Editor's note: This
will
be a regular feature in Silver Star Journal. Any and all readers are
encouraged
to submit reviews that they feel pertain to the magickal community. We
also actively seek publications of all kinds for review in this space.
Send
submissions (or requests for a snailmail address for review books and
mags) to:aion@psychicsophia.com In this Issue we have reviews by:
Shade Oroboros
Papa
Nick
Paul
Holman
Reviews by Shade Oroboros Looking over the
authors I am reviewing in this issue I am struck by how many wonderful
books are coming out that are truly evolving our magick, drawing on
academic training and multiple paradigms and creative practice. There
has always been what some have called the Perennial Philosophy, that
underlying stream that is the source of understanding in shamanism,
gnosis, tantra, and magick: the living womb of human progress. I do not
necessarily refer here to organized religion, which hardens over time
into dogma and social control; I generally define religion as dead
magick, with all the juice sucked out. Spirituality is ultimately
deeply personal and no one has the right to define anyone else’s
experience, ethics, or actions. But we do inhabit cultures with
histories, legends, art and meaning; and as the New Aeon of freedom,
science and technology proceeds we may hope for new and infinite
possibilities for all, a liberation in the here and now and not some
hypothetical afterlife. Time to re-invent the Wheel!
Magick
on the Edge: An Anthology of Experimental Occultism edited by Taylor
Ellwood, Megalithica Books, 317 pages.
There should
really be more books like this, collections of diverse and creative
thought from practitioners who go beyond rigid definitions and into
cross-cultural multi-disciplinary experimentation. Here we have clever
and innovative essays by some 22 contributors covering issues
throughout all space and time in magical fields including linguistics,
hermetics, sexuality (see ‘Hillbilly Tantra’, great title!), inner
alchemy and the transformation and mutation of earlier esoteric
traditions. In some ways we seem in the 21st century to be going beyond
Crowley and even Chaos Magick (though they remain huge influences for
many) into unique realms of very personal kinds of synthesis. What hath
the internet wrought? I love this kind of stuff…
Inner
Alchemy: Energy Work and the Magic of the Body by Taylor Ellwood,
Megalithica Books 2007, 246 pages, bibliography.
This is a very
thoughtful and thought-provoking work, and one that clearly evolved
through years of deep study and personal practice and drawing upon
science both fringe and mainstream, magic both popular and obscure, and
even NLP and the New Age. The author explores the nature of the body,
the gates of the senses, the hidden powers of our various secretions
and the possibilities of sexual techniques both traditional and kinky,
the yoga of Taoist breathing and Tantric chakra visualization, the
secrets of DNA and a series of energy workings. This is a substantial
and very intelligent work that is worth repeated visits, full of
unusual insights and unexpected connections. The existence of our
bodies and our minds seems to be one of life’s few relative
certainties, and the artificial divide between the two appears to be
one of the most fatal flaws of western culture. If we make the effort
to explore within, to transform ourselves, there is a chance for us to
evolve. I have previously
reviewed Mr. Ellwood’s other books, and he is rapidly becoming one of
my favorite living magical writers.
Graeco-Egyptian
Magick: Everyday Empowerment by Tony Mierzwicki, Immanion Press 2006,
256 pages, index, bibliography.
I really like
this book, and the great tradition it preserves. The ancient magical
and demotic papyri are some of the deepest sources of all western
sorcery, born from the remarkable philosophy of late-pagan syncretism
that could perhaps have preserved Classical culture from total collapse
and spared us from the Dark Ages. Along with Graeco-Roman, Egyptian,
Sumerian, Gnostic, Zoroastrian and Hebrew roots they draw on a wide
range of mystery cults including those of Mithras, Serapis, Hekate and
Eleusis and lead to later Neo-Platonism and Hermetics. The author, who
also teaches workshops, gives an excellent introduction to this system
and then weaves selections from the Graeco-Egyptian texts and the
Homeric and Orphic Hymns into a series of seven planetary rituals of
initiation. With the use of colors, gemstones, oils and powerful
invocations divine cosmic forces can be drawn into the soul and
transform daily life into a quest far more meaningful than the mundane
slumber in which most people exist. These are very old and genuinely
powerful texts and modern mages should examine them far more closely… For those who truly
seek such pagan wisdom, I also recommend Stephen Flower’s Hermetic
Magic and Fritz Graf’s Magic in the Ancient World.
God
Against The Gods: The History of the War Between Monotheism and
Polytheism by Jonathan Kirsch, Penguin Compass 2004, 336 pages, index,
bibliography.
These are the
stories they don’t tell you in Sunday-school: how a fanatical and
intolerant Christianity criminalized and destroyed the sophisticated
and cosmopolitan late-classical culture of the Mediterranean world.
Covering the period from the monotheist heretic pharaoh Akhenaton
around 1,300 bce to the destruction of the great library and Serapeum
in Alexandria and murder of the female Pagan philosopher Hypatia in 415
ce, but largely focused upon political events in the Roman Empire
including the unfortunate conversion of Constantine, the valiant
attempt to revive Paganism in the temples by Julian the Apostate, and
the establishment of Christianity as a state religion by Theodosius. A
saga filled with odd personalities, bizarre doctrines and shocking acts
of violence including the various persecutions of Christians by the
Romans, of Pagans by the Christians, and when the supply of Pagans
dried up, of Christians declared to be heretics by other Christians.
Given that we now are engulfed in a conflict of Christians against
Muslims and vice versa, one might well begin to question the dubious
virtues of intolerance…
Seizing
Power: Reclaiming Our Liberty Through Magick by Stephen Mace, New
Falcon 2006, 173 pages.
One of the
very few bold books about magick, world history and politics to appear
outside the conspiracy genre, and another fine collection of essays
from one of the most thoughtful voices in our movement. It is hard to
do justice to this work in a short review, as it touches upon so many
aspects of ancient and modern philosophy, psychology and culture,
drawing upon such diverse thinkers as Aleister Crowley, Hakim Bey and
Oswald Spengler. The magical perspective should ideally transform all
aspects of our thought, yet so many occultists seem to rigidly
compartmentalize the inner and outer or public and private aspects of
their lives. We need to overcome the notion that this is a Separate
Reality divided from our existence in more mundane society, and to
apply our unique perspectives to the problems of our times. The
personal is also political, and we clearly have very little reason to
trust our politicians or the corporate culture that is replacing them.
KAOSTAR!
Modern Chaos Cunning Craft by Francis Breakspear, Hidden Publishing
2007, 118 pages, illustrated.
This is a very
funny, clever and creative work of down & dirty chaos magick at its
best, full of innovative techniques and novel suggestions for raising
power and achieving results. Drawing from old English cunning-man (or
woman) traditions like poppets, witch bottles and enchanted foods,
updated to sigils transmitted via cell-phone or burnt into CDs and
goetic invocations recorded on audio tapes and then used as binding
cords. One might up the ante on ‘voodoo dolls’ by acquiring an old
department store mannequin, naming it as your foe, hanging it up in
your basement and whacking away at it with a baseball bat. Sigils could
be imprinted over large landscapes by being traced on road maps and
having teams of mages drive over the routes chanting spells, or
transmitted by drawing them outdoors with birdseed to be eaten and
pooped out from the sky. Sudoku as magical squares? Binge and purge for
physiological gnosis? Servitors to change traffic lights? Whatever
winds your watch…
Math
for Mystics: From the Fibonacci Sequence to Luna’s Labyrinth to the
Golden Section and Other Secrets of Sacred Geometry by Renna Shesso,
Weiser Books 2007, 193 pages, illustrated, index, bibliography.
A fascinating
compendium of number lore including the earliest history, the
development of counting and various early systems from around the
world, Pythagorean geometry, Hebrew qabala, magical squares, Templar
codes, astronomy and astrology, labyrinths and chess, the quite complex
relationship of the Fibonacci Sequence and the pentagram, the days of
the week, and much more. A cogent reminder that the separation of
magical and scientific though is a very recent and possibly unnecessary
development, and that numbers and letters are the roots of human
thought. Easily accessible to the math-phobic, very educational, and a
lot of fun!
Clean
Sweep: Banishing Everything You Don’t Need to Make Room for What You
Want, by Denny Sargent,
Weiser Books 2007, 210 pages.
Clean Sweep is a
very practical and extremely smart book! Based solidly on the classic
alchemical elements (fire, water, earth, air, and spirit) and drawing
on diverse methods from all over the world (including the spells of
magick and witchcraft, the meditations of tantra and yoga, the insights
of psychology and science, and the techniques of shamanism and feng
shui) the author provides a wide range of powerful banishing exercises
covering every aspect of life. From losing weight, fighting off illness
and clearing your home to overcoming anxiety, phobias and old traumas,
from daily life to spiritual crisis to psychic attack, there are over
100 meditations, exercises and exorcisms that can be used or adapted to
clarify, conquer and resolve the issues and problems that challenge,
vex and entangle us. Equally accessible to the beginner and
inspirational to the advanced reader, this wonderful book distills an
enormous amount of cross-cultural information into a treasure house of
wisdom on what may well be the first important step toward transforming
every aspect of living. The author has several
other fine books.
Protection
& Reversal Magick: A Witch’s Defense Manual by Tony Jason Miller
(Inominandum), New Page Books 2006, 224 pages, index, and a carefully
chosen bibliography!
There is a lot
more here that the Wicca suggested by the title. Psychic attacks and
hauntings may be far less common than paranoia might suggest, but stuff
happens, and this is an eclectic and creative guide to dealing with it,
from diagnosis to cure. Includes protection for the home, daily
personal practices, deep thoughts about the various forms of spirits,
healing and recovery, and much more. Drawing from many sources
including hoodoo and root-working, Asian and shamanic practices, magick
and witchcraft, the author weaves together their common threads and
clearly speaks with the voice of a thoughtful and very
experienced exorcist: he is an initiate in Tibetan tantrik traditions
including Nyingma and Bon-Po as well as Wiccan and OTO lineages. And
like myself, he appreciates the power of the great goddess Hekate.
Disciple’s
Guide to Ritual Magick: A Beginner’s Introduction to the High Art by
Frater Barrabas, Immanion Press 2007, 326 pages, notes, bibliography.
A substantial
and significant statement on the elaborate traditions of Lodge-based
hermetic initiation and the Arthurian Grail mysteries. Such rites still
have their adepts, often drawing on the works of 20th century British
mages from the Golden Dawn era (including Mathers, Fortune, Knight,
Butler, Grey, Regardie and Crowley). Those devoted to such complex
systems continue to evolve with the insights of recent psychology and
comparative mythology, emphasizing years of deep study and highly
disciplined ceremonies and perhaps rightfully regarding Chaos Magick
as, well, frequently rather chaotic. This work thoughtfully debates
many such issues and explores this deeply-rooted form of the qabalistic
magical universe; about a third of the text is an actual grimoire.
Postmodern
Magic: The Art of Magic in the Information Age by Patrick Dunn,
Llewellyn Worldwide 2005, 251 pages, bibliography.
Another very
intelligent book, exploring the possibilities of traditional western
magic as seen through contemporary eyes, in terms of the academic
disciplines of linguistics and information theory. The author surveys
all the usual elements of occult practice from a well-grounded and
experienced perspective, including the various artifacts and
techniques, the types of groups one might encounter, and their internal
dynamics and etiquette. The sigils of chaos magick are compared to the
katadesmoi and defixiones of classical graeco-roman sorcery, letters to
the gods tossed into deep wells. This is another book that the
intelligent beginner as well as the advanced adept could find extremely
useful and quite stimulating, full of good ideas and a rational
approach to these unique Arts.
The
Four Powers: Magical Practice for Beginners of All Ages by Nicholas
Graham, Immanion Press 2006, 128 pages, bibliography.
A
straightforward, clear and wide ranging basic guide to the fundamentals
of magick in all its contemporary flavors from Wicca to Crowley to
Chaos, addressed to teenagers, parents, and anyone who might benefit.
Whenever a practicing mage sits down to define the fundamental forms of
their Art, the possibilities of creative self-transformation are
recreated. The powers of the Four (or Five) Elements are infinitely
flexible and form the structure of a significant number of the volumes
I am reviewing here, and even a simple introduction can pop up new
insights. This is a sharp and rational book you can hand to anyone who
knows nothing about the occult, and at the same time it can be
appreciated by someone already practicing. There are already countless
Baby Wicca 101 books; it’s time for wider definitions and a much
better-informed public!
Disinformation:
The Interviews by Richard Metzger, 167 pages, Disinformation 2002,
illustrated.
Disinformation
is a very interesting and subversive publisher whose varied and unusual
catalog includes several high-quality occult works that I have
previously reviewed here. This volume is a companion to the DVD set of
their banned TV series and presents interviews with a dozen artists and
thinkers; mages might recognize the names of Robert Anton Wilson, Grant
Morrison, Genesis P-Orridge, Howard Bloom and Joe Coleman. Weird
thoughts! Strange art! Hot stuff! Check it out!
Strange
Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons
by George Pendle, Harcourt 2005, 350 pages, illustrated, index,
bibliography.
A fine biography
of Jack Parsons, covering the high drama of his magical career with
Aleister Crowley and L. Ron Hubbard as well as his pioneering work in
the American space program. Parsons was a complex personality who was
involved in both early science fiction fandom (a friend of Robert
Heinlein, hence the possible Crowleyan influence many have found in the
unexpurgated version of Stranger In A Strange Land) and the development
of the jet engine in WWII. His tumultuous love life, devotion to
Babalon and fiery death in a mysterious laboratory explosion make for a
gripping tale delivered in excellent prose with a wonderful sense of
the history of the times. This reads like a good novel. I reviewed a
previous biography, Sex and Rockets: The Occult World of Jack Parsons
by John Carter in Silver Star 5, which strangely seems un-referenced in
Strange Angel despite an enormous amount of clearly exhaustive research…
Darker
Than You Think by Jack Williams, 319 pages, various editions.
A lurid blast
from the past first serialized in pulp in 1940 and published as a novel
in 1946, and a huge influence on the thought of the aforementioned Jack
Parsons, who near the end of his life was moving toward a revival of
the Witchcraft long before Gerald Gardner. Based on a theory that
witches and lycanthropes were a variant breed who once dominated
humanity and gave birth to many of the archetypical legends and
nightmares that haunt us still, an anthropological horror story
buttressed by the advanced science of the time (Murray and Einstein and
Freud, oh my!). Somewhat dated in style but still quite clever, and
repeatedly reprinted as a classic of science fiction.
Aleister
Crowley and the 20th Century Synthesis of Magick by Dave Evans, Hidden
Publishing 2007, 108 pages, index, bibliography.
If you have the
verve and discipline to do your master’s thesis on Crowley, with the
huge amount of research into rare and unusual sources and strange
connections that it requires to provide new insights into the man’s
life: the Egyptian influences swirling about in the Golden Dawn milieu
which led in part to the writing of The Book of the Law; the
astrological calculations and careful design which made each book
Crowley published into a deliberate magical operation; exploration of
the saga of occult espionage in both World Wars and the connections to
intelligence agencies of vital OTO luminaries including Reuss, Germer
and Crowley himself, as well as popular writers like Dennis Wheatley
and Ian Fleming; to discuss Parsons and Hubbard, Spare and Grant; to
probe myths, scandals and controversies and shed light on them all, is
to provide a great service to the history of Thelema.
The
History of British Magick After Crowley by Dave Evans, Hidden
Publishing 2007, 435 pages, index, bibliography.
To have the
stones to then proceed to a massive PhD. thesis subtitled Kenneth
Grant, Amado Crowley, Chaos Magick, Satanism, Lovecraft, The Left Hand
Path, Blasphemy and Magical Morality is to considerably raise the ante.
To deliver a ripping good ride through the journey of post-modern
occultism with all the high standards of discourse and documentation so
cherished by academia, a saga with an astounding cast interwoven with
all kinds of strange facts and odd insights, might even rise to the
level of service to humanity (assuming that Thelema does indeed
dominate the world for the next 2,000 years). This is a living history
only beginning to be recorded, and the subversive influence of Crowley,
Grant and Spare upon popular culture is far more widespread than many
might think. Debunking Amado Crowley may be ‘like shooting fish in a
barrel’ but is at least amusing, although most Americans are unlikely
to be aware of this particularly fraudulent fruitcake (who incoherently
claims to be Crowley’s son). I consider this an important and very
informative work. And yes, one reason Spare can be so hard to
understand was dyslexia; and yes, the author is a practicing magician.
Religion
& Magic: Approaches & Theories by Graham Cunningham, NYU Press
1999, 126 pages, index and bibliography.
While we loiter
wanly in the groves of academe, I might mention a very educational
college textbook surveying the development of thought about magic and
religion in modern times. History, theology and philosophy have been
joined by anthropology, psychology and sociology and those of us who
really think deeply about such issues may well benefit from the
insights of over 40 thinkers including Hegel, Marx, Spencer, Frazer,
Freud, Jung, Malinowski, Eliade, Durkheim, Evans-Pritchard, Van Gennep,
Turner, Levi-Strauss and more. Approaches include the intellectualist,
emotionalist, phenomenological, structural-functional, symbolic,
cognitive and feminist. Maybe I just like this because I majored in
anthropology, but it is also a guided tour through how people have
learned to think about the ways in which we think, and any writing
about magic may spark new revelations.
Sacred
Mushrooms of the Goddess by Carl A.P. Ruck et. al., Ronin Publishing
2006, 190 pages, many illustrations, bibliography.
A rather
marvelous book on the transforming power of mushrooms and other
psychedelics, whirling through the Greek mystery cults of Eleusis and
Dionysos and their parallels in South America and medieval Europe. In
1978 the author co-wrote the classic The Road To Eleusis with R. Gordon
Wasson and Albert Hoffman (the discoverer of LSD), the seminal book
that virtually established the study of ethno-mycology and the
influence of mushrooms on human evolution. All three contribute to this
excellent updating for the general reader, along with Blasé
Daniel Staples and Peter Webster. Our rediscovery of entheogens in
recent decades has very deep roots indeed.
The
Haitian Vodou Handbook: Protocols for Riding with the Lwa by Kenaz
Filan, Destiny Books 2007, 283 pages, index and bibliography.
Here we have
that extremely rare bird, a guide to the diverse customs and spirits of
Haitian Vodou by an actual initiate. Combining history, practice and
guidance on resources with an excellent discussion of the natures of
the Loa, this may well be among the best books ever on the subject.
Many mages and witches have very little understanding of or background
in Vodou, but as a living survival of diverse Afro-Caribbean
magico-religious traditions it is as valid and widespread and
all-American as Jazz; and to allow mere missionaries and Hollywood
zombie flicks to demonize ‘Black Magick’ is extremely racist and about
as ignorant as relying on medieval witch-burners for a clear picture of
Wicca. The occupation of Iraq may overshadow our repeated occupations
of Haiti, but we have accrued a lot of hideously bad karma there as
well… and we still are, but nobody is paying any damn attention.
The
Voudon Gnostic Workbook by Michael Bertiaux, 619 pages, first published
by Magickal Childe in 1988, recent facsimile edition Weiser Books 2007.
This is an
entirely other cauldron of Vodou, an indescribably strange
mélange including elements of Thelema and nightside magick,
esoteric christianity and qabala, Bon-Po shamanism and quantum physics,
sex and Shinto and H.P. Lovecraft. The author is a very unorthodox
bishop initiated in many systems and associated with the Ordo Templi
Orientis Antiqua (a pre-Crowleyan dispensation), the Monastery of the
Seven Rays, and the Technicians of the Sacred. This is a huge and
virtually mind-bending compilation of years of intense writing in a
variety of styles and a wide range of levels, an important influence on
the works of Kenneth Grant and others, regarded by many as a long
out-of-print lost classic of occultism. I must admit that much of it
makes limited sense to me, and apparently I read a lot of this sort of
stuff. Frankly I always thought that if I was sentenced to life in
prison it would be perfect reading for going slowly insane in my cell,
but Weiser has republished it in a ‘revised and expanded edition’ which
is really just a smaller Xerox copy with a relatively useless page and
a half introduction added. To the disappointment of many it is still
missing the essential illustrations, which can however be found online
via the Weiser or Technicians of the Sacred sites.
Papal
Magic: Occult Practices Within the Catholic Church by Simon, Harper
2007, 217 pages.
Speaking of
unorthodox bishops, this is an exceedingly odd and slightly lurid
little study of the dark sorcery of Catholic clergymen, ranging from
the medieval Black Masses to the recent P-2 Masonic Lodge/Vatican
financial scandals and including the text of the rare Grimoire of Pope
Honorius III. History really is pretty strange when you start paying
attention to it. Great reading for the bus! For those interested in the
other works of Simon, please see my article Necronomicon Phenomenon
elsewhere in this issue. And note that it sure looks like him robed on
the cover of Papal Magic!
Galdrabok:
Practical Heathen Runecraft, Shamanism and Magic by Nathan J. Jonson
& Robert J. Wallis, The Wykeham Press 2005, 398 pages, illustrated,
bibliography.
An outstanding
guide to the archetypical realms of Norse heathenism and Runic magick,
a training program informed by ancient sources and modern
multidisciplinary study. Covers cosmology, shamanism, worship, ethics,
divination, poetry, crafts and many other aspects. The Norse revival
has always had a high standard for both informed scholarship and
personal commitment, and I have found it to be one of the most clearly
‘living’ neo-pagan survivals practiced in western culture. “The Gods
are not dead, they think we are!” For those easily bored with the
endless complexities and abstractions of the qabala, the Runes still
provide a powerful and aesthetic Alphabet of Desire. See also my previous
review of the excellent Taking Up The Runes by Diana L. Paxson in
Silver Star IV.
Harry
Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/ Chamber of Secrets/ Prisoner of
Azkaban/ Goblet of Fire/ Order of the Phoenix/ Half-Blood Prince/
Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling, illustrated by Mary Grandpré,
Scholastic Books 1997-2007.
OK, NO
SPOILERS! Just an final appreciation for an inspiring adventure
glorifying Magick, not unlike the Young Adult version of Dickens, a
sprawling tale full of colorful characters and unlikely events, wit and
whimsy and Yuletide ghosts, with fairly human heroes who somehow
captured the imagination of literally MILLIONS of people worldwide, a
cross-cultural phenomena on a truly unprecedented scale. Some reports
credit it with a 40% increase in children’s reading, others with being
the most popular at the Guantanamo Bay prison camp library (along with
Agatha Christie). The villains of the series were mean teachers,
government bureaucrats, clueless suburbanites and racially bigoted
fascists – I think we can all live with that. Best of all, the heroes
and heroines were wizards and witches, which pissed off those
ugly-assed fundamentalists and made the world safer for the rest of us!
I must confess that for a saga of some 4,100 pages I
really thought Rowling did a pretty good job of winding up the
countless plot threads and delivering a satisfying climax. Big Fun!
Reviews by Papa Nick
The
History of British Magick After
Crowley by Dave Evans, Hidden Publishing, 2007
I was a bit disappointed in
this book at first. Having reviewed academic studies of magick in
previous issues of Silver Star, I knew not to expect light
reading. But unlike Alex Owen and Hugh Urban, this author is a
longtime practicing magician as well as an academic, and had access to
the current British occult community that no other professor has
had. So I was hoping for a more intimate portrait of that
magickal community than previous studies. It does not disappoint
in that respect, but doesn't go as far as I would have wished.
In choosing post-Crowleyan
magick as the subject of his PhD. thesis, Dave Evans was sort of
walking a tightope. As he explains early in the book, some of his
peers considered the subject unworthy of study: a kiss of death to a
promising academic career. On the other hand, with this
expanded and more personal version released for public perusal, he knew
that the very groups and individuals he was writing about, and the
larger "occult community", would be judging it from their participant
point of view. So it is not surprising that I have read criticism
of the book on a popular Thelemic forum as being "tedious" and a
difficult read. I don't think that's a fair assessment: for a
book of its type, it is a lively and entertaining read. Evans
does an admirable job of walking the tightrope.
I was, though, hoping for
something like a "family tree" of the Crowley-connected magickal groups
that have emerged over the past 60 years in Great Britain. I
wanted names (or at least magickal monikers), numbers, dates, excerpts
from magickal diaries, secret documents, details on schisms and secret
alliances, affairs, intrigue! An insider's look at the Thelemic
lodges of Jolly Old England! (I guess I've been spoiled by the
comprehensive studies of the American Agape Lodge , such as Martin
Starr's "The Unknown God", George Pendle's "Strange Angel", and the Red
Flame issues devoted to Jane Wolfe and Grady McMurtry.) But that
is a tall order for anyone, and that is not what this book was meant to
be. There is a great deal of informative material here, but it
was not intended as a narrative history. Even coming up with a
reliable number of practitioners eluded the author, for good reason:
the membership numbers of "public" magickal orders are almost
consistently inflated, and those do not include the greater number of
solo practitioners and underground cells, families, tribes, fellowships
and covens. Evans describes his difficulty in
defining "blasphemy" with a saying from an old wart-charmer: "Trying to
catch an eel with a handful of butter". That same analogy applies
to the historical study of post-modern magick itself: it is a slippery
subject; constantly changing, mutating and evolving, rather like the
mythological Hydra: when Hercules cut off one of its heads, two grew
back in its place.
The first half of the book I
found the least stimulating. It is the obligatory explanation to
his peers of why this study is worthy to begin with, and touches
briefly on "The Usual Suspects": Austin Spare, Gerald Gardner, Dennis
Wheatley, Montague Summers, Alex Sanders and Genesis P. Orridge, among
others. All of that is old news for most of us (well, Gen is far
from old news, he's still a work-in-progress), but was necessary to
define the scope and context of the research. But this is not all
dry analysis; some of the best anecdotes in the book are here, don't
neglect it. In the second half, he devotes much
longer sections to two contemporary individuals -- Amado Crowley
and Kenneth Grant -- then offers a necessarily short and incomplete
history of Chaos Magick, an area which is still young, still evolving,
and rather hard to define in the first place.
His 50-plus pages on Amado
were more than necessary, IMO. To my knowledge Amado has had no
impact on the magickal community, or the evolution of Crowley's
ideas. Amado's claim to the the biological son of AC and his
(apparently) inflated book sale figures could have been dealt with in
10 pages. The 60-some pages on Grant are,
overall, the fairest assessment of his writings and influence that I
have ever seen. His most virulent detractors and staunchest
supporters are both allowed to argue their cases. Evans subjects
Grant's claims to the same scrutiny he used in his investigation of
Amado, and when there is no evidence to support, for example, Grant's
alleged family ties to Crowley, he says so. Evans makes a
concerted effort to uncover the facts of Grant's life, but not many new
details are revealed. We don't end up with a much clearer picture
of Grant the person than we had before; that will have to wait for an
authoritative biography. Grant, wise as an Owl, has always been
elusive and reclusive and has seldom himself entered the fray of
Thelemic debate.
I admit to being
biased. I was among the American initiates of the Typhonian OTO
in the late 1970s. Grant's work has always been an inspiration to me; a
breath of fresh (and sometimes acrid and alien) air. The weird
glow arising from the tunnels of his word and number analyses has
always led me deeper. Grant took Thelemic Magick far beyond
oak-panelled Masonic Lodges, and uncovered the ancient roots of this
Current in Hindu Tantra, African Obeah, Mahayana Buddhism, and the
Tao. Not to mention "fictional" sources such as H.P. Lovecraft
and Sax Rohmer. It is Grant's free-form weaving of fiction with
fact, and his use of questionable and even other-wordly sources to
support his theories, that most stick in the craw of his
detractors. There is something about "creative occultism" that
rubs those who subscribe to the personality cult of Crowley the wrong
way, and Grant, if nothing else, is a creative and innovative
occultist. As (some would argue) Crowley's successor, Grant could
have easily settled for more of the same, but he left that job for
other, less visionary folk. A quote from Nema's "Maat Magick"
that Evans uses to introduce his chapter on Grant's publications sums
it up: they are "not just books 'about Magick'; these books are
Magick."
Evans is one of the few
authors I've read, aside from avowed Typhonians, who is unashamed to
acknowledge Grant's wide-ranging influence on British (and world)
Magick After Crowley. The Horus Maat Lodge itself grew from Typhonian
soil. Lovecraftian groups such as the Esoteric Order of Dagon
certainly gained inspiration and encouragement from Frater Aossic's
studies, and this is where the "traditional" Crowleyites start to
choke: "Using fictional sci-fi characters in Magick?
Bah! Humbug! Might as well accept cartoon characters into
the pantheon!" The Chaotes did. Good for them! The
Tasmanian Devil is a powerful archetype, I've found, invaluable for
keeping Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormon Missionaries away from your door. This book is an important, and
really groundbreaking contribution to what may be in a few decades the
"Thelemic Studies" department of the School of Religious Studies in a
university near you. It belongs on your bookshelf.
THE RED
GODDESS -- Babalon, The Holy Whore by Peter Grey, Scarlet Imprint,
7/7/07.
It is said you can't keep a good woman down. A bad one is even
harder to restrain. Imagine how insistent Babalon, the Great
Whore of Revelations, must be. She has been around for millennia
and shows no sign of going away.
Crowley's Thelema has a decidedly Solar-Phallic orientation.
Spermo-Gnostic, indeed. The role of Scarlet Woman in his life was
filled by any number of disposable women, who served only as faceless
receptacles for his Holy Seed. Crowley should have known that
Babalon, the very Scarlet Woman herself, would not play that game for
long. She is rising now, in the 21st century, to her true
stature; the Cup of Abominations in one hand... and a Sword in the
other. It is She who rides the Beast. She holds the
reins. She is the driver -- he is only a sportscar, just a shiny
hunk of metal until She turns the key and steps on the gas.
Babalon is not content in this Aeon to be a mere passenger. She's
the one who will pass you going 156 mph on the freeway, top down and
topless, driving a car she rented from Duke of Madness Motors, trailing
champagne bubbles and cocaine dust behind her. You'd best turn on
your windshield wipers if you can't keep up.
Peter Grey's THE RED GODDESS is an impressive contribution to this
evolving Cultus Babalon. Jack Parsons' abortive attempt to to
sire the Antichrist from Babalon incarnate ended in his own
immolation. But the story didn't end there. This book is
proof of that. Belarion would be delighted.
Book One traces the origin of the name "Babalon" back to the ancient
city Babylon. The ruling goddess of that city was Ishtar -- a goddess
of both sacred sex and war. Ishtar in Babylonian culture was but
the latest version of an even older love/war goddess: the Sumerian
Inanna. This whore-goddess made a lasting impression on the
Israelites held captive in Babylon, as can be seen in some of the books
of the Old Testament, and became in their minds the symbol of the
antithesis of the patriarchal, wrathful and jealous Yahweh.
"Babylon the Great" of the New Testament Book of Revelations, Grey
contends, is no other than Inanna/Ishtar, seen through the distorted
lens of the Judeo-Christian mindset.
In Book Two, Grey illustrates Her movement through time by
studies of magicians who had, um, "intercourse" with this deity over
the centuries -- from Simon Magus to Dee & Kelly to Crowley to
Parsons. THE RED GODDESS is not a paean to AC's version,
though. "Babalon is not a trademark owned by the estate of
Aleister Crowley," Grey writes, acknowledging Crowley's work as
important but not the beginning or the end of the story. The Dee
chapter reminded me that Crowley did not coin the spelling "Babalon" --
it comes from Dee and Kelly's angelic conversations.
Book Three is concerned mainly with "modes of worship", but there is
not a single formal ritual in this book, not a single incantation in
barbarous words. This not a grimoire; it is more suggestive than
authoritative. After the historical accounts and analysis of
Books One and Two, here Grey suggests ways the Holy Whore can be
worshipped today. Ceremonial magic sure ain't what it used to
be. Today, it takes a visit to a strip club or bordello to
approximate a liaison with the Holy Whore. Today the magical
weapons include booze, a little blow or X, mirrors and roses, and
"bridles, whips, needles and knives" for the adventurous.
On first reading I had some trouble buying into this idea of a "strip
club Babalon" or "Babs the Barmaid" (my terms). But, the closest
thing we have to the sanctuary of Militta these days is, sadly, the bar
and the bordello. In Sumer and Babylon, the annual duty of
every woman was to travel to the Temple of Inanna/Ishtar and there
engage in an act of sacred prostitution with a stranger. In other
times and cultures, too, the Whore was indeed considered Holy.
Now, work in the "sex industry" is a matter of economic necessity, not
a sacred duty to the Goddess. What was once sacred sexuality has
become sordid. Our loss.
THE RED GODDESS is not only a work of devotion from Grey to the
Goddess, it is itself a talisman. Arriving from England with a
red wax seal of the Star of Babalon on the envelope, the tome was
protected by bubblepack surrounding a slipcase tied in a scarlet
ribbon, and scattered over it, 7 perfumed rose
petals. The limited edition of 156, released on
7/7/07, was not intended for rare book collectors alone; it's apparent
that Grey intended it to fall into the "right hands". In my case,
it did. I had been researching Dark Goddesses for months,
focusing on the Stryx, Lamia, Lilith, and eventually
Inanna/Ishtar. I had begun to suspect a connection between Inanna
and Babalon, and the THE RED GODDESS confirms that. There is much
in the book that relates directly to my current work; it is one of
those books that arrived at my doorstep at just the right time.
I don't fully accept Grey's concept of Babalon, which some may see as
no less misogynistic than Crowley's, or Grey's conclusions, which are a
little too Apocalyptic for my taste. There is little in the
way of citation, but this doesn't presume to be an academic work.
It came more from the heart than the head. If nothing else, it is
an entertaining read, an open invitation to LET GO! Challenging,
uncompromising, sarcastic and insightful, and at times downright
funny. I have to say too it is one the most precisely edited
books I've read in a long time. Each sentence says what the
author intends to say. This was not dashed off on a word
processor over a weekend. Blood, sweat and tears stain the pages
(figuratively, not literally -- my copy is quite clean).
This is a limited first edition but I hope someday to see it reach a
wider audience, in a more affordable format. Babalon IS Rising,
and this is one of the books that will spark the debate about just what
that means. I really hope that Ariel's posting from the HML list,
"Babalon: the one who never left", makes it into Silver Star 8;
that is a very different perspective, one from the perspective of the
Scarlet Woman herself.
Review by Paul Holman STEPHEN SKINNER.
THE COMPLETE
MAGICIAN’S TABLES. GOLDEN
HOARD PRESS, 2006.
This book, as I hardly need to write
here, is a hugely expanded revision of the magical correspondences,
largely derived from the Golden Dawn, which Crowley tabulated as Liber
777. Vast though it is, I rather wish that it had been named ‘The
Incomplete Magician’s Tables’, although I suppose that concept would be
more difficult to market: still, it’s a provocative title with an
offputting hint of the Hogwarts syllabus about it.
Even if it did not contain any
additional material, this volume, with its clear and generous layout,
would be a welcome trade up from the edition of 777 currently issued by
Weiser. It goes well beyond that, however, to provide an impressive
digest of magical information which both updates the original 777 and
looks back to the correspondences set down by scholars and magicians in
the centuries before the Golden Dawn: in this respect, the book is
truly radical, and very much part of the broad sweep of Skinner’s work
in the Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic series.
In keeping with 777, Skinner
presents the paths on the Tree of Life in the order that descends from
Kircher through the Golden Dawn: he also tabulates the Lurianic tree,
and takes care to stress its elegance and coherence. Similarly, he
lists the Tarot trumps both in the positions adopted by the Golden Dawn
(ignoring Crowley’s exchange of the Emperor and the Star) and rectified
to fit the planetary attributions given in the Sepher Yetzirah.
Many of the lists are plotted onto
zodiacal, elemental and planetary correspondences: others are
necessarily freestanding, and operate within their own terms of
reference. A very few seem to lead to dead ends: for instance, I found
myself wishing that, instead of the unwieldly catalogue of Christian
saints which Skinner prints, there had been a more selective list
presented in such a way that it could be compared to the heathen
pantheons.
While the rigid structure imposed
upon 777 sometimes provided a merely artificial coherence, the
flexibility of presentation here can lead to the book rolling apart
into an inorganic collection of lists. At the risk of seeming
ungrateful, I find it difficult to look through the uniform timelines
of magicians, kabbalists and others, with their sometimes puzzling
inclusions and omissions, without feeling them to be a fragment of a
different project altogether. In his commentary, Skinner points out
that he excludes living persons from this section in order to avoid
controversy (although, oddly, this does not seem to apply to the
astrologers): he does, however, give an account of the contemporary OTO
there which is likely to irritate some readers.
Overall, I imagine that the
experience of other users of the book will be close to mine: I am happy
to find material which had been dispersed on my shelves presented
between a single set of covers, often in a manner which enhances its
value, and grateful for the reference it provides to all too many areas
where my knowledge is lacking. It is difficult to convey the sheer
breadth of information which Skinner provides without turning the
review into a list of contents: to give some impression, I open the
book three times at random, and place my finger upon Etruscan Gods,
Magical Images of the Ascendant Decans from the ‘Picatrix’ and Chinese
Acupuncture Meridians. I have the hardback trade edition published by
the Golden Hoard Press, and would be reluctant to do without it. It’s a
huge, sturdy volume suitable for heavy use: I hope that the revised
edition produced for the US market by Llewelyn, which I haven’t seen,
is equally robust.
I remarked at the beginning of this
review that the ‘Incomplete Magician’s Tables’ might be a more accurate
title. Many readers of Silver Star, given access to both a copy of this
book and a spreadsheet programme, could produce additional pages
reflecting their own interests and knowledge: while I have immense
admiration for Skinner’s judgement, learning and capacity for hard
research, I do wonder if some kind of informal open source extension of
his work might be the fullest compliment that could be paid it.
