth mother – without her conscious awareness; on my part, I’ve done “cloud bursting” in the past, and generally don’t now because of the potential impact on weather, have asked entities to direct showers about me once while driving [which worked, but, again, for ethical reasons, won’t do so again unless there is some need], and have worked at ending droughts [including having been a “storm crow” in a Voudon ritual], bringing rain / changing wind to end fires, etc), I know that weather can be worked with. I haven’t tried working with such energies for magickal purposes - possibly because I love the fact that storms are so unrestrained, but also, the energy is different to that which I work with. However, those qualifications made, it is conceivable that storms could be worked with energetically. It would be like invoking a Deity, and would have a risk of damaging the person doing it, so I don’t recommend it.
  Another thought that came to mind as I read this is that tools and talismans are not only devices to aid in the use of energy, as often mentioned: they can be sources of energy as well – such as the kinetic rings Harry uses in other books, and as is inferred by the caring of runes onto his staff etc.
• the Sight (p. 275):
  my experience is not that seeing things clairvoyantly stays with one for forever – and I haven’t come across anyone saying it does. There are powerful visions which are capable for having that sort effect, but that doesn’t come about every time I use my clairvoyance. This is another one of those story telling devices;
• magic is meant to be for doing good, and the pentacle is a positive sign (p. 278):
  agreed.
• drugs to force psychism (various places):
  this is dangerous in real life as well as the way described in this book – as someone of those going to South America to try shamanic drugs have discovered, to their cost. In general, using such drugs are problematic because they leave one with inadequate control / discipline to use that tool safely and in moderation, and, if abused, potentially blow one’s aura wide open. Hard work is a far, far better option – and I do not agree with using drugs that are illegal. The description of reactions given is accurate. Another book with good description of these dangers is “Heartlight”.
• the power of language (various):
  apart from “true names”, it is possible to use a language that one personally resonates with, and finds improves ones magickal working (in my case, because of past lives, possibly Hebrew – but I don’t know enough words to actively use that).

Book No. 02 – Fool Moon
(Orbit Books, 2011 [first pub. 2000), ISBN 978-0-356-50028-7)

• magickal barriers to physical force (p. 4):
  I wish. SIGH. Given the existence of psychokinesis / telekinesis (and a couple of experiences I’ve had: one where someone pulling on a link flipped me over, and once when I was pushed into a [parked] car), it may be possible to create some sort of defence against psychic influences, but it would be hard to have it to the strength shown in these books. Most protection spells / sigils work on nonphysical levels – e.g., by distracting potential thieves.
• werewolves (p. 16):
  I don’t know everything (one of the reasons my standard signature block includes a warning that what is posted here may be wrong), but I have not come across physical shapechangers – although they are mentioned in many cultures. I’ve done astral (including shamanic) shapechanging, but nothing in the physical. I have a view that most such shapechanging is astral, and those who “see” it may be experiencing unacknowledged and uncontrolled psychism (although, a few centuries ago, getting even my making false accusations was an issue). That said, I’m not going to rule it out: many stories about vampires started out after finding people who had been apparently partly or mostly eaten – and, as this was by people living on the land, I’m not going to assume (as most modern scientists do) that the people noticing something strange about this were all mistaken incompetents. That is particularly so given the fringe field of cryptozoology.
  
  On a lighter note, one of the many hilarious lines in the film “Men Who Stare at Goats” is from the remote viewer who had seen that Nessie was actually the ghost of a dinosaur … but could it have some possible validity? Or is a thought form / projection from another dimension  some other explanation? There is a biological challenge to survival of a small population of a species, and that is that such groups can become too small to support a realistic breeding rate to replace losses.
  
  On that, one of the most interesting documentaries I have seen on Bigfoot examined the limb proportions and movements of a famous film, and found that it could actually be a type of Himalayan bear (possibly a species thought to be extinct, I think). Now, although the possibility of hiding is easier than many think, the issue of a minimum population for viability remains. Could the spread of “modern” civilisation has led to the demise of such creatures in last century or so?
  
  On the other hand, are they still out there, protected by the fear of people to admit such strangeness, as Dresden says?
• behaviour of FBI (p. 18, 20):
  is abusive language, and then assault. Harry tries for a tough guy image – or maybe he just doesn’t notice or care about how wrong such things are (he misses such things quite a bit, in my view). This is important for reasons of justice, and consideration of the issue of us training others how to treat us.
• knowledge (p. 25):
  knowledge is – potentially – power and safety, and Dresden is too tight lipped about it (although he does learn to share as his character develops a few books on). Of course, there is also the possibility of knowledge being misused, or not being used, which is why a certain amount of caution is actually quite good.
• casting a circle (p. 38):
  the descriptions given in Katharine Kerr’s Deverry series are closer to what I do. For me, it is the pentagrams at the quarters that are the most important thing, more so than drawing a circle, although that also is necessary. When I was young, I repelled a psychic attack by only drawing pentagrams to the quarters, for instance – and that was at a time I didn’t even know the importance of mental focus.
• types of werewolves (pp. 58 – 64):
  he knows more than I on this – he being Bob the Skull, harry Dresden and Jim Butcher :) One of these days I will do some research on the need for silver to be inherited. Another key aspect is that the difference between the 2^nd and 3^rd types of werewolves described (buy the books) is that of choice: one chooses to be transformed, the other has it imposed on them by a third party.
• physical effects of magick (p. 83):
  whilst the protective effect of Mr Dresden’s shield bracelet is a story telling device, it is worth thinking about the value of having authentic presence for such situations.
• not knowing when someone is in his office (p. 87):
  this is one of those instances where I thought about whether or not some of the real life sense would help – e.g., telepathy, or just sensing that wards had been breached, or that there was a presence in the room. However, just as Harry doesn’t stay open psychically all the time, neither do people in real life. (There is, however, in real life, an advantage to being open to telepathy with people one is close to – and it often shows – for instance, my partner and I often have texts or emails cross by each other. Sometimes that can be unsettling. At work, I tend to work at staying shut down psychically – partly for self-protection, but once, around 20 or more years ago, a colleague who I was friendly with asked me into his office, and showed me some note pads with the logo of the company we worked for at the time on them. He invited me to use them, and see what I thought about them, but was thinking so strongly at me “they don’t stick down a second time” that I picked one up, stuck it on something, pulled – and found it didn’t stick. Without thinking, I said “you’re right, they don’t stick down very well after they’re taken off the pad” – and had to spend some time reassuring him that I didn’t read his – or other people’s – minds … he left the company a few weeks after that, so I don’t think I did a very good job. SIGH )
• getting information from demons (p. 96):
  BPM  Guides are easier, safer, less expensive and more accurate …
• as a general comment, I find Harry’s failure to stand up to the FBI dissatisfying, but the issues around anger are well covered – and it is good to see women included in that, with the female FBI werewolf agent.
• interaction with subconscious (p. 197):
  more dramatic than I’ve ever come across, but makes for excellent story telling.
• less control of magick if not using tools (p. 221):
  not necessarily – and there are some good examples of this in some of the later books.
• behaviour of werewolves (p. 242):
  I thought the behaviour of the werewolves was more characteristic of humans than animals, which is a comment made by a werehuman (my term) about a dozen pages later.
• stronger / more capable talents are rarer (p. 282):
  agreed – in all fields of life.

Book No. 03 – Grave Peril
(Orbit Books, 2011 [first pub. 2001), ISBN 978-0-356-50029-4)

The introduction of a strong neochristian / Christian element into some of the books from this one on is a disappointment to me, but:
   (a) it gives the author access to another source of mythological elements to draw on for story telling purposes – and becomes particularly appropriate given the aspects around mind magick / possession which crop up a few books hence;
   (b) it enables the neochristian-magick conflict to be explored – to some extent: such exploration is mostly just in this book, but that allow me to just get on with enjoying the books rather than practising my one-handed bowline tying with my underwear; and
   (c) given the rabid insanity of some parts of the USA with regard to anything “different” metaphysically from standard neochristian stances, this inclusion would reduce the chance of books being burned and would increase the appeal of the series of books to a large market (and thus, maybe, open their minds to a new point of view).
Nevertheless * SNIFFS, PUTS NOSE UP IN AIR AND GOES TO NON-WRITING DAY JOB * I wouldn’t do it :) It also allows the introduction of some authoritarian powers, which I get from Deities like Anubis and Tyr, not from the neochristian conflation of El and Yahweh – see p. 26 of Gavin Andrews’ excellent book "Paganism and Christianity" (pub. 2011, Smashwords - URL here).

Actually, it is well worth– Pagans, neochristians and Christians alike - reading Mr Andrews book for a good overview of relationships between neochristians and Pagans.

So, on with the book :)

• a “ghost” / spirit committing a murder / killing or causing a physical impact (p. 11, 13):
  Dion Fortune reported an experience where someone was killed during what appears to have been either astral travel / sleep (or perhaps a ritual, or some kind? The body was found naked on the moors and “scratched”), and, if I recall, Ms Fortune herself had a similar, but not fatal (obviously!) experience (and other experiences with psychic attack). In my case:
     (a) when I was at primary school )in the 1960s), I recall being chased across Melbourne’s red tiled roofs while I was sleeping (and, as I put it at that age, “flying”), but I was easily able to outfly whoever was chasing me;
     (b) in my teens / early 20s I had a “dream” where I was swimming underwater and couldn’t find my way to the surface. In that particular case, I woke up easily enough, although quite short of breath; and
     (c ) as I mentioned elsewhere (I think), I have experienced someone pulling on a link and thus flip me over while I was lying on the floor after a trance session, and I have also felt being pushed into a parked car.
  So … I KNOW  that harmful effects can be caused or attempted from the nonphysical, but I ALSO know that it is extremely hard, and therefore rare, for it to be effective, let alone fatal. As with all such things, knowing about psychic protection (closing one’s aura, psychic flaming, grounding and shielding, asking BPM forces for BPM protection to the maximum extent allowed for the Highest Spiritual Good (HSG) ) helps.
• hellhounds (p. 41):
  this is one of those fascinating instances where I learned about mythology by looking up what Mr Butcher was writing about. I had a vague idea about the Greek myths (this branch of mythology is brought to life in “Skin Games”), but wasn’t aware of the other mythologies with similar concepts.
• classification of contacting the dead (p. 75):
  the character Michael is showing some typical neochristian biases when he casts an aspersion on this skill as being necromancy, in the “modern” sense of the word. It is just a normal part of the communication range – some people communicate with incarnates on an emotional level, other are “rational only”, a few are utterly clueless, while others are sensitive to earth energies and yet others are sensitive to astral energies associated with those who have passed over. I don’t need them to “make a construct”, I just perceive (apperceive?) their nonphysical body (through clairaudience – as described here). The topics of necromancy (in the limited, “modern” sense) and ectomancy are also key parts of “Dead Beat”.
• what is seen with “the Sight” (clairvoyance) stays with one in a particularly vivid and lasting way (p. 99):
  no, not in the real world.
• the (nonphysical) “barbed wire” spell / effect (p. 100):
  similar has happened to me, actually, and this illustrates the importance of regularly clearing oneself (on ALL levels of one’s being) of nonBPM links, objects, energies, entities and other units – and of dealing with issues so one is less vulnerable to such things happening, or to being taken advantage of in the first place.
• description of ghosts (p. 113):
  not so in my experience. There can be:
     (i) etheric shells, which are in some cases left over when the physical dies and lack the capacity to interact as they go about a former routine until they dissipate; or
     (ii) cooperative  earthbound entities, who don’t know that they’re dead and are the ones typically associated with “go to the light” (there was a very funny twist on this in the film “Just Like Heaven”); or
     (iii) uncooperative earthbound entities, who know what they’re doing and are after retribution / control / power / etc; or
     (iv) thought forms – see here, here, here, and here, for instance; or
     (v) sendings from magickal capable – but not necessarily ethical – people, which are, perhaps, a specific subset of thought forms that are an astral projection of the originator.
  None of this, by the way, stops me from enjoying Mr Butcher’s books, and accepting the definition that the character Harry Dresden gives as being valid in that universe.
• the protection of a threshold (p. 115):
  I have come across this in a number of sources (for instance, here). Now, whilst there are energies generated as a result of a house being lived in, they are not necessarily protective (e.g., consider a normal family with a level of discord, then a family which is abusive – perhaps with an alcoholic parent, for instance, and then a family with strict and narrow minded views (perhaps neochristian, perhaps “Skeptics”, perhaps racist, etc): the energies being generated are not necessarily good, let alone protective. In a house with reasonably happy people in it, the energies will be upbeat, positive, etc, and that is great (it can be particularly healing), but it is not necessarily something that is going to be strong enough against a powerful, enraged uncooperative – who is, by definition, as it were, unbalanced. It is a bit like expecting the door to hold up against the axe in the film “The Shining”.
  Again, the best thing is to learn about psychic protection.
• limitation of what can be accessed in a circle (p. 122):
  when I am in a circle, I am not limited to what is inside it. I cast the circle to protect against incompatible and harmful energies, but it doesn’t stop me from, for instance, accessing energies of power spots, or higher levels of reality, or Deities – so long as they are in harmony with the essence of the working. Having said that, however, the view Dresden takes about such matters is consistent with the physics based premise underlying these books and the “Dresden-verse”.
• eating to take power (p. 137):
  I’m vaguely aware of such matters – I can recall a few similar examples, for instance, in shamanism where a shaman took another’s power, however, I’m not aware of it as portrayed in the Dresden-verse (and it crops up in at least one future book, also). The location where Harry Dresden starts experiencing being eaten – i.e., the solar plexus – is significant in many pathways as a major centre of psychic power. The concept of eating someone to gain their power is one of the explanations I’ve come across of how cannibalism came into existence. Other than that, I understand it crops up in computer games.
• dreams (p. 140):
  the most common cause – or the most widely omitted explanation, at any rate -of a dream, in my opinion, is a warped memory or impression of astral travel.
• cemeteries (p. 164):
  most times, there’s nothing there – although sometimes there can be.
• a ritual to find one’s enemy (pp. 193 – 196):
  I haven’t done anything like that – most times I just follow the energy back to its source, a bit like a non-lethal, far less terrifying version of what the “Wild Weasels” did in the Viêt Nám / American war.
• presence / power (p. 214, p. 222):
  not only Dragons and Knights have that sort of power / presence: see authentic presence.
• vampires:
  I tend to be a little ho-hum, vampires again, yawn with most of the post-Buffy treatment of vampires. However, the Dresden series takes them back to their folk / mythic origins as predators, and introduces a few twists  – or, perhaps, take it back to a pre-popular version (I’m planning on reading Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” – and the original Brothers Grimm fairy tales - at some stage as a result of reading the Dresden Files books). and yes, some predators can change or want to change: as an example, consider humans. I’m undecided as to whether or not I like the court concept of vampires …
• strength of those possessed (p. 287):
  yes, I have experienced this  but I’ve also experienced it in a positive sense as well, where “good” people can suddenly find themselves stronger – whether that is fighting someone who is possessed by a nonBPM entity, or simply throwing a car off someone they love.

Book No. 04 – Summer Knight
(Orbit Books, 2011 [first pub. 2002), ISBN 978-0-356-50030-0)

This, for me, is where the Dresden books really kick along – the writing entertained me far more than the first three books, and I particularly loved the work with fae mythology.

• UK mythology (p. 29):
  good example of what I started this section with :) There are many examples of this throughout the book, and I have not commented on all of them. There are also aspects, such as the relationship between Seelie and Unseelie that I will address when I review other books in this series. For this book, however, I enjoy just enjoying the story telling :)
• Elaine’s comments regarding Council (p. 127):
  she is spot on: jerks like the ones she’d seen did not deserve her openness.
• guilt regarding Susan (p. 134):
  Susan has to bear responsibility for her choices - and Harry was busy fighting a demon, for instance, when the so-called opportunity to talk her out of what she was planning occurred. His guilt is excessive by objective means, but that is part of the essence of the character, and is what leads him into situations he gets into.
• assessment of Maeve’s use of magick (p. 202):
  this is where Harry is accused of being the Soviet (ice skating) judge. His assessment is actually objective, and spot on.
• lessons from fae godmother that world is a harsh place, and need to be strong (p. 226):
  in many ways, this is true. In many ways, it is not – there is love and kindness and help in the world.
• we are not able to always help everyone (p. 282):
  this is an important lesson.
• every force has an equal and opposite reaction (p. 350):
  one of the essences of the Dresden-verse is that magick is based on some of the laws of physics – such as Newton’s Third Law of Motion. This is an aspect of some real life magick, but not always: in real life, magick can be more like bending/warping the space-time continuum. It is, however, useful to contemplate the notion that, when one is, say repelling some psychic attack, there could be an equal and opposite reaction to some extent on your mind – but, in that instance, it is more a case of something subtle and unbalancing, rather than a physical force. As I ask in some of my routine posts, how does one outflank and idea? How could an external idea being repelled by an internal idea end up leaving some sort of stain or damage on one’s mind? No particular suggestions here, but is worth being mindful of the possibility, and then objectively examine oneself, one’s character and one’s thinking – which one should do regularly anyway.
• storms (p. 372):
  storms cropped up in the first book in a key way as well. Physical storms can indeed be a reflection of a nonphysical battle, but generally I just revel in their glory and magnificence.

Book No. 05 – Death Masks
(ROC, 2003, ISBN 978-0-451-46294-7)

• denial (p. 2):
  this, sadly, is something that can be comfortable – too comfortable, and in too many areas of life. Unfortunately for those in denial, I tend to be the Soviet ice skating judge on them ...
• the magickal power of a famous object coming from people’s energies (p. 25):
  quite true – such emotions and thoughts can create either a BPM or a nonBPM thought form centred on / in that object. I had thought to suggest the “Angel of Mons” as a short-lived example of this, but it seems that was more legend created after the fact, than anything else – see here and here, which shows that, although the claimed events did not happen, the perception that they had carried the British people through subsequent events.
• the way the Knights of the Swords approach the Denarians (p. 58):
  this is actually a brilliant example of how to handle an uncooperative, with a combination of firmness and compassion, and taking action to protect the innocent victims of the uncooperatives if said uncooperative won’t desist from harming them. The inclusion of compassion is particularly important as many uncooperatives are actually themselves victims being controlled by other uncooperatives (as the Jedi says, “there’s always a bigger fish”).
  With regard to the issue of the Denarians, beings that are fallen angels, that is based on a different worldview than mine, so I can’t really comment other than to say, yes, there are very powerful nonBPM entities.
  Uncooperatives, incidentally, existed long before Christians, neochristians or writers creating “Denarians” – which is a comment I thought of after reading p. 68.
• prophecy (p. 87):
  this is a reasonable explanation of one way of looking at the topic, but there are also those who can travel through time – at very considerable risk to their sanity, and others who can access something akin to the Akashic Record, but of prophecies / predictions, others who simply access entities who know more and thus are able to predict what can happen (which is a version that crops up in at least one later book), and so on.
• reset of magick at sunrise (p. 128):
  the sun is a powerful source of energy, but it is not strong enough to wipe out / “reset” all magick – and especially not with magick that is in harmony with the energy of the sun.
• comments about limited perspective and need for clarity / unity of will in testing situations (pp. 175 – 176):
  these comments are excellent.
• the need to judge the strength of one’s response to avoid strengthening an attack (p. 203):
  this makes perfect sense in the Dresden-verse – and contributes to the drama, but hasn’t been an issue in anything I’ve done. The closest I’ve come to this is putting so much effort into something that I have inadequate energy left for something else.
• running water to cut off magick (p. 207):
  although I consider the claimed effect of running water to be overblown (in the source myths and folk law that have been drawn on – which the Dresden-verse is consistent with), the situation Harry Dresden finds himself in, in pain and discomfort including being under cold running water, would be enough to prevent concentration and thus access to any will-driven magick. It would not prevent prayer to BPM forces, such as BPM Guides, Deities, etc.
• temptation of power, and the range of motivations of those drawn to it (pp. 208 – 216):
  this is an excellent discussion –and shows the imperative of doing good shadow work.
• the importance of compassion, and the possibility of change (pp. 268 – 270):
  this is another superlative passage. In it, one of the Knights of the Sword, Sanya, shows the possibility of change – which is a theme that future books will return to. The events also illustrate an initial response based on compassion, and a human response based on vengeance – which creates an enemy who will come back to haunt Harry in a future book. Again, the question here is:
        “Do you fight to change things, or to punish?” [Gandhi]
  There are also key issues raised by the book on the topic of forgiveness, to which my thoughts are (in the context of this book):
        (a) I refuse to allow any nonBPM influence have power over me,
        (b) there are valid issues around BPM justice being done, and being seen to be done – the world is not meant to run of forgiveness without accountability / responsibility for wrongdoing, and
        (c) there is the issue of how we train others to treat us.
• grabbing an “evil” coin to save a child about to touch it (p, 376):
  most people reading this would probably think “I’d grab the kid”. We’re meant to think that, and this episode will lead to revelation / exploration of aspects of Harry’s character in later books.

Book No. 06 – Blood Rites
(ROC, 2004, ISBN 978-0-451-46335-7)

• entropy curse (p. 9):
  this makes sense in the Dresden-verse. In the real-verse, perhaps something similar could be accomplished as an outcome of chaos magick (which is not about creating chaos)? As with all such things, however, one wears the consequences of one’s deeds.
• Strega (p. 27):
  Italian witchcraft is about a lot more than only cursing – the creation myth I was taught, the Vangelo del Streghe, came from Aradian witchcraft, as an example. The perception that it is about evil only likely came from the neochristian catholic church.
• have to be close / present in order to provide protection (p. 47):
  not necessarily, although (a) most people concentrate better under such circumstances, and (b) we live in a soup of energy which tends to erode energy the further it gets away from its source, so the comment has some point … although using what Harry would describe as thaumaturgy to create a connection, or sending energy “directly” via a dimensional shift rather than having it traipse through physical reality are some of the ways one can get around this.
• “no harm no foul” (p. 74):
  Harry is right to be angry at what Kincaid does – and I question Kincaid’s “right” to test Murphy. I would either sack Kincaid on the spot and find someone else, or negotiate a cut in his pay, or – at the very least – never use him again, and tell him off for his behaviour.
• rituals as a dilution of source energy (p. 285):
  this concept suits not only the Dresden-verse, with its foundation on physics, but the limited thinking of many people, who tend to fall into the mistake of thinking Deities see the world the same way they do, from one spot and one instant (which is a mistake discussed on p. 514 of the 10^th book in the series). In the real world, it hasn’t happened in my experience.
• ellfire (p. 367):
  this is a neochristian thing, so I cannot comment. It doesn’t exist in my reality, but there are plenty of scary, nonBPM things in my reality – things like xenophobia, hate, gossip, etc. 

 Keywords: 

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