Voudon Gnosis

VOUDON GNOSIS is a limited edition of 555 copies. I first encountered the writing of David Beth in a collection of occult essays titled, HOWLINGS. I wasn't very impressed with his writing style. I figured it was due to tackling a huge topic in a limited amount of space. I was wrong. David Beth is

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just a poor writer.

David Beth claims his book, VOUDON GNOSIS, is, "a clear exposition of the Voudon Gnostic system of Michael Bertiaux and the work of La Couleuvre Noire." Maybe Mr. Beth has a vastly different concept of the word "clear" than I do. I found VOUDON GNOSIS nearly impenetrable. The book is basically Beth's understanding of the Voudon Gnostic current, created by Michael Bertiaux back in the early 70s. Bertiaux is a Chicago based occultist and head of the "La Couleuvre Noire" (cult of the Black Snake). It's been around a long time and has become a fairly popular movement in the occult community, especially recently. That's all fine, and it is a very "colorful" current, to say the least. However, Beth's relentless use of esoteric jargon really tested my patience. One needs a glossary (not included) just to understand what the hell he's talking about; and believe me, I'm well acquainted with esoteric subject matter, but this stuff is from Mars. It's almost like he goes out of his way to be abstruse. I've never encountered an author who could dance around a subject and tell you about all the aspects of something without actually telling you what that something is. Maybe it all makes sense to other members of the cult who use the same arcane colloquialisms and syntax.

I don't expect complex concepts (especially of a spiritual nature) to be spelled out in 4th grade vocabulary, but I do expect to read something that at least makes an attempt to be understood rather than written in colorful code. This book is nothing more than a linguistic masquerade. I suspect when the masks are removed only ordinary and bland faces will be revealed.

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