I tried? Not well enough, apparently. So it goes.
As I type this, it is below freezing outside all day, and there’s a few random snowflakes blowing around every once in a while. Time to put the ambient fireplace on the TV and send out a newsletter!
I had hoped to get some seasonal cards in the post for Patrons this week, but that looks like a big nope. They’ll go out but they’ll be late. ::sad trombone:: I tried? Not well enough, apparently. So it goes.
There’s now ~450 followers of the main library account in the ‘verse. I did post about reaching 420 for giggles, but that’s the only one this last week, though it’s still climbing as people find me, mainly in spurts as Space Karen melts down the other place. I’ve barely even looked at any of the old accounts on big social, tbh.
Belatedly, I’ve been posting each day about the new anthology release, a post about the covers and then once for each track. That’s still going on. But, it’s something I like to do so there’s a post for each participant on the blog about them and their track on the issue.
What else? IDEK! I’m sure I’m forgetting something … but, I’ll either remember or I won’t.
Hope your season is and will be great so far. There’s one more newsletter before the general week of festivities, so I’ll just leave it at that for now, with sending you those thoughts around normal people holidays. But, hey, look! As of an hour ago, it looks like Gävlebocken is still standing!
And, for those of us paying more attention to the travels Earth around the Sun for our annual milestones, this coming week will mark Sol in 0° Capricorn, Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 21:48 UTC. Huzzah! Hope your trip around the sun since the previous one was successful! Here’s to another one!
Plus, almanac, propaganda, calendar, zine, updates, quotes, reviews, and more!
And, as always, I worked on various other things on website, blog, and more … Enjoy!
MidJourney & DALL-E
Finishing up the series from last week, I started new ones. I began a series for Ronové from Goetia on Tuesday.
(27.) Ronové.—The Twenty-seventh Spirit is Ronové. He appeareth in the form of a Monster. He teacheth the Art of Rhetoric very well, and giveth Good Servants, Knowledge of Tongues, and Favours with Friends or Foes. He is a Marquis and Great Earl; and there be under his command 19 Legions of Spirits. His Seal is this, etc.
Here’s the 4up preview grids, linked to the ongoing thread.
Then on Thursday I started posting images for Knight of Cups.
I’ll head over and make the Hermeneuticon entries for Ronové and Knight of Cups now.
Almanac
Here’s upcoming calendar and astronomical events, plus the daily Thelemic Tephilah practice for the coming week, December 16–December 23.
Calendar
Follow Calendar on the web, email, rss, and in the ‘verse. And, if you have a current or upcoming event to share, add it to the Hermetic Library Calendar!
- Winter solstice, midwinter, an astronomical calendar event occurring in December for the Northern Hemisphere, June for the Southern Hemisphere, around December 21
- Greater Feast of David Cherubim, died December 21, 2017
Astronomical
- Third quarter moon, December 16
- Sol in 0° Capricorn, Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 at 21:48 UTC
- Ursids meteor shower, December 21–22
- New moon, December 23
Thelemic Tephilah
Follow Thelemic Tephilah on the web, rss, and in the ‘verse.
- Thelemic Tephilah, December 16, Hadit, Liber L., Cap. II, 14-16
- Thelemic Tephilah, December 17, Hadit, Liber L., Cap. II, 17-18
- Thelemic Tephilah, December 18, Hadit, Liber L., Cap. II, 19-21
- Thelemic Tephilah, December 19, Hadit, Liber L., Cap. II, 22-23
- Thelemic Tephilah, December 20, Hadit, Liber L., Cap. II, 24-25
- Thelemic Tephilah, December 21, Hadit, Liber L., Cap. II, 26
- Thelemic Tephilah, December 22, Hadit, Liber L., Cap. II, 27-33
- Thelemic Tephilah, December 23, Hadit, Liber L., Cap. II, 34-35
Zine
Follow Zine on the web, email, rss, and in the ‘verse. And, if you something you’ve created to share, send it in to the Hermetic Library Zine!
- One is the Magus: twain His forces: four His weapons. These are the Seven Spirits of Unrighteousness; seven vultures of evil. Thus is the art and craft of the Magus but glamour. How shall He destroy Himself? by John Griogair Bell
- Stay thy hand, smite not the messenger, Tempt not the wrath of thy makkar from The Headflux Chronicles, Book 1, by Will Lorimer
Things to check out at Hermetic Library
- Created Hermeneuticon entries for Knight of Cups and Ronové, and updated Alan Moore with a couple resources that I hadn’t included yet from an OG post.
- Updated the images and downloadables on the Village THOUGHTS ARE FALSE Propganda page.
- Added a link the my Mastodon social account to my John Griogair Bell user page at the library.
- Behind the scenes, I also dealt with another apparent DDOS attempt, did some small coding changes to a few of the library’s social bots, and so on.
And on the blog
- If you’ve got an account in the ‘verse, you can now directly follow the library blog anywhere ActivityPub, like Mastodon. I’ve added an ActivityPub plugin to the main library blog. From your account, wherever that may be, such as almost any Mastodon instance as long as we mutually federate posts, just type @[email protected] into search and then click the follow button next to the result. I’ll still keep the other accounts going, which separate out certain posts around particular topics, like Reading Room and so on, but this is a way to directly follow along with all the posts in addition to using a browser or RSS reader. Options!
- The sixth requirement is the cultivation of a certain inner balance (equanimity). The student endeavors to retain his composure in the face of joy and sorrow, and eradicates the tendency to fluctuate between the seventh heaven of joy and the depths of despair.—Rudolf Steiner, How to Know Higher Worlds [Amazon, Bookshop, Publisher, Local Library] [Blog]
- Hunters Meadow by Mighty Joe Nolan on MMR17
- We—Hermetic Library Fellow T Polyphilus reviews We [Amazon, Bookshop, Publisher, Local Library] by Yevgeny Zamyatin (Евге́ний Замя́тин), foreword Masha Gessen; trans, notes, & introduction Clarence Brown.
- The Towers by Brian Redfern on MMR17
- me and my surroundings; brings war to peace and mayhem inside happiness.—Layden Robinson, Chameleon [Amazon] [Blog]
- Omnium Gatherum: 14dec2022—An irregular hodgepodge of links beyond the library curated together from @OmniumGatherum at Hrmtc I∴O∴ and more. Until this post becomes public in a year, to view this content on the blog, you must be a member of Hermetic Library’s Patreon. However, you can follow the raw feed (drink directly from the firehose!) by heading to @OmniumGatherum at Hrmtc I∴O∴ and participate with likes, boosts, and comments to help curate the best stuff for everyone!
- Invocation of Gwyn ap Nudd by Glamourie on MMR17
- Hadon of Ancient Opar—Hermetic Library Fellow T Polyphilus reviews Hadon of Ancient Opar [Amazon, Abebooks, Local Library] by Philip Jose Farmer, illo Roy G Krenkel, with essays by Frank Brueckel and John Harwood.
- OZ by Scholar, feat Rensburg, on MMR17
- Mortal distrust of mortal happiness Is born of madness and of impotence; A miserable and distorted sense, Defiant in its hatred of success.—Aleister Crowley, “The Pessimist’s Progress” from The Temple of The Holy Ghost [Blog]
- Magick, Music and Ritual 17 cover artwork
- On Bullshit—Hermetic Library Fellow T Polyphilus reviews On Bullshit [Amazon, Bookshop, Publisher, Local Library] by Harry G. Frankfurt
- humour is a key lubricant of life. Humour is a social glue. Humour is the best anti-arrogance device. Humour is the best anti-despair device. Humour is what may separate man from other creatures. So why is humour neglected?—Edward De Bono, H+ A New Religion? How to Live Your Life Positively [Amazon, Local Library] [Blog]
- Supergod—Hermetic Library Fellow T Polyphilus reviews Supergod [Amazon, Bookshop, Publisher, Local Library] by Warren Ellis, Garrie Gastonny, & al., book 1 of the Supergod series. See also Supergod, Vol 1.
- Mail call 9dec2022—Let’s open this package that’s arrived at the Reading Room!
Also, elsewhere
- Summary for two weeks ending December 12, 2022 [Patreon/Public]
“To turn one hemp-seed from its proper use is to disturb the balance of Nature.”— deleted passage in Aleister Crowley's typescript for Duty
(I mean, the irony here is that getting useful pot requires separating the male and female plants … so not very 420 friendly, really. Maybe that's why Crowley deleted that bit?)