Category Archives: Guests

Personal and project web sites hosted by Hermetic.com

In memoriam Bill Heidrick

What is remembered lives, and unto them may there be granted the accomplishment of their wills.

Bill Heidrick [also], William Emmet Heidrick, has passed away. Bill was a fellow of Hermetic Library before I came up with the term, and from before I was Librarian.

His guest site is one of the earliest sub-sites hosted at the library, but, more importantly, it would be fair to say that without Bill’s work at creating a digitization project for Aleister Crowley’s work, the library itself might not have ever existed, or, at the very least, the Libri of Aleister Crowley section would be entirely different or broadly missing documents. Until recently, it was likely true that any presentation in English of Aleister Crowley works online was originally sourced from Bill Heidrick’s project, and you will still find many are directly sourced from his old 90s-era ASCII text files, originally shared on 3.5 floppy disks and then in the files area of BBS and later USENET and websites, and printed out or saved locally by untold numbers of people worldwide. The project was a sea change. There are some that wished, wish, and will continue to do so, that change had never happened and that project had never been undertaken, let alone by a direct agent of OTO, and gotten him into what he called once via email “hot water”, but, since it did and was, the modern availability of Aleister Crowley material on the early Internet is largely and almost without exception entirely due to the work done and organized by Bill Heidrick. Speculatively, I cannot help but wonder how much more of the still unpublished diary, full comment, and other materials would be widely available now if Heidrick had ended up being in charge after the OTO leadership kerfuffle of the 80s when Grady Louis McMurtry died.

Hermetic Library Fellow Bill Heidrick is now a historical Figure.

Hermetic Sections Bill Heidrick

Mail call 11jul2022

Let’s open this envelope that’s arrived at the Reading Room!

Hermetic Library Mail Call 11jul2022

It’s a very much appreciated donation from Hermetic Library Fellow Walter C Cambra!

 

Also, as a reminder, if you want to participate in postal exchange with me, I occasionally send stuff out to certain Patrons as a perk; but, even if you aren’t able to be a Patron, if you send something I’ll send something back! It’s that easy!

As inconvenient as it may seem, and as uncomfortable as it may feel; I’m going to suggest this hypothesis: secrets which aren’t revealed, and potentially available to those that seek them out independent of their oath-bound custodians, eventually become extinct.

John Griogair Bell, Mysteries, Secrets and Spoilers

Hermetic quote Bell Mysteries Secrets Spoilers inconvenient uncomfortable hypothesis secrets which arent revealed eventually become extinct

It took a lot of time and I thought of quitting a few times, but I am not one to admit defeat. I steadily persevered. It is what we do, as Magicians. I meditated. I evaluated the reason behind everything I did. I refused to do that which was not in line with my new path: work for work’s sake.

Soror Beth Shemesh (Beth Kimbell), TMI or Karma Yoga: A Fool’s Journey

Hermetic quote Kimbell TMI Karma Yoga A Fool's Journey time quitting not admit defeat persevered magicians meditated evaluated reason refused not in line new path work for work's sake

Demands for sacrifice lack appeal for those who have already sacrificed, and been sacrificed, too much and for too long. The future promised by the left looked to be – at worst, even worse – and at best, not noticeably better than the status quo. Why rush to the barricades or, for that matter, why even bother to vote?

Bob Black, Preface to The Right to be Greedy by “For Ourselves”

Hermetic quote Black Preface to The Right to be Greedy by For Ourselves demands sacrifice lack appeal already too much too long future promised worst worse at best not better status quo why bother

Next day, the victims each receive a letter explaining that their receipt of the objects effected the delivery of a curse. The hex will cause them to come to know their true desires, symbolized by the magical objects. They will also now begin to realize they are acting as enemies of the human race by commodifying desire and working as the agents of soul-Control. The magic art-objects will weave into their dreams and desires, making their jobs now seem not only poisonously boring but also morally destructive. Their desires so magically awakened will ruin them for work in the Media – unless they turn to subversion and sabotage.

Hakim Bey, The Occult Assault on Institutions

Hermetic quote Bey Wilson The Occult Assault on Institutions letter curse hex know true desires symbolized magical objects acting enemies human race commodifying desire ruin subversion sabotage

The radical magi encountered a world wherein one world-image was locked in place—not just the geocentric cosmos but the whole Christian orthodox value system that went with it. Their subversive purpose revolved around the project of a free circulation of imagery, a breaking-up of the stasis and the creation of a more responsive model. The single world-view of orthodoxy was seen as stifling, tyrannical, oppressive. Inasmuch as the self interiorized this view it reproduced the oppression on the level of the subjective. The hermeticists opposed the very singleness of this worldview with a contradictory multiplicity, a critical form of “paganism” based on difference.

Hakim Bey, The Obelisk

Hermetic quote Bey Wilson The Obelisk radical magi encountered one world-image locked subversive purpose free circulation imagery contradictory multiplicity critical paganism difference

Nostalgia can be contained and marketed—but actual difference would threaten the hegemony of the one worldview. The “Gift Economy” of some nearly-extinguished “primitive tribe” makes excellent TV; our mourning for its disappearance can only boost the sales of whatever commodity might soothe our sense of loss. Mourning itself can become fetishized, as in the victorian era of onyx and jet and black-plumed graveyard horses. Death is good for Capital, because money is the sexuality of the dead. Corpses have already appeared in advertising—”real” corpses.

Hakim Bey, The Obelisk

Hermetic quote Bey Obelisk nostalgia contained marketed death good capital money sexuality dead corpses advertising

John Ruf

Join me in welcoming John Ruf as the newest Fellow at the library.

John Ruf is a hipster hermetic kabbalist with atheist overtones, an expert curator of content, and has some seriously good tastes in music. There’s links to several essays, books, and works of art for you to check out!