It is a rare pleasure indeed to have one’s first book reviewed by a gifted writer whose understanding, beautifully composed text, and innate perception highlight the finer points of my work. I have included some extracts from her extensive review, which I highly recommend you read in full on the website The Tattooed Buddha, which has a vast collection of excellent literature on Buddhism. Many thanks to Kellie Schorr and everyone at The Tattooed Buddha.
To Be Seen By The Sacred: The Weight and Wisdom in Thai Tattoo Magick by Kellie Schorr.
“Thai Tattoo Magick: The Initiatory Practices of the Thai Buddhist Magicians by Sheer Zed is not your standard coffee table tattoo book.”
“The book is part spiritual memoir, part cultural ethnography, and part occult travelogue. Zed’s writing is bold, poetic, and deeply personal, moving between his own inner transformations and the outer rituals of the Thai Buddhist magicians.”
“For Zed, receiving a Sak Yant was not an impulsive travel decision made for the ego, but a carefully prepared pilgrimage. He underscores the difference between “spiritual tourism” and meaningful pilgrimage, and he’s right to do so. Preparation, contemplation, and meditation are not only recommended; they are essential for anyone seeking a blessing of this magnitude.”
“The narrative is steeped in the spiritual realities of Theravāda Buddhism, not the watered-down, Westernized, “love and light” version that strips away discipline and accountability. Zed presents Buddhism as lived in the Thai context: an integrated web of devotional practice, magical belief, and everyday life. He writes of Ajarns who are fully conversant with the Pali Canon and also adept in spirit work, talismanic magic, and the subtle arts of protection and empowerment.”
“Threaded through the cultural history is Zed’s own story of entering “the endless world of the occult, supernatural phenomena, and spirituality.” His awareness of altered states—from mystical union to out-of-body experiences to the trauma-born dissociations of human life—informs the way he approaches Sak Yant. This is not about escaping the body, but about inhabiting it more fully, marking it as both a map and a mirror of the spirit.”
“One of the book’s strengths is its refusal to divorce the art from the ethics. The Ajarns do not hand out power indiscriminately. They assess the student’s character, karmic readiness, and commitment. If you are not prepared to honor the deity or force whose name you bear, they will not ink it on you. That alone sets Sak Yant apart from the transactional nature of much modern tattoo culture.”
“By the end, the reader understands that Thai Tattoo Magick is not a book about tattoos. It is about choosing what to carry, what to embody, and what you will show to the gods. It’s about the sacred risk of allowing your skin to become a covenant, a visible testament to the invisible worlds you walk in.”
ॐ
Kellie Schorr works as a novelist who writes mystery genre novels. Her published credentials also include: journal articles, short stories, and a two-year stint writing for a web-comic. Kellie’s debut literary novel, The Space Between Breaths, will be published by Brother Mockingbird in early 2025. Practicing in the Nyingma Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, Kellie is a personal student of Dr. Pema Khandro Rinpoche and member of the Vajra Sangha of the Buddhist Studies Institute. She lives and works in rural Virginia with her partner, Cathy, and their beagles. Her favorite word is chiaroscuro. You can contact or find more about her at Kellieschorr.com.
Sheer Zed ~ Author • Buddhist Shaman • Musician 