C O N T E N T S
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C O N T E N T S |
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POPULAR OCCULTURE
Reviews
MODERN MAGICK
Pop Culture Magick by Taylor Ellwood, Immanion Press 2004, 202 pages, illustrated.
Here we have a remarkable
examination of the possibilities of developing a magical system based on
the active images of the 21st century. All Pop Culture is essentially a
form of outsider art, revolutionary by nature if not always by intent,
ripe for the exploitation of the Spectacle that blinds the masses, but
not yet absorbed into the mainstream. The cliques of gamers and fanboys
who explore comix, manga, Japanese anime, role-playing or computer games
are creating a whole new mythology, and an archetype in a new form retains
primordial power while providing the thrill of novelty. Drawing on the
surprising implications of psychology, technology, Chaos and sigil magick
as well as the work of mages such as William G. Gray, Stephen Mace and
Hakim Bey, Mr. Ellwood has really produced some unique ideas, carefully
and systematically explored step-by-step. Jung’s Collective Unconscious
just isn’t what it used to be…
Our reality is formed
by our environment, and that inevitably includes television and film, music
and magazines, computer and video games. Can we assume the god-form of
Superman or Xena, Warrior Princess? Do superhero costumes create effects
through the same color codes employed in sorcery? Can we weave sigils into
our collages and implant them into interactive gaming networks? Are the
characters in fantasy novels or the complex and occasionally inscrutable
metaphysics of anime now manifesting the spirits of old? Are the magicks
of media replacing the doctrines of religion? Are the cards of Magic: The
Gathering comparable to the Tarot? Strange thoughts for the traditionalist,
perhaps, but we live in times of rapid and radical change. For the open-minded,
this is an extremely thought-provoking book. How modern can magick truly
become?
Tankhem: Seth & Egyptian Magick by Mogg Morgan, Mandrake of Oxford 2004, 232 pages, illustrated, index.
A very personal exploration
of the cult of the dark Egyptian god Set or Seth, covering ancient temples,
tantrik and Crowleyan influences, sexual magick, sacred landscapes and
astronomy, thought-forms, and the unjustly neglected work of the poet W.B.
Yeats, who is seldom recognized as one of the most important and active
members of the Golden Dawn. Mr. Morgan is an excellent example of how ancient
magick can work for the modern individual: in exploring the past, you may
find myths that resonate for you, that come alive in dreams and omens,
appearing in unexpected synchronicities as you go through life. The Old
Gods are not dead, they think we are.
Mr. Morgan has also
written several other works, including the thought-provoking Sexual Magick
under the nom-de-plume Katon Shual.
The Shadow Tarot by
Linda Falorio, Aeon Books Ltd. 2004, 154+ pages, fully illustrated.
A revised re-issue
of a rare and important book. Outside of Kenneth Grant’s seminal Nightside
of Eden, The Shadow Tarot is one of the very few contemporary works exploring
the Cells of the Qlipoth on the Tree of Death and the Tunnels of Set. Both
thoughtful and thought-provoking, designed for that rare beast the practicing
magician, it is a practical guide to the psychology of the negative side
of existence encoded in a truly sinister tarot, and the new edition includes
both newly completed minor cards in b&w and color plates of the majors.
We may hope that the complete set will be published as a deck soon. See
also this website: http://www.anandazone.nu/
A Magick Life: A Biography of Aleister Crowley by Martin Booth. Coronet 2000, 507 pages, illustrated, index.
There have been over
two-dozen biographies of Aleister Crowley, and this is one of the best
written and most vastly entertaining to date. A witty and fascinating man
who was frequently his own worst enemy, Crowley was the real thing: chess
master, record-setting pioneer mountain-climber, dreadful poet, unrepentant
prick, notorious drug fiend, charismatic celebrity, and ultimately exactly
what he always wanted to be: the World’s Greatest Magician (present company
excepted, of course!). Whenever one has a long term interest in the Beast
it is always fun to discover new details, or hear other people’s side of
the stories in his Confessions. Among the many things I liked here were
the wide variety of first-person accounts and descriptions, the fresh details
of his life and character: did you know that he had rather poor hearing
and sense of smell, an inability to pronounce the letter R, and a lifelong
aversion to wearing underwear? You probably did know that he was famous
for his red-hot curries…
Necronomicon: The Wanderings of Alhazred by Donald Tyson, Llewellyn Worldwide 2204, 269 pages, illustrated, $17.95.
The most recent attempt
at discovering H.P. Lovecraft’s mythic grimoire in the realm of dream and
recreating it in the waking world, and overall a rather effective one,
scribed by a genuine magical authority and presented in a surprisingly
elegant volume as the autobiography of the fabled Mad Arab himself. I was
lucky enough to pick it up used, and my first thought was “This must be
the real thing. It killed its first owner so quickly that it is still in
mint condition!” The stories do create quite an unsettling atmosphere.
EGYPTOLOGY
Egyptian Mythology by Geraldine Pinch, Oxford University Press 2002, 257 pages, illustrated, index.
An excellent and comprehensive
introduction to the realm of Egyptian myth, divided into four sections:
an overview of the history and culture, a timeline that attempts to present
the mythological chronology of ancient cosmology as a coherent sequence,
an excellent dictionary of all the major deities, concepts and animals,
and finally a guide to primary and secondary sources including books, videos
and websites. Both the beginner and the enthusiast will find new information
and connections in one of the most beautiful, complex and influential religious
traditions in human history. Myths are eternal stories, and ceaselessly
create new meanings for those who dare to freely explore them.
Magic In Ancient Egypt by Geraldine Pinch, British Museum Press 1993, 191 pages, illustrated, index.
One of the best statements
on the subject by one of my favorite Egyptologists, lavishly and beautifully
illustrated, covering the entire range of Egyptian magical practice: deities
and demons, texts and techniques, wands and amulets, medicine and religion,
myths and tales, the role of women and popular folk magick, the living
and the dead, and the legacy that survives to this day. Essential reading
for anyone who truly cares where the roots and power of all western magick
are found.
The Oxford Essential Guide to Egyptian Mythology edited by Donald B. Redford, American edition from Berkley Books 2003, 405 pages, $7.99.
Ninety in-depth articles
by over sixty top Egyptologists in 405 pages of eye-strainingly tiny print,
forming an essential reference book for the cutting edge of 21st century
scholarship. Seldom will you find so much concentrated information in such
an affordable and portable form. If you really want to know what we have
been able to discover about the mysteries of this culture, here it is!
WITCHCRAFT
Witcha: A Book of Cunning by Nathaniel J. Harris, Mandrake of Oxford 2004, 308 pages, illustrated, index.
It has been a long
time since I enjoyed a book on witchcraft as much as this one. It brings
back some of the feeling I got from reading Paul Huson’s instant classic
Mastering Witchcraft when I was 13. Collecting the writings of one who
appears to have genuine family traditions, it shows the evolution of the
Old Religion in the British Isles as it probably was for the wise-women
and cunning-men who preserved it: a hodge-podge of folklore, spellcraft,
pagan customs and christian myths, all held together by the actual practice
of sorcery, a close relationship with the natural landscape, and genuine
shamanic power. The survival of the Craft through times of persecution
was not a tidy or organized event, leading eventually to some form of politically
correct Wicca as it is now portrayed in the countless ‘sanitized and de-Satanized’
post-Gardnerian paperbacks on sale at your local mall. It was a dangerous
quest for power and wisdom that could lead through very dark places, and
was woven from any sources that came to hand. I believe that Mr. Harris
is continuing that quest.
Evolutionary Witchcraft by T. Thorne Coyle, Jeremy Tarcher/Penguin 2004, 302 pages, illustrated, index, $24.95.
The Feri Tradition
evolved by the late Victor and Cora Anderson is among the most secretive
and creative forms taken by the modern revival, and one that is unafraid
of admitting that the quest for radical change and power over the self
and the world is integral to true magick. This is one of the few works
to actually present some of their mysteries of wild magick and genuine
transformation, and that makes it very important. It presents a 10-month
program of intensive training, rituals and spells, movement and dance,
affecting all aspects of life. Reading about witchcraft may lead to wisdom,
but only concentrated and sustained practice will bring it to life. This
book is a remarkable work, genuine, sincere, and truly powerful – if you
make it so.
FICTION
The Alchemist's Door by Lisa Goldstein, Tom Doherty Associates 2002, $14.95.
One of our finest living
writers of fantasy had a very clever idea: what if Dr. John Dee (fleeing
the Enochian demons unleashed by Edward Kelly) met Rabbi Judah Loew at
the court of the Mad Emperor Rudolph in Prague, and collaborated with him
in the creation of the infamous Golem? Historically, this meeting is entirely
possible, and makes for a ripping good arcane historical novel: atmospheric,
detailed, with a strong sense of the strangely cosmopolitan society of
the time, laden with fear and alchemical symbolism, humanity and compassion,
and the understanding of early Jewish mysticism which ran through her prize-winning
first novel, The Red Magician.
Ancient Evenings by Norman Mailer, Warner Books 1983, 844 pages, $4.95.
An amazing novel by
one of America’s greatest novelists, a roller-coaster ride through ancient
Egyptian myth and culture. Filled with tales of the gods and spirits, multiple
reincarnations and journeys through the underworld, warfare and intrigue,
sexuality and scatology, beauty and ugliness… I am very impressed indeed
by what is accomplished here. Rooted in the sights and smells of the Nile
landscape, sensuous and sensual, deeply magickal, this is clearly a result
of both research and passionate feeling, and an exceptional use of language.
Highly recommended indeed.
COMIX
Promethea by Alan Moore, art by J.H. Williams III & Mick Gray, from America’s Best Comics.
A brilliant series,
which just ended with issue #32 and is currently being collected into what
will apparently be a five-volume set. Promethea herself is a spiritual
avatar or god-form who has taken periodic possession of a series of woman
throughout human history. In her current incarnation she merges with a
young girl named Sophie, living in a science-fiction universe closely parallel
to our own. The action ranges from the savage assaults of goetic demons
to post-modern super-heroics, with sundry meditations upon art, science,
and the nature of reality. Essentially, however, it evolves into one of
the best treatises on the magical qabala that I have read in years. One
whole issue is devoted to an explanation of the major arcana of the Tarot
(in the top half of the page, with Aleister Crowley doing stand-up comedy
in the lower half). Moore proceeds to journey through the entire Tree of
Life, one sphere per issue, using the remarkable possibilities of the medium
(art and color, dialogue and discourse, action and meditation) to the absolute
fullest. Babalon in the City of the Pyramids is one of my favorite bits,
with Jack Parsons waving in the distance. The series climaxes with an apocalyptic
revelation that transforms the entire human race, and closes with what
seems to be a complete statement of Moore’s philosophy. Brilliant and subversive,
Alan Moore is planting the wonders of the esoteric tradition in thousands
of human minds worldwide. Do their parents know?
John Constantine: Hellblazer by assorted authors and artists, published monthly by DC/Vertigo and partially collected in a number of volumes.
Back in the 1970s,
Alan Moore took over the Swamp Thing entity created by Len Wein and Bernie
Wrightson, and proceeded to create the evolutionary leap in comix-as-literature
which began the entire Vertigo line (including Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and
Grant Morrison’s Invisibles; see my reviews in Silver Star I). Early on,
he created the character of John Constantine, a scruffy, trench-coated,
chain-smoking, half-crazed, self-destructive, working-class British magus
and former punk rocker. Instantly popular, he was quickly given his own
title, which recently passed its 200th issue. Through many changes of writer
and artist, it has consistently delivered a uniquely dark and gritty form
of horror with no small amount of humor, a diverse cast of strong characters
(not all of them human), some moments of deep feeling (few of them happy),
and a spectrum of creatively revisioned forms of magick and myth. It has
always been stylish, clever, violent and thought-provoking, and remains
one of my favorite titles. Sadly, this leads us to my final review…
SINEMA
Constantine from Warner Brothers, starring Keanu Reeves and Rachel Weisz.
Okay… I had some faint
hopes that they would not screw this up completely. Keanu is a bit older
now, I could have worked with his face if they had stopped him from shaving
for awhile. But transforming a decaying blonde Brit magician into a suave
dark-haired Yank catholic… when will Hollywood ever learn that the mega-hits
(Spiderman, X-Men) are the ones where they respect the characters and continuity,
get the casting right, and don’t tinker with the pop-culture images that
literally millions of people have built up over years of reading? Did their
clumsy destruction of the Batman franchise (not to mention the Catwoman
catastrophe) teach them nothing? While I’m on the subject: how come violence
is good but sex is bad?
It had a reasonably
decent dark look, sort of techno-goth production values. Some of the supporting
characters had real potential being wasted, and Tilda Swinton as the androgynous
and psychotic fallen angel Gabriel was outstanding. I actually liked some
parts, especially the mirror-magick exorcism at the beginning. But the
script went to hell faster than the damned did, and the attempted romantic
chemistry did not work out. They just had to dumb it down into yet another
Exorcist knock-off, and they had to go from a diverse and creative magical
universe into a christian straight-jacket. The sorcery in the comics is
multi-cultural and often quite clever, while the movie devolves into crucifix-shaped
shotguns and sacred brass knuckles emblazoned with crucifixes. I could
almost hear Monty Python: “Bring forth the Holy Hand Grenade…” The nicest
things I can say are that they actually did make a real attempt, and it
certainly could have been worse. Van Helsing was worse! Rent the flick
and have a party if you like. But if you want an interesting, visually
exciting, and deeply Lovecraftian film based on comix, go out and rent
Hellboy. It was lots of fun, and the Elder Gods eat people.
Disney just ain’t
the same since Walt died…