Harnessing the Magic and Creative Power of the Cut-up Method à la William Burroughs, David Bowie, Genesis P-Orridge, with Vanessa Sinclair and Carl Abrahamsson, hosted by Morbid Anatomy, September 10, 17, 24, and October 1, online.

“September 10, 17, 24, October 1
1 pm – 3 pm ET
$120 Patreon Members / $150 General Admission”

“The cut-up method was originally discovered by Dada instigator Tristan Tzara. In his 1920 manifesto To Make a Dadaist Poem he teaches us how to create what he called “accidental poems” by cutting words from a newspaper, putting them all into a hat, shaking the contents, and pulling them one by one to create poetry by chance.

At the Beat Hotel in Paris in 1958, creative partners William Burroughs and Brion Gysin rediscovered the cut-up method and elaborated upon it, moving from wordplay to audio recording, film, painting, collage, and further iterations. Gysin and Burroughs had been immersed in the magic of Morocco when they spent time with Paul and Jane Bowles in Tangier, and began to see the magical aspects inherent in their cut-up methodology.

David Bowie collided with William Burroughs and integrated the cut-up method into his way of writing song lyrics. A master of cutting up identity, Bowie played with the performative aspects of persona, gender, and sexuality.

Collectives such as Crass and Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth (TOPY) experimented with cutting up behavior and expectations through their “life as performance art” philosophies, challenging norms put upon them by parents, family, and society. TOPY intentionally wove magical elements into their creative practices, pulling heavily from the methods of Aleister Crowley and Austin Osman Spare, while idolizing Burroughs and Gysin as creative, magical masters.

TOPY ringleader Genesis P-Orridge harnessed the Third Mind work of Burroughs and Gysin and took their ideas even further, in a project coined Pandrogeny, through which Genesis and he/r other half Lady Jaye Breyer underwent a series of surgical, chemical, behavioral, spiritual, and psychological procedures to break down their individual identities and come together more fully as one. In this life as performance art endeavor, the pair challenged ideas of difference between self/other, man/woman, and even life/death.

In this class, Dr. Vanessa Sinclair and Carl Abrahamsson will review the history and evolution of the cut-up method over the past century. They will demonstrate how to apply cut-up techniques to a variety of artistic mediums, and participants will be encouraged to create, bring in, and share their own works of art (if desired, not required). A wonderful thing about the cut-up method is that it can be applied to whichever medium you enjoy. Words, images, sounds, video, fashion, and performance art may all be cut-up and rearranged to create something new and unexpected.

Anyone can harness the magical and creative potential of the cut-up method. Even if you don’t have any experience with the creative arts or magical practice, the facilitators of this course will walk you through the basics, and show you fundamental ways you can begin a creative and magical practice through work with the cut-up method. There will be plenty of time in class to share and to ask questions.”

Freud and the Occult with Vanessa Sinclair, hosted by Viktor Wynd & The Last Tuesday Society, September 5, 2023, online.

“Freud and the Occult by Dr. Vanessa Sinclair

This talk will delve into the occult aspects of Freud’s work.”

“Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, maintained an interest in occult phenomena longer than most people realize, conducting thought-transference experiments with his daughter Anna Freud and colleague Sándor Ferenczi late into his life. At the same time, the occult was one of the topics at the center of the split between Freud and Carl Jung in 1914, the other being the centrality of sexuality to human psychology. While Jung felt compelled to delve into the more unexplainable psychical phenomena coming to the fore in his psychoanalytic research and clinical practice, Freud insisted that the burgeoning field of psychoanalysis be considered scientific, not spiritualist, and warned his followers not to delve into the occult, at least not publicly.

Freud’s inner circle was well-aware of his occult experiments and research, however, as he often presented this work to small groups of his closest followers. ‘Psychoanalysis and Telepathy’, for example, was written in 1921 to be presented to the Central Committee of the International Psychoanalytical Association. Freud also penned quite a few papers on occult topics throughout his lifetime. ‘Notes on the Unconscious’ – the preliminary research that informed his seminal work ‘The Unconscious’ (1915) – was published in the journal of the Society for Psychical Research in 1912, and ‘The Occult Significance of Dreams’ was published in Imago in 1925. While Freud’s ‘A Premonitory Dream Fulfilled’ was written in 1899, but only published posthumously in 1941.

This talk will delve into the occult aspects of Freud’s work.”

Lilith, Maman Brigitte and Pomba Gira: The Dark Goddesses of Your Dreams with Lilith Dorsey, hosted by The College of Psychic Studies, Tuesday 29th August 29, 2023: 7pm–8:30pm UK time, online.

“The goddesses of the night have been honoured for centuries, and in some cases millennia. Allow Lilith Dorsey to introduce you to three of the most powerful – Lilith, Maman Brigitte and Pomba Gira – in this livestream talk.

First, there is Lilith, mistress of the dark, draped in sensuality and strength who has long been demonised by a male-dominated society.

Next we have Maman Brigitte, Queen of the Dead, who devotees turn to for justice and protection.

Last, but certainly not least, this livestream talk will discuss the bare-breasted and unapologetically sexual Pomba Gira who can spin the world.

Discover the symbolism, stories and imagery associated with these sacred feminine forces, as well as how to honour and offer tributes with shrines, spells, and more in this fascinating online talk with Voodoo Priestess Lilith Dorsey.”

Exploring the Situationists, a yearlong exploration with Ken Knabb, of Bureau of Public Secrets and ed/trans of Situationist International Anthology, beginning September 10, 2023, online.

Via email:

“‘First of all, we think the world must be changed. We want the most liberating change of the society and life in which we find ourselves confined. We know that such a change is possible through appropriate actions. Our specific concern is the use of certain means of action and the discovery of new ones.’ (Guy Debord, 1957)

Dear Friends and Contacts,

As an experiment, I am going to facilitate a yearlong exploration of Guy Debord and the Situationist International. I’ve done this same sort of thing previously with several small in-person groups in the Bay Area, but this will be the first time I’ve tried it on Zoom with a larger number of people taking part from elsewhere in the world.

We will be reading and discussing my Situationist International Anthology (Revised and Expanded Edition, 2006) and my annotated translation of Guy Debord’s The Society of the Spectacle (2014).

Participation is free and anyone is welcome to attend, regardless of their political viewpoints or of their knowledge or lack of knowledge of the situationists, as long as they are respectful of the other participants.

The group will meet via Zoom every other Sunday, 5:00-7:00 p.m. Pacific Time, beginning on September 10.

(As many of you know, during the last several years I’ve been leading a literary discussion group [“Exploring the Classics”] that also meets every other Sunday via Zoom. That group will continue, and this new group will meet on the alternate Sundays.)

We will begin with the SI Anthology, which presents the different stages of the situationists’ evolution, from their “psychogeographical” experiments and cultural agitations of the 1950s, through their analyses of the Watts riot, the Vietnam war, the Prague Spring, the Chinese “Cultural Revolution,” and other crises and upheavals of the sixties, culminating in their perpetration of the 1966 “Strasbourg scandal” and their role in triggering the astonishing May 1968 revolt in France. Covering about 50 pages per meeting, this will take us 10 meetings.

Then we will move on to The Society of the Spectacle. Because this book is more concise and more difficult than most of the SI articles, we will be taking our time, reading the whole book aloud and discussing the meanings and implications of each paragraph in detail. Our previous reading of the Anthology articles will also help to clarify what Debord is getting at. Reading about 10 pages per meeting, this will take us 11 meetings.

The two books can be ordered from any of the distributors listed at the bottom of this webpage: https://www.bopsecrets.org/cat.htm. You can also read the books online at the same website […].

NOTE: This is not intended to be any sort of political action group or forum for political debate. Our aim will simply be to look at what the situationists actually said and did (in contrast to the wide variety of silly rumors and misconceptions about them). What you do with what you learn is up to you.

Let me know if you’re interested.” [via the contact email on the website or linked above]

Angels and Demons, a three part workshop with Julian Vayne, hosted by The College of Psychic Studies, July 4, 11, & 16, 2023, 7pm BST, online.

“Angels and Demons
Julian Vayne
Starts: Tuesday 4th July 2023 : 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm (UK Time more information )

3 sessions, 2 hours per session, Online Workshop, Level: Open to all

Learn how to connect and work with spirit beings in this 3-part livestream workshop, guided by occultist Julian Vayne.

In these classes, you’ll explore the role of angels in ancient and modern magic. You’ll also discover the techniques for interacting with demons: from methods designed to bind these forces, to others that seek to reveal their true nature as potential allies in our spiritual development.

Through a delicious blend of theory and practice, we’ll explore the role of the Holy Guardian Angel, ancestral spirits, elemental entities and much more!

—

We will not be recording these classes. One of the unique aspects of the College’s online events is that they are highly interactive. Participants are encouraged to discuss and share with the tutor and the group. These sharings can be very personal, and some may not feel comfortable with them being recorded. If you need to miss any sessions, your tutor will be happy to offer a brief outline of the material covered.”

Hilma af Klint and The History and Visual Language of Anthroposophical Art with Kayla Bowen Marginean, presented by Morbid Anatomy, Sundays for 3 weeks starting July 23, 2023, online.

“Hilma af Klint and The History and Visual Language of Anthroposophical Art with Kayla Bowen Marginean, Begins July 23
$125.00
Taught online via Zoom
Sundays, July 23, 30, and August 6
3 – 5 pm ET
Admission: $100 Patreon Members / $125 General Admission

PLEASE NOTE: All classes will be recorded and archived for students who cannot attend live

Hilma af Klint’s artwork has taken the world by storm. We know af Klint was deeply influenced by anthroposophical philosophy although her relationship with the Anthroposophical Society was disappointing. What is anthroposophy, later renamed “spiritual science”? And how do af Klint’s works over the course of her life fit in with the motifs and visual language of anthroposophical art? What can the marked evolution in her techniques in The Paintings for the Temple (1906 – 1915) versus the Late Watercolors (1922 – 1941) teach us about her attempts to incorporate anthroposophical ideals into her works? And can anthroposophical principles provide clues to the meaning of her works, particular those of the latter half of her life?

In this three week course led by Kayla Bowen Marginean, founder and editor-in-chief of COLLECTIVE Dream Arts Magazine, students will become more familiar with the functions and visual language of anthroposophical art, explore af Klint’s paintings from the context of anthroposophy, and will have the opportunity to create a piece of art of their own based on what they learned.”

Ancient Egyptian Mortuary Traditions with Ava Forte Vitali, from Morbid Anatomy, July 12, 2023, online and recorded.

“Ancient Egyptian Mortuary Traditions with Egyptologist Ava Forte Vitali, Begins July 12

Taught via Zoom
Wednesdays July 12 – August 9
7 pm – 9 pm
$110 Patreon Members / $135 General Admission

Please note: All classes will be recorded for those unable to attend

If there is one thing that ancient Egyptians are known for today, it is their close relationship with death and the afterlife. While many are taught a basic grade school understanding of ancient Egyptian beliefs—from pyramids to mummies—their actual mortuary traditions, mythologies, and practices were much more nuanced and complicated.

This four-week class, taught by Archaeologist and art historian Ava Forte Vitali, will cover the basic principles of ancient Egyptian beliefs surrounding death, the afterlife, and how to prepare for it. it will also provide a deeper look at the systems—practical, magical, and political—that they used to support those beliefs, and around which they centered their culture. The class aims to connect their religious texts, funerary objects, and architecture to the context during which they were created, and discuss how that changed at different times and across economic statuses.

As we expand our knowledge of the Egyptian’s major practices, we can reflect on what they can teach modern audiences about our own sense of mortality. We can also consider together what lessons we might want to learn about life through the ancient Egyptians concepts of death.

This course is open to all interest levels and backgrounds, such as enthusiasts looking for more in-depth information on ancient Egypt than that offered by sensationalized television specials; people interested in understanding the unique way ancient Egyptians saw the world and using it as a way to understand their own; scholars who are interested in the global history of mortuary practices; or anyone who is even mildly interested in the subject matter overall.

While the course will focus on the actual historical practices of the Egyptians, we can also discuss the different ways students can incorporate those beliefs into their modern practices as well. While there will be no required weekly reading, additional resources and reading lists on each topic will be available.”