This novel contains matter that is potentially offensive to members of some oppressed/colonized populations.

Some conservative Catholics may also find the content matter offensive.

Western esotericism is part of this story's bones. The protagonist starts her journey of personal and spiritual growth questioning her sedevacantist Catholic upbringing (more on this later) and dabbling in whatever New Age philosophies she finds. The man who eventually becomes her lover, meanwhile, is a magus who studies the philosophies and systems of Aleister Crowley, Thelema, and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

Anyone who knows anything about the history of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and/or Thelema knows that those esoteric systems were cobbled together from a mishmash of looted mystical ideas from other cultures. The Kabbalah used by these orders has very little to do with Jewish Kabbalism, but were it not for Judaism, there would of course be no Kabbalah at all. Also appropriated wholesale only to be altered to the point of being barely distinguishable: meditation, yoga, Tantrism, alchemy, and elements of religious belief.

The world was their cafeteria, if by "world" you meant "anywhere the British East India Company set foot."

Does this mean anyone who believes in the principles of Thelema or sincerely strives for enlightenment within the belief system of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, including "Magister," my protagonist's mentor/dom/soulmate, is inherently wrong? No. It means there are some devout believers who follow inherently flawed systems. The same could be said of the believers of mainstream world religions. (And I say this as a believer myself, since I am a convert to Islam. God is perfect, but we humans are not. We get stuff wrong... so very, very wrong).

Since Western esotericism is built into this book, so is colonialism. There is no way around this. Because of the nature of their spiritual beliefs and practices, my characters loot and pillage cultures that have been oppressed by the West.

In the prologue (aka "Beginning") my protagonist dabbles in what she and a friend-winth-benefits call "Tantra." It's not really Tantra. But they think it is, and they see nothing wrong with helping themselves to it. I have been told by a Desi reader that this is not only an inaccurate representation of Tantra, but it's also a profound offense to Hindu people. (It's probably equally offensive to Buddhist people, since Buddhist Tantrism is also a thing).

References to what the characters call "kundalini" appear in the "Tiphareth" chapter and the "Kether" chapter. This, too, is potentially offensive to Hindu and Buddhist believers, as is the sacred marriage "Magister" and "ancilla" bind themselves into.

Martial arts references pop up from time to time in this book as well, along with discussions of manipulating ch'i. This is a form of cultural appropriation as well. Kung fu, aikido, and other martial arts were appropriated and made popular in the West many decades ago. Although I did my best to be respectful in my treatment of various martial arts principles and concepts, that does not change the fact that these are not originally Western arts.

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn's version of the Kabbalah has structured the book to the point where each chapter is themed on a sephira of the Tree of Life. The lessons imparted by the chapters correspond to the sephiroth. There is an Afterword about this, but for now I will just say that this is not Jewish Kabbalah, it's Golden Dawn Kabbalah. I felt more comfortable stealing from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a society of mostly male, mostly rich, occasionally deeply anti-Semitic dilletantes that was founded in the Victorian era, than I did from the original source. My Kabbalistic references, and their origin, may be triggering to Jewish people.

Finally, Catholic people may look at the practices and beliefs my protagonist's parents and say, "That's not us. You're misrepresenting us." My protagonist's parents are not mainstream Roman Catholics - they're sedevacantists, people who believe that the Papal Seat has been vacant since Pope John XXIII enacted the Vatican II reforms. This is a schismatic sect, and sedevacantism is classified as a heresy. Its most famous adherent is Mel Gibson. The vast majority of Roman Catholics do not hold such strict beliefs, nor are they much like my protagonist's parents.