Tag Archives: Astrology

36 Faces

36 Faces: The History, Astrology and Magic of the Decans by Austin Coppock, in deluxe and standard hardcovers as well as a trade paper edition from Three Hands Press, may be of interest.

There is a thread that runs through over four millennia of astrological and magical history, a cord that binds ancient Egypt with the Hellenistic world, the Arabian empire, India, the European Renaissance and even touches the present. That thread is the Decans, a division of the earth’s sky into 36 sections. These 36 ‘Faces of Heaven’ are more than just a curious footnote in the history of archaeo-astronomy. First emerging in ancient Egypt, they have moved with the corpus of Hermetic material, reincarnating in the starry wisdom of culture after culture.

Ostensibly a gear in astrology’s encompassing clockworks, the Decans have also long been a key to accessing legions of spirits. For several millennia and in multiple cultures, magicians have looked at these 36 faces and seen gods, choirs of angels, hordes of demons, and a host of daimones staring back at them, each with its own unique powers. Far from going undocumented, this gallery of faces has been painted and drawn by a host of astrologers, sorcerers and artists, and they can be found on walls of Italian villas as well as in the pages of grimoires.

Weaving together astrology and magic, divination and sorcery, time and sky, this thread of esoteric history deserves more than the footnotes it has so far received. In this work, Austin Coppock follows the Decans through history, charting their trajectory through time and culture. Using the ring of keys which history provides, the 36 doors are flung open, revealing their mysteries to magician and astrologer alike. Each decan, its image, and its specific powers are examined in detail, as well as its permutations in the planetary aspects. Featuring original images specially created for each Decan by Bob Eames, 36 Faces is an invaluable resource for magicians, astrologers, and historians of magical semiotics.

Omnium Gatherum: July 2nd, 2014

An irregular hodgepodge of links gathered together … Omnium Gatherum for July 2nd, 2014

Endangered Site: Chinguetti, Mauritania: The rapidly expanding Sahara Desert threatens a medieval trading center that also carries importance for Sunni Muslims — Jeanne Maglaty, Smithsonian

Thelema and Witchcraft: was Gerald Gardner head of the O.T.O.? — Brandy Williams, Star and Snake

“Many Witches are unaware how deeply involved Gerald Gardner was with Ordo Templi Orientis. How Gardner came to think of himself of head of the O.T.O. in Europe, however briefly, shines a light on Gardner’s wide contacts in the esoteric communities, the last days of Aleister Crowley’s life, and the chaos caused by the Second World War.”
Empathic people are natural targets for sociopaths — protect yourself — Jane McGregor and Tim McGregor, Addiction Today

“Many sociopaths wreak havoc in a covert way, so that their underlying condition remains hidden for years. They can possess a superficial charm, and this diverts attention from disturbing aspects of their nature.”

The following case history illustrates how people can be systematically targeted until they feel they can barely trust their own sense of reality – what we call ‘gaslighting’. Sociopathic abuse is targeted abuse. It can wreck lives. Victims can become survivors, but at huge cost.”

“Let’s look at what we term the Socio-Empath-Apath Triad, or Seat. Unremitting abuse of other people is an activity of the sociopath that stands out. To win their games, sociopaths enlist the help of hangers-on: apaths.”
7 things paganism can teach the modern man: As thousands prepare to celebrate the Summer Solstice this weekend, Lee Kynaston looks at the lessons we can glean from a pagan lifestyle — Lee Kynaston, The Telegraph [HT Spiral Nature]

“If I were to ask you what the average male pagan looked like, you’d probably have him down as a bearded, middle-aged, cloak-wearing, tree-hugging, mead-swigging, part-time nudist who’s a bit paunchy around the middle and whose favourite film is The Wicker Man.

And you’d be right.”
9 Stunning Panoramas of Starry Skies, Captured With a Homemade Camera Rig — Liz Stinson, WIRED

“Last spring Vincent Brady sold most of his belongings, moved out of his apartment and struck out on the road to document the night sky. But instead of taking your typical long-exposure shots, Brady designed himself a custom camera rig that’s allowed him to capture stunning 360 panoramic images of the stars and Milky Way moving in concert.”
Desiring Life — T Thorn Coyle

“Include as much of life as you possibly can: Fall in love. Break your heart. Risk. Open. Seek justice. Create. Dance. Listen. Fuck. Desire. Will. Act. Live.”
Human Language Is Biased Towards Happiness, Say Computational Linguists — The Physics arXiv Blog [HT Slashdot]

“Overall, [Peter Dodds, et al., of the Computational Story Lab at the University of Vermont in Burlington] collected 50 ratings per word resulting in an impressive database of around 5 million individual assessments. Finally, they plotted the distribution of perceived word happiness for each language.

The results bring plenty of glad tidings. All of the languages show a clear bias towards positive words with Spanish topping the list, followed by Portuguese and then English. Chinese props up the rankings as the least happy. ‘Words—the atoms of human language — present an emotional spectrum with a universal positive bias,’ they say.”
Madness…or Mystic? Sylvia Plath and the Occult Taboo — Julia Gordon-Bramer, a presentation for ASE 2014

“The poet Sylvia Plath’s work is full of the moon, and this is just the beginning of her nod to the occult. Her 1956 marriage to the poet Ted Hughes added astrology, tarot, Ouija boards, hypnosis, meditation, folk-magic, witchcraft, and crystal ball scrying to her repertoire of extra-curricular spiritual activities.

The facts have been out there all along on Sylvia Plath, but until now no one had thought to view them seriously and collectively.”
Invoke the Highest First — Alex Sumner, Sol Ascendans

“Often I find that, when I am facing a new challenge, perhaps one that I find daunting for some reason, the simplest solution is to apply basic principles. This is especially true in magick. In the Golden Dawn the most important rule of thumb is referred to as ‘invoke the highest first,’ which is a reference to one of the clauses of the Adeptus Minor obligation: ‘I furthermore solemnly pledge myself never to work at any important symbol without first invocating the highest Divine Names connected therewith.'”
Immanence by Stuart Davis

“Every body wants to taste
a little something carbon-based
Sex is proof the Holy Ghost
crawls around in stuff that’s gross
Yeah

There’s a serpent in my body
right below my belly
When I crave an apple
you are redder than an orchard”
NASA, tweet

Puff the magic sun! Solar material bursts off the sun's atmosphere: http://t.co/MqNuUapTXn @NASASunEarth pic.twitter.com/j72f2u9avl

— NASA (@NASA) June 27, 2014
The Other Magi of the New Aeon of Horus — Setem Heb, Beetle Tracks

“In the period following Crowley’s death the state of organized Thelema largely fell to nothing. In his excellent The Unknown God Martin P. Starr provides an excellent account of Crowley’s O.T.O. heir, Karl Germer’s attempt to hold together the existing Thelemites with little effect. As a result of there being no centralized Thelemic authority quasi-Thelemic groups would form.”
Archaeologists recreate Elixir of Long Life recipe from unearthed bottle — April Holloway, Ancient Origins

“The discovery included a two hundred-year-old glass bottle that once contained the ‘Elixir of Long Life’. Now the research team have tracked down the original German recipe used to create the elixir for fending off death. […] the potion contained ingredients such as aloe, which is anti-inflammatory, gentian root, which aids digestion, as well as rhubarb, zedoary, and Spanish saffron – ingredients still used by herbalists today.”
The end of EXESESO — Egil Asprem, Heterodoxology

“After the untimely death of Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke back in 2012 […] there has been much speculation about what would happen with the Exeter Centre for the Study of Esotericism (EXESESO) that he ran at the University of Exeter. Since 2005, EXESESO has offered one of the three official university programs for the academic study of esotericism in Europe (the others being in Amsterdam and Paris), and produced a steady stream of MAs through its distance learning program. After an internal evaluation process at Exeter University, in dialogue with the Theosophically oriented Blavatsky Trust who funded the centre, a final decision has now been made to shut EXESESO down.”
Whole lotta Led, as songs don’t remain the same — Barry Egan, Sunday Independent

“Overall, the story of Zeppelin was like something out of an X-rated version of the Bible; with Plant as the messianic, bare-chested prophet from Wolverhampton and Page as the Aleister Crowley devotee who sold his soul to the devil for magic chords to the Delta blues.”
The Lost Desert Libraries of Chinguetti — MessyNessy [HT Book Patrol]

“The sands of the Sahara have all but swallowed Chinguetti, a near ghost town found at the end of a harsh desert road in Mauritania, West Africa. Its majority of abandoned houses are open to the elements, lost to the dunes of a desert aggressively expanding southward at a rate of 30 miles per year. While predictions suggest this isolated town will be buried without a trace within generations, Chinguetti is probably the last place on Earth you would look for a library of rare books.”
New Biogaphies of Aleister Crowley and Proto-Fascist Poet Gabriele d’Annunzio Raise Big Questions on the Nature of Evil — Jason Diamond, Flavorwire

“While it might not seem an obvious pairing, reading [Gary] Lachman’s book as a biography of Crowley (rather than an analysis of his importance) alongside Hughes-Hallett’s Gabriele d’Annunzio provides an opportunity to both compare and contrast these two controversial figures who reportedly were acquainted with one another in their lifetimes (d’Annunzio was 12 years older than Crowley and died nine years before him). It also gives the reader an opportunity to consider what’s truly bad or evil, and think about the quest for pleasure or power. Few figures in the last century will inspire you to ponder those ideas like the figures profiled in these two books.”

If you’d like to participate in the next Omnium Gatherum, head on over to the Gatherum discussions at the Hrmtc Underground BBS.

Omnium Gatherum: March 12th, 2014

An irregular hodgepodge of links gathered together … Omnium Gatherum for March 12th, 2014

“An illustration from an 1877 issue of Little Wide Awake magazine.” — Craig Conley, Abecedarian

“Ask Massively: And the money will follow” — Brianna Royce, Massively; from the two-pennies-to-rub-together dept.

“My mother always told me, ‘Do what you love, and the money will follow.’ It’s not true. I wish it were. Sorry mom. It’s a dangerous thing to tell a geeky little girl something like that when she’s trying to decide whether to be a coroner, an international diplomat, or a butterfly. I did not become any of these things. I got a degree in what I loved, but the money followed only when I got a job I didn’t love to pay for my husband to do what he loved. My landing a job with Massively (almost four years ago!) was the product of an unrelated cross-country move, a lot of luck, and an unusual combination of otherwise mundane knowledge. It was not something I planned and executed meticulously as a career plan.”
“#AmtrakResidency” — Amtrak; from the they-who-curse-the-bum-on-the-rods dept.

“#AmtrakResidency was designed to allow creative professionals who are passionate about train travel and writing to work on their craft in an inspiring environment. Round-trip train travel will be provided on an Amtrak long-distance route. Each resident will be given a private sleeper car, equipped with a desk, a bed and a window to watch the American countryside roll by for inspiration. Routes will be determined based on availability.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed by a panel. Up to 24 writers will be selected for the program starting March 17, 2014 through March 31, 2015. A passion for writing and an aspiration to travel with Amtrak for inspiration are the sole criteria for selection. Both emerging and established writers will be considered.

Residencies will be anywhere from 2-5 days, with exceptions for special projects.”
“WIT researchers discover ‘lost’ Einstein model of universe” — Dick Ahlstrom, Irish Times; from the i-will-not-be-pushed-filed-stamped-indexed-briefed-debriefed-or-numbered dept.

“‘I was looking through drafts, but then slowly realised it was a draft of something very different,’ Dr [Cormac] O’Raifeartaigh said. ‘I nearly fell off my chair. It was hidden in perfect plain sight. This particular manuscript was misfiled as a draft of something else.'”
Albert Einstein quote via “Albert Einstein, when he arrived in America, was shocked at how African Americans were treated.” — Emily, Dichotomization [also]; from the emperor’s-new-clothes dept.

“There is a separation of colored people from white people in the United States. That separation is not a disease of colored people. It is a disease of white people. I do not intend to be quiet about it.”
“On Gaia tests whether the hypothesis holds up to scientific scrutiny” — Scott K Johnson, Ars Technica; from the because-the-cosmos-is-also-within-us dept.

“In the early 1970s, Lovelock—with the help of Lynn Margulis—developed the Gaia Hypothesis, which views the Earth and its ecosystems as resembling a sort of superorganism. Lovelock was working for NASA at the time, developing instruments that would aid the Viking landers in looking for signs of life on Mars, so he was thinking about how life interacts with its environment on a planetary scale. And Margulis was famed for her ideas about symbiosis.

This intellectual background led to the idea that organisms are not just passive inhabitants riding a big rock that determined whether they lived or died. Organisms were active participants in the molding of their environment, tweaking and improving conditions as part of a massive, self-regulating system.

In On Gaia: A Critical Investigation of the Relationship Between Life and Earth, University of Southampton Professor Toby Tyrrell sets out to comprehensively put the Gaia Hypothesis to the test, using everything we’ve learned about life and its history on our planet.”
“Recreating the Cosmos in Our Druidic Ritual Order.” — Ian Corrigan, Into the Mound; from the we’re-made-of-star-stuff dept.

“In my understanding, the basic steps of our Order of Ritual (OoR) amount to a recreation of the Indo-European cosmos. As in many traditional ritual systems, our rites are set in a cosmological diagram. Since our Order is written for modern, park-and-church-basement Paganism, we assume that this cosmic model must be rebuilt and reconsecrated for each ritual. Thus our sacrifices open with rites for consecrating the space and establish it as a gathering-place for the Gods & Spirits.”
A new “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, presented by Fox and National Geographic, guest appearance by Giordano Bruno in the premiere [also]; from the we-are-a-way-for-the-cosmos-to-know-itself dept.
“Petra monuments oriented according to celestial events” — Past Horizons; from the summer-sunday-and-a-year dept.

“During the winter solstice, the sun is filtered into the Monastery at Petra, Jordan, illuminating the podium of a deity. Just at this moment, the silhouette of the mountain opposite draws the head of a lion, a sacred animal. These are examples from a study where researchers from Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias and CSIC (Spain) showed how celestial events influenced the orientation of the great constructions of the Nabataeans.”
“Research Suggests We Unconsciously React to Events Up to 10 Seconds Before They Happen” — The Mind Unleashed [HT Reality Sandwich]; from the wake-me-up-before-you-go-go dept.

“Can your brain detect events before they even occur? That was the stunning conclusion of a 2012 meta-analysis of experiments from seven independent laboratories over the last 35 years, which found that the human body ‘can apparently detect randomly delivered stimuli occurring 1–10 seconds in the future’ (Mossbridge, Tressoldi, & Utts, 2012). In the studies, physiological readings were taken as participants were subjected to unpredictable events designed to activate the sympathetic nervous system (for example, showing provocative imagery) as well as ‘neutral events’ that did not activate the nervous system. These readings showed that the nervous system aligned with the nature of the event (activated/not activated) — and what’s more, the magnitude of the pre-event response corresponded with the magnitude of the post-event response.”
“Scientists unlock mystery of out-of-body experiences (aka astral trips)” — Jordan Kushins, Sploid [HT Disinformation]; from the why-am-i-up-here-what-do-they-see-in-me dept.

“The fMRI showed a ‘strong deactivation of the visual cortex’ while ‘activating the left side of several areas associated with kinesthetic imagery,’ which includes mental imagery of bodily movement. This is the part of the brain that makes it possible for us to interact with the world. It’s what makes you feel where your body is in relation to the world.”
Translation of Theodor Klauser at “Mithras scholar Vermaseren on the Mithras cranks” — Roger Pearse [HT rogueclassicism]; from the let-that-be-a-lesson-to-you dept.

“Anyone who really wants to promote scholarship may not content themselves with uniting uncontrolled ideas and research into a seductive synthesis, written in an attractive form, for the slightest critical touch causes such constructs to collapse. The established rules of scholarly method cannot be ignored with impunity; even the most gifted may not skip over the necessarily lengthy process.”
Priestess Najah, via tweet.

“Queen of Conjure, sacred Marie LaVeau. Her tomb needs restoration. Donate at http://www.saveourcemeteries.org“
“Maidens, Matrons, and Magicians: Women and Personal Ritual Power in Late Antique Egypt” by Meghan Paalz McGinnis, Masters Thesis, University of Louisville, 2012; from the sparks-fly-from-her-finger-tips dept.

“Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach to a variety of material, textual, and literary evidence, the aim of this thesis is to shed light on the realities — rather than stereotypes — of an important aspect of late ancient women’s experience: the use of ritual power. Patterns of gender differentiation in late antique Egyptian magic are investigated and shown to be connected to the particular aims to which numinous powers were employed, aims which were in turn bound up with the social roles expected of each sex. The majority of this study consists of a series of case studies of different types of women’s rituals of power, which emphasize examples of significant trends in ritual iconography, praxis, and context, both those which were typical of late antique Egyptian magic as a whole, and those which were uniquely female in character. The fact that female practitioners came from a wide array of socio-economic, ethnic, and religious backgrounds is also addressed.”
“Tutankhamun’s Blood” by Jo Marchant, Matter; from the blood-feud dept.

“[Yehia] Gad isn’t the first to attempt to test Tutankhamun’s DNA, but he is the first to get this far. Previous efforts by foreigners were cancelled at the last minute. After decades of outside interference, Egypt’s politicians were reluctant to hand over the keys to the pharaohs’ origins—especially when the results, if dropped into the crucible of the Middle East, might prove explosive.”
“Israel reveals eerie collection of Neolithic ‘spirit’ masks” — Ilan ben Zion [HT David Metcalfe]; from the starting-with-the-man-in-the-mirror dept.

“With vacant sockets and jaws agape, they stare at you like the skulls of the dead. They are 9,000-year-old masks found in the Judean Desert and Hills, and they are going on display for the first time next week at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.”
Myrtle quoted in “Paganism in Israel: Where the Modern meets the Ancient” — Heather Greene, The Wild Hunt; from the grand-central-station dept.

“Ever since the dawn of [humanity], even stretching back to the exits from Africa, people of different cultures have passed through this tiny country. There are places of worship to the Canaanite deities, Egyptian temples to Hathor, countless shrines to the Greek and Roman Gods, Phoenician influences and more.”
Consult the Oracle! [HT rogueclassicism]; from the ask-me-no-questions-i’ll-tell-you-no-lies dept.

“The ancient Delphic Oracle was the inspiration for a recent application created by the Department of Classical Studies at the University College of London. This application will give the user the chance to have a unique experience. The application is very tempting and attractive as one can ask whatever he wishes online.” [via]
“Shape-Shifter” — Michael Gilleland, Laudator Temporis Acti; from the i’m-gonna-git-you-sucka dept.

“Zeus became a swan, a bull, a satyr, gold, for love of
Leda, Europa, Antiope, Danaë.”
“Jesus Wept” — Michael Gilleland, Laudator Temporis Acti; from the dacryphilia dept.

“Some in the ancient world might have interpreted the act of weeping as evidence that Jesus was not God.”
“Grimoire” — Michael Quinion, World Wide Words; from the cook-the-books dept.

“The shift from book of grammar to book of magic isn’t as weird as it might seem. Few among the ordinary people in those times could read or write. For superstitious minds books were troubling objects. Who knew what awful information was locked up in them? For many people grammar meant the same thing as learning, and everybody knew that learning included astrology and other occult arts.”
“California’s drought is so bad people are turning to witchcraft” — Holly Richmond, Grist; from the liquore-strega dept.

“Did you know that witches help make Two-Buck Chuck? Sadly no one from The Craft is involved, but water witches are increasingly in demand in California as the state’s epic drought continues. John Franzia of the Bronco Wine Company, which makes Two-Buck Chuck and a slew of other wines, regularly uses diviners to find water underneath his California vineyards.”
“Aleister Crowley and the Temptation of Politics, by Marco Pasi” — Clive Bloom, Times Higher Education; from the piecemeal-social-engineering dept.

“Pasi’s book, which has already appeared in Italian and German, proves an admirable introduction to the complex magical and political connections of this most elusive of figures. Ironically, what the book proves is the opposite of its title, which is simply that magical practice and practical politics have never mixed, and the attempt to fit them together was a doomed and ‘childish’ project. Crowley’s ‘political’ legacy lies more properly in the politics of personal liberation that he advocated and in the counterculture he helped to create.”
“Alchemical Interpretations of Masonic Symbols in the Rituals of Russian Rosicrucians of the 18th-19th Centuries” (in Russian) — Yury Khalturin; from the watching-the-world-wake-up-from-history dept.

“In the article symbolic mechanisms of the transmission of alchemical tradition within the Russian Rosicrucianism are analyzed. The main point of the article is the idea, that masonic symbols and their interpretations were not just a form of communicating the alchemical tradition, but also a mode of its transformation according to the principles of rosicrucian worldview. All the alchemical interpretations of masonic symbols in rosicrucian rituals could be reduced to paradigmatic and syntagmatic models. Within the ritual those symbols and interpretations realized two main functions — suggestive (creating the sacral atmosphere for getting the esoteric knowledge) and initiatic (initiation through the shift from one level of hidden sense to another), which changed social and existential status of the neophyte.”
“Is there any super bad-ass Catholic weapon around out there?” — Benito Cereno, Burgeoning Lads of Science; from the ten-hail-marys-and-turn dept.

“Some of these might be of dubious Catholicity, but they all at least have something to do with a saint or a relic, so there you have it.”
“Mindscapes: The first recording of hallucinated music” — Helen Thomson, NewScientist’s Mindscapes; from the stop-children-what’s-that-sound dept.

“‘It’s like having my own internal iPod,’ says Sylvia. While she goes about her daily life she hears music. It may sound to her as if a radio is playing, but it is entirely in her own head.

Sylvia calls the hallucinations a nuisance, but they can be turned off, which has allowed researchers to work out what might cause them. The discovery paves the way for new treatments and hints at the cause of more common hallucinations, such as those associated with schizophrenia.”
“Are Stonehenge’s Boulders Actually Big Bells?” — Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic [David Raffin]; from the everybody-must-get-stoned dept.

“If you’re building a monument, why not build it out of stones that speak?

‘We don’t know of course that they moved them because they rang, but ringing rocks are a prominent part of many cultures,’ English archeologist Tim Darvill told the BBC. ‘Soundscapes of pre-history are something we’re really just beginning to explore.’

It’s true. Academics and researchers are just beginning to think about what many historic places—both geographic and architectural—sounded like.”
“Wagner & Me“, a movie with Stephen Fry, currently on Netflix; from the is-wagner-a-human-being-at-all dept.
Richard Wagner and his Operas, an online archive and resource.
“Mathematicians Are Chronically Lost and Confused” — Soulskill, Slashdot; from the dazed-and-confused dept.

“[Jeremy Kun] says it’s immensely important for mathematicians to be comfortable with extended periods of ignorance when working on a new topic. ‘The truth is that mathematicians are chronically lost and confused. It’s our natural state of being, and I mean that in a good way. …”
Roelof Nicolai quoted in “648 – Portolan Charts ‘Too Accurate’ to be Medieval” — Frank Jacobs, Big Think; from the maps-of-the-ancient-sea-kings dept.

“Perhaps we should re-evaluate what we think was the state of science in Antiquity”
“Scientists Revive a Giant 30,000 Year Old Virus From Ice” — bmahersciwriter, Slashdot; from the andromeda-strain dept.

“It might be terrifying if we were amoebae. Instead, it’s just fascinating. The virus, found in a hunk of Siberian ice, is huge, but also loosely packaged, which is strange says evolutionary biologist Jean-Michel Claverie: ‘We thought it was a property of viruses that they pack DNA extremely tightly into the smallest particle possible, but this guy is 150 times less compacted than any bacteriophage [viruses that infect bacteria]. We don’t understand anything anymore!'”

AMeTh Lodge Journal Vol I No 2

AMeTh Lodge Journal Vol I No 2 was recently issued for June 2013, and is available directly or via Weiser Antiquarian Books.

“This fabulous, high quality, beautifully printed and bound second issue of the Lodge’s Journal should not disappoint!:

Br. Shaun Johnson analyses Crowley’s negative opinion of mediumship, seeking to place this in a socio-historical context and thereby reclaim the field as a legitimate and useful area of research for the practising magician.
Fr. Vaoanu describes what happens when a goetic spirit runs amok, creating havoc in the everyday life of the unsuspecting ritualist.
Fr. Wahdaniah delves into the annals of a working group meeting each week to scry the Tree of Life, describing the ritual approach adopted by the group, the sort of results that were obtained, and the psychological factors involved in scrying.
Br. Gary Dickinson traces the cultural origins and subsequent peregrinations of the mysterious figure of Lam, highlighting a major area of influence on Crowley’s thought and work which has been elided by later commentators.
Sr. I presents an illuminating approach to using astrology as a tool in the quest to discover the True Will.
Sr. Dwale gives a first-hand account of an initiation into a ceremonial magic group, recounting what happened one night somewhere in the depths of Cornwall.
Fr. Sotto Voce, is something of a ‘call to arms’ for those in the Order.
Fr. Lamogue, has written a wonderful fable about the Order of practically Sufic simplicity.
For the first time, in this issue – an article by a guest author who is not a member of O.T.O.: a fascinating study of Aleister Crowley’s trip to Russia with his troupe of Ragged Ragtime Girls, written by Geraldine Beskin.

This edition also offers an eclectic selection of rituals written and performed by Lodge members for the reader’s delectation:

There is the Pyramid of the Sphinx, a ritual written by Fr. Spiritus which utilises some of the key ideas detailed by Crowley in Liber Aleph.
Fr. Dharmakaya draws on his background in Witchcraft to construct a Thelemic Witchcraft Ritual.
Fr. 515 presents The Rite of Hekate, a ritual invoking an ancient goddess using the formulae of ceremonial magick, accompanied by an essay outlining the key considerations and sources which featured in its composition.
Not to mention an interview with the eminently edifying Lon Milo DuQuette, who offers his own unique view on a whole host of magical topics mercilessly hurled at him by his interlocutors.

All is adorned by excellent artwork and photographs created by Lodge members and printed in full colour, including the magnificent image which graces the front cover of this second issue.” [via]

LeMulgeton: Goetia and the Stellar Tradition

LeMulgeton: Goetia and the Stellar Tradition by Leo Holmes is a new release available directly from Fall of Man in physical and digital editions. There are also a number of images of the book on their social networking page and a sample chapter on the website.

“Most of The Ars Goetia readers, if not all, are much more interested in what they can get or do by using it than in its origins. But how did it arrive to our days? What, or who, are the subjects in the book? Why 72 and what do their classifications mean? What can their depictions say about them? A lot of questions remain, and it is the aim of LeMulgeton: Goetia and the Stellar Tradition to point towards where some of those answers can be found.

Throughout the pages of this work, the author attempts to relate both Lemegeton and Mul.Apin (a Babylonian compendium that deals with many diverse aspects of Babylonian astronomy and astrology), attributing the Goetics to the Sumerian Constellations (which include single stars and planets) neglecting the prose’s linear flow for the sake of mythic astronomical approach. For that, the author analyzes every possibility – similarity in names, coincidental depictions, mythological attributions and even Constellations’ modern names – following the order in which the demons are presented in Lemegeton. These associations are not to be taken dogmatically though, but rather serve as a pragmatic working table to stimulate contemporary magicians to further develop knowledge and practice on these matters. Mul.Apin and Lemegeton are apophenic (and pareidolic) maps whose sole intent is to serve as a medium for keeping alive a knowledge which is probably as old as human nature. Therefore, those associations are temporary, ever revolving, just like the stars they are about.

The aim of LeMulgeton: Goetia and the Stellar Tradition is to attend a call and to re-establish a long lost connection with the Elder Gods.” [via]

The Thoth Tarot, Astrology & Other Selected Writings

The Thoth Tarot, Astrology, & Other Selected Writings [also] by Phyllis Seckler (Soror Meral), edited by Dr David Shoemaker et al., the 2010 hardcover limited edition of 777 from College of Thelema of Northern California (now the International College of Thelema) and Teitan Press, is part of the collection at the Reading Room.

“Phyllis Seckler (1917–2004) was introduced to the teachings of Aleister Crowley in the late 1930s and became a regular participant in the activities of Agape Lodge of the Ordo Templi Orientis in California, and rose to become a Ninth Degree member of the ‘Sovereign Sanctuary of the Gnosis.’ She was admitted to the A∴ A∴, eventually taking the ‘magical name’ Soror Meral and was later confirmed as an Adeptus Minor by Crowley’s successor, Karl Germer. Seckler was a key figure in the reinauguration of the O.T.O. in 1969, and a few years later she founded the College of Thelema, with the intention that it would provide background training for aspirants to the A∴ A∴ Although not as widely known as some of her contemporaries, Seckler played a crucial role in the history of Thelema, not only through her efforts to explore and revive Crowley’s creed, but also by training a new generation of its students.

The Thoth Tarot, Astrology & Other Selected Writings, is edited by three of Phyllis Seckler’s former students: Rorac Johnson, Gregory Peters, and David Shoemaker. It includes a biographical sketch of Phyllis Seckler drawn from her own autobiographical writings, and two of her most important essays: ‘The Tarot Trumps of Thoth and Psychology’ — a detailed analysis of the psychological and magical symbolism of the Trumps of the Thoth deck — and ‘Thoth Tarot and Astrology,’ a significant study of astrology and the natal chart, with special reference to the cards of the Thoth deck. Both of these essays were previously serialized in Seckler’s journal In the Continuum, but they are here presented for the first time in book form, accompanied by redrawn and corrected diagrams.

In addition to the essays the book also contains a selection of important correspondence between Seckler, Aleister Crowley, Karl Germer and Jane Wolfe. These are followed by a transcript of the last major interview conducted with Phyllis Seckler, in which she recounted the details of her introduction to Thelema and involvement with the old Agape Lodge, her subsequent participation in various Thelemic organizations, and her thoughts on developments within the Thelemic world.” [via]

The Hermetic Library Reading Room is an imaginary and speculative future reification of the library in the physical world, a place to experience a cabinet of curiosities offering a confabulation of curation, context and community that engages, archives and encourages a living Western Esoteric Tradition. If you would like to contribute to the Hermetic Library Reading Room, consider supporting the library or contact the librarian.

The Ruby Tablet Vol 1 No 5

The fifth number of The Ruby Tablet is now available. The Ruby Tablet is a periodical compiled and edited by Darcy Kuntz, under the auspices of the Golden Dawn Research Trust, which may be of some interest. So, check it out and consider helping with a donation to keep new issues of this periodical coming.

“The Ruby Tablet is a periodical featuring reprints of articles from esoteric magazines and journals from the past. The subjects covered in each issue are drawn from the esoteric genre such as Alchemy, Hermetic, Enochian, Kabbalah, Tarot, Martinism, Masonry, Rosicrucian, etc.

Download Vol. I. No. 5

The fifth issue of The Ruby Tablet features a number of articles on the Zodiac. We are also printing a five-part article on The Rosy Cross in Russia by A Russian. This issue has parts one and two and it will be concluded in the next issue. We have reprinted Frater Achad’s interesting ritual on the Conjuration of Kronos. Also featured are esoteric papers on Abracadabra, Pasquales and his Elus Cohen, Astrology, Kabbalah, and the Laws of the Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians.

Contents:

The Rosy Cross in Russia Part 1 by A Russian
Abracadabra
Golden Dawn Research Trust
The Rosy Cross in Russia Part 2 by A Russian
Kerubim Press
The Conjuration of Kronos by Frater Achad
The Twelve Angels of the Zodiac
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Books
Laws of the Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians
The Mystery of the Lords Prayer
Rosicrucian Order of the Golden Dawn
Pasquales and his Elus Cohen by Sendivogius
Skylight Press
Astral Origins of the Zodic Signs
The Ineffable Name by A[lexander] W[ilder]” [via]

“The Ruby Tablet is sold without a set price and is on the honour system. We will let you decide what to donate, based on what you feel The Ruby Tablet is worth. We propose a minimum donation of $5.00. Below is a button that will take you to our donation page.”

“Donate“

A Romp through the History of Astrology

“A Romp through the History of Astrology” by Jenn Zahrt, if you’re in the Oakland area, may be something to attend at The Public School, 2141 Broadway, Oakland, CA on Mar 4th, 2013.

“Join me for a Romp through the History of Astrology. On March, 4, I’ll be giving a two hour introduction to the history of astrology at The Public School in Oakland.

Here’s the course description:
Astrology has a history as old as humanity itself. This course will introduce you to the astrologies that have been developed by various world cultures, from the most ancient to the most modern. You’ll leave with a sense of the diversity of what astrology has been and can be, and at the end of the session, we’ll explore the potential to go deeper into any areas of special interest in future courses. Fortune-telling and chart reading will not take place during this session.” [via]

Ka Bala

Ka Bala: The Mysterious Game that Foretells the Future was produced by Transogram in 1967 and is an interesting hybrid balancing roulette talking board combining divination by letters, astrology and tarot that has a pretty fantastic kitschy design. It even glows in the dark.

There’s a bit of history about the Ka Bala at via the Museum of Talking Boards. An additional page has some captures from the comic that was used to advertize the device. You can even consult the Ka Bala via an interactive online version.

“If there was a contest for the weirdest talking board of all time, ka-bala the Mysterious Game that Foretells the Future, would win unequivocally. From the eerie green glow-in-the-dark board, to the smashed dragon impaled by the Eye of Zohar, ka-bala gives new meaning to the word “bizarre.” You and a partner are instructed to start the game with the chant: “PAX, SAX, SARAX, HOLA, NOA., NOSTRA.” From this point on, anything can happen as the two of you, with your hands on the “Solary Projectors,” roll a black marble around the channel that circles the board and wait for it to come to rest at one of the many symbols. Depending on the “Astral Plane” chosen, the future is revealed by letters and numbers like a talking board, or by Tarot cards placed in specially designed “wells,” or astrologically by the zodiac conveniently spelled out in bas-relief around the perimeter of the board. Care must be taken not to get too carried away as you play since the black marble has a tendency to leave the channel and fly across the room like a bullet. Did I mention that the Eye of Zohar follows your every move? The instruction sheet that comes with ka-bala is especially helpful. All the rules are presented in great detail along with the sage advice that the lights must be on in order to read the Tarot cards.” [via]

Aletheia and The Un-Magickal Record of the Great Beast 666

Weiser Antiquarian just sent out an email about two new books, both limited runs and signed by the authors, in which you may have some interest.

The first is Aletheia, Astrology in the New Aeon for Thelemites; a volume on astrology by J. Edward Cornelius. Limited to 418 numbered copies.

“This new book ‘Aletheia,’ is a short, practical work on astrology, with the emphasis on its use as a tool for self-knowledge and mastery by the magician or mystic. Not surprisingly it draws from and builds upon the insights of Aleister Crowley, examining among other things the relationship between astrology and the Tree of Life, the Daimon (or “Holy Guardian Angel”), and the initiatory system as taught by Crowley. Chapters comprise: Introduction, Foundations, Our Daimon and Kundalini, The Three Fates, The Lot of Fortune and the Nodes, The Tree of Life is Constantly Growing, The Twelve Houses and the Tree of Life, Interpreting the Houses, The Planets, The Mystery of Chiron, Ceres and the Asteroid Belt, The First Four Houses and the Man of Earth, Aspects, Conclusion.”

The second book is The Un-Magickal Record of the Great Beast 666. Volume One: Sez – Drugs – Prophetic Roles by Richard T. Cole. I assume this is one of the fruits to develop from the Nicholas Bishop-Culpeper collection which Weiser Antiquarian has recently started to make available to the collectors’ market.

“The book comprises an Introduction – “Occult Pulp Faction” by Sandy Robertson, a selection of essays by Richard T. Cole, and thirty-three facsimile reproductions of rare articles relating to Aleister Crowley, drawn from a variety of magazines published between 1939 and 1982, including: Auctions Record (1972) – Book & Magazine Collector (2008) – Smith’s Weekly (1924) – True (1939) – Sensation (1939) – Everybody’s Weekly (1949) – Fate (1949) – Sci. Fi. Quarterly (1953) – Action (1953) -Punch (1955) – Picture Post (1955) – People (1956) – True (1956) – Real Action For Men (1957) – Stag (1959) – American Book Collector (1961) – Adam (1964) – Real (1966) – Jaguar (1966) – Penthouse (1967) – Forum (1970) – Zodiac Monthly (1970) – Prediction (1970) – Strange (1971) – the Realist (1971) – High Times (1978) – Unexplained (1980) – Sounds (1982).”

Obvious there’s an intention for more volumes, and further there’s apparently a crossword puzzle “competition (with some rather lovely prizes) being run by the publisher that closes in December 2011.”

The Hermetic Library Blog

Faint gibbering heard from somewhere near the restricted stacks