Feedback so far has been extremely positive. My thanks to those of you who have reported difficulties – some minor teething problems have been corrected. Just to repeat: the Galleries, as indicated above, are currently unavailable but will return as will Tapatalk functionality.
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Thanks for making this available, i watched it last night and it bought back memories of the hazy, heady days of my youth! I like a lot of people came to Crowley via Wilson’s Cosmic Trigger.
93
If you are reading this (and like me can’t afford to subscribe) at least send AC a birthday gift thank you donation today.
If you do it once a month, may your Gods bless and fill you. If you only do it once a year, it won’t kill you.
93 93/93
I saw him do this at the Lowry in Salford four years ago. It was OK from what I remember, but it sounds like he may have done a bit of re-eriting since then.
Received my copy yesterday. It’s a handsome little book and Michael Staley’s Introduction is good. I’ll report back in the form of a review of the whole book in due course, following my customary two reads.
Back in the 70’s Llewellyn publications: books, tapes, magazines, etc. were very influential for me and something I always looked forward to receiving… and thanks for all the Regardie works, Golden Dawn, and Gems From The Equinox.
Pried mine loose from the dead hands of the German Customs Office yesterday and am looking for to reading it this week. Will be interested in hearing your comments Paul.
I fear that the current owner – rather than rebuild – will decide to demolish the remaining structure and choose to build some ghastly new modern structure; possibly even dividing the current grounds into two parts to maximise return on investment. Hope I’m wrong……
Latest news from the emergency services: ‘Scottish Fire and Rescue later established that there was no-one in the house at the time of the fire and there are no casualties.’
The BBC article published 23 December 2015, and titled Firefighters called to historic Boleskine House on Loch Ness, in the following internet link,contains more photographs of the destruction caused by the fire: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-35171061
…if it must be that one’s most sacred shrine be profaned, let it be the clean assault of laughter rather than the slimy smear of sanctimoniousness!
—Magick Without Tears
The ‘Notes Towards a Bibliography’ are especially interesting. I didn’t know, for example, that ‘Keith Rhys’, editor of the Temple Press edition of ‘The Stratagem’ is William Breeze, as is the Fr HHD who edited Jack Parsons’ ‘Magick, Gnosticism & The Witchcraft’.
Success is thy proof, eh? Well, if proof of success is the criterion, what judgement can one be meant to draw from the fact that for the whole of this particular century so far, more and more Crowley titles – for which legacy the O.T.O. is arguably supposedly solely in existence for “in order” to promote and promulgate – have lapsed out of print: far be it from any new ones being allowed to appear for a long time either. To give the five main instances, the publication of properly edited and full, sensibly annotated versions of the Confessions, the Diaries, Magick Without Tears, The Equinox III.2 and The Book of the Law Full Commentaries has been promised throughout Hymenaeus Beta’s (to give William Breeze his official nomenclature) 30 years tenure ever since the late 1980s, but are still nowhere near seeing daylight. Credit to where it is due, and so as to counterbalance any criticism a little, the O.T.O. can be commended for uploading publically accessible online versions of some of A.C.’s work, however even in this achievement they do not stand alone.
Unlike Kenneth Grant (for example), in his position as leader (or Frater Superior) of the O.T.O., there has been a considerable and conspicuous absence of either magickal works or original writings by William Breeze – Lon DuQuette has done a lot more in this field, which would have looked better coming from the supposed O.H.O.. In the meantime, Hymenaeus Beta is actually proving to be a purely administrative leader more than anything else and in this respect resembles David Miscavige with Scientology®, although Miscavige has himself proven to be a lot more successful in this area with the O.T.O. hardly having grown at all under Breeze’s (mis)management. principally as a result of a combination of the above, tinkering around with the rituals & vexatious litigation.
Roll on another anniversary which is shortly coming up – in 2017, as a matter of fact – although that won’t be for a 100th but a 70th,
Norma N Joy Conquest
Incidentally, HHD stands for the motto of William Breeze as (Frater) Homo Homini Deus. It is possibly an adaptation from Spinoza, and means roughly “Man as he appears to Man is a kind of God” or “Man is god to another man”. One can draw whatever conclusions (or none at all) one will from this.
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Whoever is the lucky purchaser – one thinks of the usual suspects: Kenneth Anger, Jimmy Page or the (c)oto – has a totally unique and magnificent item in their possession. I’m sure I woudn’t be the only person to want to be fascinated looking at other pages in further detail: it would be too much to hope, I suppose, for the fortunate new owner to make these available as a download? Even a facsimile special print edition I’m sure would manage to pay back its own production costs. Let’s hope that, whoever it is, s/he is not one of these hoarders who like squirreling things away things in their own private archive, never to be seen again by others with an interest…
It must have quite made the day of whoever originally found these items in the Detroit Leonard warehouse. That something could remain pristine & undisturbed for forty years gives hope for & makes one conjecture what other gems may lie similarly undisturbed elsewhere. Given that this was just one of the three items specially selected by Robert Lund (who originally bought the rediscovered collection from the warehouse owner) – and of these only ‘arguably’ and not ‘definitely’ “the most precious” – I am curious what the other two would have been “that appealed to him most from the collection” but which this synopsis of the events omits to mention.
Does anybody know what this item went for? The price can apparently be sought “on application”, as it seems to be something else which, for whatever reason, is unnecessarily being kept a secret from open disclosure. Maybe we could hold a sweepstake with a modest prize going to the closest?! Given that just one page of an incomplete handwritten letter by A.C. to Lady Frieda Harris is currently being touted for $894, I’d start proceedings off with a conservative guesstimate of £31,000. Any advance, anyone?
There doesn’t seem to have been too much publicity after the initial blaze (if you’ll pardon the pun) exactly a month ago.
Since initial reports suggested that even at the time when the first fire engines arrived 60% of the building had already gone up in flames, what can be the current state of the remains? Are they a wholly burnt out shell, and are there any plans to rebuild/ restore the building to its former glory? The Book of the Law stated: “though with fire and sword it be burnt down & shattered, yet an invisible house there standeth” (III: 34). So we’ve already had the fire – what is the probability that the “shattered” part of the ‘prophecy’ will now be fulfilled by the metal wrecking equipment of the demolition crew as it arrives to finish the job which the fire started?
And has arson by fundies been ruled out?
Norma N Joy Conquest
This book will be going to the printers in early February for publication in March, and is now available for ordering ahead of publication.
Beyond the Mauve Zone by Kenneth Grant is an attractive, sewn hardbound book, octavo format, 324 pages, with a full-colour dust-jacket, and limited to 1500 copies. Included is a 24-page section of colour and half-tone plates, a colour frontispiece, black and white custom printed endpapers, and line drawings throughout the text, as well as a Glossary, Bibliography and Index. Further details about the content of the book, as well as how to order both the standard and the deluxe editions, can be found by visiting our website, or by following the direct link http://starfirepublishing.co.uk/Beyond_the_Mauve_Zone.htm
I also have a book or two from old Nick’s collection, though I never had the pleasure of making his acquaintance.
“Unto them from whose eyes the veil of life hath fallen may there be granted the accomplishment of their true Wills; whether they will absorption in the Infinite, or to be united with their chosen and preferred, or to be in contemplation, or to be at peace, or to achieve the labour and heroism of incarnation on this planet or another, or in any Star, or aught else, unto them may there be granted the accomplishment of their wills; yea, the accomplishment of their wills.”
I had the great pleasure of meeting Nick a handful of times and spoke with him on the phone a few days before his passing. He was a gentleman and a scholar in the truest sense. His funeral was memorable and very well attended.
He was a real gent and a friend. I managed to visit with him a couple of times in the weeks before he passed. His funeral was absolutely packed with friends from various aspects of his life. Five years on and Weiser are still working through selling his book collection. There’s supposed to be a book from them about the best items in his personal library at some point down the line. I still think about Nick often and it doesn’t feel like half a decade since he went.
Thank you for the consideration you’ve all shown posting more memories of Nicholas for us here.
With the 5th Anniversary of his passing now upon us his photo is before me – wearing his Baphomet T-shirt and enjoying his life.
I’ve been chatting with him all week… and happy to have provoked likewise thoughts from some of my “A.C.S.” friends.
It’s wonderful how the star of AOS has risen in the last few decades. I remember in the 80s buying a framed automatic drawing by him for £50, and the shop had some tiny sketches on pieces of cardboard for a few pounds. Sadly I no longer have the piece.
Is the automatic you bought a drawing originally owned by Hannen Swaffer and used to illustrate an article of his in the ‘London Mystery Magazine’? If so, it’s amongst the Spares coming up for sale at Christies on March 17th. Irrespective of that, there are some very good pictures amongst these lots, and like you I’m pleased at his work starting to gain the appreciation it deserves.
Useful information from a post by Caroline Wise on Facebook yesterday: ‘Today’s Austin Spares auctioned at Christies – Swaffer sketch went for £1,375. Hybrid £3250, Automatic sketch – £5000, Young Self with Witch – £22,500, Primal Urge £10,000 and Joan Crawford – £18,750. Masks and Faces £10,000. Neveresque £5000. Note these totals are rounded up to include 25% commission and the VAT the commission. Spares always sell, and he has always been highly regarded in the art world, but these premium prices of the last couple of years perhaps show a new and proper appreciation.’
Give it a few more years together with concomitant exposure to the rough Scottish elements, and Skene might end up in a similar sorry state to the Abbey of Thelema in the rather more hospitable climes and temperate surroundings of Cefalu.
We might even have a campaign to “Save the Kaaba”, along the same lines of “Save the Abbey”. With similar effects (=minimal, unfortunately). No murals or Chambre de Cauchemars there, of course, but…
Trust that the invisible house there standeth is itself made of sterner stuff!
Just tremendous stuff, very well-written and researched- as good academic scholarship on AC as I have seen.
Makes a very cogent argument for peyote as the hidden thread throughout Thelema, Scientific Illuminism, and AC’s work in general. The bits on TBOL are particularly interesting.
Congratulations, El-Flippo, on making the most off-topic posts I have come across for a long time. This is a news item about a late 1940s pastel by Spare being reproduced as a print. Of what earthly relevence to that are your two posts? Are you always this incontinent?
“What then is this? (P) They are the three bones of my IDS, made into sentient symbols that think for us understood by all the egos and gods: of sin” (Magical stele)
The 3 bones are depicted as 3 times 3 triangles in the formula of the Maya stele. A triangle is one half of a circle (180 degrees). I’m suggesting that the solution of the real YEARNING YANTRA is a 3 times cycle around a triple helix. Just take a look at the Magical stele. Two animals are hanging by the ends of the caduceus. What’s so off topic about that?
The Yantra of yearning is a very nice piece of art by the way! Appreciate the work of all who’ve contributed and made it available to the public. Try to turn the picture 180 degrees. Look at the head in the middle :=). I can also identify 3 double helixes in this painting – for what’s that worth. And maybe a number to the left: 20 or 26.
When turned the picture I can actually see 5 double helixes. The plot thickens :=). There should be a way to edit the posts. Too many double and triple posts.
I was forced to sell my copy of England’s Hidden Reverse during a financial crisis – it was inscribed by Jhon and Sleazy and several others on the launch day. I wonder where the Coil collection Ralph Chubb volumes are now. I loved Balance’s twinkling sense of humour. I was at the museum of witchcraft in Cornwall the other day and was pleased to see a photograph of him on the memorial wall in the entrance.
Sandy Robertson
AC met with one of the editors at Ullstein in November 1931 to discuss writing for them, so this photo may have been taken in connection with that, or it may have been created as part of the press package for the exhibition of his paintings which opened the month before.
That’s really great, Paul!
Good luck with that all!
I would donate books except I only have 2 paperbacks I don’t want because you wouldn’t want them either. But I wish you success and that’s really great!
This is an interesting & imaginative theory and one to which I would like to be able to give at least some measure of credence for ingenuity alone, but the thing that stops it being some sort of a Thelemic update on Allegro’s Sacred Mushroom and the Cross is the inconvenient fact that, as the author duly goes on to recognize, Crowley made no direct references himself to the A. muscaria mushroom anywhere throughout his extensive writings or pictorially, apart from depicting this one specimen in May Morn.
Why on earth would Crowley disguise his references to Amanita Muscaria in the first place, let alone as sex magick? After all, he showed little reticence in discussing a multitude of other drugs.
“Perhaps it was due to an oath of secrecy. Perhaps we’re completely off the mark (as well as off our rocker). The only safe thing we can say at this point is that obligations of secrecy never stopped Aleister Crowley from writing before.”
Maybe that’s it, then (that he’s off his rocker?)!
Incidentally, while on the subject didn’t I see a crazy Comment by one “mermaid tampon” the last time I passed this way, or was I imagining things?
Just so – but the odd thing is, that such a Comment would have had to have already been “pre-moderated” to have been allowed to appear in the first place?! (Just as this Comment, and all other Comments to the News features, would need to be also).
It’s not in the least bit ‘odd’, Jamie J Barter. I keep moderating decisions to a minimum where they relate to non-Forum posts on this site. Basically, just deleting the inevitable spam bot Comments and approving the rest. Mermaidtampon’s comments, however, generated a number of complaints. I acted on those complaints and deleted the offending material.
An outstanding lecture that demonstrates yet again the seminal influence Crowley was on others during his life and after his death. I have been of the opinion for some time that Carlos Castaneda was influenced to an extreme degree by the writings of Crowley; the insights provided by Mr. Everitt on Crowley’s use of Peyote serve to reinforce that position even further.
My apologies for the somewhat hefty price. Making the book available for global distribution means that retailers like Amazon love to take a rather large slice of the pie (actually, pretty much all the pie). If you want the book cheaper, keep an eye out for regular publisher discount codes here: http://www.lulu.com/home
I don’t think it’s that hefty a price; in terms of number of pages, seems substantial. I knew Gerald on and off over the years. Though we differed on some points – in particular, about our respective estimates of Kenneth Grant – we had much in common as Thelemites and I respected him.
Yes, I’m certain you are mentioned somewhere within these letters, Michael, although exactly where I cannot quite find at short notice. However, I recall that respect being expressed as mutual despite the different points of view held between the two of you. One other thing that might also be of interest to potential readers – which I failed to mention – is that there is an additional appendix in the book of Gerald’s unfinished screenplay ‘666: The Life of Aleister Crowley’. Special thanks must go to Jamie Barter for allowing me to reproduce it within the pages, and hopefully between James and I, we’ll be able to complete it to a standard that is in line with Gerald’s original vision. It might turn out a little long to qualify as a feature film, but there is also the possibility of turning it into a miniseries, or even graphic novel (which might be another gateway to film perhaps).
What an utterly fabulous book. It’s no dry series of magical detail, but should interest anyone who simply is intrigued by Suster and his writings without being a practitioner of the occult themselves. I especially like the large format and reproduction of the letters themselves rather than re-typeset transcriptions. There are magazine columns and other bits and pieces by both GS and Mortimer too, and Suster’s Crowley screenplay takes up a hefty page count too. Way, way better than even I hoped for.
Thank you, sandyboy. I hope I have done Gerald proud by giving people an insight into this fascinating man and his positive contribution to modern Thelemic culture.
Mick, I have noticed that with all the publicity and notifications of the various fine quality reprints of Kenneth’s works by Starfire, you mention they each “take account of annotations from his own personal copy of the book”, etc (or words to that effect), and I take it that these may be silently edited (i.e., incorporated into the text of the new edition without a specific indication of whereabouts they occur and take place). And I was therefore wondering – this happening to be the case – is there some sort of a compilation or pamphlet available which contains a list of each of the differences that would appear between the various editions?
The reason I ask is although I have copies of all the older pre-Starfire versions (with the exception of BTMZ and TNA) I’m not in a position to acquire standard (let alone ‘de luxe’ unfortunately, more’s the pity! :-(!) versions of the newer ones & so was also wondering if there was such a compendium, as it would be most handy & save having to buy “more-or-less” the same editions all over again? I am sure I am enquiring on behalf of others (apart from myself) as well that it would be highly convenient, useful, extremely interesting & most stimulating to be able to view what may have been going on in the actual development and evolution within KG’s actual thought processes and mentation that would have set off & prompted all the particular revisions he then chose to be significant enough to make. In addition (for example), the earlier first edition of “Against The Light” is not easily or (relatively) cheaply available any more in order to be able to compare & contrast the two of them both, apart from the additional time & labour which this would experientially involve.
I do understand your point of view here, Jamie. This is something that we discussed briefly in the forums a year or two ago.
In the first place, Kenneth’s corrections are relatively minor, mostly typos that he picked up; it wasn’t Kenneth’s practise to revise previous books in the light of his later thinking, so these changes won’t throw any light on his development. The most significant correction made was to ‘Cults of the Shadow’ where two paragraphs had to be juxtaposed, and there were some other corrections which were consequential. Fortunately I was able to find a typescript by Kenneth from the 1950s or early 1960s upon which the chapter in question was based. This juxtaposition was amongst the errata listed in the Skoob edition, but was difficult to understand. In the case of ‘Against the Light’, the corrections in Kenneth’s copy are few and minor. The most significant is the lack of a particular section break in part 3; this was a lapse on my part as an impatient young man back in 1997.
Changes are not restricted to those noted by Kenneth, however. Where there are errors in gematria, for instance, I do correct those, as well as typos not previously noticed. Basically, though, my aim is to change as little as possible.
I do have my work cut out at present, Jamie, but when I have more time I will tabulate the corrections, and probably make the tables available on the Starfire Publishing website. Obviously I would prefer that the new editions become the standard editions, but I also appreciate that not everybody is in a position to buy them.
I remember this as one of the best talks of the ‘Kenneth Grant Day’ at Treadwells in January this year. ‘Against the Light’ has been a passion of mine ever since 1996 when first reading it in typescript.
I’m looking forward to this book. Ruth Bayer is an extremely good photographer. Her work appears throughout one of the books that Starfire Publishing issued last year – ‘The Play Goes On: The Rituals of the Rainbow Bridge’ by Zachary Cox and the late Jean Williams – and is excellent throughout.
Looks to be another bumper collection. I can commend Nina Antonia’s Bosie and the Beast, an intriguing study on the antipathy of Crowley for Lord Alfred Douglas, Oscar Wilde’s beau.
Sorry I haven’t replied earlier, Mick, but I don’t pass by this way on Lashtal very often these days, the level of (non-) activity being what it has become. Still, there’s no use in getting unduly blue about these sort of things!
Thanks for the reply & your comments. The situation more or less chimes with what I thought might be the case, although I don’t actually remember it being discussed before in the forums offhand, myself.
The typos themselves are not really important and are of minimal significance; I had more in mind the sort of scale of amendments which will apparently be necessary with the revised forthcoming edition of “Confessions” (whenever this eventually appears sometime this century). In the meantime, along with everyone else I’ll await for your publication of the amendments & differences between the editions on Starfire Publishing in due course, and which I expect will be the sooner of the two.
When you say you “correct errors in gematria”, though, this must be rather difficult as Kenneth tended to have his own system & practice of “creative” gematria didn’t he, which didn’t/ doesn’t necessariy accord with the conventions of “traditional” or commmonly-accepted gematria? (I take it that it was the latter you had in mind there, or did you in fact mean something else?)
Never mind Major McMurtry, it looks more like there’s been some sort of a Major accident! And that there’s a disembodied foot resting against the guy’s torso, like a lump of meat from The Beatles’ “butcher shop” banned LP cover…
Indeed they are. I didn’t mention them, though, because neither seems to be current: my iTunes Podcast feed shows the last episode of ‘Living Thelema’ to have been published in August 2015 and the last ‘Speech In The Silence’ in September 2015.
This book will be going to the printers at the end of July 2016 for publication in August, and is now available for ordering ahead of publication.
Against the Light by Kenneth Grant is an attractive, sewn hardbound book, octavo format, 142 pages, with a full-colour dust-jacket, and limited to 750 copies. Included are black and white custom printed endpapers, and a full-colour frontispiece. Further details about the content of the book, as well as how to order both the standard and the deluxe editions, can be found by visiting our website, or by following the direct link http://starfirepublishing.co.uk/Against_the_Light.htm.
Against the Light was first published in 1997 but has been out of print for many years. This republication is freshly typeset, and incorporates corrections and additions by Kenneth Grant noted in his copy of the first edition. Illustrated endpapers include diary entries by the author from 1985 when the novel was started, some early plot notes, the first draft of a cover blurb from 1995, and a diagram where Grant gives the meaning of symbols on the front of the dust-jacket. A coloured frontispiece reproduces the bust of Mephistopheles, a mysterious and compelling figure which is an integral feature of this novel and which appears elsewhere in Grant’s work.
The background to this Nightside Narrative, like so much of Grant’s work, can be found in New Isis Lodge, a magical working group which developed from the late 1940s, was formally established in 1955, and carried on working until the mid 1960s. Some of the workings of New Isis Lodge were described by Kenneth Grant in Hecate’s Fountain. In the late 1950s, the ritualists of New Isis Lodge began to receive a series of oracles which on subsequent rearrangement formed a coherent work known as ‘The Book of the Spider’. When planning his third and final trilogy during the 1980s, Grant decided to publish ‘The Book of the Spider’ with extended commentary in the final volume, The Ninth Arch. He was aware, however, that assimilation of The Ninth Arch might be somewhat demanding, and thought that perhaps something was appropriate by way of introduction. That “something” turned out to be the novel Against the Light.
Grant started writing Against the Light in the mid 1980s, and he developed it to explore in a fictional setting some of the themes of ‘The Book of the Spider’. It was his intention that Against the Light be published before The Ninth Arch, and this was achieved by its first publication in 1997. The Ninth Arch itself is now to be republished towards the end of 2016, and it is fitting that publication of Against the Light again precedes it, this time by several months.
Thanks for the positive response. It’s all part of a process of professionalising the site! The key, obviously, is for members to report any issues so they can be fixed before they become ‘established.’
Friday 16 September 2016
Beyond the Robot – Colin Wilson Launch
Launch Event with Talk – Gary Lachman
Colin Wilson burst on the world literary scene in 1956 with The Outsider, and from then until his 2013 death aged 82, Wilson created an enormous oeuvre on philosophy, psychology, sex, crime, literature, and the occult. His 1971 history The Occult became a bestseller, helping the subject recieve serious study. This new book, subtitled Life and World of Colin Wilson is the first full account of Wilson’s career, from his early days as an Angry Young Man, to his last years as a philosopher of consciousness. Author Gary Lachman was a fan and a friend of Wilson – come for the talk, anecdotes, Q&A, signings and a free glass of wine. Collect your copy on the night as you arrive. Max 45 places.
Price: £17.99 (includes a copy of the book, a talk and a free glass of wine)
Register on 0207 419 8507 or book online
Time: 7 pm doors, half hour talk at 7.30. Ends 9.30 pm
Over the years I remember some other big fires in Britain, Windsor Castle and the Cutty Sark spring to mind, where the damage was colossal but nowadays one would never guess there had even been a fire. So if there was enough money available then there is no reason that the house could not be made as good as new! But it takes a lot of money, especially where demolition is an alternative.
“Psychic TV return to us with Alienist. The album includes two original tracks: the haunting yet emotional “I’m Looking For You”; an epic, multi-layered, metaphysical exploration in the form of a conversation between Genesis and “Lucifer”, who is in hiding after his failed rebellion is over. And “Alienist” which is a delightful fusion of dance grooves harking back to PTV’s Acid House days and the group’s current love of heavy psychedelic rock.”
I look forward to reading Cosey’s book. Haven’t seen her in many, many years, back in the day when TG/PTV were wreckers of what passes for civilisation. A great person.
One of my favourite albums. I envy those lucky enough to see it performed live. Not too sure about the article’s reference to “Aleister Crowley’s ‘The Secret’,” though…
This work was previously owned by Cecil Williamson (1909-1999) a Neopagan Witch and founder of both the Witchcraft Research Center (which was a part of MI6’s war against Nazi Germany) and the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, Cornwall. Williamson was a friend of Crowley’s and presumably the present lot was a gift from the artist.
BBC Radio 6 at 8pm on Sunday 4 September 2016: ‘Stuart [Maconie] talks to Current 93’s David Tibet about his collaboration with the legendary producer Youth as Hypnopazūzu and their new album ‘Create Christ, Sailor Boy’.’
I was working on a simple list but that got delayed by a number of time wasters who made contact through Facebook, professing serious interest in some of the high-value items but, I fear, just using their sale as the opportunity to get me to provide photographs and fill in gaps in their knowledge. I’m now inclined to add books to the Sales section of this site: https://www.lashtal.com/shop/ In any case, I’m working on cataloguing the collection.
The graphic is taken from the original article. I tend to agree that it would be better not being prominently presented, though, so have swapped the ‘featured article’ graphic with one relating to another news item.
Don’t get me wrong – I like Laylah too! – but does she take precedence over Rose the original Scarlet Woman, or even La Sublime Leah? (Some might even volunteer the ‘elemental’ ex of Jack Parsons & would-be avatar of Babalon herself, Marjorie Cameron!)
Positively bedazzled by a pageant of beauty (iconographically),
Norma N Joy Conquest
Reading back my comment, I feel maybe I ought to have highlighted the fact that it was prompted by the first sentence featured that “Leila ‘Laylah’ Waddell is perhaps the most iconic woman of Thelema”, rather than it coming across as being some sort of an adverse reflection on her suitability to qualify for a commemorative memorial ahead of Rose, Leah and, er, Marjorie…
I would have thought it’s obvious that the OTO in Australia would focus their attention on the Australian, Leila Waddell? As regards ‘iconic’ – her image (as above) is probably far more widely recognised than any photograph of Leah.
Good points, Paul, though I was speaking more generally (globally) & arguably Marjorie Cameron’s startling flame-haired image from Kenneth Anger’s cinematography is even more widely recognisable to a contemporary audience.
Many belived that AC could read your mind by turning on those piercing eyes. It was said that he would en-trance people by giving them the ‘eye’ and take them with him on some manic moneymaking or other enterprise…… being in his company in a room where there was no immediate means of escape could be overpowering, even when he was of advanced years.
Johnny
Paul I never saw any listings on this site?
I was waiting this whole time.
Perhaps I did it wrong, but I was under the impression you were going to list them all under FOR SALE but I never saw anything new; it was always that same Equinox book (I think) that has been there forever.
No, @christibrany, as mentioned in the Comment above yours, I abandoned the sale – having planned to publish a list on 12 October.
Quite simply, mentioning a handful of items on the Facebook posts generated such an enormous number of silly time-wasting responses that the prospect of generating a proportionate number of responses to a planned list of 300+ books was massively unattractive!
If you must sell your library, the best plan might be to take the catalogue to one of the specialist bookshops such as Treadwells, Atlantis or even Wieser and see what is offered for the collection.
Considering Delingpole has a ~way with words~, it is real shame that he failed to mention that Crowley – apart from his courageous self-exposure to ignorant idiots who number almost all of us, was also a bone fide master of the English language. Something very few humans have ever managed to achieve after Shakespeare. And Delingpole, as great an – unconscious – word-magician as he appears to be, will never be able to wear such a grand Edwardian literary hat without looking utterly, modernistically absurd.
“As befits a comedy, the reference is essentially humorous” – a summation which stretches my understanding of the words “comedy” and “humorous” just a little! Throughout the whole rather dismal thing, the only piece which remotely caused my lip muscles to twitch in an amused fashion occurred between 5:20 and 5:56 (approximately) on the subject of the “disneyfication” of Wernher vonBraun. The rest was appalling – appallingly unfunny and appallingly inaccurate and imprecise (perhaps not so surprisingly…but at least they didn’t get around to mentioning Jack’s mother’s dog!)
Help me, I think my sides may be in danger of splitting (- not!),
I have been interested in Theravada Buddhism for a long time – about as long as as I’ve been interested in Aleister Crowley’s work. Of note is the fact that one of Crowley’s first teachers, Alan Bennett, eventually retired to Ceylon and became a Theravada monk.
I too have a library, though a much smaller one. I’m seeking to release most of it as part of an ongoing project to reduce the number of possessions that I no longer use.
Thank you for posting about your experience with book sales. It has probably saved me some fruitless effort.
While money would be much appreciated, my main goal is to pass on a themed collect to a group or individual who could put it to use.
Attended on Monday 5th December. Really was blown away by the range styles and materials that AOS used.
A must see for anyone with an interest, that is in the area.
As did I. I hope it is not as poor quality as the Jane Wolfe book. When I want to wear out my eyes over barely readable text, i head for the archives and do it with the real stuff.
Initial impressions from the Kindle edition; primarily KG’s correspondence with the Californians in the 40s/50s/60s. I found none of the German correspondence with Hopfer, Küntzel, Metzger, Lekve, Petersen, etc or anything before 1928. The notes are quite basic, mainly a reference of the persons named in the correspondence. The design is negligible – pretty much just a dump of the PDF. Perhaps a useful reference for some, definitely a cheap thrill but not something you’d take home to meet the parents.
My copy of ‘Karl Germer: Selected Letters 1928-1962’ arrived. I was looking forward to reading this book but within a few days I came to the conclusion that I cannot recommend it. Although it’s nice to have some of the Germer Letters in a book format, after all, something is better than nothing, I see the over-all book as being utterly useless for academics, serious magician, scholars or even historians in general. Harsh? Perhaps but it is neither indexed nor footnoted adequately. The approximate two page bio trying to explain who Karl Germer was and why I should read his letters is amateurish at best, bordering on being a lame High School paper. I’d give it a ‘C’.
Then the very first letter in the book is address to “Jane” but in the first paragraph Germer mentions her in the third person by name, i.e. ‘Jane Wolfe’ which is then footnoted to explain who ‘Jane Wolfe’ is but this leads us to assume that the Jane to whom the letter is written and the Jane mentioned in the first paragraph are two different people. They’re not. The footnote is simply inappropriately placed. The book also tries to identify others mentioned in the letters in the footnotes throughout the book but right on page one the letter mentions “Dorothy” but who is she? They don’t identify her. I knew who she was, she was Crowley’s mistress but I fear the average reader will be lost. Throughout the book you’ll be scratching your head wondering who is who.
Worst of all, it’s not indexed! As one reads though its pages you’ll find gems from page to page but you’re supposed to remember where you read them in a 389 page book or you’ll never be able to find them again. Be forewarned, you have to create your own Index as you go along or you’ll be lost.
There is so much more wrong with this book but I think you get the picture. It is simply an ‘unfinished manuscript’ rushed into press and not carefully thought through by a descent editor. In my opinion any simpleton can enter letters into a computer but if you can’t put them into a user friendly format, why bother? Still, it was a fun book to read and yes error slip into all books and mistakes are made because, after all, we’re only human … but what is this over-all book saying about the magickal image and teachings of the College of (cough cough) or rather the High School of Thelema?
Yes, I can second that opinion. One might ask – what is the purpose of this book if not to provide an academic reference to selected correspondence of Karl Germer?
I’d love to read a good ‘Selected Correspondence’ of at least a representative sample of Germer’s letters over the years. There are many sets of correspondence about. For instance, a batch of letters to Ithell Colquhoun was on the market about ten years ago. Whist researchiing the Jones-Yorke correspondence of 1948 and 1949 I came across several letters from Germer to Jones which were, to say the least, extremely interesting. I certainly agree with Jerry Cornelius that it’s a shame that there is no index.
Does anyone know if the letters from Germer to Crowley are extant? I have seen a pdf of Crowley’s letters to Germer, but not Germer’s to Crowley.
Paul sorry its late but I hope your Xmas was great and London is awesome.
Although I don’t post much BC I am workng on my gradework I still love to read the news and posts.
Keep up the Great Work
Sorry to read the news – knew he had been unwell with some sort of pancreatic/kidney cancer for a time. Another one has had their fill of will & love, takes their leave of Spaceship Earth & bites the dust. The more pub-centred fora & moots of old London Town will continue to much miss his presence and unusually idiosyncratic but usually entertaining subject-matter for talks (I recall one in particular, in which he was attempting to digress upon Thelemic motifs camouflaged within sci-fi based tv series, notably Deep Space Nine which was fairly new and had recently just come out at the time.)
Devotedly sincere Priest of Nuit; “Chairman” Steve forever destined to be known in some circles as “the man in the red jumper” following his first prominent public appearance at the inaugural Oxford Thelemic Symposium; recounter of crap jokes & excruciatingly ‘amateur’ ‘enthusiastic’ caterwauler of da blooz – a man who was all of these things and more! – enjoy your greater feast for
“There is the dissolution, and eternal ecstasy in the kisses of Nu. …” (2,44)
Jamie, Norma NJoy Conquest
This is rather based on the Steele of Formation, the reverse rather is the Steele of Revealing, which catalogs rather the first few days of this earthly existence and the story of Amoun-Ra. Some Mysteria to be revealed at it’s Maxim.
“Steele of Revealing”
– I’ve never come across this particular spelling of ‘Stele’ before. Assuming this variation is not just some form of typo, repeated, would it be known where and when the first usage of this came from?
“May 4, 2006”
– Can this now be a new record on lashtal for revivyfing an ancient news item/ thread?
Simply a Typo, my apologies. Revealing can be used by students of AA who know how to divine illuminated documents. The Reverse is the story of Khuit’s Formation by our primal deity of Pakhet, Heru. This is at the beginning of the Kali Yuga, after Dvapara.
Thoth is the first person to write by Hand, but the Reading writing and speaking of the Khabs began in Kali Yuga. Before this time, it was only a time of “Calls” being common place. Aquamancy is one of the first languages between them, Davpara and Kali.
UPDATE: The sale of the archives has begun! That’s right, books and ephemera from the private collection of the owner & editor of LAShTAL.COM are now available at competitive prices. Kicking things off with a signed & inscribed Aleister Crowley classic, an affordable paperback from The Witch Queen and a limited edition piece of gold from Three Hands Press. New items will be added every day. Keep an eye on Twitter and Facebook for announcements – or just keep checking that ‘LAShTAL Shop: Latest’ item on the right of each page of this site.
Just testing buyers’ preferences so have listed ‘The Star in the West’ and ‘Cosmic Meditation’ on eBay with the convenience, reassurance and protection that comes with buying there.
I have always appreciated Kenneth Anger’s work, but Lucifer Rising is wonderfull stuff….best played on a widescreen HD tv with surround sound tho to get the full impact…….wasn’t Marianne Faithfull brilliant?
Many thanks to Paul for making this available on Lashtal
I had the privilege of attending more than one dinner with Donald Weiser and his wife Betty in 1988 at D.O.M.E. The Inner Guide Meditation Center while they were visiting Edwin C. Steinbrecher (my mentor and teacher) in Los Angeles and were about to publish the 5th edition of Edwin’s book. Nice people, always gracious. I quietly listened and learned a few things about how the book publishing business works, and as a 23 year old recruit it was my job to do the dishes afterward!
Thank you Donald. As I scan my library I see your life’s work reflected from every shelf.
*******
Unto them from whose eyes the veil of life hath fallen may there be granted the accomplishment of their true Wills; whether they will absorption in the Infinite, or to be united with their chosen and preferred, or to be in contemplation, or to be at peace, or to achieve the labour and heroism of incarnation on this planet or another, or in any Star, or aught else, unto them may there be granted the accomplishment of their wills; yea, the accomplishment of their wills. AUMGN. AUMGN. AUMGN.
“Legendary bookseller and publisher Donald Weiser passed away peacefully at age 89 …”
Wasn’t Marcelo Motta, acting under the erroneous belief that he had the magical power of being able to terminate his enemies at a dstance, supposed to have ritually cursed/hexed Donald back in the eighties (in page 388 of the court transcripts of the McMurtry v. Motta trial of May 1985, he claimed to James Wasserman to have already remotely assassinated Donald’s brother and to have issued similar additional “metaphysical death threats” to related others if his wishes continued to be disobeyed. As he went on to testify (p. 910), “Let me state for the record, sir, that the grade of the Ninth, the power of the Ninth, allows us to kill people magically if we want to”.
This being so, it must make it one of the longest acting and/or least successful operations of its kind, neither does it seem to have adversely affected Weiser’s publishing programme or the family’s esoteric books empire very much. Incidentally I’ve never actually come across this particular ability of the Ninth degrees anywhere else – if anyone happens to have any further information I would be interested to know since wouldn’t homicide seem to rather go against the general Thelemic “grain”?
I probably wouldn’t be here it it wasn’t for that small ad at the bottom of the last page of the Sunday New York Times Book Review every week in the early ’70s, the one for Weiser Books. As a small-town teenager back then, i snatched at that ad like a drowning man grabbing a life preserver.
When i moved to NYC in the later ’70s, i visited the Weiser store on E. 24th often.
That bookstore and publishing company changed my life.
I’ve just been doing some admin work on LAShTAL.COM and have noticed that you placed an order for ‘A Gathering Of Masks’ on 20 February 2017 but don’t appear to have sent payment.
It’s obviously no problem at all if you simply chose not to purchase it, but I thought I would just check with you. Please would you confirm whether you still want the book and, if so, when you expect to be in a position to pay for it?
lashtal
Order status changed from Pending payment to Processing.
lashtal
Payment received an email sent.
lashtal
Received email from Franc:
yes I was going to order the book but unfortunately an unexpected financial situation arose and I couldn’t afford to buy it. If my situation changes and it’s still available I may purchase it in the future.
lashtal
Offered a £10 discount if he changes his mind while it’s still available. Not time limited.
WooCommerce
Order status changed from Pending payment to Cancelled.
Yes, it seems to promise most highly. Contents-wise though, I was disappointed not to see something along the lines of “The Role of Slime in the Work of Kenneth Grant” featured (the nearest to it being the 6th piece mentioned, on H.P. Lovecraft.) It appears to be a prominent omission of a fairly major theme from within his oeuvre (I simply don’t have the time at present otherwise might have done one on it myself, in the absence of anyone else.)
I’ve noticed recently that when i post, i can only see my post by logging out- even though my post will be listed in the “Recent Forum Posts” sidebar, i can’t actually see it until i log out. I first noticed this about three weeks ago or so.
Me too! (As can be seen from my original double posting in the “Start of interest Crowley/Thelema?”topic). But as no one else commented & my experience with PCs & tech has alsways been a bit idiosyncratic I’d thought it was just me!
Yes, this is a very “tasty” collection of essays . One piece, by Michael Bertiaux, is cast as a short story a short story. The highly attractive cover is by Henrik’s wife, Maria. The essay about the role of Lovecraft in Grant’s work is not only free from any mention of slime, but is one of the jewels of the book.
Just posted again, once again the only way to see my post is to log out; hitting reload after posting changes nothing. If i then log in again, it remains visible.
“The highly attractive cover is by Henrik’s wife, Maria.”
But prominently using artwork by Austin Osman Spare. (Perhaps “cover lettering by Maria Bogdan” would have been more accurate!)
“The essay about the role of slime in Grant’s work is not only free from any mention,”
For shame! (I remain open to any suitably generous offers of commissioning from Starfire Publishng for a glittering jewel of an essay.)
I remember hearing this when it was first broadcast. The brief interview with Angela Yorke is interesting. Arthur Calder-Marshall’s remarks, on the other hand, are simply hilarious.
Thank you so much for linking us to this wonderful article, Paul. It ends on a triumphant note but it saddens me that she never got to hold the eventual product in her hands. I suppose that she trusted in AC’s genius enough that she could imagine just how far it would go. This work kept her going through the worst times, & we can see her state of mind upon completion of the Swords.
Gary Lachman responded to my Facebook post about this News item: ‘They interviewed me for two hours and they used two seconds. As far as I know AC did not introduce AH to mescalin.’
This New Dawn article is actually an excerpt from a longer thought provoking article in the book I have referenced below. Troy Southgate is a polarising figure himself but I recommend the book of essays that that the Bolton essay appears in (poor editing notwithstanding) .
Bolton, K.R. (2011). Aleister Crowley as political theorist. In T. Southgate (Ed.) Crowley: Thoughts and perspectives, volume 2 (pp. 5-
28). Black Front Press: London
Yes, surprisingly and unusually well-informed (and with some resourceful further links.) For example under the 19th entry “He referred to himself as ‘The Beast'”, we find the sensible account: “Crowley was known as “The Beast,” a title that he himself gleefully used. He earned the name as a child, when his exasperated mother would call him “Beast 666″ in the wake of his mischief. As an adult, he proudly used the nickname, especially when he could appreciate the mystical context. His use of the term and his occultist activities led some to incorrectly claim that he was a Satanist.” Perhaps there’s hope yet!
Well i am certainly not going to buy a book I already have for just 3 new plates, so if anyone cares to share those when they receive their copy that would be appreciated!
CLARIFICATION: The purchase price listed at the above link relates to the title page only. Subsequent pages from the ‘album’ comprised separate lots, all of which are listed at the auctioneer’s site.
Text in the above News item is as provided by the publisher. However, I am the proud owner of the books described and can confirm that they are a splendid production, impeccably constructed and beautifully designed. They represent extraordinary value for money, containing – as they do – the full text of the Conversations. Highly Recommended.
For the benefit of those of us who may be unaware, whom are the people this “recent death of brethren and other loved ones…in the Thelemic community” refers to? (And what is all this profoundly Unthelemic stuff about the pain, sadness, grief, suffering & loss of “many brothers and sisters”!)
N Joy
The introductory note at the Hellfire books site suggests that the essays and the title were only finished sometime in the early thirties. This is incorrect as they had already been translated by Martha Küntzel in the 1920’s (the title as well: “Kleine Aufsätze, die zur Wahrheit leiten”). In fact, the two essay “Man” and “Mastery” were first published in 1928, in German translations, in the first two issues of the Fraternitas Saturni’s journal “Saturn Gnosis”.
kickass ( i dont think brits say that do they? what’s the equivalent?) . Thanks for all the work you do Paul. As you may know I am a huge Zepp fan. Going to check this out.
I already have the physical book, but this is a lovely travelogue and depository of Abbey images. If it were ever to be made into a film, who do you think would be the best choice to play the part of Richard — Michael Palin, perhaps?!
Norma N Joy Conquest
As far as I am aware Crowley was never a ‘Satanist’ in the way the term is meant as being opposite to a Christian and using Christian tenets to worship ‘Satan’
Hi Chris,
no Grosche was never a member of the PG. Though Metzger was a member of the FS for a few years. The two had a bumpy relationship in the 50s & 60s.
Wm
No worries, we will do without you! Given all the other evenings (this will be the 10th just over a year and a half) were sold out, I am sure things will be just fine.
Lots more on this production here: deadline.com/2018/02/strange-angel-six-cast-cbs-all-access-series-peter-mark-kendall-michael-gaston-greg-wise-1202291413/
Grau was never a member of the FS. He was allegedly offered the job of grandmaster, but turned it down due to the fact that he felt that his Book of the Zero Hour conflicted with Liber Al. He was however a high ranking member of the Pansophic Lodge, the precursor of the FS. Nonetheless, a welcome mention!
Amazon UK deliveries (see link in sidebar) now being fulfilled in UK. Received my copy yesterday. A handsome paperback: early chapters are very impressive!
The Variety review is based on 3 of 10 episodes, and most likely the first three, thus the complaint that it is slow getting into the meat of Parsons’ life seems unfounded.
Apparently, i can sign up for a free one-week trial of CBS All-Access- that seems like enough time to get through 10 episodes. I will give it a shot and report back.
********
I am officially an idiot- i went to read the _Variety_ review, and left this comment there, thinking i was commenting _here_.
At least i reported the only comment they had as spam, and have done my Good Deed for the day.
I really enjoyed the first episode of this series and i’m looking forward to the rest of them. These type of historical productions are not easy to pull off and are usually rushed through with limited budgets and descend into costumed cliche’s riddled with tommy guns and tough guy one-liners. The casting, production value, and direction are top notch. The story is developing slowly along a few story-lines and I counted three “Do What Thou Wilt” stated in various ways in the first episode. I expect the story to continue to be entertaining and educational. Definitely a nice forward thrust for Thelema given it’s so well made and featured on CBS.
Great podcast. Very interesting to find out that they plan FIVE seasons of ten episodes each to tell Parson’s story. WOW! I was under the impression it would only be one season. Great news. I really hope they follow through with this.
“[…] revealed a mysterious stranger had taken up residence in only remaining room. […] Recently there had been a man – named locally as Mordechai Moshe – staying in the one and only room in [the] Boleskine House”
Well this is all news to me, and raises a whole heap of questions which would challenge the deductive capabilities of a Simon Iff… the photographs all show a burnt out shell and don’t seem to reveal anything LIKE one room left standing! How could there possibly be any “furniture” left in “storage” in any such room after such an almighty conflagration? And who on earth is the enigmatic & highly mysterious Mister Moshe, who appears to be able to survive there without any public utilities or amenities – can it be a case of ‘crazee name, crazee guy’?
Norma N Joy Conquest
I second that opinion.
I wonder how voluminous and erudite Crowley’s annotations are (all being well there will be a bit more to them than e.g. “I agree”). Surely though, this is the type of publishing that the “O.T.O.” should be putting out in the public interest – if they had their act together – rather than leaving it down to publishers such as Caduceus Books?
Despite Lutz’s misgivings, hopefully this is the sort of thing we might be seeing more of now the 75 year copyright cut-off has been passed. What, I wonder, might be next – A.C.’s personally annotated “Table Talk”, perhaps? (Or maybe even “Mein Kampf”)
Norma N Joy Conquest
Someone posted to the Facebook ‘Thelema’ page a few days ago to remark that in the 1990s they had seen this picture handing in the office of John Symonds, which is a good piece of provenance. Though not amongst my favourite Crowleys, It’s a nice picture. Though the price seems optimistic; interesting to see how much it goes for.
It’s hard to imagine what else there is to learn about Jimmy in relation to his music. I recently finished Martin Power’s bio of Page (No Quarter, The Three Lives of Jimmy Page) and actually enjoyed it regardless of it being unauthorized. And Jimmy’s photo autobiography is pretty amazing, especially the two signed deluxe editions. What I would like to see/read/own/cherish would be a descriptive catalogue of his book, art, and ephemera collection. That would be the real prize for me. I do wonder if he has ever considered having his collection properly archived.
It is also interesting to see that Tom Symonds is selling off Daddy’s stuff… apparently he still has his offices at the Pindar Press in Hampstead, I visited them in 1995. Damn that’s 23 years… time flies.
A friend sent me a link to this programme yesterday evening. It’s a wonderful picture. It’s probably film stars transcribed from a movie poster at the time (probably mid to late 1940s). The woman looks to me like Rita Hayworth, so this could be a poster for ‘Gilda’. However, the chap doesn’t lto my admittedly tired eyes ook a lot like Glenn Ford, her co-star in that film.
Whatever its origin, it’s a great picture in my opinion, and personally, given recent auction prices, I think the expert undervalued it
Refreshing to know, isn’t it, that the Symonds family firm is still managing to coin it in from Crowley’s estate and bits & pieces they have managed to acquire along the way? They must be quite comfortably off on the back of things. Although £22.5K does seem rather on the exorbitant side considering that fine Spare artworks in colour seem to be going for about a third of this.
Norma N Joy Conquest
The most recent example of “fine Spare artworks in colour” was a drop-dead gorgeous 1955 pastel auctioned six or nine months agoi at Christie, London. There was not much in the way of change from £50,000, me old mucker.
Having said, I think that the price of this on ABEBooks is optimistic.
More of the same kind of thing in the UK Telegraph, ‘Just how much did Jimmy Page owe his success to Aleister Crowley? It’s a question that is raised by Chris Salewicz’s closely observed, exhaustively researched and hugely entertaining – if sometimes distinctly queasy – appraisal of the life and career of the Led Zeppelin guitarist.’ — https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/repression-sin-debauched-life-led-zeppelins-jimmy-page/
It isn’t quite accurate that Nergal has ‘ran out of lyrical ideas’, Chris, as he has been mining Crowley Mt. for a long time now for his music & plethora of band merch (which sets the standard in the Metal world, btw). I’ve yet to see another musician with such a massive international platform, as he undoubtedly has, being weilded in this way. I’d like to think of him as an honorary ‘Lashtalian’…. & , certainly, a fantastic band to check out live if any of you haven’t already. One need not be into Metal to enjoy their show.
“Hopefully, Strange Angel will return for Season 2 so fans can also get a deeper understanding about Jack Parsons’ bizarre and complicated life.”
“If it were granted a Season 2, there is no doubt that it would take on a much darker tone, a tone that fans of Parsons before the series aired might have hoped for up front. And while it might assume a darker tone at that time, it would require more than tone to get audiences fully invested, in my opinion. The pulpy stylization of Parsons’s imagination remains with him through this season, distracting us from the deeper development of the narrative, while the stylization of Susan Parsons’s Occult therapy sessions draws us in. […]
[…] Jack Parsons’s introduction to the OTO was not by accident as the series portrays. His first visit was in January of 1939. According to Pendle’s biography, which, of course, the series takes its name from, Jack and Helen joined of their own accord.
“The house’s guest registrar shows Parsons visiting only once more that year, for a party celebrating [Wilfred T.] Smith’s birthday. His interest in Thelema and Crowley, however, was growing. Smith judiciously began to sell him copies of Crowley’s books, which he would study at home. Seeing her husband’s mounting interest in Crowley, Helen also began to read the books. Although she was initially shocked by Crowley’s sexist attitudes, she, too, was gradually drawn to what she read. By the end of 1939 Parsons owned a respectable collection of Crowley’s work. The age of Horus, the wink of the grandeur of the past, even if it was wearing a robe made out of old theater curtain, seemed to be infinitely more in tune with his romantic leanings than Communism or even science fiction … Wilfred Smith wanted to initiate Parsons into the OTO as soon as possible, although Parsons’ rocket work and Helen’s initial reluctance meant the initiation would have to be delayed for a while. Nevertheless, Parsons’ scientific learning, his natural aristocratic manner and his wealthy countenance all gave Smith hope that Parsons could be the “Rich Man of the West” he had been looking for all these years.” (Source: Pendle, George. Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist Jack Whiteside Parsons, (New York: Houghton Mifflan Harcourt, 2005), p. 152-153.)
Smith seems to be the access point for Ernest’s character, though neither he nor Parsons required the eccentricities invoked by the writers. The motivation of money and promotion is much more interesting than his character’s motivation in the series, and isn’t there something more exciting about Jack and Susan coming to the pariah religion with more agency than by external manipulation?” (Source: Posted on August 17, 2018 by Rob E. King Strange Angel: Season One Finale – – – https://25yearslatersite.com/2018/08/17/strange-angel-season-one-finale/#_ftn1)
Behemoth have a high standard for their videos & know the right people to work with. Always eye candy from a certain aesthetic. Of course the “bottomless pit of anger” towards christianity, as one reviewer of their new album put it, may be a turn off to those who are not in the mood, I usually am & am celebratory when a new album is released. Looks like we’ll get 4 videos from this one. I’ve listened to the album only a couple times as it was released yesterday. If you didn’t like them before then you probably won’t like the new one… If you do like them then you’ll not be dissapointed!
““Strange Angel” has been renewed for a second season on CBS All Access. The drama, about rocketry pioneer and occultist Jack Parsons, ended its first season in August.” (Source: “CBS All Access Drama ‘Strange Angel’ Renewed for Season 2
Posted by lashtal | Oct 29, 2018 | News, Thelema” – – – https://www.lashtal.com/cbs-all-access-drama-strange-angel-renewed-for-season-2/)
Hmmm, low ratings and no cancelation, but renewed even with low ratings.
I have earlier on this thread suggested that the American actor Eric Stoltz could have played Lafayette Ron Hubbard in Strange Angel returning for a Season 2. But it might be the case that that a character based on Hubbard will not figure in the second season for this show.
Eric Stoltz
Lafayette Ron Hubbard in 1947 (the year Aleister Crowley died in Hastings, England on December 1).
Ooops, according to the current (Thursday November 1, 2018) popularity rating for Strange Angel at IMDb, this TV Show’s page was the 1,320th most viewed page among all TV Show Pages, and a downward red arrow indicates a fall in the popularity rating for this TV series by 26 points.” I am not sure if this means that this TV Show’s bad ratings at at IMDb are less bad than they used to be?
That’s a good review, and pleasing to read. As the publisher of this book, I worked closely with Henrik Bogdan for many months in order for it to come to birth, and I’m very pleased with the result. The book has had an extremely good reception, and many people have emailed me with appreciative comments.
Many people sense that there is something profound in Kenneth Grant’s work, but find it a somewhat forbidding and impenetrable body of work. This fine collection of essays that Henrik Bogdan has assembled provides a way in to that work, and as such plays a valuable role in consolidating and developing Grant’s legacy.
Thanks for this info. Checking her website Scarlett appears to be quite a committed artist and poet. She is also quite beautiful. It’s nice to see people keeping these arts alive and she looks to have found her voice in art and media circles. Much continued success to Scarlett.
Jeffrey D. Evans: agreed. I recall how shocked people were in my school years when I pointed out that Crowley (whose Book 4, pt. 3 I was studying at that time) was pictured as one of the “people we like” on the Beatles’ just-released “Sergeant Pepper’s…” album. A lot of them quickly lost interest in him after looking closely at the book. So many of them were just looking for Free-Form-Fun….and that triple-F is NOT 666, no matter what people think!
At least somehow someone is putting out unpublished exercerpts of AC’s diaries; Churton’s books are quite good. Beast in Berlin and AC in America highly reccomended.
The way he manages to weave the other personages around AC’s life and explain their relevance to him, as well as to explain their and AC’s relevance to current events of the period, and history is really well done.
There was less about magick and mysticism in AC in America than I would have expected though.
I am reading this book now and it is very good. Even if you have been a Thelemite, in an Order, or studied Crowley for years, there is still a lot in here to refresh your memory, to learn anew or to make you think a bit 🙂
I ordered this when first seeing the notice appear on LAShTAL. It arrived here at Starfire Towers this morning. Nicely printed on good quality paper, attractively bound, it consists of eight essays, some of which I’d seen before, others of which are new to me. I particularly look forward to reading ‘The Essence of the Practical Qabalah’, since in recent months I’ve become increasingly interested in Achad’s use of gematria.
Noted that it arrived on 2nd April, 71 years after the Incoming of the Ma-Ion.
I’m glad to have purchased this. It is number 61 of a edition limited to 75. If the limitation numbers are allocated sequentially as copies are sold, then anyone wanting a copy needs to be quick.
Just received mine this week. While I am not a big fan of fancy bindings, the contents are worthwhile. In particular, Achad’s essay “Thinking Backwards”, which describes an arcane method of meditation guaranteed to make your whites whiter and your brights brighter!
Divide and conquer…one would have thought the estate should have been hacked into 14 pieces
for the bankers, barristers, real estate agents and other vermin
of paper spells and deeds
no trespassing and we will tell you not to walk on the flowers
thank you very much…
So perhaps ISIS will buy it all four
and four for one if you have enough five
in your account to even try
but the ply is to rip home from its grounds
to further mock and alienate
Just as Notre Dame will be puckered up
the Bolskine you say.
Turn your head the other way
I will take my ruins skyclad and spooky
Dark for stars to see
with groves on the grounds
for celebrants to so feast
with kiblah
potent through the ages
or until the deed is signed away
number three is still available
and two is on order
until the money can be confirmed of course
but four is best, but one is surely tempting
but if you get all four we will throw in
‘Cefelu for free!
Because Real Estate
the only firm to go with
you know, yes you will know
because will have you
plus some plots in the western lands
that are wonderful little bardo placements
yours forever
just sign the papers and die
of course some trees in New Jersey might fit the bill
but we are going off track
where’s the OTO
or rather the AA
no the LIL is coming out of hiding and have a bid in already
but wait is it confirmed that rainbow anarcho thelemic squatters have
already swarmed the place, refusing to budge
children have already been conceived
and in great numbers
locals say that a certain wafts of odor seem to overwhelm
a musky musk of electric ardor that swoons a breezy
enveloping tide
but such visions wane for the demographic umph died a long time ago
And then all that went silent and disappear
a news story
some sort of obsessions
something far from the maddening crowds
a silence of ruins
whose wings are open to fly
for to sky
but what ever happened to the ski’s up in the attic
was there an attic?
Skyclad and comely…..when the fucking neighbors turn off their flood lights!
Just a reminder that you can use the ‘Tag Cloud’ on the righthand side of each page to see a history of posts about particular subjects. For example, clicking on ‘Boleskine’ there takes you here:
While I appreciate his efforts to bring AC to the public and his enthusiasm for the work, I find his writing style disagreeable, his citations lacking, and his conclusions slapdash. I prefer the efforts of Marco Pasi, Henrik Bogdan, Richard Kaczynski and other, perhaps more thoughtful, academics. But, of course, that doesn’t prevent me from purchasing & reading (painful as that is) Churton’s works, nor from recommending them to those who I believe will enjoy them.
And the Thelemic holiday/ festivity of “Easter” is celebrated as…? (Should “Good Friday” and the Saviour’s return to life on the third day be included in this as well?)
Eggs-tatically yours,
Norma N Joy Conquest
Not sure why I should be happy about a group promoting mainstream normative culture under the guise of “satanism” getting labelled as a Church rather than a PAC. While they are amusing, we are in far more danger from Secular authorities than the attenuated vestiges of the Christian Religion. Hell, we are threatened more by Islamic religions than by Christianity.
Just received a copy of the book I ordered via eBay from Liber-AL.com. Looks typically attractive for a Starfire publication. Looking forward to reading it, especially Christian Giudice’s essay on Gerald Massey’s influence on Kenneth Grant.
“Keith E. Cantú, a doctoral student in Religious Studies (South Asian religions with an additional emphasis in European medieval studies)”, provides more about Crowley and Sri Sabhapati Swami (from 14 minutes within) in the following youtube-video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnrak1JyEmM – – – HGR Episode 6: Keith Cantú […] Hieros Gamos Published on 14 Mar 2018
Star Sapphire Lodge has hosted “… Brother Keith Cantú for a discussion of the “Tantric Roots of Thelema: Fact and Fiction” on Sunday, December 16.” (Source: https://www.meetup.com/Star-Sapphire-Lodge/events/257158876/ – – – Sunday, December 16, 2018 Tantric Roots of Thelema: Fact and Fiction)
“Churton shows how Vedantist and Advaitist philosophies, Hindu religious practices, yoga, and Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism informed Crowley’s spiritual system . . .”
On the face of it, Advaita might be considered a key component in Crowley’s “spiritual system”, particularly in the formulation 0=2. However, Crowley’s attitude to Advaita was a curious one: for instance, from Letter Five of ‘Magick without Tears’:, speaking of what he termed “The Monist (or Advaitist) school”:
“It seems to me that this doctrine is based upon a sorites of doubtful validity. To tell you the hideously shameful truth, I hate this doctrine so rabidly that I can hardly trust myself to present it fairly!”
Personally I find Crowley’s attitude to Advaita absurd, but there it is.
I believe that a young Kenneth Grant was working as Crowley’s secretary at the time of the writing of the letters that became ‘Magick Without Tears”.? Perhaps. if so, then Crowley poke at Advaita might have something to do with conversations between the two.
I agree, Crowley’s attitude, in that quote is sad, but of course it is one of Mr. Grant’s great contributions concerned the relevant inclusion of the subject of
Advaita as relates to Thelemic occultism.
‘Macick without Tears’ was largely finished when Grant met Crowley for the first time in December 1944. He undertook to have the typescript copied for Crowley. Grant spent a weekend at ‘Netherwood’ a few weeks prior to his engagement as Secretary, and spent some time studying the Letters then.
At this time (1945) I think that Grant knew little of Advaita. He wasn’t really aware of Ramana Maharshi until a few months after his death, when he heard a programme broadcast on the BBC Home Service in the summer of 1950, ‘The Sage of Arunachala’. His interest in Advaita grew from then on, and climaxed into a major epiphany in June/July 1952 into the essential truth of Advaita.
I know what you mean, but I don’t find that quote by Crowley so much sad as inexplicable, especially given that 0=2 is at the heart of Thelema.
I must confess to being a bit disappointed. While it is an enjoyable tale of bibliomania, the layout is poor and the photographs low quality. This refers only to the 2019 3rd edition as I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the first two.
Mr Staley, ~ Thanks for the note it is nice to have clarification regarding Mr. Grant and the writing of “Magick without Tears”
As regards speculation that Grant was not familiar with Advaita in 1945, I would have to concur, for thinking about this question, of Crowley’s attitude towards Advaita, I was wondering about how well know it was at this time. My thoughts were about what books were floating about on this subject?
Today their is a derisive label that is given as a prefix to Advaita, referring to the spawn of Ramana Maharshi as Neo-Advaita. Typhonians might defer to
Nu-Advaita, but that is another question.
Here upon the topic of Crowley’s aversion to Advaita, it might be posited, that the word Advaita had come to be associated with a certain type of “Hindu nationalism” that in a certain sense provides a challenge to the World Teacher project of Crowleys that predates ‘Magick Without Tears’
Perhaps Churton’s next continental offering might bring forth some intriguing perspectives. I have yet to get through Crowley in America, but I appreciate that he has opened up discussion concerning what Spence had identified in Secret Agent 666, which I have never read but at a glance,
would I think like to refer back to the Confessions for source material.
Speaking of Source Material….!!! Congratulations and Much Thanks for the long anticipated unpublished letters of Frater Achad,….”The Official and Unoffical writings…..”!
Thank you, Paul and Chris, for your appreciative remarks. In the course of preparing the material on the origins of New Isis Lodge, I came across something that has opened up new vistas.
There will be more volumes like ‘Servants of the Star & the Snake’ in years to come, and I hope to continue collaboration with Henrik Bogdan.
Watch out for this mob. I paid via paypal for this issue to have a rad and maybe to continue to support them. No magazine has been delivered and they have no responded to emails. Its a pity.
Would you know if there is more on the sides to this piece or is this all that has survived?
What creature is next to thoth the scribe ibis on the left?
The stars along in a line, what exactly do they portray I have seen those exact stars many many moons ago
why is there two aspects of thoth, the scribe and the ape?
by helping hand does that mean osiris actually determines the outcome?
what dynasty does this piece come from? I have never seen maet so teeny tiny before.
“Helping hand” is from Horus possibly assisting the outcome not Osiris. “Why is there two aspects of thoth, the scribe and the ape?” The second one is the Cynocephalus or “Ape of Thoth|”, who chatters nonsense instead of wisdom – and is a sort of Janus – reverse/mirror image “The stars along in a line”, maybe represents the course of a particular transit of some sort… The feather of Maat in the pan is very LIGHT – has to be!
A Tea Room, Visitor’s Centre & Gift Shoppe may already be on the drawing board! Have your National Trust/ Historic Scotland membership cards at the ready…
The posting is more than seven years old, the original article from where it came about times as long as that, the original Led Zeppelin lineup played their last gig together nearly forty years ago. What is the reason therefore for the apparent urgency milford & Why does one “HAVE to read this”, moreover in French rather than the English language source itself?
nNJc
Detective Inspector Eddie Ross has confirmed that the police are investigating the fire. He says “Our inquiries are at an early stage, although our initial assessment is that this fire was started deliberately. We would encourage anybody may have seen any activity around Boleskine House or nearby to come forward as soon as they can. It should go without saying that deliberately setting fires is incredibly dangerous as you have limited control over how they may develop”.
“Anyone with information about this fire can contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident 3619 of July 31, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
— From the Facebook page of The Boleskine House Foundation
This is bad news. There is one good side to it: at least this second fire occurred before work has started to repair the house. If the house had been repaired and then there had been a fire it would have been a crushing blow.
It looks as if the new owners will have a security concern on their hands. It sounds to me as if there are nutcases around with a grudge against that house.
“A true Initiate does not use powers to be better, wiser, more advanced […]”
No, s/he uses them to be worse off, more foolish & ignorant, and going backwards on the Path instead… I don’t think?
NNJC
I have tried reading Crowley’s early poetry, but like a lot of poetry from that time it often has a basis in Greek or Roman mythology. In order to understand it one has to learn the story of Halicarnassus’s spider and the Atlantean dog. Or something like that. I am afraid I am not willing to learn the backwaters of European myth just to understand a poem – so this book is not for me.
I am sure it is a good book, though.
I am confused. What does this offer that Volume One of the Collected Works does not? It has four poems, so there is less content, though there are about the same number of pages, so probably a larger typeface.
Why would I want this book? (I would post on FaceBook, but I left it a couple years ago.)
As far as I know, the annotating and footnoting will add quite some info on the poetry and how it came to life, but of course there will be nothing new Crwoley-wise. Just like it will be with the nexet Kamuret book, The Sword of Song.
But how good it will really be? I don’t know, but I am quite sure it is not just another money-milking by printing copyright-free stuff. Chris Giudice seems to be a dedicated scholar and the fact the Richard Kaczynski of perdurabo fame is releasing his Sword of Song work through Kamuret press should also be quite telling.
Great news! I will look forward to this one. I need to explore Killing Joke a bit more than I have done, there is so much music out there to listen to if you are open minded and unbiased. Thanks for the heads up.
likewise looking forward to this…I like the earlier orchestral work with Anne Dudley. Did Crowley know Alice Bailey or ever meet her? There is an Alice Bailey quote on the liner of the 1981 album Dweller on the Threshold by Francis Monkman…rock trivia fact of the day!
I first met Steffi Grant in the early 1980s. After Kenneth Grant’s death in 2011, I worked closely with her on the systematic republication of the Typhonian Trilogies. She was very generous in allowing me full access to Kenneth Grant’s papers, typescripts and correspondence, since her main concern after her husband’s death was to preserve and build on his legacy.
Steffi was born in Berlin on 1st December 1923 into a Jewish family, and they came to the UK as refugees shortly before the Second World War, being settled in London. She met Kenneth in 1941, and they married in 1946. Over the next few years Steffi produced a fantastic body of art, much of which was published in the nine volumes of the Typhonian Trilogies. She was also a very good writer, producing a marvellous Introduction to ‘Zos Speaks!’, which is powerfully evocative of both London in the late 1940s and 1950s, and Spare at the time she and Kenneth knew him. She also wrote several of the essays in the series of Carfax Monographs.
I must say: I am generally unimpressed with Crowley’s influence on so much modern music. English Heretic delivered the goods with regards to Grant. Twink and Co. do the same here. This stuff is such a wonderful rocking interpretation. Big applause for this work!
I can see a point. There are some people who want to carry out detailed research on the original manuscript. It’s not something which particularly interests me, but on the other hand there are all sorts of things which are of intense interest to me but leave others cold. I signed this petition on some Facebook page a few days ago. I don’t think petitions are bad, but each to his own, Alan.
“The discovered cachet included hundreds of diversified objects…”
You would expect Egyptians not to make this mistake. What was discovered was a “cache”.
93 All… Um, I did sign it and I do fully support the publishing of color scans of Liber XXXI but I did not start the petition… Usually I avoid them as especially in this case it doesn’t matter how many desire it or would be willing to produce it. It is not up for a popular vote.
I would dearly LOVE to have this manifested… I can still recall the sensation of actually *holding* the manuscript in my hands… it is only a matter of time, may it happen in my lifetime!
“The text of all 30 aethyrs is set to an original synthesizer backing track, encompassing over 6 hours of words and music.”
Is there an option for listening to this ‘audiobook’ format of The Vision and The Voice/Liber 418, with the original synthesizer backing track turned off? That is, can this audiobook be listened to in a way where only the words are audible?
OT but not worth a new thread. The answer is no, it is not possible to hear the words without the music. Seven Ravens material uses music because I find plain spoken word to be somewhat boring. But that’s because I’m a musician. YMMV.
I checked with Lulu, the printer (not the publisher) to see what a 68-pahe, premium paperback, B&W text, color over, costs to make/manufacture. The answer, in USA size and currency is $2.90. By contemporary book-pricing standards, this would mean a retail list price of $11.60.
Mr Cole is listing this book at $8.85, and currently offers a 30% discount to arrive at a current net price of $6.20 – plus Shipping, but Shipping is wholly (holy?) Lulu’s cost/fee. This is not “grossly overpriced,” and I will eat my hat and coat if he is an example of “earning a living out of Aleister.” Since Aleister’s name appears in the book title, there is still room for viewing Richard as “riding on Crowley’s coat-tails,” but monetary gain in larger amounts than a single sip at the local pub is not one of his sins.
No, it’s not money that is the key factor here. It is the content, plus the revelation of an alleged super-secret (coming next year) and its validity in terms of uniqueness and practicality, that everything rests upon. And everyone has to wait for the trilogy to be published before any final verdict can be made.
I am sad to say that my budget does not stretch to donating money to dilapidated British stately homes. I have some repairs that I need to fix at my own house first.
NOTE TO SELF: Come back later and add gofundme links asking people to pay for house repairs.
I am glad to hear you are okay. You are doing the right thing.
If I were to die now (which is NOT likely) then all my books would be chucked in a huge bin. I am also thinking of selling them off in my own way.
You’re acknowledged once again Paul!:
“…Other helpful sources of ideas and information include LAShTAL, the remarkable website of the Aleister Crowley Society, run so ably by Paul Feazy…”
Based on the inter-university match of 1898 and a few other games I’ve seen notated, Crowley appeared to favor the king’s pawn opening (which we can ascertain from the 1898 article by realizing the French defense can only by played against 1.e4). If I had to make an informed guess, his response to Churchill’s French defense would be Nc3 or even Nf3. This is unsurprising, and maybe I hoped his preferred openings were as arcane as his other interests, but oh well. When playing black, he has been demonstrated to use the Taimanov variation of the open Sicilian, and the unexciting Petrov’s defense. He seemed to rely on knights to develop his game.
I can admire someone who takes the norm and plays it straight better than most, but we must consider it ironic that such a unique and pioneering mind was so orthodox in chess strategy.
Aleister had a few favourite openings which i can say for sure one was retis opening and another he liked was evans gambit i am able to confirm this as i am in possession of his personal chess book, he made notes and references to openings and games, the book was written by Dr S Tarrach
I saw this at the time of broadcast, and thought it a lovely portrait. The woman talking about the drawing and the artist was clearly enthusiastic about Spare’s work, and I thought her appreciative remark about the way that Spare drew eyes was spot on. I alsdo thought her estimate of the value a good one; she was giving the value not for what she thought it would sell for, but the likely estimate that an auction house such as Christies or Sothebys would assign as a starter to prompt the bidding.
It seems that Spare was one of those artists who was not possessive about his art, and gave it freely away to his subjects. This characteristic can make artists the focus of forgers, but this has not happened to Spare. He does not attract big money and he takes great skill to imitate. It would be more profitable for a forger to make another Samuel Palmer.
Unfortunately there are some forgeries around, Alan. Poor and sad examples turn up from time to time on ebay. As you say, though, none of them manage his exuberance of line.
I’d certainly like to have this, although I think it will be very similar to The Secret School of Wisdom which I found a bit dry. The English Illuminati, however, had input from both Dr William Wynn Westcott and Theodore Reuss, so it was probably very different to the 1780s version.
The book is £30, by the way, which isn’t too bad.
Have a copy on order from Lewis Masonic and look forward to reading it. Also ordered some books about the Knight Templars, and copies of The Square independent Masonic magazine, with interesting articles on Royal Arch, P.G. Wodehouse, UNO and more. I bought a copy some years ago, with the main front page and article inside about how Masonic and fraternal orders were suppressed in Nazi Germany (the occult Thule Society was also banned despite funding the DAP and its successor the Nazi Party in the 1920s).
Keith & Kyra Readdy are mentioned in today’s Sunday Times (London). They are mentioned in an article about Boleskine.
You’ll have to search form it yourself. I cannot breach the famous pay wall. Perhaps someone else can.
Interesting article, thank you for sharing.
I find I often come back to the letter Crowley wrote the 10-year-old Ataturk just after he first met him — which was not long before he died. It is particularly revealing in regards what Crowley considered important for a child’s education. I will share it here for anyone who hasn’t seen it:
My Dear Son,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
This is the first letter that your father has ever written to you, so you can imagine that it will be very important, and you should keep it and lay it by your heart.
First of all, let me tell you how intensely happy your reappearance has made me. I feel that I must devote a great deal of my time to watching over your career. I was very pleased to hear that you had decided to learn to read, and that, of course, means learning to write. A word of warning about this. In these last years, children have been taught to write script, as they call it, which is a very bad thing. You must write in such a way that it impresses your personality on the reader.
On top of that I wanted to tell you something about yourself. One of your Ancestors was Duke of a place called La Querouaille in Brittany, and came over to England with the Duke of Richmond, who was the original heir to the English throne, to help him turn out the usurper, known to history as Richard III. Since then, our family has made its mark on the world on several occasions, though never anything very brilliant. Now, I want you to take this very seriously. I want you to be very proud of yourself for belonging to such a family. Owing to the French Revolution and various other catastrophes, the Dukedom is no longer in existence legally, but morally it is so, and I want you to learn to behave as a Duke would behave. You must be high-minded, generous, noble, and, above all, without fear. For that last reason, you must never tell a lie, for to do so shows that you are afraid of the person to whom you tell it, and I want you to be afraid of nobody. I think that is all about now.
Now with regard to your education. I want particularly to insist on learning Latin, and I will give my reasons. Firstly, anyone who knows Latin gains a greater command of and understanding of the English language than he would otherwise possess. He will be able to reason out for himself the meanings of words with which he is unfamiliar. Secondly, if you are well-grounded in Latin, you are halfway to a knowledge of French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, for all these languages, as well as English, are derived from Latin. Thirdly, the most important of all, much of the unconscious part of your mind has been formed by the writing of Latin and Greek authors. This implies that you should also learn a certain amount of Greek. One of the wisest men of olden time gave this instruction to his pupils: “Know thyself,” and learning Latin helps you to do this for the reason I have already explained above. I regard this as very important indeed. There are a great many people going about today who tell you that Latin is no use to you in the ordinary affairs of life, and that is quite true if you are going to be some commonplace person like a tradesman or a bank clerk. But you are a gentleman, and if you want to be an educated gentleman, you must know Latin.
There is another matter that I want to put before you. It will be a very good plan if you learn to play chess. For one thing, it is a very good training for the mind, and, for another, it is the only game, of all the games worth playing, which lasts you throughout your life. You can get as much pleasure out of it when you are 60 as when you are 20.
I think that is all I have to say to you today, and I shall expect you to manage somehow to write me an answer. You see, much of the time we shall not be able to communicate face to face, and there will be a good many questions that you will want to ask me, which you cannot do unless you write good English.
That reminds me. There is one more point that I want to impress to you. The best models of English writing are Shakespeare and the Old Testament, especially the Book of Job, the Psalms and Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. It will be a very good thing for you to commit as much as you can both of these books and the best plays of Shakespeare to memory, so that they form the foundation of your style. In writing English, the most important quality that you can acquire is style. That makes all the difference to anyone who reads what you write, whether you use the best phrases in the best way. You will have to devote some time to grammar and syntax, and also to logic. Logic is the science and the art of using words, and it teaches you to think correctly without making blunders in reasoning, which nowadays everyone is liable to do just because they have not got the training which I am proposing to give you.
Now, my dear son, I will close this long letter in the eager hope you will follow my advice in all respects.
Love is the law, love under will.
Your affectionate father.
A friend, who was in the book business, used to recount being consistently outbid by a representative of Mr. Page’s, with a seemingly unlimited funds, at auctions in London back in the 70’s…I am sure there are a number of gems to be indexed…
Suffice to say Al was not a fan… with a ever a ready barrage of spicy derisive verbal cavalcades, soto voce grumbled upon those whom might interfere with his livelihood…to which the democratization of the book biz by Amazon represented the penultimate affront…he did though characterize the seventies around memories of the bloussom shiksas bouncing in emblazoned tee shirts bearing the baloonaged hype rock band’s stigmata to be worthy of further envious appreciation as he was like an robert crumb come to life where the soundtrack was more zappa beef heart upon full reverie of having seen the great jazz pantheon of schwartza full blown genius in tiny clubs…bibliophilic tastes were of the weird of which Crowley was basically of a ‘registered’ status and worthy of hefty markups rather than personal predilections…
Thanks to Paul for posting this. The Magical Revival is the first title in a programme of bring all the volumes of the Typhonian Trilogies back into print. The next reprint will be Outside the Circles of Time, and thereafter we shall work through sequentially from Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God onwards.
Whilst the programme of reprints is under way, we shall also be publishing new material, such as the first volume of The Selected Letters of Kenneth Grant, and a collection of unpublished essays from the 1950s. There will be more information in subsequent announcements.
I was going to say he reminded me of Alan Moore, but Alan’s beard and hair are huge and Save-the-Pencil’s is scraggly and he barely has a pony tail.
I like comics a lot though.
I shall look into the Penci’s.
I like hand drawn work.
I recall some stoners who did this to try and pass piss tests.
And if he didn’t want the ‘witches’ to get his urine for ‘spells’ why wouldn’t he just put it in the loo and flush like normal? Did these ‘witches’ have access to the sewers?
Whenever I am on here British slang comes in my head. oh well. 😀
YouTube talk show host Kev Baker went to visit the house in the recent past and felt it necessary to have an exorcism performed on himself afterwards. Shook him up, the visit, I mean.
is there any known evidence that Jimmy Page “reportedly conclud[ed] that there were ‘bad vibes’ [at Boleskine]”? There seems to be a wrong note being struck, somewhere.
NormaN Joy Conquest
Personally, I would prefer E. Wallis Budge’s book of learning Egyptian hieroglyphics. He is old school, but I am comfortable with his works. Although modern Egyptologists tend to look down on him, and still like his books and translations.
I checked out the site. I was not impressed. If there anything I hate it’s cartoon characters explaining things to me. This site might fine for kids, but that’s about it. Who wants a birthday greeting written in Hieroglyphs? Lame.
This is a really good idea. I can imagine this being a popular holiday destination for all the planet’s Thelemites and Crowleyites, as well as various Satanists, Abramelinists, exorcists, ghost-hunters, parapsychologists, oddballs, do-gooders, wack-jobs and freaks.
Thanks for this Paul. I’m going to read it. I would’ve already except that I read ‘Breaking The Mirror Of Heaven’ by two Egyptian authors which covers the same ground & takes it up to 2013 or so. I’m looking forward to a deeper dive.
Preordered. Been waiting for this. Tobias said in an interview that this will be the last one. He has already done more for the scholarship surrounding AC than most, & if ‘this is it’ then so mote it be, but I can’t help but think that a volume devoted to The Mediterranean & Environs would really be the capstone to his AC adventure series.
I will be getting this in hopes of new drops of information and anecdotes, but I do have to parrot would I said in the forums, that the scholarship is good, but these series are so dry its almost like reading citations for the most part.
The fonts, as sigils, makes it look like the C is eating the H…oh my!
As the C is part of AC….then AC (where have I heard that combo before?) interfering with the H of AD….might speak of father son relationships…maybe spoken of in introductory essays….
The series of volumes – collected, edited and annotated by Henrik Bogdan – will be issued by Starfire Publishing. The first volume comprises QBL or the Bride’s Reception, The Egyptian Revival, and The Anatomy of the Body of God, and is set for publication this coming Autumn. Further information as to the contents is available on the Starfire Publishing website, and more information will be added as the work nears completion.
I agree. The book sounds VERY good by a talented writer.
The cover shows Regent Street. The Cafe Royal is on the right, the Great Beast would have live on the left at Jermyn Street.
Great news. I have been to Christina Oakley’s “Crowley’s London” speech 20 years ago and there are soooo many good London stories about him! Very much looking forward to this.
Looks very interesting. I’ve just pre-ordered a copy from Amazon (UK). I have been to meetings and talks held by the retro 1920s/1930s New Sheridan Club at the Wheatsheaf in London, and their newsletter says that AC and the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas frequented the public house on occasion…
I was interested in this mag, but I followed the links and seems like a dead end.
I’m hoping the picture, I mean the picture of a dozen copies of the mag on some granite, looks like a very thin magazine, and is only a mockup.
5 objects: Contributions from museum staff, supporters and associates writing about their favourite things from the collection.
An examination of the late Ralph Harvey’s Book of Shadows, salvaged from The Boscastle Floods of 2004, which forms part of the new display centred on contemporary witchcraft.
Bill Crisafi. Crisafi is a well known artist based in the USA whose work explores themes of magic, folklore and occultism. We are very excited to welcome Bill to issue two.
The Satyrs: An extraordinary story linking Glyndebourne Opera, a 16th century Lovers’ Manual, risqué murals hidden in The Vatican -and Witchcraft in West Sussex!
The MWM Mancypedia continued… If you ever wanted to know a bit about Cromniomancy, Lamapdomancy, or Spatalomancy – consult our handy guide…
This guy has been lambasting AC for a couple decades now at every opportunity.. I suppose that a few of his former books have not been selling as well as he hoped.
Just to reiterate my standing offer to any LAShTAL member visiting Berlin. Feel free to get in contact and we can arrange a walking tour of Crowley’s haunts in the city.
Well it appears Skinner now gets to squeeze some blood out of AC. I look forward to the reviews of this edition but I don’t see any reason to be excited yet.
Just for clarity – the film does not yet exist, only a script. The filmmakers will be pitching this to the money men to tempt them into loosening their purse strings. But let us hope it gets made!
I had high hopes for this production of Liber ABA. As it is, the Blue Brick edition remains the definitive edition as it is clearly superior in every respect.
Does Mr. Skinner consider the addition of a few columns (to the ones published in Liber DCCLXXVII) a remarkable achievement?
His introduction is all over the place, alas, full of info that is rather non relevant, the only thing that could compare favourably with the Blue Brick is the frontispiece.
But the truly annoying element of this edition are editor’s footnotes, not all of them, to be sure, but definitely most of them.
They are, it seems, an opportunity for Mr. S. to transform himself into this grandiose authority on Magick so he can criticize AC.
All he manages to display in this manner is his profound superficiality, even ignorance, proving he does not really understand the subject.
The mores change, the mother science and art of Magick does not, but the editor would have us believe that the field has been revolutionized many times over since AC’s death. Thus, he tells his readers about the recent developments, the freshly won insights, feeling sorry for poor old Aleister Crowley who, alas, simply didn’t have access to all the various manuscripts that have been discovered and published since.
His editorial “tour de force” is stamped with a proper oddity – the title of the book! Why on earth substitute the perfectly adequate “Liber IV vel ABA” with the monstrous “Aleister Crowley’s Four Books of Magick”? A shame indeed.
But at least the basic structure conforms to the original edition and idea, Thus the manuscript of Liber AL vel Legis sub figura CCXX, i.e. Liber XXXI, is where it should be, in Part 4, crowning the Opus. Also available are all other Thelemic texts that comprise Book Four.
Thus, and despite everything, this book is still a magical item, even as envisioned by its author, the anniversary of whose Greater Feast was celebrated yesterday.
AL II: 79.
The last couple books I’ve opted for the hardcover. Should have it soon. It was delayed. I could write a review, but then I’ve been thinking that I’d need to review the whole series, & of course now Tobias has announced that there will be another book after this! I get you, though, in that it’s weird there is not more discussion here over this. I concluded that many of the forum haven’t actually read the books! It’s an extraordinary situation. I mean Richard T Cole simply has to fart & they rush in with pages upon pages arguing with each other, whilst actual scholarship with facts seems untoward.
What a great film! Gratitude to Carl and Kenneth for this wonderful work! Insightful, delightful and inspiring! I found Kenneth’s words to be very applicable to fields outside of film. Toward the end of the interview, there are many statements which not only express Anger’s perspective but empower the artist in any medium going forward into our turbulent times. Really a great production and I truly enjoyed watching this. Thank you!
Having had the immense pleasure of touring Egypt on a cruise up the Nile back in 1992 I was excited to hear about the New Grand Egyptian Museum. However, having walked the same halls of the Cairo Museum of Antiquities that Aleister Crowley walked, was the highlight of my visit. I hope to return to Egypt one day.
There must be some truth in the concept of Magic(K) being infused in Kenneth Anger’s films. A friend of my made a video copy of both “The Invocation of my Demon Brother” (With tonalities by Mick Jagger) and “Lucifer Rising” that had a soundtrack composed and performed by the infamous Bobby Beausoleil, a convicted murderer and Manson groupie. I watched both films over and over. The scene of Anger conducting one of the Eleusinian rituals makes the whole short film worthwhile. Sadly, the Youtube version of these films do not have the original soundtracks. Totally ruining the films for me as music is as much a tool of Magic(K) as any other medium. Both of these films are haunting and unforgettable.
My friend “Giulia Eone”, the pseudonym of the Italian author of “Il Ritorno di Aleister Crowley” (“The Return of Aleister Crowley”) tells me she wants to start a project to restore the Abbey of Thelema in Cefalù, Sicily, Italy. The Boleskine House Foundation are doing a grand job of fundraising and physically restoring Boleskine House in Foyers in Scotland, as we speak, and their journal is an interesting read.
Unto them from whose eyes the veil of life hath fallen may there be granted the accomplishment of their true Wills; whether they will absorption in the Infinite, or to be united with their chosen and preferred, or to be in contemplation, or to be at peace, or to achieve the labour and heroism of incarnation on this planet or another, or in any Star, or aught else, unto them may there be granted the accomplishment of their wills; yea, the accomplishment of their wills. AUMGN. AUMGN. AUMGN.
Well the handwriting is interesting as it provides an example of AC’s handwriting in a different context than Liber Legis to which only via some study do peculiar common characteristics seem to bleed through….
I’ve been on the quiet side for a bit but will echo Ignant’s words here. Big appreciation and thanks for so much that could easily be taken for granted, day after day, year after year!
Just noted that the Dutch Wikipedia article on John Symonds ends with the sentence: “Door het Mitrochin-archief, de papieren die de Russische archivaris Vasili Nikititsj Mitrochin meesmokkelde naar het westen, werd John Symonds ontmaskerd als spion voor de Sovjet-Unie en Rusland.”
Translation: Through the Mitrochin Archive – the papers smuggled to the West by Vasili Nikititsj Mitrochin – John Symonds was exposed as a spy for the Soviet Union and Russia.
Is that true?
I look forward to the facsimile cards. I have seen the deck reproduced in its entirety in the book, Lost Envoy, which is printed on high-class paper.
The book has scans of the deck. In the future I’ll have my own physical version of the deck. I’ll see the deck in real life. I wonder what happens when groups of cards come together.
BTW, a happy Crowleymas to everyone in the Universe.
Amazing! Leave it to OAS to take tarot to the next level. His profound understanding of symbolism and his talent in art and its connection to the unconscious mind is really on full display in these card designs.
I’ve only just gotten around to reading through this after getting it on publication. After reading a few of Skinner’s comments I had to start looking at other reviews to see if he was having a laugh. Seems Mr Grumpy Pants isn’t. Oh well. I really only bought it so I could read in bed and still breathe, so I’ll be ignoring his hateful snippets of brute force ignorance. Unless… they might help me sleep.
Without a doubt, Gerald Gardner is one of the most fascinating characters of the Witchcraft revival and neo-Paganism in general in England. In fact, he with some assistance from Aleister Crowley is the Grand Old man of Wicca having basically invented it and based on ancient Celtic lore and the knowledge of the “Wise” men and women ancient and Medieval England. I had the pleasure of once owning a first edition of his book, Witchcraft Today” Published in 1954. (No dust jacket unfortunately) Over the years, I have sold-off the better part of my occult library. It is great to see his wise goat-like face once again in a current setting.
“The ritual of the crows”? Which is what “Rituale Corvorum” is in English- why only one ritual (when the book is said to contain “Official rituals” plural), and multiple crows? Cannot recall any mention of any crows at all in any AC/A.’. A.’. rituals.
Many red flags in even this super-brief 35-word description
I was intrigued for about 10 seconds, until I noticed the lack of mention of specific details on the contents. The page has no more information on that than this post does. I certainly wouldn’t pay $80 for a book that I know next to nothing about the contents of, let alone have no idea what the title even refers to in the context of what it claims to contain.
And not just “Cultic Crowleyanity”, but ” Containing the Common Ceremonial and Codified Conduct of Cultic Crowleyanity” Someone likes the letter C a lot.
A good selection. While I appreciate a nice, well made, pretty book, would this hold any value for someone who already has experience with these selections?
I am more concerned with the blurb than the term “Cultic Crowleyanity”. I did find a description elsewhere that gave me a page count of 300+ pp, but no table of contents nor assurance that it isn’t some cheaply made book being sold at high prices.
Awesome article! Where I live in Ohio, Amish farms and stores are very plentiful, and of course they sell homemade cheeses, sausages and bakery products. On the subject of Crowley and Fleming, is it possible that the forged Horoscope magazines written in German that contained subtle messages about Germany’s defeat were thought of by them? If they worked for British Black Ops , it is possible. Also, forged Nostradamus books of prophecy that hinted at Hitler’s defeat. Ironically, Nostradamus who was Jewish was utilized by Josepf Goebbels. There is a long-standing rumor that when Rudolph Hess made his bizarre flight to England, when captured wanted to speak with Aleister Crowley.
How does “cheese” sound like “Jesus”? “Jeez” sounds like Jesus. Which I guess is similar to Cheese” or Jesus. Is that what your NY accent sounds like? Then yeah, I guess it does. My bad.
I thought this place looked wonderful but as a Wisconsinite, I will be hard pressed to pine for cheeses not within a stone’s throw. We have it all. But, with a fond remembering of the first time I read Regardie’s Legend of AC (and specifically the back and forth between Chesterton and a Young Beast), I’ll link here to Chesterton doing Milton (with a tip of the hat to William Thirteen’s preferences). To quote Robyn Hitchock: “Somebody sound the Cheese Alarm!”
I love all kinds of cheeses.
So much so that despite my fit .fittish. physique my cholesterol is high that I can say
Dear Kyle
Americans nor Finnish can make a Gouda for shit.
Thank God our import system is still working.
Likewise, try making an amazing port salut etc in Wisconsin. You are insane lol
Said with much love
I once had the idea and did two drafts of making a Bandes Dessines of an affineur or cheese maker and he had a mouse side kick and his little basement cave to age the cheese in. Across the street was a big mega Supermarket and they would plot ways to bring them down
The author fails to understand that a Magus has no power to influence external events, such as living in Hastings (or not) – because he has given all that up in order to make changes at a higher level.
This is indeed an interesting coincidence. Over the Newyear’s weekend I was researching the rumor of Edison’s having discussed designing a, EVP machine to record the voices of the dead. I found several interesting articles about Edison by searching the historical newspaper database of the Library of Congress website. Edison theorized that a hyper-sensitive receiver could (He emphasized “could”) pick up disembodied voices. This was in the 1920s and Edison was quite old by that time. The story sounds very entertaining, if not extremely far-fetched (That is why it is science fiction fantasy and alternate history) I doubt if the real Edison and Tesla would have had the time or inclination to associate with Aleister Crowley. But who knows, they might have met at some swanky hotel bar and had few drinks.
Perique only grows in one area of the planet in St. Parish, Louisiana. As a former pipe smoker, a friend of mine, another Crowley enthusiast told me about it. So, I purchased a small tin from the local smoke shop. I can’t say I liked it, bites too hard. But I can see its appeal, it is very robust. I know Crowley recommended tobacco as an “incense” suitable for work. Currently I smoke cigars, (Churchills) another Crowley pastime.
The Wernher von Braun reference is just an attempt to add some moral outrage irony to the fact that yes, Professor Braun was an honorary member of the SS, and a former Nazi party member, as were the other German scientists involved in Rocketry. (Otto Rahn for example). This fact was NOT swept under the cover of “the rocket’s red glare.” He was controversial at the time and had to be “de-Nazified”. You forget to mention that the Soviets also had ex-Nazi scientists working for them.
I guess having a good ghost story around a historic building can bring in the tourists. Just like the Gettysburg battlefield ghost tours. Why would there have been beheadings at the house? Were they judicial beheadings, or murder? Is there any historical or documented proof that a church was there and burned to the ground with parishioners? Even medieval townships kept public records. What was the wizard’s name? If he is buried in consecrated soil, he could not have been a known practitioner of the Black Arts.
Check out an interview with author Richard C. McNeff on You Tube, “About Aleister Crowley MI6 The Hess Solution”. Of course, there is no real evidence that Crowley ever actually debriefed Hess. It is all based on a letter Crowley wrote offering his services in interrogating Hess. Mr.McNeff simply saw this angle as a great “What if” Espionage/occult story. The You Tube interview is only a week old. Obviously, this was a promotional gimmick aimed at anyone interested in preordering the book.
Awesome! I loved reading The Illuminatus! Trilogy. Wilson’s writings are like a roller coaster of characters, insights, and absorbing story telling. If anyone can dissect .and analyze the enigma that was Aleister Crowley, it would be Wilson.
Well, I for one, am sad to learn of the death of Bill Heidrick. He had a legendary history, of course, but I only first had any contact with him in March to May of this year. I had been translating sections of the Kabbala Denudata from the jpgs which he had put online sometime ago and wanted to ask his permission to include some of them with my text, in the possible event that it ever got published. He was slow to respond and apologised for the fact that he had been busy “whacking weeds” among other things. Anyway, he was friendly, helpful and informative, and gave his permission. Discovered that we had an old mutual interest in the work of H P Lovecraft when I sent him a recent essay of mine and in return he sent me a pdf of Derleth’s The Shuttered Room and Other Tales. Shame that we will not get to update the correspondence.
Well, fortunately for me, I did buy “that Spare” in 1995, and am looking at it now – “Ghostly Amalgam” – whilst typing this. I do think that Spare is vastly underrated as an artist. Such an array of styles – the delicate sidereals of actors and actresses in the 1930s, the grotesques of the mid 1020s, the “Witches’ Sabbath” pictures of the early 1950s, and my particular favourites, the suberb pastels of 1954 and 1955. I’m equally interested in Spare’s written work, in particular the late writings of the late 1940s and early 1950s which were finally published in “Zos Speaks!” by Kenneth and Steffi Grant in 1998.
Very glad to see a second edition of this book is impending, which I gather has a new chapter. I found this book particularly useful for the wealth of information about Achad’s biography and development when I was in the final stages of preparing The Incoming of the Aeon of Maat for publication.
Because I read it somewhere. I’ve been in occasional touch with Martin Starr over the years, ever since he agreed to take part in the Starfire ‘Thelema Beyond Crowley’ conference in London in 2004 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of ‘The Book of the Law’. I’ll ask him about any changes.
Hello, this is my first post, glad to join your forum. I’ve been reading for a while and finally got up the courage to create an account.
I learned about the announcement of the reprint of this book by Mr. Starr from Richard Kaczynski a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, it seems that the selling price of the book is very high. Perhaps I will consider publishing it in Spanish if I reach a satisfactory agreement with the English publisher that holds the rights. It looks great.
Feedback so far has been extremely positive. My thanks to those of you who have reported difficulties – some minor teething problems have been corrected. Just to repeat: the Galleries, as indicated above, are currently unavailable but will return as will Tapatalk functionality.
Please report any technical issues via the Contact Form to the right of every page on the main site or via email to webmaster@lashtal.com
Thanks for making this available, i watched it last night and it bought back memories of the hazy, heady days of my youth! I like a lot of people came to Crowley via Wilson’s Cosmic Trigger.
Filmed as ‘Clive Barker’s Book Of Blood’ (2009): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1169809/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_22
A beautiful, practical edition. So far as I can tell, it’s also impeccably proofed: not a trivial task with these texts.
The least they could have done is ask an English speaking friend to correct their horrible synopsis press release.
There’s a well-written obituary at The Wild Hunt: http://wildhunt.org/2015/09/michael-howard-1948-2015.html
Finally…… Can not wait for this.
http://player.bfi.org.uk/film/watch-the-death-and-resurrection-show-qa-2015/
93
If you are reading this (and like me can’t afford to subscribe) at least send AC a birthday gift thank you donation today.
If you do it once a month, may your Gods bless and fill you. If you only do it once a year, it won’t kill you.
93 93/93
Many thanks for your kind donation, @chuck – much appreciated.
Happy Crowleymass! The pull-down pic of AC with party hat is pretty damn cute I must say…
LOL, love the easter egg you had… “Give it a tug” 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it! I can’t take credit for the image, of course: happy to credit it properly if anyone knows the ‘artist’.
I saw him do this at the Lowry in Salford four years ago. It was OK from what I remember, but it sounds like he may have done a bit of re-eriting since then.
Johns own personal website.
https://johndburns.wordpress.com/aleister-crowley/
Well, you’ve got to be admired for going to the trouble of registering on this site to add an utterly incomprehensible ‘comment’ on a decade-old post!
Where do I order from please?
I’ve found the site now thanks, for anyone else: http://www.landofzos.com/product/shades-in-mauve-by-edward-gauntlett-standard/
Received my copy yesterday. It’s a handsome little book and Michael Staley’s Introduction is good. I’ll report back in the form of a review of the whole book in due course, following my customary two reads.
Back in the 70’s Llewellyn publications: books, tapes, magazines, etc. were very influential for me and something I always looked forward to receiving… and thanks for all the Regardie works, Golden Dawn, and Gems From The Equinox.
Pingback: Rare vellum “Sword of Song” sold at auction - A Blog on Magick, Culture, and Freedom managed by members of the Ordo Templi Orientis.
Pried mine loose from the dead hands of the German Customs Office yesterday and am looking for to reading it this week. Will be interested in hearing your comments Paul.
My thanks to @herupakraath and @tor for submitting news items relating to this discovery.
This is a wonderful article and great gallery! Thank you! 93!
Always with the satanic rituals..
I fear that the current owner – rather than rebuild – will decide to demolish the remaining structure and choose to build some ghastly new modern structure; possibly even dividing the current grounds into two parts to maximise return on investment. Hope I’m wrong……
Latest news from the emergency services: ‘Scottish Fire and Rescue later established that there was no-one in the house at the time of the fire and there are no casualties.’
“It has since been used as a private residence and a guest house, and was put up for sale in 2009 for £176,000.”
When did the current owners of the house buy it?
Or, when did the house stop being up for sale after it was put up for sale in 2009?
The ‘for sale in 2009’ error is often repeated. For more details of what actually was sold that year, see http://www.lashtal.com/1130-old-news/
According to those details, Boleskine House was not for sale in 2009.
Do anyone know in what year the current owners of the house bought it?
The BBC article published 23 December 2015, and titled Firefighters called to historic Boleskine House on Loch Ness, in the following internet link,contains more photographs of the destruction caused by the fire: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-35171061
Horrible horrible news. Glad that no one was inside but it’s a major loss for history…
…if it must be that one’s most sacred shrine be profaned, let it be the clean assault of laughter rather than the slimy smear of sanctimoniousness!
—Magick Without Tears
Pardon my french, but this is exactly why xmas shopping can go french itself.
The ‘Notes Towards a Bibliography’ are especially interesting. I didn’t know, for example, that ‘Keith Rhys’, editor of the Temple Press edition of ‘The Stratagem’ is William Breeze, as is the Fr HHD who edited Jack Parsons’ ‘Magick, Gnosticism & The Witchcraft’.
A very novel and interesting way of counting to one hundred for an organization founded in the late 1970s, and of measuring “success”.
As to the described contents, it is good to know that high-ranking (c)OTO officials take their oaths of personal fealty to HB so seriously.
Success is thy proof, eh? Well, if proof of success is the criterion, what judgement can one be meant to draw from the fact that for the whole of this particular century so far, more and more Crowley titles – for which legacy the O.T.O. is arguably supposedly solely in existence for “in order” to promote and promulgate – have lapsed out of print: far be it from any new ones being allowed to appear for a long time either. To give the five main instances, the publication of properly edited and full, sensibly annotated versions of the Confessions, the Diaries, Magick Without Tears, The Equinox III.2 and The Book of the Law Full Commentaries has been promised throughout Hymenaeus Beta’s (to give William Breeze his official nomenclature) 30 years tenure ever since the late 1980s, but are still nowhere near seeing daylight. Credit to where it is due, and so as to counterbalance any criticism a little, the O.T.O. can be commended for uploading publically accessible online versions of some of A.C.’s work, however even in this achievement they do not stand alone.
Unlike Kenneth Grant (for example), in his position as leader (or Frater Superior) of the O.T.O., there has been a considerable and conspicuous absence of either magickal works or original writings by William Breeze – Lon DuQuette has done a lot more in this field, which would have looked better coming from the supposed O.H.O.. In the meantime, Hymenaeus Beta is actually proving to be a purely administrative leader more than anything else and in this respect resembles David Miscavige with Scientology®, although Miscavige has himself proven to be a lot more successful in this area with the O.T.O. hardly having grown at all under Breeze’s (mis)management. principally as a result of a combination of the above, tinkering around with the rituals & vexatious litigation.
Roll on another anniversary which is shortly coming up – in 2017, as a matter of fact – although that won’t be for a 100th but a 70th,
Norma N Joy Conquest
Incidentally, HHD stands for the motto of William Breeze as (Frater) Homo Homini Deus. It is possibly an adaptation from Spinoza, and means roughly “Man as he appears to Man is a kind of God” or “Man is god to another man”. One can draw whatever conclusions (or none at all) one will from this.
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Whoever is the lucky purchaser – one thinks of the usual suspects: Kenneth Anger, Jimmy Page or the (c)oto – has a totally unique and magnificent item in their possession. I’m sure I woudn’t be the only person to want to be fascinated looking at other pages in further detail: it would be too much to hope, I suppose, for the fortunate new owner to make these available as a download? Even a facsimile special print edition I’m sure would manage to pay back its own production costs. Let’s hope that, whoever it is, s/he is not one of these hoarders who like squirreling things away things in their own private archive, never to be seen again by others with an interest…
It must have quite made the day of whoever originally found these items in the Detroit Leonard warehouse. That something could remain pristine & undisturbed for forty years gives hope for & makes one conjecture what other gems may lie similarly undisturbed elsewhere. Given that this was just one of the three items specially selected by Robert Lund (who originally bought the rediscovered collection from the warehouse owner) – and of these only ‘arguably’ and not ‘definitely’ “the most precious” – I am curious what the other two would have been “that appealed to him most from the collection” but which this synopsis of the events omits to mention.
Does anybody know what this item went for? The price can apparently be sought “on application”, as it seems to be something else which, for whatever reason, is unnecessarily being kept a secret from open disclosure. Maybe we could hold a sweepstake with a modest prize going to the closest?! Given that just one page of an incomplete handwritten letter by A.C. to Lady Frieda Harris is currently being touted for $894, I’d start proceedings off with a conservative guesstimate of £31,000. Any advance, anyone?
Taking it all lying down
Norma N Joy Conquest
There doesn’t seem to have been too much publicity after the initial blaze (if you’ll pardon the pun) exactly a month ago.
Since initial reports suggested that even at the time when the first fire engines arrived 60% of the building had already gone up in flames, what can be the current state of the remains? Are they a wholly burnt out shell, and are there any plans to rebuild/ restore the building to its former glory? The Book of the Law stated: “though with fire and sword it be burnt down & shattered, yet an invisible house there standeth” (III: 34). So we’ve already had the fire – what is the probability that the “shattered” part of the ‘prophecy’ will now be fulfilled by the metal wrecking equipment of the demolition crew as it arrives to finish the job which the fire started?
And has arson by fundies been ruled out?
Norma N Joy Conquest
One of the other two was the author’s edition of the Collected Works, auctioned off last year.
http://www.lashtal.com/collected-works-for-sale-at-auction/
Long term memory going, eh Jamie?
This book will be going to the printers in early February for publication in March, and is now available for ordering ahead of publication.
Beyond the Mauve Zone by Kenneth Grant is an attractive, sewn hardbound book, octavo format, 324 pages, with a full-colour dust-jacket, and limited to 1500 copies. Included is a 24-page section of colour and half-tone plates, a colour frontispiece, black and white custom printed endpapers, and line drawings throughout the text, as well as a Glossary, Bibliography and Index. Further details about the content of the book, as well as how to order both the standard and the deluxe editions, can be found by visiting our website, or by following the direct link http://starfirepublishing.co.uk/Beyond_the_Mauve_Zone.htm
I also have a book or two from old Nick’s collection, though I never had the pleasure of making his acquaintance.
“Unto them from whose eyes the veil of life hath fallen may there be granted the accomplishment of their true Wills; whether they will absorption in the Infinite, or to be united with their chosen and preferred, or to be in contemplation, or to be at peace, or to achieve the labour and heroism of incarnation on this planet or another, or in any Star, or aught else, unto them may there be granted the accomplishment of their wills; yea, the accomplishment of their wills.”
I had the great pleasure of meeting Nick a handful of times and spoke with him on the phone a few days before his passing. He was a gentleman and a scholar in the truest sense. His funeral was memorable and very well attended.
He was a real gent and a friend. I managed to visit with him a couple of times in the weeks before he passed. His funeral was absolutely packed with friends from various aspects of his life. Five years on and Weiser are still working through selling his book collection. There’s supposed to be a book from them about the best items in his personal library at some point down the line. I still think about Nick often and it doesn’t feel like half a decade since he went.
Sandyboy – do you have any idea when Weiser to plan to issue their book on Nick’s collection? it would be a wonderful tribute to him.
No, I’m supposed to write something for it but I’m told they are still working through his sizable collection.
Thanks to bothe RTC and Paul.
Hello Everyone,
Thank you for the consideration you’ve all shown posting more memories of Nicholas for us here.
With the 5th Anniversary of his passing now upon us his photo is before me – wearing his Baphomet T-shirt and enjoying his life.
I’ve been chatting with him all week… and happy to have provoked likewise thoughts from some of my “A.C.S.” friends.
It’s wonderful how the star of AOS has risen in the last few decades. I remember in the 80s buying a framed automatic drawing by him for £50, and the shop had some tiny sketches on pieces of cardboard for a few pounds. Sadly I no longer have the piece.
Is the automatic you bought a drawing originally owned by Hannen Swaffer and used to illustrate an article of his in the ‘London Mystery Magazine’? If so, it’s amongst the Spares coming up for sale at Christies on March 17th. Irrespective of that, there are some very good pictures amongst these lots, and like you I’m pleased at his work starting to gain the appreciation it deserves.
Useful information from a post by Caroline Wise on Facebook yesterday: ‘Today’s Austin Spares auctioned at Christies – Swaffer sketch went for £1,375. Hybrid £3250, Automatic sketch – £5000, Young Self with Witch – £22,500, Primal Urge £10,000 and Joan Crawford – £18,750. Masks and Faces £10,000. Neveresque £5000. Note these totals are rounded up to include 25% commission and the VAT the commission. Spares always sell, and he has always been highly regarded in the art world, but these premium prices of the last couple of years perhaps show a new and proper appreciation.’
Give it a few more years together with concomitant exposure to the rough Scottish elements, and Skene might end up in a similar sorry state to the Abbey of Thelema in the rather more hospitable climes and temperate surroundings of Cefalu.
We might even have a campaign to “Save the Kaaba”, along the same lines of “Save the Abbey”. With similar effects (=minimal, unfortunately). No murals or Chambre de Cauchemars there, of course, but…
Trust that the invisible house there standeth is itself made of sterner stuff!
Norma N Joy Conquest
Just tremendous stuff, very well-written and researched- as good academic scholarship on AC as I have seen.
Makes a very cogent argument for peyote as the hidden thread throughout Thelema, Scientific Illuminism, and AC’s work in general. The bits on TBOL are particularly interesting.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/306755484/Zos-Speaks-Through-His-Magical-Steles
“It seems that Geb (earth) was largely worshiped as a goose, his sacred animal, during the pre-dynastic period” (http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/geb.html).
Congratulations, El-Flippo, on making the most off-topic posts I have come across for a long time. This is a news item about a late 1940s pastel by Spare being reproduced as a print. Of what earthly relevence to that are your two posts? Are you always this incontinent?
“What then is this? (P) They are the three bones of my IDS, made into sentient symbols that think for us understood by all the egos and gods: of sin” (Magical stele)
The 3 bones are depicted as 3 times 3 triangles in the formula of the Maya stele. A triangle is one half of a circle (180 degrees). I’m suggesting that the solution of the real YEARNING YANTRA is a 3 times cycle around a triple helix. Just take a look at the Magical stele. Two animals are hanging by the ends of the caduceus. What’s so off topic about that?
Available in the UK here: Legend of Aleister Crowley
The Yantra of yearning is a very nice piece of art by the way! Appreciate the work of all who’ve contributed and made it available to the public. Try to turn the picture 180 degrees. Look at the head in the middle :=). I can also identify 3 double helixes in this painting – for what’s that worth. And maybe a number to the left: 20 or 26.
When turned the picture I can actually see 5 double helixes. The plot thickens :=). There should be a way to edit the posts. Too many double and triple posts.
Note: The head in the middle might hint to a sixth helix by AOS (?). The end.
I was forced to sell my copy of England’s Hidden Reverse during a financial crisis – it was inscribed by Jhon and Sleazy and several others on the launch day. I wonder where the Coil collection Ralph Chubb volumes are now. I loved Balance’s twinkling sense of humour. I was at the museum of witchcraft in Cornwall the other day and was pleased to see a photograph of him on the memorial wall in the entrance.
Sandy Robertson
The caption beside the photo reads: Crowley, Aleister -1875-1947 – writer and painter, 68 – 1931
The photo is from the “Ulstein Bilderdienst”, possibly related to the Ullstein-Verlag, being a well-known, still extant publishing house.
Markus
AC met with one of the editors at Ullstein in November 1931 to discuss writing for them, so this photo may have been taken in connection with that, or it may have been created as part of the press package for the exhibition of his paintings which opened the month before.
The article mentions a family & children – is this correct?
I understand that Mo, Ataturk’s daughter, passed away in February.
93 Beryth,
while there may be many and varied Thelemic orders and individuals in South Africa – one that stands out is
http://www.otosa.co.za/contactus.asp
93 93/93
William
Thank you very much, appreciate
Thank you for this 🙂
That’s really great, Paul!
Good luck with that all!
I would donate books except I only have 2 paperbacks I don’t want because you wouldn’t want them either. But I wish you success and that’s really great!
Thank you for your support Chris. Much appreciated!
Received my copy today – review to follow.
This is an interesting & imaginative theory and one to which I would like to be able to give at least some measure of credence for ingenuity alone, but the thing that stops it being some sort of a Thelemic update on Allegro’s Sacred Mushroom and the Cross is the inconvenient fact that, as the author duly goes on to recognize, Crowley made no direct references himself to the A. muscaria mushroom anywhere throughout his extensive writings or pictorially, apart from depicting this one specimen in May Morn.
Why on earth would Crowley disguise his references to Amanita Muscaria in the first place, let alone as sex magick? After all, he showed little reticence in discussing a multitude of other drugs.
Philip Newman goes on to state that:
“Perhaps it was due to an oath of secrecy. Perhaps we’re completely off the mark (as well as off our rocker). The only safe thing we can say at this point is that obligations of secrecy never stopped Aleister Crowley from writing before.”
Maybe that’s it, then (that he’s off his rocker?)!
Incidentally, while on the subject didn’t I see a crazy Comment by one “mermaid tampon” the last time I passed this way, or was I imagining things?
N Joy
I saw it too. It was so crazy it reminded me of something written by a bot trying to appear human
I should imagine that it was removed by the moderator, and quite rightly too.
Just so – but the odd thing is, that such a Comment would have had to have already been “pre-moderated” to have been allowed to appear in the first place?! (Just as this Comment, and all other Comments to the News features, would need to be also).
N Joy
It’s not in the least bit ‘odd’, Jamie J Barter. I keep moderating decisions to a minimum where they relate to non-Forum posts on this site. Basically, just deleting the inevitable spam bot Comments and approving the rest. Mermaidtampon’s comments, however, generated a number of complaints. I acted on those complaints and deleted the offending material.
An outstanding lecture that demonstrates yet again the seminal influence Crowley was on others during his life and after his death. I have been of the opinion for some time that Carlos Castaneda was influenced to an extreme degree by the writings of Crowley; the insights provided by Mr. Everitt on Crowley’s use of Peyote serve to reinforce that position even further.
Thanks for posting this.
Agreed, absolutely. Patrick’s research is genuinely cutting edge – his thesis opens up all manner of possibilities.
My apologies for the somewhat hefty price. Making the book available for global distribution means that retailers like Amazon love to take a rather large slice of the pie (actually, pretty much all the pie). If you want the book cheaper, keep an eye out for regular publisher discount codes here: http://www.lulu.com/home
I don’t think it’s that hefty a price; in terms of number of pages, seems substantial. I knew Gerald on and off over the years. Though we differed on some points – in particular, about our respective estimates of Kenneth Grant – we had much in common as Thelemites and I respected him.
Yes, I’m certain you are mentioned somewhere within these letters, Michael, although exactly where I cannot quite find at short notice. However, I recall that respect being expressed as mutual despite the different points of view held between the two of you. One other thing that might also be of interest to potential readers – which I failed to mention – is that there is an additional appendix in the book of Gerald’s unfinished screenplay ‘666: The Life of Aleister Crowley’. Special thanks must go to Jamie Barter for allowing me to reproduce it within the pages, and hopefully between James and I, we’ll be able to complete it to a standard that is in line with Gerald’s original vision. It might turn out a little long to qualify as a feature film, but there is also the possibility of turning it into a miniseries, or even graphic novel (which might be another gateway to film perhaps).
93!
Thanks for that Paul! Very entertaining and so very british! I liked it a lot!
Love=Law
Lutz
What an utterly fabulous book. It’s no dry series of magical detail, but should interest anyone who simply is intrigued by Suster and his writings without being a practitioner of the occult themselves. I especially like the large format and reproduction of the letters themselves rather than re-typeset transcriptions. There are magazine columns and other bits and pieces by both GS and Mortimer too, and Suster’s Crowley screenplay takes up a hefty page count too. Way, way better than even I hoped for.
Thank you, sandyboy. I hope I have done Gerald proud by giving people an insight into this fascinating man and his positive contribution to modern Thelemic culture.
Mick, I have noticed that with all the publicity and notifications of the various fine quality reprints of Kenneth’s works by Starfire, you mention they each “take account of annotations from his own personal copy of the book”, etc (or words to that effect), and I take it that these may be silently edited (i.e., incorporated into the text of the new edition without a specific indication of whereabouts they occur and take place). And I was therefore wondering – this happening to be the case – is there some sort of a compilation or pamphlet available which contains a list of each of the differences that would appear between the various editions?
The reason I ask is although I have copies of all the older pre-Starfire versions (with the exception of BTMZ and TNA) I’m not in a position to acquire standard (let alone ‘de luxe’ unfortunately, more’s the pity! :-(!) versions of the newer ones & so was also wondering if there was such a compendium, as it would be most handy & save having to buy “more-or-less” the same editions all over again? I am sure I am enquiring on behalf of others (apart from myself) as well that it would be highly convenient, useful, extremely interesting & most stimulating to be able to view what may have been going on in the actual development and evolution within KG’s actual thought processes and mentation that would have set off & prompted all the particular revisions he then chose to be significant enough to make. In addition (for example), the earlier first edition of “Against The Light” is not easily or (relatively) cheaply available any more in order to be able to compare & contrast the two of them both, apart from the additional time & labour which this would experientially involve.
With best wishes: N Joy
Jamie
I do understand your point of view here, Jamie. This is something that we discussed briefly in the forums a year or two ago.
In the first place, Kenneth’s corrections are relatively minor, mostly typos that he picked up; it wasn’t Kenneth’s practise to revise previous books in the light of his later thinking, so these changes won’t throw any light on his development. The most significant correction made was to ‘Cults of the Shadow’ where two paragraphs had to be juxtaposed, and there were some other corrections which were consequential. Fortunately I was able to find a typescript by Kenneth from the 1950s or early 1960s upon which the chapter in question was based. This juxtaposition was amongst the errata listed in the Skoob edition, but was difficult to understand. In the case of ‘Against the Light’, the corrections in Kenneth’s copy are few and minor. The most significant is the lack of a particular section break in part 3; this was a lapse on my part as an impatient young man back in 1997.
Changes are not restricted to those noted by Kenneth, however. Where there are errors in gematria, for instance, I do correct those, as well as typos not previously noticed. Basically, though, my aim is to change as little as possible.
I do have my work cut out at present, Jamie, but when I have more time I will tabulate the corrections, and probably make the tables available on the Starfire Publishing website. Obviously I would prefer that the new editions become the standard editions, but I also appreciate that not everybody is in a position to buy them.
I remember this as one of the best talks of the ‘Kenneth Grant Day’ at Treadwells in January this year. ‘Against the Light’ has been a passion of mine ever since 1996 when first reading it in typescript.
I’m looking forward to this book. Ruth Bayer is an extremely good photographer. Her work appears throughout one of the books that Starfire Publishing issued last year – ‘The Play Goes On: The Rituals of the Rainbow Bridge’ by Zachary Cox and the late Jean Williams – and is excellent throughout.
Another article in The New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-reinventions-of-genesis-breyer-p-orridge?intcid=mod-latest
Looks to be another bumper collection. I can commend Nina Antonia’s Bosie and the Beast, an intriguing study on the antipathy of Crowley for Lord Alfred Douglas, Oscar Wilde’s beau.
Sorry I haven’t replied earlier, Mick, but I don’t pass by this way on Lashtal very often these days, the level of (non-) activity being what it has become. Still, there’s no use in getting unduly blue about these sort of things!
Thanks for the reply & your comments. The situation more or less chimes with what I thought might be the case, although I don’t actually remember it being discussed before in the forums offhand, myself.
The typos themselves are not really important and are of minimal significance; I had more in mind the sort of scale of amendments which will apparently be necessary with the revised forthcoming edition of “Confessions” (whenever this eventually appears sometime this century). In the meantime, along with everyone else I’ll await for your publication of the amendments & differences between the editions on Starfire Publishing in due course, and which I expect will be the sooner of the two.
When you say you “correct errors in gematria”, though, this must be rather difficult as Kenneth tended to have his own system & practice of “creative” gematria didn’t he, which didn’t/ doesn’t necessariy accord with the conventions of “traditional” or commmonly-accepted gematria? (I take it that it was the latter you had in mind there, or did you in fact mean something else?)
Best wishes,
As Ever: N Joy
Never mind Major McMurtry, it looks more like there’s been some sort of a Major accident! And that there’s a disembodied foot resting against the guy’s torso, like a lump of meat from The Beatles’ “butcher shop” banned LP cover…
Norma N Joy Conquest
Looks like a very much alive person, slender, big hair and possibly bespectacled – so it must be AC! (Not!!!). Self promo of the most ridiculous type.
You don’t say!
So Crowley spent his life holding seances at Warwick Castle? Well well, I never knew that.
“Living Thelema” as well as “Speech in the Silence” are both really good too!
Indeed they are. I didn’t mention them, though, because neither seems to be current: my iTunes Podcast feed shows the last episode of ‘Living Thelema’ to have been published in August 2015 and the last ‘Speech In The Silence’ in September 2015.
Yeah it’s too bad 🙁
More from Starfire…
This book will be going to the printers at the end of July 2016 for publication in August, and is now available for ordering ahead of publication.
Against the Light by Kenneth Grant is an attractive, sewn hardbound book, octavo format, 142 pages, with a full-colour dust-jacket, and limited to 750 copies. Included are black and white custom printed endpapers, and a full-colour frontispiece. Further details about the content of the book, as well as how to order both the standard and the deluxe editions, can be found by visiting our website, or by following the direct link http://starfirepublishing.co.uk/Against_the_Light.htm.
Against the Light was first published in 1997 but has been out of print for many years. This republication is freshly typeset, and incorporates corrections and additions by Kenneth Grant noted in his copy of the first edition. Illustrated endpapers include diary entries by the author from 1985 when the novel was started, some early plot notes, the first draft of a cover blurb from 1995, and a diagram where Grant gives the meaning of symbols on the front of the dust-jacket. A coloured frontispiece reproduces the bust of Mephistopheles, a mysterious and compelling figure which is an integral feature of this novel and which appears elsewhere in Grant’s work.
The background to this Nightside Narrative, like so much of Grant’s work, can be found in New Isis Lodge, a magical working group which developed from the late 1940s, was formally established in 1955, and carried on working until the mid 1960s. Some of the workings of New Isis Lodge were described by Kenneth Grant in Hecate’s Fountain. In the late 1950s, the ritualists of New Isis Lodge began to receive a series of oracles which on subsequent rearrangement formed a coherent work known as ‘The Book of the Spider’. When planning his third and final trilogy during the 1980s, Grant decided to publish ‘The Book of the Spider’ with extended commentary in the final volume, The Ninth Arch. He was aware, however, that assimilation of The Ninth Arch might be somewhat demanding, and thought that perhaps something was appropriate by way of introduction. That “something” turned out to be the novel Against the Light.
Grant started writing Against the Light in the mid 1980s, and he developed it to explore in a fictional setting some of the themes of ‘The Book of the Spider’. It was his intention that Against the Light be published before The Ninth Arch, and this was achieved by its first publication in 1997. The Ninth Arch itself is now to be republished towards the end of 2016, and it is fitting that publication of Against the Light again precedes it, this time by several months.
I really like this actually. It’s far easier to find stuff, and a lot less scrolling 🙂
Thanks for the positive response. It’s all part of a process of professionalising the site! The key, obviously, is for members to report any issues so they can be fixed before they become ‘established.’
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The site looks great; keep up the good work.
93, Paul!
I like it a lot! Very nice work. So far I encountered no issues at all.
Greetings from Munick
Love=Law
Lutz
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Related event at Treadwells Bookshop in London:
Friday 16 September 2016
Beyond the Robot – Colin Wilson Launch
Launch Event with Talk – Gary Lachman
Colin Wilson burst on the world literary scene in 1956 with The Outsider, and from then until his 2013 death aged 82, Wilson created an enormous oeuvre on philosophy, psychology, sex, crime, literature, and the occult. His 1971 history The Occult became a bestseller, helping the subject recieve serious study. This new book, subtitled Life and World of Colin Wilson is the first full account of Wilson’s career, from his early days as an Angry Young Man, to his last years as a philosopher of consciousness. Author Gary Lachman was a fan and a friend of Wilson – come for the talk, anecdotes, Q&A, signings and a free glass of wine. Collect your copy on the night as you arrive. Max 45 places.
Price: £17.99 (includes a copy of the book, a talk and a free glass of wine)
Register on 0207 419 8507 or book online
Time: 7 pm doors, half hour talk at 7.30. Ends 9.30 pm
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Over the years I remember some other big fires in Britain, Windsor Castle and the Cutty Sark spring to mind, where the damage was colossal but nowadays one would never guess there had even been a fire. So if there was enough money available then there is no reason that the house could not be made as good as new! But it takes a lot of money, especially where demolition is an alternative.
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From Vents Magazine:
“Psychic TV return to us with Alienist. The album includes two original tracks: the haunting yet emotional “I’m Looking For You”; an epic, multi-layered, metaphysical exploration in the form of a conversation between Genesis and “Lucifer”, who is in hiding after his failed rebellion is over. And “Alienist” which is a delightful fusion of dance grooves harking back to PTV’s Acid House days and the group’s current love of heavy psychedelic rock.”
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I look forward to reading Cosey’s book. Haven’t seen her in many, many years, back in the day when TG/PTV were wreckers of what passes for civilisation. A great person.
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That sounds very weird indeed, and maybe worth a read? Hmm…
One of my favourite albums. I envy those lucky enough to see it performed live. Not too sure about the article’s reference to “Aleister Crowley’s ‘The Secret’,” though…
Fixed now by @eol
http://date.lashtal.com
“Seemingly unread”!? Shocking heheh…
This copy, @sandyboy – my other (standard) copy is well-read.
My bad! You wild sex magickian you. Saw pic of J.Balance in Boscastle witchcraft museum recently – much missed.
Some typos in the original auction now corrected.
according to Christies:
This work was previously owned by Cecil Williamson (1909-1999) a Neopagan Witch and founder of both the Witchcraft Research Center (which was a part of MI6’s war against Nazi Germany) and the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, Cornwall. Williamson was a friend of Crowley’s and presumably the present lot was a gift from the artist.
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Estimate
GBP 1,000 – GBP 1,500
I think we can safely assume that the estimate will be exceeded!
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The album is available through Apple Music today – and it’s rather wonderful!
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BBC Radio 6 at 8pm on Sunday 4 September 2016: ‘Stuart [Maconie] talks to Current 93’s David Tibet about his collaboration with the legendary producer Youth as Hypnopazūzu and their new album ‘Create Christ, Sailor Boy’.’
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brilliant! 😀
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Lovely looking collection. Hope you arent being forced to sell for negative reasons..
Do you have any Schulke?
Beautiful shelving Paul. I do hope that the ‘change in personal circumstances’ is bearable.
There comes a time to let them go, their purpose being better served in the hands of those with hungry minds. And deep pockets?
Well said, @obscurus
Paul, I may not have the money for anything but if something good comes up I may scrape it up somehow. When are you going to release your list?
I was working on a simple list but that got delayed by a number of time wasters who made contact through Facebook, professing serious interest in some of the high-value items but, I fear, just using their sale as the opportunity to get me to provide photographs and fill in gaps in their knowledge. I’m now inclined to add books to the Sales section of this site: https://www.lashtal.com/shop/ In any case, I’m working on cataloguing the collection.
Sold for GBP 17,500
And this is presented as journalism in modern Britain. Still, the ‘Thelma’ reference amused me.
Sold.
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Could I suggest changing the graphic? Really don’t want to look at that image…
The graphic is taken from the original article. I tend to agree that it would be better not being prominently presented, though, so have swapped the ‘featured article’ graphic with one relating to another news item.
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Don’t get me wrong – I like Laylah too! – but does she take precedence over Rose the original Scarlet Woman, or even La Sublime Leah? (Some might even volunteer the ‘elemental’ ex of Jack Parsons & would-be avatar of Babalon herself, Marjorie Cameron!)
Positively bedazzled by a pageant of beauty (iconographically),
Norma N Joy Conquest
Reading back my comment, I feel maybe I ought to have highlighted the fact that it was prompted by the first sentence featured that “Leila ‘Laylah’ Waddell is perhaps the most iconic woman of Thelema”, rather than it coming across as being some sort of an adverse reflection on her suitability to qualify for a commemorative memorial ahead of Rose, Leah and, er, Marjorie…
N Joy
I would have thought it’s obvious that the OTO in Australia would focus their attention on the Australian, Leila Waddell? As regards ‘iconic’ – her image (as above) is probably far more widely recognised than any photograph of Leah.
Good points, Paul, though I was speaking more generally (globally) & arguably Marjorie Cameron’s startling flame-haired image from Kenneth Anger’s cinematography is even more widely recognisable to a contemporary audience.
N joy
Updated to include instructions for making international contributions.
Reading this one now: really rather engaging. An impressive work. The best thing yet from Gary Lachman.
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Update per David’s site: late October 2016 is the new release date.
Looking forward to this one!
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This episode of the podcast and the one preceding it are really rather impressive.
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Excellent portrait, I don’t recall seeing it before.
Yep, a real nice one. 93’s…
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Many belived that AC could read your mind by turning on those piercing eyes. It was said that he would en-trance people by giving them the ‘eye’ and take them with him on some manic moneymaking or other enterprise…… being in his company in a room where there was no immediate means of escape could be overpowering, even when he was of advanced years.
Johnny
Sale abandoned. Too many time wasters.
Q: ‘How much for that book?’
R: ‘Well, I’m asking…’
Q [Interrupting]: ‘That’s too much, I once saw one on eBay for…’
Not sure why anyone would want to sell books for a living!
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Paul I never saw any listings on this site?
I was waiting this whole time.
Perhaps I did it wrong, but I was under the impression you were going to list them all under FOR SALE but I never saw anything new; it was always that same Equinox book (I think) that has been there forever.
No, @christibrany, as mentioned in the Comment above yours, I abandoned the sale – having planned to publish a list on 12 October.
Quite simply, mentioning a handful of items on the Facebook posts generated such an enormous number of silly time-wasting responses that the prospect of generating a proportionate number of responses to a planned list of 300+ books was massively unattractive!
If you must sell your library, the best plan might be to take the catalogue to one of the specialist bookshops such as Treadwells, Atlantis or even Wieser and see what is offered for the collection.
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Considering Delingpole has a ~way with words~, it is real shame that he failed to mention that Crowley – apart from his courageous self-exposure to ignorant idiots who number almost all of us, was also a bone fide master of the English language. Something very few humans have ever managed to achieve after Shakespeare. And Delingpole, as great an – unconscious – word-magician as he appears to be, will never be able to wear such a grand Edwardian literary hat without looking utterly, modernistically absurd.
Man, Myth and Magic – original TV advertisement.
https://youtu.be/Zt1ZE6_BYvg
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“As befits a comedy, the reference is essentially humorous” – a summation which stretches my understanding of the words “comedy” and “humorous” just a little! Throughout the whole rather dismal thing, the only piece which remotely caused my lip muscles to twitch in an amused fashion occurred between 5:20 and 5:56 (approximately) on the subject of the “disneyfication” of Wernher vonBraun. The rest was appalling – appallingly unfunny and appallingly inaccurate and imprecise (perhaps not so surprisingly…but at least they didn’t get around to mentioning Jack’s mother’s dog!)
Help me, I think my sides may be in danger of splitting (- not!),
Norma n Jy Conquest
The latest edition of this book is now available to registered members for free – check out the Downloads section.
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I had the great pleasure of attending the Exhibition Preview yesterday evening. Beautiful art displayed beautifully!
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I have been interested in Theravada Buddhism for a long time – about as long as as I’ve been interested in Aleister Crowley’s work. Of note is the fact that one of Crowley’s first teachers, Alan Bennett, eventually retired to Ceylon and became a Theravada monk.
I too have a library, though a much smaller one. I’m seeking to release most of it as part of an ongoing project to reduce the number of possessions that I no longer use.
Thank you for posting about your experience with book sales. It has probably saved me some fruitless effort.
While money would be much appreciated, my main goal is to pass on a themed collect to a group or individual who could put it to use.
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Attended on Monday 5th December. Really was blown away by the range styles and materials that AOS used.
A must see for anyone with an interest, that is in the area.
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Fixed now… Thanks @eol
Placed my order today for this Print On Demand title. Will report back when it arrives.
As did I. I hope it is not as poor quality as the Jane Wolfe book. When I want to wear out my eyes over barely readable text, i head for the archives and do it with the real stuff.
Initial impressions from the Kindle edition; primarily KG’s correspondence with the Californians in the 40s/50s/60s. I found none of the German correspondence with Hopfer, Küntzel, Metzger, Lekve, Petersen, etc or anything before 1928. The notes are quite basic, mainly a reference of the persons named in the correspondence. The design is negligible – pretty much just a dump of the PDF. Perhaps a useful reference for some, definitely a cheap thrill but not something you’d take home to meet the parents.
From Jerry Edward Cornelius on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jerry.e.cornelius?fref=nf&pnref=story
My copy of ‘Karl Germer: Selected Letters 1928-1962’ arrived. I was looking forward to reading this book but within a few days I came to the conclusion that I cannot recommend it. Although it’s nice to have some of the Germer Letters in a book format, after all, something is better than nothing, I see the over-all book as being utterly useless for academics, serious magician, scholars or even historians in general. Harsh? Perhaps but it is neither indexed nor footnoted adequately. The approximate two page bio trying to explain who Karl Germer was and why I should read his letters is amateurish at best, bordering on being a lame High School paper. I’d give it a ‘C’.
Then the very first letter in the book is address to “Jane” but in the first paragraph Germer mentions her in the third person by name, i.e. ‘Jane Wolfe’ which is then footnoted to explain who ‘Jane Wolfe’ is but this leads us to assume that the Jane to whom the letter is written and the Jane mentioned in the first paragraph are two different people. They’re not. The footnote is simply inappropriately placed. The book also tries to identify others mentioned in the letters in the footnotes throughout the book but right on page one the letter mentions “Dorothy” but who is she? They don’t identify her. I knew who she was, she was Crowley’s mistress but I fear the average reader will be lost. Throughout the book you’ll be scratching your head wondering who is who.
Worst of all, it’s not indexed! As one reads though its pages you’ll find gems from page to page but you’re supposed to remember where you read them in a 389 page book or you’ll never be able to find them again. Be forewarned, you have to create your own Index as you go along or you’ll be lost.
There is so much more wrong with this book but I think you get the picture. It is simply an ‘unfinished manuscript’ rushed into press and not carefully thought through by a descent editor. In my opinion any simpleton can enter letters into a computer but if you can’t put them into a user friendly format, why bother? Still, it was a fun book to read and yes error slip into all books and mistakes are made because, after all, we’re only human … but what is this over-all book saying about the magickal image and teachings of the College of (cough cough) or rather the High School of Thelema?
Yes, I can second that opinion. One might ask – what is the purpose of this book if not to provide an academic reference to selected correspondence of Karl Germer?
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I’d love to read a good ‘Selected Correspondence’ of at least a representative sample of Germer’s letters over the years. There are many sets of correspondence about. For instance, a batch of letters to Ithell Colquhoun was on the market about ten years ago. Whist researchiing the Jones-Yorke correspondence of 1948 and 1949 I came across several letters from Germer to Jones which were, to say the least, extremely interesting. I certainly agree with Jerry Cornelius that it’s a shame that there is no index.
Does anyone know if the letters from Germer to Crowley are extant? I have seen a pdf of Crowley’s letters to Germer, but not Germer’s to Crowley.
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Paul sorry its late but I hope your Xmas was great and London is awesome.
Although I don’t post much BC I am workng on my gradework I still love to read the news and posts.
Keep up the Great Work
93s!
Thanks for the kind words, @christibrany!
impressive numbers Paul! happy new year!
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Moderator’s Note: Off-topic post deleted. See below.
Moderator’s Note: Off-topic post deleted. See below.
Moderator’s Note: Off-topic post deleted. See below.
Moderator’s Note: Off-topic post deleted. See below.
Moderator’s Note: Off-topic post deleted. See below.
Michael: That’s enough.
These posts will be deleted. Please do not abuse your access to this site.
https://www.lashtal.com/galleries/gallery/user-submissions-michael-tierney/
ok thx
Sorry to read the news – knew he had been unwell with some sort of pancreatic/kidney cancer for a time. Another one has had their fill of will & love, takes their leave of Spaceship Earth & bites the dust. The more pub-centred fora & moots of old London Town will continue to much miss his presence and unusually idiosyncratic but usually entertaining subject-matter for talks (I recall one in particular, in which he was attempting to digress upon Thelemic motifs camouflaged within sci-fi based tv series, notably Deep Space Nine which was fairly new and had recently just come out at the time.)
Devotedly sincere Priest of Nuit; “Chairman” Steve forever destined to be known in some circles as “the man in the red jumper” following his first prominent public appearance at the inaugural Oxford Thelemic Symposium; recounter of crap jokes & excruciatingly ‘amateur’ ‘enthusiastic’ caterwauler of da blooz – a man who was all of these things and more! – enjoy your greater feast for
“There is the dissolution, and eternal ecstasy in the kisses of Nu. …” (2,44)
Jamie, Norma NJoy Conquest
This is rather based on the Steele of Formation, the reverse rather is the Steele of Revealing, which catalogs rather the first few days of this earthly existence and the story of Amoun-Ra. Some Mysteria to be revealed at it’s Maxim.
“Steele of Revealing”
– I’ve never come across this particular spelling of ‘Stele’ before. Assuming this variation is not just some form of typo, repeated, would it be known where and when the first usage of this came from?
“May 4, 2006”
– Can this now be a new record on lashtal for revivyfing an ancient news item/ thread?
Norma N Joy Conquest
Simply a Typo, my apologies. Revealing can be used by students of AA who know how to divine illuminated documents. The Reverse is the story of Khuit’s Formation by our primal deity of Pakhet, Heru. This is at the beginning of the Kali Yuga, after Dvapara.
Thoth is the first person to write by Hand, but the Reading writing and speaking of the Khabs began in Kali Yuga. Before this time, it was only a time of “Calls” being common place. Aquamancy is one of the first languages between them, Davpara and Kali.
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UPDATE: The sale of the archives has begun! That’s right, books and ephemera from the private collection of the owner & editor of LAShTAL.COM are now available at competitive prices. Kicking things off with a signed & inscribed Aleister Crowley classic, an affordable paperback from The Witch Queen and a limited edition piece of gold from Three Hands Press. New items will be added every day. Keep an eye on Twitter and Facebook for announcements – or just keep checking that ‘LAShTAL Shop: Latest’ item on the right of each page of this site.
Unpaid order cancelled – time limit reached. Order status changed from Pending Payment to Cancelled.
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Cancelled automatically by WooCommerce – time limit exceeded. Confirmed still required.
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Just testing buyers’ preferences so have listed ‘The Star in the West’ and ‘Cosmic Meditation’ on eBay with the convenience, reassurance and protection that comes with buying there.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/ankhefenkhons/m.html?item=142276328920&ssPageName=STRK%3AMESELX%3AIT&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562
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Outstanding!
I have always appreciated Kenneth Anger’s work, but Lucifer Rising is wonderfull stuff….best played on a widescreen HD tv with surround sound tho to get the full impact…….wasn’t Marianne Faithfull brilliant?
Many thanks to Paul for making this available on Lashtal
Johnny
New items arriving this week – current items still on sale are offered at Sale prices to clear.
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‘Cosmic Meditation’ now just £195.
Not sure how adept the rest of the articles are, but the whole issue looks very interesting.
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I had the privilege of attending more than one dinner with Donald Weiser and his wife Betty in 1988 at D.O.M.E. The Inner Guide Meditation Center while they were visiting Edwin C. Steinbrecher (my mentor and teacher) in Los Angeles and were about to publish the 5th edition of Edwin’s book. Nice people, always gracious. I quietly listened and learned a few things about how the book publishing business works, and as a 23 year old recruit it was my job to do the dishes afterward!
http://redwheelweiser.com/detail.html?id=9780877286578
Thank you Donald. As I scan my library I see your life’s work reflected from every shelf.
*******
Unto them from whose eyes the veil of life hath fallen may there be granted the accomplishment of their true Wills; whether they will absorption in the Infinite, or to be united with their chosen and preferred, or to be in contemplation, or to be at peace, or to achieve the labour and heroism of incarnation on this planet or another, or in any Star, or aught else, unto them may there be granted the accomplishment of their wills; yea, the accomplishment of their wills. AUMGN. AUMGN. AUMGN.
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“Legendary bookseller and publisher Donald Weiser passed away peacefully at age 89 …”
Wasn’t Marcelo Motta, acting under the erroneous belief that he had the magical power of being able to terminate his enemies at a dstance, supposed to have ritually cursed/hexed Donald back in the eighties (in page 388 of the court transcripts of the McMurtry v. Motta trial of May 1985, he claimed to James Wasserman to have already remotely assassinated Donald’s brother and to have issued similar additional “metaphysical death threats” to related others if his wishes continued to be disobeyed. As he went on to testify (p. 910), “Let me state for the record, sir, that the grade of the Ninth, the power of the Ninth, allows us to kill people magically if we want to”.
This being so, it must make it one of the longest acting and/or least successful operations of its kind, neither does it seem to have adversely affected Weiser’s publishing programme or the family’s esoteric books empire very much. Incidentally I’ve never actually come across this particular ability of the Ninth degrees anywhere else – if anyone happens to have any further information I would be interested to know since wouldn’t homicide seem to rather go against the general Thelemic “grain”?
Rest in peace, Donald.
Norma N Joy Conquest
I probably wouldn’t be here it it wasn’t for that small ad at the bottom of the last page of the Sunday New York Times Book Review every week in the early ’70s, the one for Weiser Books. As a small-town teenager back then, i snatched at that ad like a drowning man grabbing a life preserver.
When i moved to NYC in the later ’70s, i visited the Weiser store on E. 24th often.
That bookstore and publishing company changed my life.
Email sent to Franc on 2017-04-23:
I’ve just been doing some admin work on LAShTAL.COM and have noticed that you placed an order for ‘A Gathering Of Masks’ on 20 February 2017 but don’t appear to have sent payment.
It’s obviously no problem at all if you simply chose not to purchase it, but I thought I would just check with you. Please would you confirm whether you still want the book and, if so, when you expect to be in a position to pay for it?
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Received email from Franc:
yes I was going to order the book but unfortunately an unexpected financial situation arose and I couldn’t afford to buy it. If my situation changes and it’s still available I may purchase it in the future.
Offered a £10 discount if he changes his mind while it’s still available. Not time limited.
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Oh boy! Looks fascinating, can’t wait!
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Yes, looks tasty!
Yes, it seems to promise most highly. Contents-wise though, I was disappointed not to see something along the lines of “The Role of Slime in the Work of Kenneth Grant” featured (the nearest to it being the 6th piece mentioned, on H.P. Lovecraft.) It appears to be a prominent omission of a fairly major theme from within his oeuvre (I simply don’t have the time at present otherwise might have done one on it myself, in the absence of anyone else.)
Norma N Joy Conquest
I’ve noticed recently that when i post, i can only see my post by logging out- even though my post will be listed in the “Recent Forum Posts” sidebar, i can’t actually see it until i log out. I first noticed this about three weeks ago or so.
Me too! (As can be seen from my original double posting in the “Start of interest Crowley/Thelema?”topic). But as no one else commented & my experience with PCs & tech has alsways been a bit idiosyncratic I’d thought it was just me!
NJoy
Yes, this is a very “tasty” collection of essays . One piece, by Michael Bertiaux, is cast as a short story a short story. The highly attractive cover is by Henrik’s wife, Maria. The essay about the role of Lovecraft in Grant’s work is not only free from any mention of slime, but is one of the jewels of the book.
Just posted again, once again the only way to see my post is to log out; hitting reload after posting changes nothing. If i then log in again, it remains visible.
“The highly attractive cover is by Henrik’s wife, Maria.”
But prominently using artwork by Austin Osman Spare. (Perhaps “cover lettering by Maria Bogdan” would have been more accurate!)
“The essay about the role of slime in Grant’s work is not only free from any mention,”
For shame! (I remain open to any suitably generous offers of commissioning from Starfire Publishng for a glittering jewel of an essay.)
N Joy
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For those who would rather not wait…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMkSkOG2wJs
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I remember hearing this when it was first broadcast. The brief interview with Angela Yorke is interesting. Arthur Calder-Marshall’s remarks, on the other hand, are simply hilarious.
Thank you so much for linking us to this wonderful article, Paul. It ends on a triumphant note but it saddens me that she never got to hold the eventual product in her hands. I suppose that she trusted in AC’s genius enough that she could imagine just how far it would go. This work kept her going through the worst times, & we can see her state of mind upon completion of the Swords.
Gary Lachman responded to my Facebook post about this News item: ‘They interviewed me for two hours and they used two seconds. As far as I know AC did not introduce AH to mescalin.’
Thanks to Mogg Morgan for the link, which I previously missed.
This New Dawn article is actually an excerpt from a longer thought provoking article in the book I have referenced below. Troy Southgate is a polarising figure himself but I recommend the book of essays that that the Bolton essay appears in (poor editing notwithstanding) .
Bolton, K.R. (2011). Aleister Crowley as political theorist. In T. Southgate (Ed.) Crowley: Thoughts and perspectives, volume 2 (pp. 5-
28). Black Front Press: London
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Treadwells has them in stock in case people want one but don’t want to pay Amazon shipping.
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Yes, surprisingly and unusually well-informed (and with some resourceful further links.) For example under the 19th entry “He referred to himself as ‘The Beast'”, we find the sensible account: “Crowley was known as “The Beast,” a title that he himself gleefully used. He earned the name as a child, when his exasperated mother would call him “Beast 666″ in the wake of his mischief. As an adult, he proudly used the nickname, especially when he could appreciate the mystical context. His use of the term and his occultist activities led some to incorrectly claim that he was a Satanist.” Perhaps there’s hope yet!
Norma N Joy Conquest
A very interesting Article
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Posted First Class Recorded this morning.
Well i am certainly not going to buy a book I already have for just 3 new plates, so if anyone cares to share those when they receive their copy that would be appreciated!
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CLARIFICATION: The purchase price listed at the above link relates to the title page only. Subsequent pages from the ‘album’ comprised separate lots, all of which are listed at the auctioneer’s site.
Paul
I don’t have facebook, but I am curious why you closed it? Just wondering.
Thanks 🙂
Poor information-to-noise ratio…
Thanks for posting Paul!
Text in the above News item is as provided by the publisher. However, I am the proud owner of the books described and can confirm that they are a splendid production, impeccably constructed and beautifully designed. They represent extraordinary value for money, containing – as they do – the full text of the Conversations. Highly Recommended.
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Thanks Richard, looking forward to reading.
Thanks for this. I have always loved Crowley’s turn of phrase when he describes the death process and state as being ‘absorbed into the infinite’!
For the benefit of those of us who may be unaware, whom are the people this “recent death of brethren and other loved ones…in the Thelemic community” refers to? (And what is all this profoundly Unthelemic stuff about the pain, sadness, grief, suffering & loss of “many brothers and sisters”!)
N Joy
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The introductory note at the Hellfire books site suggests that the essays and the title were only finished sometime in the early thirties. This is incorrect as they had already been translated by Martha Küntzel in the 1920’s (the title as well: “Kleine Aufsätze, die zur Wahrheit leiten”). In fact, the two essay “Man” and “Mastery” were first published in 1928, in German translations, in the first two issues of the Fraternitas Saturni’s journal “Saturn Gnosis”.
… but thanks for playing!
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Transcript: http://ledzepnews.com/2017/11/10/full-transcript-of-jimmy-page-oxford-union-talk/
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Thanks for the details, William. I’ll try and get to it; looks interesting.
kickass ( i dont think brits say that do they? what’s the equivalent?) . Thanks for all the work you do Paul. As you may know I am a huge Zepp fan. Going to check this out.
Been busy lately…
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Thank you Richard and LAShTAL
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An informative review. Thank you, Ian.
thanks Richard!
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Indeed, many thanks – it is an interesting read. But it’s not Liber Appendix, is it? – the proof of Liber Bogus i mean
It is good to read something interesting from the redoubtable Ian Rons again – many thanks
I already have the physical book, but this is a lovely travelogue and depository of Abbey images. If it were ever to be made into a film, who do you think would be the best choice to play the part of Richard — Michael Palin, perhaps?!
Norma N Joy Conquest
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wow
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As far as I am aware Crowley was never a ‘Satanist’ in the way the term is meant as being opposite to a Christian and using Christian tenets to worship ‘Satan’
Can anyone correct me?
Nope, because you are right.
This sounds absolutely quite terrible.
Written by someone with no knowledge of Crowley of course. Like he even in his deepest depravity would lock up chicks for murder.
Danke! I wish I could be there to see in person. To think of all the tales those pieces could tell.
Was Eugen Grosche ie Frater Gregorius ever in among them?
Hi Chris,
no Grosche was never a member of the PG. Though Metzger was a member of the FS for a few years. The two had a bumpy relationship in the 50s & 60s.
Wm
Absolutely no way, would I attend this.
No worries, we will do without you! Given all the other evenings (this will be the 10th just over a year and a half) were sold out, I am sure things will be just fine.
First batch now available online.
That’s 1,617 books!
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Deactivated myself 2 weeks ago, never going back.
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Just what the we need…third-rate pot boiler fiction using the Old Sinner as a mustachio twisting, knob throbbing baddy.
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Lots more on this production here: deadline.com/2018/02/strange-angel-six-cast-cbs-all-access-series-peter-mark-kendall-michael-gaston-greg-wise-1202291413/
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Of course, the FS was formed years after the release of Nosferatu.
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Grau was never a member of the FS. He was allegedly offered the job of grandmaster, but turned it down due to the fact that he felt that his Book of the Zero Hour conflicted with Liber Al. He was however a high ranking member of the Pansophic Lodge, the precursor of the FS. Nonetheless, a welcome mention!
See also: https://www.lashtal.com/forums/topic/audio-accounts-of-people-who-knew-crowley/#post-104198
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Pleasant read – though I disagree with his the depiction of the Conference in Hohenleuben.
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UK delivery date as advised today by Amazon UK is frustrating: ‘Estimated arrival date: May 21 2018 – June 05 2018.’
well this is sure to attract some eyeballs!
I think it looks quite okay!
More here: http://www.mondo2000.com/2018/05/11/adam-parfrey-americans-greatest-underground-publisher-1957-2018/
Amazon UK deliveries (see link in sidebar) now being fulfilled in UK. Received my copy yesterday. A handsome paperback: early chapters are very impressive!
The eBay listing is closed but the book can still be purchased from this site at a significant discount:
https://www.lashtal.com/product/the-star-in-the-west-signed-and-inscribed/
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The word ‘love’ was used 65 times in the sermon.
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Has anyone watched this?
The Variety review is based on 3 of 10 episodes, and most likely the first three, thus the complaint that it is slow getting into the meat of Parsons’ life seems unfounded.
Apparently, i can sign up for a free one-week trial of CBS All-Access- that seems like enough time to get through 10 episodes. I will give it a shot and report back.
********
I am officially an idiot- i went to read the _Variety_ review, and left this comment there, thinking i was commenting _here_.
At least i reported the only comment they had as spam, and have done my Good Deed for the day.
I am quite surprised they did not include that one band Mystifier that literally has a song titled “Aleister Crowley And Ordo Templi Orientis”
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I really enjoyed the first episode of this series and i’m looking forward to the rest of them. These type of historical productions are not easy to pull off and are usually rushed through with limited budgets and descend into costumed cliche’s riddled with tommy guns and tough guy one-liners. The casting, production value, and direction are top notch. The story is developing slowly along a few story-lines and I counted three “Do What Thou Wilt” stated in various ways in the first episode. I expect the story to continue to be entertaining and educational. Definitely a nice forward thrust for Thelema given it’s so well made and featured on CBS.
Agreed – I was pleasantly surprised.
I’m enjoying the show each week 4 episodes so far 6 more to go…but it does seem to be proceeding a little slowly just like the reviews said.
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Great podcast. Very interesting to find out that they plan FIVE seasons of ten episodes each to tell Parson’s story. WOW! I was under the impression it would only be one season. Great news. I really hope they follow through with this.
“[…] revealed a mysterious stranger had taken up residence in only remaining room. […] Recently there had been a man – named locally as Mordechai Moshe – staying in the one and only room in [the] Boleskine House”
Well this is all news to me, and raises a whole heap of questions which would challenge the deductive capabilities of a Simon Iff… the photographs all show a burnt out shell and don’t seem to reveal anything LIKE one room left standing! How could there possibly be any “furniture” left in “storage” in any such room after such an almighty conflagration? And who on earth is the enigmatic & highly mysterious Mister Moshe, who appears to be able to survive there without any public utilities or amenities – can it be a case of ‘crazee name, crazee guy’?
Norma N Joy Conquest
Who is “Christopher Josiffe Owner and editor of LAShTAL.COM”?
I can’t recall ever hearing this name before.
What happened to Paul?
Well done for spotting the bug that appeared to show everyone as ‘Owner and Editor’! Now corrected.
Whew!
Was genuinely worried, you are a wonderful host to this place.
I second that opinion.
I wonder how voluminous and erudite Crowley’s annotations are (all being well there will be a bit more to them than e.g. “I agree”). Surely though, this is the type of publishing that the “O.T.O.” should be putting out in the public interest – if they had their act together – rather than leaving it down to publishers such as Caduceus Books?
Despite Lutz’s misgivings, hopefully this is the sort of thing we might be seeing more of now the 75 year copyright cut-off has been passed. What, I wonder, might be next – A.C.’s personally annotated “Table Talk”, perhaps? (Or maybe even “Mein Kampf”)
Norma N Joy Conquest
nice! perhaps I can convince the wife to pick it up for me as a Crowleymas gift!
it seems to me as if the clouds are blurred words
Yes, saw some of these pop up on ABE yesterday… nice.
Don’t do it, Jack!
ALAS .. poor yorick I know him well
The book is now Sold.
:”He rubbed shoulders with . . . occultist Aleister Crowley”
Really?
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No. Writer did a hack job.
Someone posted to the Facebook ‘Thelema’ page a few days ago to remark that in the 1990s they had seen this picture handing in the office of John Symonds, which is a good piece of provenance. Though not amongst my favourite Crowleys, It’s a nice picture. Though the price seems optimistic; interesting to see how much it goes for.
🙂
Channel 4 News at Tower House: https://www.channel4.com/news/basement-battle-jimmy-page-and-robbie-williams-planning-clash
It’s hard to imagine what else there is to learn about Jimmy in relation to his music. I recently finished Martin Power’s bio of Page (No Quarter, The Three Lives of Jimmy Page) and actually enjoyed it regardless of it being unauthorized. And Jimmy’s photo autobiography is pretty amazing, especially the two signed deluxe editions. What I would like to see/read/own/cherish would be a descriptive catalogue of his book, art, and ephemera collection. That would be the real prize for me. I do wonder if he has ever considered having his collection properly archived.
It is also interesting to see that Tom Symonds is selling off Daddy’s stuff… apparently he still has his offices at the Pindar Press in Hampstead, I visited them in 1995. Damn that’s 23 years… time flies.
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For anyone interested, the expert valued it at £6,000 to £8,000.
A friend sent me a link to this programme yesterday evening. It’s a wonderful picture. It’s probably film stars transcribed from a movie poster at the time (probably mid to late 1940s). The woman looks to me like Rita Hayworth, so this could be a poster for ‘Gilda’. However, the chap doesn’t lto my admittedly tired eyes ook a lot like Glenn Ford, her co-star in that film.
Whatever its origin, it’s a great picture in my opinion, and personally, given recent auction prices, I think the expert undervalued it
Refreshing to know, isn’t it, that the Symonds family firm is still managing to coin it in from Crowley’s estate and bits & pieces they have managed to acquire along the way? They must be quite comfortably off on the back of things. Although £22.5K does seem rather on the exorbitant side considering that fine Spare artworks in colour seem to be going for about a third of this.
Norma N Joy Conquest
The most recent example of “fine Spare artworks in colour” was a drop-dead gorgeous 1955 pastel auctioned six or nine months agoi at Christie, London. There was not much in the way of change from £50,000, me old mucker.
Having said, I think that the price of this on ABEBooks is optimistic.
Another review here: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/review-jimmy-page-the-definitive-biography-rock-n-roll-animal-chris-salewicz-hthrjpbr3
Hello!
One question, is there another sequel?
Or is there somewhere you can find out how it ended?
Thanks!
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Someone ran out of lyrical ideas ! 😇
More of the same kind of thing in the UK Telegraph, ‘Just how much did Jimmy Page owe his success to Aleister Crowley? It’s a question that is raised by Chris Salewicz’s closely observed, exhaustively researched and hugely entertaining – if sometimes distinctly queasy – appraisal of the life and career of the Led Zeppelin guitarist.’ — https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/what-to-read/repression-sin-debauched-life-led-zeppelins-jimmy-page/
It isn’t quite accurate that Nergal has ‘ran out of lyrical ideas’, Chris, as he has been mining Crowley Mt. for a long time now for his music & plethora of band merch (which sets the standard in the Metal world, btw). I’ve yet to see another musician with such a massive international platform, as he undoubtedly has, being weilded in this way. I’d like to think of him as an honorary ‘Lashtalian’…. & , certainly, a fantastic band to check out live if any of you haven’t already. One need not be into Metal to enjoy their show.
Love your store or site James! xo
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“Hopefully, Strange Angel will return for Season 2 so fans can also get a deeper understanding about Jack Parsons’ bizarre and complicated life.”
“If it were granted a Season 2, there is no doubt that it would take on a much darker tone, a tone that fans of Parsons before the series aired might have hoped for up front. And while it might assume a darker tone at that time, it would require more than tone to get audiences fully invested, in my opinion. The pulpy stylization of Parsons’s imagination remains with him through this season, distracting us from the deeper development of the narrative, while the stylization of Susan Parsons’s Occult therapy sessions draws us in. […]
[…] Jack Parsons’s introduction to the OTO was not by accident as the series portrays. His first visit was in January of 1939. According to Pendle’s biography, which, of course, the series takes its name from, Jack and Helen joined of their own accord.
“The house’s guest registrar shows Parsons visiting only once more that year, for a party celebrating [Wilfred T.] Smith’s birthday. His interest in Thelema and Crowley, however, was growing. Smith judiciously began to sell him copies of Crowley’s books, which he would study at home. Seeing her husband’s mounting interest in Crowley, Helen also began to read the books. Although she was initially shocked by Crowley’s sexist attitudes, she, too, was gradually drawn to what she read. By the end of 1939 Parsons owned a respectable collection of Crowley’s work. The age of Horus, the wink of the grandeur of the past, even if it was wearing a robe made out of old theater curtain, seemed to be infinitely more in tune with his romantic leanings than Communism or even science fiction … Wilfred Smith wanted to initiate Parsons into the OTO as soon as possible, although Parsons’ rocket work and Helen’s initial reluctance meant the initiation would have to be delayed for a while. Nevertheless, Parsons’ scientific learning, his natural aristocratic manner and his wealthy countenance all gave Smith hope that Parsons could be the “Rich Man of the West” he had been looking for all these years.” (Source: Pendle, George. Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist Jack Whiteside Parsons, (New York: Houghton Mifflan Harcourt, 2005), p. 152-153.)
Smith seems to be the access point for Ernest’s character, though neither he nor Parsons required the eccentricities invoked by the writers. The motivation of money and promotion is much more interesting than his character’s motivation in the series, and isn’t there something more exciting about Jack and Susan coming to the pariah religion with more agency than by external manipulation?” (Source: Posted on August 17, 2018 by Rob E. King Strange Angel: Season One Finale – – – https://25yearslatersite.com/2018/08/17/strange-angel-season-one-finale/#_ftn1)
Behemoth have a high standard for their videos & know the right people to work with. Always eye candy from a certain aesthetic. Of course the “bottomless pit of anger” towards christianity, as one reviewer of their new album put it, may be a turn off to those who are not in the mood, I usually am & am celebratory when a new album is released. Looks like we’ll get 4 videos from this one. I’ve listened to the album only a couple times as it was released yesterday. If you didn’t like them before then you probably won’t like the new one… If you do like them then you’ll not be dissapointed!
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““Strange Angel” has been renewed for a second season on CBS All Access. The drama, about rocketry pioneer and occultist Jack Parsons, ended its first season in August.” (Source: “CBS All Access Drama ‘Strange Angel’ Renewed for Season 2
Posted by lashtal | Oct 29, 2018 | News, Thelema” – – – https://www.lashtal.com/cbs-all-access-drama-strange-angel-renewed-for-season-2/)
“According to the current popularity rating for Strange Angel at IMDb (source: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7210448/), this TV Show’s page was the 911th most viewed page among all TV Show Pages, and a downward red arrow indicates a fall in the popularity rating for this TV series by 179 points.” […] “After its first season, the TV series Strange Angel does currently have low ratings on IMDb.” (Sources: https://www.lashtal.com/forums/topic/strange-angel/page/3/#post-109537 and https://www.lashtal.com/forums/topic/strange-angel/page/3/#post-109553)
Hmmm, low ratings and no cancelation, but renewed even with low ratings.
I have earlier on this thread suggested that the American actor Eric Stoltz could have played Lafayette Ron Hubbard in Strange Angel returning for a Season 2. But it might be the case that that a character based on Hubbard will not figure in the second season for this show.
Eric Stoltz
Lafayette Ron Hubbard in 1947 (the year Aleister Crowley died in Hastings, England on December 1).
Ooops, according to the current (Thursday November 1, 2018) popularity rating for Strange Angel at IMDb, this TV Show’s page was the 1,320th most viewed page among all TV Show Pages, and a downward red arrow indicates a fall in the popularity rating for this TV series by 26 points.” I am not sure if this means that this TV Show’s bad ratings at at IMDb are less bad than they used to be?
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“[A] precocious Jack” indeed- Crowley was 13 years old when the murders took place!
Tosh!
Certainly is! Which is, of course, the reason I linked to it! 🙂
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That’s a good review, and pleasing to read. As the publisher of this book, I worked closely with Henrik Bogdan for many months in order for it to come to birth, and I’m very pleased with the result. The book has had an extremely good reception, and many people have emailed me with appreciative comments.
Many people sense that there is something profound in Kenneth Grant’s work, but find it a somewhat forbidding and impenetrable body of work. This fine collection of essays that Henrik Bogdan has assembled provides a way in to that work, and as such plays a valuable role in consolidating and developing Grant’s legacy.
Has this film actually ever been released in full?
Thanks for this info. Checking her website Scarlett appears to be quite a committed artist and poet. She is also quite beautiful. It’s nice to see people keeping these arts alive and she looks to have found her voice in art and media circles. Much continued success to Scarlett.
Update here from the ‘Egypt Independent’: https://ww.egyptindependent.com/egyptian-chinese-mission-excavates-at-luxors-monto-temple/
Great video and not abad song either.
that book Is incredible.
For the announcement of this publication and subsequent discussion, see: https://www.lashtal.com/forums/topic/publication-of-achad-yorke-correspondence-1948-49/
cheers lutz 🙂 93s 🙂
This is great news!
Jeffrey D. Evans: agreed. I recall how shocked people were in my school years when I pointed out that Crowley (whose Book 4, pt. 3 I was studying at that time) was pictured as one of the “people we like” on the Beatles’ just-released “Sergeant Pepper’s…” album. A lot of them quickly lost interest in him after looking closely at the book. So many of them were just looking for Free-Form-Fun….and that triple-F is NOT 666, no matter what people think!
Tobi’s gonna keep mining that vein til the gold gives out!
Ordered. Tobias is the best. Yes he is guilty of ‘hero worship’, but if you are reading this comment then you are too!
At least somehow someone is putting out unpublished exercerpts of AC’s diaries; Churton’s books are quite good. Beast in Berlin and AC in America highly reccomended.
The way he manages to weave the other personages around AC’s life and explain their relevance to him, as well as to explain their and AC’s relevance to current events of the period, and history is really well done.
There was less about magick and mysticism in AC in America than I would have expected though.
I am reading this book now and it is very good. Even if you have been a Thelemite, in an Order, or studied Crowley for years, there is still a lot in here to refresh your memory, to learn anew or to make you think a bit 🙂
I ordered this when first seeing the notice appear on LAShTAL. It arrived here at Starfire Towers this morning. Nicely printed on good quality paper, attractively bound, it consists of eight essays, some of which I’d seen before, others of which are new to me. I particularly look forward to reading ‘The Essence of the Practical Qabalah’, since in recent months I’ve become increasingly interested in Achad’s use of gematria.
Noted that it arrived on 2nd April, 71 years after the Incoming of the Ma-Ion.
I’m glad to have purchased this. It is number 61 of a edition limited to 75. If the limitation numbers are allocated sequentially as copies are sold, then anyone wanting a copy needs to be quick.
More details in the brochure: http://assets.reapit.net/ckd/live/pdf.php?p=INV190064&t=S
whaddya say, Paul – shall we go halves on it?
Just received mine this week. While I am not a big fan of fancy bindings, the contents are worthwhile. In particular, Achad’s essay “Thinking Backwards”, which describes an arcane method of meditation guaranteed to make your whites whiter and your brights brighter!
Don’t tempt me!
Meanwhile, there’s more here: https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/ruins-of-boleskine-house-overlooking-loch-ness-up-for-sale-176860/
‘Ruined home of real-life Wicker Man and notorious Satanist goes up for sale for a devilish £500,000.’
You’ve got to admire the headline-crafting abilities od the Daily Mail’s online Sub-Editor!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6925101/Ruined-home-real-life-Wicker-Man-notorious-Satanist-goes-sale-devilish-500-000.html
Divide and conquer…one would have thought the estate should have been hacked into 14 pieces
for the bankers, barristers, real estate agents and other vermin
of paper spells and deeds
no trespassing and we will tell you not to walk on the flowers
thank you very much…
So perhaps ISIS will buy it all four
and four for one if you have enough five
in your account to even try
but the ply is to rip home from its grounds
to further mock and alienate
Just as Notre Dame will be puckered up
the Bolskine you say.
Turn your head the other way
I will take my ruins skyclad and spooky
Dark for stars to see
with groves on the grounds
for celebrants to so feast
with kiblah
potent through the ages
or until the deed is signed away
number three is still available
and two is on order
until the money can be confirmed of course
but four is best, but one is surely tempting
but if you get all four we will throw in
‘Cefelu for free!
Because Real Estate
the only firm to go with
you know, yes you will know
because will have you
plus some plots in the western lands
that are wonderful little bardo placements
yours forever
just sign the papers and die
of course some trees in New Jersey might fit the bill
but we are going off track
where’s the OTO
or rather the AA
no the LIL is coming out of hiding and have a bid in already
but wait is it confirmed that rainbow anarcho thelemic squatters have
already swarmed the place, refusing to budge
children have already been conceived
and in great numbers
locals say that a certain wafts of odor seem to overwhelm
a musky musk of electric ardor that swoons a breezy
enveloping tide
but such visions wane for the demographic umph died a long time ago
And then all that went silent and disappear
a news story
some sort of obsessions
something far from the maddening crowds
a silence of ruins
whose wings are open to fly
for to sky
but what ever happened to the ski’s up in the attic
was there an attic?
Skyclad and comely…..when the fucking neighbors turn off their flood lights!
Just a reminder that you can use the ‘Tag Cloud’ on the righthand side of each page to see a history of posts about particular subjects. For example, clicking on ‘Boleskine’ there takes you here:
https://www.lashtal.com/tag/boleskine/
Mysterious Universe: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2019/04/cursed-loch-ness-home-of-occultist-aleister-crowley-goes-up-for-sale/
While I appreciate his efforts to bring AC to the public and his enthusiasm for the work, I find his writing style disagreeable, his citations lacking, and his conclusions slapdash. I prefer the efforts of Marco Pasi, Henrik Bogdan, Richard Kaczynski and other, perhaps more thoughtful, academics. But, of course, that doesn’t prevent me from purchasing & reading (painful as that is) Churton’s works, nor from recommending them to those who I believe will enjoy them.
Nicely stated. I would only add that he’s an unbridled AC apologist as well. Barring output, he’s Kaczynski’s inferior every other way.
Good morning, Happy Easter!!!🙂
And the Thelemic holiday/ festivity of “Easter” is celebrated as…? (Should “Good Friday” and the Saviour’s return to life on the third day be included in this as well?)
Eggs-tatically yours,
Norma N Joy Conquest
Thankyou for pointing this out, Paul!
Can’t wait for VP Pence to weigh in on this!
Not sure why I should be happy about a group promoting mainstream normative culture under the guise of “satanism” getting labelled as a Church rather than a PAC. While they are amusing, we are in far more danger from Secular authorities than the attenuated vestiges of the Christian Religion. Hell, we are threatened more by Islamic religions than by Christianity.
Who is the publisher?
Strange Attractor Press
Strange Attractor has published a number of exciting works the past few years. And now this!
Just received a copy of the book I ordered via eBay from Liber-AL.com. Looks typically attractive for a Starfire publication. Looking forward to reading it, especially Christian Giudice’s essay on Gerald Massey’s influence on Kenneth Grant.
it will be interesting to see what they do with it.
yes, it is chock full of tasty treats!
Yes, as for “perhaps more thoughtful, academics”, the end of this yotube-video from the Workshop Thosophical Appropriations, held at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in 2013, contains interesting information about Sri Sabhapati Swami (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Sabhapati_Swami): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4Rsjq0BdUI&list=PLT1AcFHfC_XZZ6G2Vr5FdW90cdAT5QPC8&index=3 – – – The Integration of the Chakras into Theosophy -Karl BAIER
“Keith E. Cantú, a doctoral student in Religious Studies (South Asian religions with an additional emphasis in European medieval studies)”, provides more about Crowley and Sri Sabhapati Swami (from 14 minutes within) in the following youtube-video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnrak1JyEmM – – – HGR Episode 6: Keith Cantú […] Hieros Gamos Published on 14 Mar 2018
Here follows a hyperlink to Keith Cantú’s an academic conference paper titled Śrī Sabhāpati Swāmī: Forgotten Yogī of Western Esotericism: https://www.academia.edu/29691061/%C5%9Ar%C4%AB_Sabh%C4%81pati_Sw%C4%81m%C4%AB_Forgotten_Yog%C4%AB_of_Western_Esotericism
Star Sapphire Lodge has hosted “… Brother Keith Cantú for a discussion of the “Tantric Roots of Thelema: Fact and Fiction” on Sunday, December 16.” (Source: https://www.meetup.com/Star-Sapphire-Lodge/events/257158876/ – – – Sunday, December 16, 2018 Tantric Roots of Thelema: Fact and Fiction)
From the advance notice of this book:
“Churton shows how Vedantist and Advaitist philosophies, Hindu religious practices, yoga, and Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism informed Crowley’s spiritual system . . .”
On the face of it, Advaita might be considered a key component in Crowley’s “spiritual system”, particularly in the formulation 0=2. However, Crowley’s attitude to Advaita was a curious one: for instance, from Letter Five of ‘Magick without Tears’:, speaking of what he termed “The Monist (or Advaitist) school”:
“It seems to me that this doctrine is based upon a sorites of doubtful validity. To tell you the hideously shameful truth, I hate this doctrine so rabidly that I can hardly trust myself to present it fairly!”
Personally I find Crowley’s attitude to Advaita absurd, but there it is.
Mr. Staley,
I believe that a young Kenneth Grant was working as Crowley’s secretary at the time of the writing of the letters that became ‘Magick Without Tears”.? Perhaps. if so, then Crowley poke at Advaita might have something to do with conversations between the two.
I agree, Crowley’s attitude, in that quote is sad, but of course it is one of Mr. Grant’s great contributions concerned the relevant inclusion of the subject of
Advaita as relates to Thelemic occultism.
‘Macick without Tears’ was largely finished when Grant met Crowley for the first time in December 1944. He undertook to have the typescript copied for Crowley. Grant spent a weekend at ‘Netherwood’ a few weeks prior to his engagement as Secretary, and spent some time studying the Letters then.
At this time (1945) I think that Grant knew little of Advaita. He wasn’t really aware of Ramana Maharshi until a few months after his death, when he heard a programme broadcast on the BBC Home Service in the summer of 1950, ‘The Sage of Arunachala’. His interest in Advaita grew from then on, and climaxed into a major epiphany in June/July 1952 into the essential truth of Advaita.
I know what you mean, but I don’t find that quote by Crowley so much sad as inexplicable, especially given that 0=2 is at the heart of Thelema.
5
I must confess to being a bit disappointed. While it is an enjoyable tale of bibliomania, the layout is poor and the photographs low quality. This refers only to the 2019 3rd edition as I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing the first two.
And now seemingly definitely ‘under offer’:
https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/under-offer-fire-damaged-ruins-of-notorious-mansion-overlooking-loch-ness-178692/?fbclid=IwAR0xIzPJQ0_4eYnKc3rkoza6GzsezEoBF48KhGTnZZNsf7xlhZWi8YiFb74
Mr Staley, ~ Thanks for the note it is nice to have clarification regarding Mr. Grant and the writing of “Magick without Tears”
As regards speculation that Grant was not familiar with Advaita in 1945, I would have to concur, for thinking about this question, of Crowley’s attitude towards Advaita, I was wondering about how well know it was at this time. My thoughts were about what books were floating about on this subject?
Today their is a derisive label that is given as a prefix to Advaita, referring to the spawn of Ramana Maharshi as Neo-Advaita. Typhonians might defer to
Nu-Advaita, but that is another question.
Here upon the topic of Crowley’s aversion to Advaita, it might be posited, that the word Advaita had come to be associated with a certain type of “Hindu nationalism” that in a certain sense provides a challenge to the World Teacher project of Crowleys that predates ‘Magick Without Tears’
Perhaps Churton’s next continental offering might bring forth some intriguing perspectives. I have yet to get through Crowley in America, but I appreciate that he has opened up discussion concerning what Spence had identified in Secret Agent 666, which I have never read but at a glance,
would I think like to refer back to the Confessions for source material.
Speaking of Source Material….!!! Congratulations and Much Thanks for the long anticipated unpublished letters of Frater Achad,….”The Official and Unoffical writings…..”!
The essays by Michael Staley are excellent.
Agreed!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCP33RTu36Y&feature=youtu.be
Thank you, Paul and Chris, for your appreciative remarks. In the course of preparing the material on the origins of New Isis Lodge, I came across something that has opened up new vistas.
There will be more volumes like ‘Servants of the Star & the Snake’ in years to come, and I hope to continue collaboration with Henrik Bogdan.
5
Watch out for this mob. I paid via paypal for this issue to have a rad and maybe to continue to support them. No magazine has been delivered and they have no responded to emails. Its a pity.
I receive my copies via the Magzter app.
4.5
Would you know if there is more on the sides to this piece or is this all that has survived?
What creature is next to thoth the scribe ibis on the left?
The stars along in a line, what exactly do they portray I have seen those exact stars many many moons ago
why is there two aspects of thoth, the scribe and the ape?
by helping hand does that mean osiris actually determines the outcome?
what dynasty does this piece come from? I have never seen maet so teeny tiny before.
4
“Helping hand” is from Horus possibly assisting the outcome not Osiris. “Why is there two aspects of thoth, the scribe and the ape?” The second one is the Cynocephalus or “Ape of Thoth|”, who chatters nonsense instead of wisdom – and is a sort of Janus – reverse/mirror image “The stars along in a line”, maybe represents the course of a particular transit of some sort… The feather of Maat in the pan is very LIGHT – has to be!
4.5
Let us hope for the best. In the meantime, they spelled “approximately” incorrectly.
4.5
Yes, but it’s only approximately incorrect.
I am approximately cheered by the fact that they hope to restore this once-beautiful house . Hope it is done and with ‘business manner.’
like how can i join our community ???
4.5
More:
https://www.scotsman.com/heritage/followers-of-occultist-aleister-crowley-to-be-welcomed-back-to-his-former-highland-home-1-4957288?fbclid=IwAR288rQ1zeprYt9WgQrbdb38aEP0djfoDrSsLlGauuu7-CeY2qbouLi4B5o
A Tea Room, Visitor’s Centre & Gift Shoppe may already be on the drawing board! Have your National Trust/ Historic Scotland membership cards at the ready…
2.5
3.5
Purple beyond purple! (And is the hat supposed to match?)
Wouldn’t he also look just so pretty in pink?
Chromatically & couturerishly yours… from somewhere deep within The Twilight, I mean The Mauve Zone,
NormaN Joy Conquest
oh that’s wonderful news!
Now available in the UK from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O3oNFG
You have to read this
https://www.bebopo.biz/jimmy-page-william-burroughs/
The posting is more than seven years old, the original article from where it came about times as long as that, the original Led Zeppelin lineup played their last gig together nearly forty years ago. What is the reason therefore for the apparent urgency milford & Why does one “HAVE to read this”, moreover in French rather than the English language source itself?
nNJc
Detective Inspector Eddie Ross has confirmed that the police are investigating the fire. He says “Our inquiries are at an early stage, although our initial assessment is that this fire was started deliberately. We would encourage anybody may have seen any activity around Boleskine House or nearby to come forward as soon as they can. It should go without saying that deliberately setting fires is incredibly dangerous as you have limited control over how they may develop”.
“Anyone with information about this fire can contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident 3619 of July 31, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
— From the Facebook page of The Boleskine House Foundation
What the heck….
What the blazes?…
This is bad news. There is one good side to it: at least this second fire occurred before work has started to repair the house. If the house had been repaired and then there had been a fire it would have been a crushing blow.
It looks as if the new owners will have a security concern on their hands. It sounds to me as if there are nutcases around with a grudge against that house.
Crews tackled separate blazes in Boleskine House and the neighbouring coach house.
yeah buck stops there
I will sit back and wait to see if those were the areas that had already begun restoration at a cost to the pocket
Is the smell of insurance scam” wafting through the sir….?
How far is Boleskine from the nearest railway station?
Two alleged offenders arrested, apparently. Security staff now living on site.
It’s a shame that Christopher Josiffe’s name appears everywhere online (with regards to this book) as “Christopher Josiffre”.
Perhaps there is a spelling mistake in the book itself.
Josiffre sounds very cool, anyway: it reminds me of “Le Chiffre”.
Or ‘Louis Çifr’ (William Hjörtsberg’s ‘Falling Angel’), perhaps. Or, ‘Louis Cyphre’ in the movie version (‘Angel Heart’).
4.5
This excellent book has a full description at http://strangeattractor.co.uk/shoppe/lost-envoy/
“A true Initiate does not use powers to be better, wiser, more advanced […]”
No, s/he uses them to be worse off, more foolish & ignorant, and going backwards on the Path instead… I don’t think?
NNJC
Hi Jamie, good joke! 🙂 … read the whole blurb, better still read the book, you might find out what an initiate is. Have fun! W
I have tried reading Crowley’s early poetry, but like a lot of poetry from that time it often has a basis in Greek or Roman mythology. In order to understand it one has to learn the story of Halicarnassus’s spider and the Atlantean dog. Or something like that. I am afraid I am not willing to learn the backwaters of European myth just to understand a poem – so this book is not for me.
I am sure it is a good book, though.
I am confused. What does this offer that Volume One of the Collected Works does not? It has four poems, so there is less content, though there are about the same number of pages, so probably a larger typeface.
Why would I want this book? (I would post on FaceBook, but I left it a couple years ago.)
Hi Nexist!
As far as I know, the annotating and footnoting will add quite some info on the poetry and how it came to life, but of course there will be nothing new Crwoley-wise. Just like it will be with the nexet Kamuret book, The Sword of Song.
But how good it will really be? I don’t know, but I am quite sure it is not just another money-milking by printing copyright-free stuff. Chris Giudice seems to be a dedicated scholar and the fact the Richard Kaczynski of perdurabo fame is releasing his Sword of Song work through Kamuret press should also be quite telling.
If in doubt, wait for the first reviews.
Love=Law
Lutz
Well said, Lutz. This could well be the book I was always planning to write!
http://enfolding.org/book-review-early-poetic-works-by-aleister-crowley-edited-by-christian-giudice/
Review of Early Poetic Works, gives a fair idea of the book contents. Thanks for posting this in the news section, Paul.
My pleasure, @kamuretpress. I hope that one of the lucky buyers of the book will submit a Review to this site. I’m hearing good things about it…
Excellent! (aside from the winter 2020 release date)
Love=Law
Lutz
Great news! I will look forward to this one. I need to explore Killing Joke a bit more than I have done, there is so much music out there to listen to if you are open minded and unbiased. Thanks for the heads up.
likewise looking forward to this…I like the earlier orchestral work with Anne Dudley. Did Crowley know Alice Bailey or ever meet her? There is an Alice Bailey quote on the liner of the 1981 album Dweller on the Threshold by Francis Monkman…rock trivia fact of the day!
R.I.P. Mrs. Grant and thank you for your great contributions to life, art, and the occult.
R.i.p.Steffi Grant!
“There is joy in the setting-out; there is joy in the journey; there is joy in the goal.” (Liber XC/22)
ILYARUN +B+I+A+
Aum.Ha.
+
I first met Steffi Grant in the early 1980s. After Kenneth Grant’s death in 2011, I worked closely with her on the systematic republication of the Typhonian Trilogies. She was very generous in allowing me full access to Kenneth Grant’s papers, typescripts and correspondence, since her main concern after her husband’s death was to preserve and build on his legacy.
Steffi was born in Berlin on 1st December 1923 into a Jewish family, and they came to the UK as refugees shortly before the Second World War, being settled in London. She met Kenneth in 1941, and they married in 1946. Over the next few years Steffi produced a fantastic body of art, much of which was published in the nine volumes of the Typhonian Trilogies. She was also a very good writer, producing a marvellous Introduction to ‘Zos Speaks!’, which is powerfully evocative of both London in the late 1940s and 1950s, and Spare at the time she and Kenneth knew him. She also wrote several of the essays in the series of Carfax Monographs.
I miss this extraordinary woman enormously.
Thank you for sharing this Mr. Staley. My deepest condolences for the loss of your friend.
Thank you, frater121. She was an extraordinary person, and I miss her very much.
Apparently nobody has signed it yet. So I just did – seems like a good idea to me
I must say: I am generally unimpressed with Crowley’s influence on so much modern music. English Heretic delivered the goods with regards to Grant. Twink and Co. do the same here. This stuff is such a wonderful rocking interpretation. Big applause for this work!
The counter showed 81 signatures a few minutes ago.
I cannot see the point of this. I also can’t see much harm.
I won’t sign the petition though, because I think petitions are bad.
I can see a point. There are some people who want to carry out detailed research on the original manuscript. It’s not something which particularly interests me, but on the other hand there are all sorts of things which are of intense interest to me but leave others cold. I signed this petition on some Facebook page a few days ago. I don’t think petitions are bad, but each to his own, Alan.
There’s an interesting interview with Jaz in the current (January 2020) edition of ‘Mojo’.
“The discovered cachet included hundreds of diversified objects…”
You would expect Egyptians not to make this mistake. What was discovered was a “cache”.
I have cachet, but I do not have a cache.
Theres a museum dedicated to mumified cats in downtown Luxor. Fascinating.
93 All… Um, I did sign it and I do fully support the publishing of color scans of Liber XXXI but I did not start the petition… Usually I avoid them as especially in this case it doesn’t matter how many desire it or would be willing to produce it. It is not up for a popular vote.
I would dearly LOVE to have this manifested… I can still recall the sensation of actually *holding* the manuscript in my hands… it is only a matter of time, may it happen in my lifetime!
Love is the law, love under will.
Apologies… Post was worded (by Bathsheba Ashe) as published. Now fixed.
“The text of all 30 aethyrs is set to an original synthesizer backing track, encompassing over 6 hours of words and music.”
Is there an option for listening to this ‘audiobook’ format of The Vision and The Voice/Liber 418, with the original synthesizer backing track turned off? That is, can this audiobook be listened to in a way where only the words are audible?
Reply from threefold31(@threefold31): “Dwtw
OT but not worth a new thread. The answer is no, it is not possible to hear the words without the music. Seven Ravens material uses music because I find plain spoken word to be somewhat boring. But that’s because I’m a musician. YMMV.
Litlluw
RLG” (Source: ‘Is that really a “G” in “ALGMOR”?’ – – – https://www.lashtal.com/forums/thelema/is-that-really-a-g-in-algmor/paged/4/#post-102687 )
This grossly overpriced “pamphet” is another attempt by Richard Cole to earn a living out of Aleister Crowley’s memory. Avoid
I checked with Lulu, the printer (not the publisher) to see what a 68-pahe, premium paperback, B&W text, color over, costs to make/manufacture. The answer, in USA size and currency is $2.90. By contemporary book-pricing standards, this would mean a retail list price of $11.60.
Mr Cole is listing this book at $8.85, and currently offers a 30% discount to arrive at a current net price of $6.20 – plus Shipping, but Shipping is wholly (holy?) Lulu’s cost/fee. This is not “grossly overpriced,” and I will eat my hat and coat if he is an example of “earning a living out of Aleister.” Since Aleister’s name appears in the book title, there is still room for viewing Richard as “riding on Crowley’s coat-tails,” but monetary gain in larger amounts than a single sip at the local pub is not one of his sins.
No, it’s not money that is the key factor here. It is the content, plus the revelation of an alleged super-secret (coming next year) and its validity in terms of uniqueness and practicality, that everything rests upon. And everyone has to wait for the trilogy to be published before any final verdict can be made.
It’s a sad, sad picture. Boleskine has started to resemble Cefalu. I think a rich Thelemite needs to take it over from secular hands.
indeed – it is always a good idea for a rich someone else to do … something.
in the interim – one can subscribe/donate at the above links.
I am sad to say that my budget does not stretch to donating money to dilapidated British stately homes. I have some repairs that I need to fix at my own house first.
NOTE TO SELF: Come back later and add gofundme links asking people to pay for house repairs.
I received my copy of this a few days ago and I am still reading through it. I am not overly impressed.
I am glad to hear you are okay. You are doing the right thing.
If I were to die now (which is NOT likely) then all my books would be chucked in a huge bin. I am also thinking of selling them off in my own way.
You’re acknowledged once again Paul!:
“…Other helpful sources of ideas and information include LAShTAL, the remarkable website of the Aleister Crowley Society, run so ably by Paul Feazy…”
Now available online: http://www.weiserantiquarian.com/catalogues.php
Nice reframing of the facts.
Ouch!
And more: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rubble-from-aleister-crowleys-boleskine-house-sold-at-49-a-bag-jfb72hvjh?fbclid=IwAR07yOzKGMYsUrSivZOO1LyAhoenovXH55C7L-1MMX18wzkG6U84jRbC4vE
[MODERATOR’S NOTE: This Comment has been deleted due to potentially libellous content…]
That’s a very serious accusation, Marco. I trust you have evidence to support it?
[MODERATOR’S NOTE: This Comment has been deleted due to potentially libellous content…]
Based on the inter-university match of 1898 and a few other games I’ve seen notated, Crowley appeared to favor the king’s pawn opening (which we can ascertain from the 1898 article by realizing the French defense can only by played against 1.e4). If I had to make an informed guess, his response to Churchill’s French defense would be Nc3 or even Nf3. This is unsurprising, and maybe I hoped his preferred openings were as arcane as his other interests, but oh well. When playing black, he has been demonstrated to use the Taimanov variation of the open Sicilian, and the unexciting Petrov’s defense. He seemed to rely on knights to develop his game.
I can admire someone who takes the norm and plays it straight better than most, but we must consider it ironic that such a unique and pioneering mind was so orthodox in chess strategy.
Hi djedi,
Aleister had a few favourite openings which i can say for sure one was retis opening and another he liked was evans gambit i am able to confirm this as i am in possession of his personal chess book, he made notes and references to openings and games, the book was written by Dr S Tarrach
Her art was such an inspiration to me. My sincere love goes out to her family and friends.
I saw this at the time of broadcast, and thought it a lovely portrait. The woman talking about the drawing and the artist was clearly enthusiastic about Spare’s work, and I thought her appreciative remark about the way that Spare drew eyes was spot on. I alsdo thought her estimate of the value a good one; she was giving the value not for what she thought it would sell for, but the likely estimate that an auction house such as Christies or Sothebys would assign as a starter to prompt the bidding.
It seems that Spare was one of those artists who was not possessive about his art, and gave it freely away to his subjects. This characteristic can make artists the focus of forgers, but this has not happened to Spare. He does not attract big money and he takes great skill to imitate. It would be more profitable for a forger to make another Samuel Palmer.
Unfortunately there are some forgeries around, Alan. Poor and sad examples turn up from time to time on ebay. As you say, though, none of them manage his exuberance of line.
This is a very generous offer. Many thanks.
I will happily publish a member’s review of this new book.
I’d certainly like to have this, although I think it will be very similar to The Secret School of Wisdom which I found a bit dry. The English Illuminati, however, had input from both Dr William Wynn Westcott and Theodore Reuss, so it was probably very different to the 1780s version.
The book is £30, by the way, which isn’t too bad.
Have a copy on order from Lewis Masonic and look forward to reading it. Also ordered some books about the Knight Templars, and copies of The Square independent Masonic magazine, with interesting articles on Royal Arch, P.G. Wodehouse, UNO and more. I bought a copy some years ago, with the main front page and article inside about how Masonic and fraternal orders were suppressed in Nazi Germany (the occult Thule Society was also banned despite funding the DAP and its successor the Nazi Party in the 1920s).
\it is the first time I have seen that architectural drawing of the front of Boleskine House.
That is modern, I suppose.
Keith & Kyra Readdy are mentioned in today’s Sunday Times (London). They are mentioned in an article about Boleskine.
You’ll have to search form it yourself. I cannot breach the famous pay wall. Perhaps someone else can.
Already referred to here: https://www.lashtal.com/row-over-house-that-belonged-to-jimmy-page-and-aleister-crowley-the-times/
Interesting article, thank you for sharing.
I find I often come back to the letter Crowley wrote the 10-year-old Ataturk just after he first met him — which was not long before he died. It is particularly revealing in regards what Crowley considered important for a child’s education. I will share it here for anyone who hasn’t seen it:
My Dear Son,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
This is the first letter that your father has ever written to you, so you can imagine that it will be very important, and you should keep it and lay it by your heart.
First of all, let me tell you how intensely happy your reappearance has made me. I feel that I must devote a great deal of my time to watching over your career. I was very pleased to hear that you had decided to learn to read, and that, of course, means learning to write. A word of warning about this. In these last years, children have been taught to write script, as they call it, which is a very bad thing. You must write in such a way that it impresses your personality on the reader.
On top of that I wanted to tell you something about yourself. One of your Ancestors was Duke of a place called La Querouaille in Brittany, and came over to England with the Duke of Richmond, who was the original heir to the English throne, to help him turn out the usurper, known to history as Richard III. Since then, our family has made its mark on the world on several occasions, though never anything very brilliant. Now, I want you to take this very seriously. I want you to be very proud of yourself for belonging to such a family. Owing to the French Revolution and various other catastrophes, the Dukedom is no longer in existence legally, but morally it is so, and I want you to learn to behave as a Duke would behave. You must be high-minded, generous, noble, and, above all, without fear. For that last reason, you must never tell a lie, for to do so shows that you are afraid of the person to whom you tell it, and I want you to be afraid of nobody. I think that is all about now.
Now with regard to your education. I want particularly to insist on learning Latin, and I will give my reasons. Firstly, anyone who knows Latin gains a greater command of and understanding of the English language than he would otherwise possess. He will be able to reason out for himself the meanings of words with which he is unfamiliar. Secondly, if you are well-grounded in Latin, you are halfway to a knowledge of French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, for all these languages, as well as English, are derived from Latin. Thirdly, the most important of all, much of the unconscious part of your mind has been formed by the writing of Latin and Greek authors. This implies that you should also learn a certain amount of Greek. One of the wisest men of olden time gave this instruction to his pupils: “Know thyself,” and learning Latin helps you to do this for the reason I have already explained above. I regard this as very important indeed. There are a great many people going about today who tell you that Latin is no use to you in the ordinary affairs of life, and that is quite true if you are going to be some commonplace person like a tradesman or a bank clerk. But you are a gentleman, and if you want to be an educated gentleman, you must know Latin.
There is another matter that I want to put before you. It will be a very good plan if you learn to play chess. For one thing, it is a very good training for the mind, and, for another, it is the only game, of all the games worth playing, which lasts you throughout your life. You can get as much pleasure out of it when you are 60 as when you are 20.
I think that is all I have to say to you today, and I shall expect you to manage somehow to write me an answer. You see, much of the time we shall not be able to communicate face to face, and there will be a good many questions that you will want to ask me, which you cannot do unless you write good English.
That reminds me. There is one more point that I want to impress to you. The best models of English writing are Shakespeare and the Old Testament, especially the Book of Job, the Psalms and Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon. It will be a very good thing for you to commit as much as you can both of these books and the best plays of Shakespeare to memory, so that they form the foundation of your style. In writing English, the most important quality that you can acquire is style. That makes all the difference to anyone who reads what you write, whether you use the best phrases in the best way. You will have to devote some time to grammar and syntax, and also to logic. Logic is the science and the art of using words, and it teaches you to think correctly without making blunders in reasoning, which nowadays everyone is liable to do just because they have not got the training which I am proposing to give you.
Now, my dear son, I will close this long letter in the eager hope you will follow my advice in all respects.
Love is the law, love under will.
Your affectionate father.
Who would have thought that Cephalu would one day be a more desirable residence than Boleskine?
Thanks for sharing this, I never would have known!
A friend, who was in the book business, used to recount being consistently outbid by a representative of Mr. Page’s, with a seemingly unlimited funds, at auctions in London back in the 70’s…I am sure there are a number of gems to be indexed…
Suffice to say Al was not a fan… with a ever a ready barrage of spicy derisive verbal cavalcades, soto voce grumbled upon those whom might interfere with his livelihood…to which the democratization of the book biz by Amazon represented the penultimate affront…he did though characterize the seventies around memories of the bloussom shiksas bouncing in emblazoned tee shirts bearing the baloonaged hype rock band’s stigmata to be worthy of further envious appreciation as he was like an robert crumb come to life where the soundtrack was more zappa beef heart upon full reverie of having seen the great jazz pantheon of schwartza full blown genius in tiny clubs…bibliophilic tastes were of the weird of which Crowley was basically of a ‘registered’ status and worthy of hefty markups rather than personal predilections…
Thanks to Paul for posting this. The Magical Revival is the first title in a programme of bring all the volumes of the Typhonian Trilogies back into print. The next reprint will be Outside the Circles of Time, and thereafter we shall work through sequentially from Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God onwards.
Whilst the programme of reprints is under way, we shall also be publishing new material, such as the first volume of The Selected Letters of Kenneth Grant, and a collection of unpublished essays from the 1950s. There will be more information in subsequent announcements.
Beautiful news.
Excellent news indeed.
Congratulations on finally getting some softcovers out too! That will increase circulation exponentially, one would imagine?
Looking forward to the letters/essays!
Still digging into Aeon of Maat. Very deep and great introduction so far.
I was going to say he reminded me of Alan Moore, but Alan’s beard and hair are huge and Save-the-Pencil’s is scraggly and he barely has a pony tail.
I like comics a lot though.
I shall look into the Penci’s.
I like hand drawn work.
Interesting!
Any publication date guestimate?
Have they thought of opening it? IMO this story is a load of hooey.
I tend to agree, but at least someone bothered to submit it as a news item here – and that’s rare these days…
its bollocks. i read a thread about it on ATS a week or so ago. I think that’s where the owner posted. Above Top Secret: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread1271884/pg1
I recall some stoners who did this to try and pass piss tests.
And if he didn’t want the ‘witches’ to get his urine for ‘spells’ why wouldn’t he just put it in the loo and flush like normal? Did these ‘witches’ have access to the sewers?
Whenever I am on here British slang comes in my head. oh well. 😀
YouTube talk show host Kev Baker went to visit the house in the recent past and felt it necessary to have an exorcism performed on himself afterwards. Shook him up, the visit, I mean.
Can you give me a link to Kev Baker’s podcast?
is there any known evidence that Jimmy Page “reportedly conclud[ed] that there were ‘bad vibes’ [at Boleskine]”? There seems to be a wrong note being struck, somewhere.
NormaN Joy Conquest
Exactly as I had foreseen it.
Awww, goodbye old bean…..
Personally, I would prefer E. Wallis Budge’s book of learning Egyptian hieroglyphics. He is old school, but I am comfortable with his works. Although modern Egyptologists tend to look down on him, and still like his books and translations.
ERRATUM: I still like his (Budge) books and translations.
I checked out the site. I was not impressed. If there anything I hate it’s cartoon characters explaining things to me. This site might fine for kids, but that’s about it. Who wants a birthday greeting written in Hieroglyphs? Lame.
This is a really good idea. I can imagine this being a popular holiday destination for all the planet’s Thelemites and Crowleyites, as well as various Satanists, Abramelinists, exorcists, ghost-hunters, parapsychologists, oddballs, do-gooders, wack-jobs and freaks.
More information here:
https://www.lashtal.com/forums/crowley-clippings/boleskine-house-up-for-planning-approval-tomorrow/#post-113703
Finally!
Funny enough it’s rare to even find a band that references Crowley in other than a superficial pop culture sense.
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Five months of dead silence. I shall now stop looking forward to this as I have the annotated diaries and confessions.
New York times review: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/22/books/review/a-world-beneath-the-sands-toby-wilkinson.html
Thanks for this Paul. I’m going to read it. I would’ve already except that I read ‘Breaking The Mirror Of Heaven’ by two Egyptian authors which covers the same ground & takes it up to 2013 or so. I’m looking forward to a deeper dive.
Thanks Paul for the hint. I am not through yet, but a great book so far. And also for the other title, Horekhmat, sounds intriguing, ordered…
Such a Feast….All courses included!
And the art of bookmaking comes to the fore to present content so deserving!
Much Thanks!
Excellent news! Just in time-for the next Christmas lockdown.
Preordered. Been waiting for this. Tobias said in an interview that this will be the last one. He has already done more for the scholarship surrounding AC than most, & if ‘this is it’ then so mote it be, but I can’t help but think that a volume devoted to The Mediterranean & Environs would really be the capstone to his AC adventure series.
I will be getting this in hopes of new drops of information and anecdotes, but I do have to parrot would I said in the forums, that the scholarship is good, but these series are so dry its almost like reading citations for the most part.
I dreamt of this last night. Looking forward to seeing the Table of Contents….
I now have what doctors refer to as an os aquaticum, a watering mouth. Can’t wait. Thanks for the great news!
Great!!
The fonts, as sigils, makes it look like the C is eating the H…oh my!
As the C is part of AC….then AC (where have I heard that combo before?) interfering with the H of AD….might speak of father son relationships…maybe spoken of in introductory essays….
Imagination run riot, I see!
I’ve preordered a copy and am look forward to reading it, especially His last days in Hastings, where I have travelled to a few times over the years.
I wonder if any of his writings about the Universal Brotherhood. It was a very secret society.
One of the volumes in the series will include unpublished essays etc., and thus may include some material he wrote for the U.B.
Great news indeed! What a beautiful place with beautiful people! Highly recommended!
The series of volumes – collected, edited and annotated by Henrik Bogdan – will be issued by Starfire Publishing. The first volume comprises QBL or the Bride’s Reception, The Egyptian Revival, and The Anatomy of the Body of God, and is set for publication this coming Autumn. Further information as to the contents is available on the Starfire Publishing website, and more information will be added as the work nears completion.
http://www.starfirepublishing.co.uk/Achad_Major_Works.htm
just when i thought it was safe to put my wallet away….
I agree. The book sounds VERY good by a talented writer.
The cover shows Regent Street. The Cafe Royal is on the right, the Great Beast would have live on the left at Jermyn Street.
indeed i have enjoyed Phil Baker’s books in the past and find his style quite pleasant.
Great news. I have been to Christina Oakley’s “Crowley’s London” speech 20 years ago and there are soooo many good London stories about him! Very much looking forward to this.
Looks very interesting. I’ve just pre-ordered a copy from Amazon (UK). I have been to meetings and talks held by the retro 1920s/1930s New Sheridan Club at the Wheatsheaf in London, and their newsletter says that AC and the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas frequented the public house on occasion…
Thanks for the heads-up, Paul. Preordered. With this & Tobias’s new volume it’ll be a merry Crowleymas in 2021!
I was wondering, how many books have Tobias Churton written about Crowley.
The ones I have read are very good. They must be a sizeable box set.
I was interested in this mag, but I followed the links and seems like a dead end.
I’m hoping the picture, I mean the picture of a dozen copies of the mag on some granite, looks like a very thin magazine, and is only a mockup.
From the site:
Issue 2 Features:
I’m just finishing up my first read through of this book. That’s how I found this website
Hi. Is there anywhere this can be bought if they’re in the UK? I am very interested to get this!
https://www.lashtal.com/forums/for-sale-and-wanted/where-does-one-find-this-edition-of-the-holy-books-outside-of-finland-sweden-and-norway/#post-117623
Yes, thank you, already noted and ordered a copy!
An interesting collection.
Pre-ordered! Excellent opportunity to reacquaint myself with this work, it has been quite a while.
If you are in London, Skinner will be presenting the book at Watkins on AC’s Lesser Feast later this year.
https://watkinsbooks.com/event/stephen-skinner-aleister-crowleys-four-books-of-magick/
This guy has been lambasting AC for a couple decades now at every opportunity.. I suppose that a few of his former books have not been selling as well as he hoped.
Just to reiterate my standing offer to any LAShTAL member visiting Berlin. Feel free to get in contact and we can arrange a walking tour of Crowley’s haunts in the city.
Well it appears Skinner now gets to squeeze some blood out of AC. I look forward to the reviews of this edition but I don’t see any reason to be excited yet.
Just for clarity – the film does not yet exist, only a script. The filmmakers will be pitching this to the money men to tempt them into loosening their purse strings. But let us hope it gets made!
Sounds great. I keep my fingers crossed.
I see the current Amazon listing shows a page count that has dropped to 748 pages rather than 928.
What’s gone, I wonder – The Equinox of the Gods? So it’s Book Three now?
Great News!
not to be confused with Carfax – the service
https://www.carfax.eu
https://kamuret.com/pre-orders-open/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mPTmC5mbRo
and so it begins….
I had high hopes for this production of Liber ABA. As it is, the Blue Brick edition remains the definitive edition as it is clearly superior in every respect.
Does Mr. Skinner consider the addition of a few columns (to the ones published in Liber DCCLXXVII) a remarkable achievement?
His introduction is all over the place, alas, full of info that is rather non relevant, the only thing that could compare favourably with the Blue Brick is the frontispiece.
But the truly annoying element of this edition are editor’s footnotes, not all of them, to be sure, but definitely most of them.
They are, it seems, an opportunity for Mr. S. to transform himself into this grandiose authority on Magick so he can criticize AC.
All he manages to display in this manner is his profound superficiality, even ignorance, proving he does not really understand the subject.
The mores change, the mother science and art of Magick does not, but the editor would have us believe that the field has been revolutionized many times over since AC’s death. Thus, he tells his readers about the recent developments, the freshly won insights, feeling sorry for poor old Aleister Crowley who, alas, simply didn’t have access to all the various manuscripts that have been discovered and published since.
His editorial “tour de force” is stamped with a proper oddity – the title of the book! Why on earth substitute the perfectly adequate “Liber IV vel ABA” with the monstrous “Aleister Crowley’s Four Books of Magick”? A shame indeed.
But at least the basic structure conforms to the original edition and idea, Thus the manuscript of Liber AL vel Legis sub figura CCXX, i.e. Liber XXXI, is where it should be, in Part 4, crowning the Opus. Also available are all other Thelemic texts that comprise Book Four.
Thus, and despite everything, this book is still a magical item, even as envisioned by its author, the anniversary of whose Greater Feast was celebrated yesterday.
AL II: 79.
Indeed it does, @williamthirteen – and the end of the beginning will be the official opening of the Precinct of Montu…
Dwtw
Note at the head of the procession is the cult image of Amun.
Yet another sign of the arrival of the MA(I)ON.
Litlluw
RLG
Surprised that the publication of this excellent work in Kindle and Apple Books format more than a month ago has generated so little comment…
The last couple books I’ve opted for the hardcover. Should have it soon. It was delayed. I could write a review, but then I’ve been thinking that I’d need to review the whole series, & of course now Tobias has announced that there will be another book after this! I get you, though, in that it’s weird there is not more discussion here over this. I concluded that many of the forum haven’t actually read the books! It’s an extraordinary situation. I mean Richard T Cole simply has to fart & they rush in with pages upon pages arguing with each other, whilst actual scholarship with facts seems untoward.
Mine arrived finally yesterday!
According to Amazon, publication is now delayed until June 2022.
Fantastic pair of interviews. Very much appreciated.
What a great film! Gratitude to Carl and Kenneth for this wonderful work! Insightful, delightful and inspiring! I found Kenneth’s words to be very applicable to fields outside of film. Toward the end of the interview, there are many statements which not only express Anger’s perspective but empower the artist in any medium going forward into our turbulent times. Really a great production and I truly enjoyed watching this. Thank you!
Having had the immense pleasure of touring Egypt on a cruise up the Nile back in 1992 I was excited to hear about the New Grand Egyptian Museum. However, having walked the same halls of the Cairo Museum of Antiquities that Aleister Crowley walked, was the highlight of my visit. I hope to return to Egypt one day.
There must be some truth in the concept of Magic(K) being infused in Kenneth Anger’s films. A friend of my made a video copy of both “The Invocation of my Demon Brother” (With tonalities by Mick Jagger) and “Lucifer Rising” that had a soundtrack composed and performed by the infamous Bobby Beausoleil, a convicted murderer and Manson groupie. I watched both films over and over. The scene of Anger conducting one of the Eleusinian rituals makes the whole short film worthwhile. Sadly, the Youtube version of these films do not have the original soundtracks. Totally ruining the films for me as music is as much a tool of Magic(K) as any other medium. Both of these films are haunting and unforgettable.
Excellent!
Ordered also. I find Churtons books to be excellent.
“A few weeks later, after contracting typhoid from drinking spring water, Loveday’s body was cremated on a funeral pyre.”
so dramatic! and wrong…
My friend “Giulia Eone”, the pseudonym of the Italian author of “Il Ritorno di Aleister Crowley” (“The Return of Aleister Crowley”) tells me she wants to start a project to restore the Abbey of Thelema in Cefalù, Sicily, Italy. The Boleskine House Foundation are doing a grand job of fundraising and physically restoring Boleskine House in Foyers in Scotland, as we speak, and their journal is an interesting read.
Unto them from whose eyes the veil of life hath fallen may there be granted the accomplishment of their true Wills; whether they will absorption in the Infinite, or to be united with their chosen and preferred, or to be in contemplation, or to be at peace, or to achieve the labour and heroism of incarnation on this planet or another, or in any Star, or aught else, unto them may there be granted the accomplishment of their wills; yea, the accomplishment of their wills. AUMGN. AUMGN. AUMGN.
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Probably a useful companion book, also by Churton: Occult Paris: The Lost Magic of the Belle Époque (978-1620555453).
Well the handwriting is interesting as it provides an example of AC’s handwriting in a different context than Liber Legis to which only via some study do peculiar common characteristics seem to bleed through….
Thanks!
The Forums and Downloads are now working.
Thelemica Geographica is now working.
The Galleries are now online and working.
May all the gods and goddesses bless and keep you, and eol ,for all your work in keeping us going for all these years.
I have not donated in a while, and will do so by year’s end. I hope you are both well and happy.
I’ve been on the quiet side for a bit but will echo Ignant’s words here. Big appreciation and thanks for so much that could easily be taken for granted, day after day, year after year!
Berlin extends its gratitude as well!
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Many thanks for the kind words. As always, let me know if anything is still broken.
Many, but not all, people’s avatars have vanished with the new update
Not even a passing reference to where the name Oliver Haddo originally came from?
Just noted that the Dutch Wikipedia article on John Symonds ends with the sentence: “Door het Mitrochin-archief, de papieren die de Russische archivaris Vasili Nikititsj Mitrochin meesmokkelde naar het westen, werd John Symonds ontmaskerd als spion voor de Sovjet-Unie en Rusland.”
Translation: Through the Mitrochin Archive – the papers smuggled to the West by Vasili Nikititsj Mitrochin – John Symonds was exposed as a spy for the Soviet Union and Russia.
Is that true?
I hadn’t heard that previously and suspect the editor of that page has confused ‘our’ John Symonds with another: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Alexander_Symonds
Nice! Waiting for his book to come out.
Looking forward to this. It was quite something, these images coming to light after languishing for decades in the archives of The Magic Circle.
I look forward to the facsimile cards. I have seen the deck reproduced in its entirety in the book, Lost Envoy, which is printed on high-class paper.
The book has scans of the deck. In the future I’ll have my own physical version of the deck. I’ll see the deck in real life. I wonder what happens when groups of cards come together.
BTW, a happy Crowleymas to everyone in the Universe.
Amazing! Leave it to OAS to take tarot to the next level. His profound understanding of symbolism and his talent in art and its connection to the unconscious mind is really on full display in these card designs.
This is being kickstarter funded and ends in 29 days. It still needs about $10k . It’s ‘all or nothing’
I’ve only just gotten around to reading through this after getting it on publication. After reading a few of Skinner’s comments I had to start looking at other reviews to see if he was having a laugh. Seems Mr Grumpy Pants isn’t. Oh well. I really only bought it so I could read in bed and still breathe, so I’ll be ignoring his hateful snippets of brute force ignorance. Unless… they might help me sleep.
Sounds very interesting, and I look forward to seeing it. I love the front cover drawing,
Excellent – so glad I saw this and could order in time.
Order? How?
I only see the News about the kickstarter.
OH! It made it’s goal! Nice!
$129,079
pledged of $114,653 goal
I just googled…link below, still some time to order 🙂
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/strangeattractoruk/austin-osman-spare-occult-tarot-deck-and-book
Without a doubt, Gerald Gardner is one of the most fascinating characters of the Witchcraft revival and neo-Paganism in general in England. In fact, he with some assistance from Aleister Crowley is the Grand Old man of Wicca having basically invented it and based on ancient Celtic lore and the knowledge of the “Wise” men and women ancient and Medieval England. I had the pleasure of once owning a first edition of his book, Witchcraft Today” Published in 1954. (No dust jacket unfortunately) Over the years, I have sold-off the better part of my occult library. It is great to see his wise goat-like face once again in a current setting.
“Cultic Crowleyanity”? Yikes!
“The ritual of the crows”? Which is what “Rituale Corvorum” is in English- why only one ritual (when the book is said to contain “Official rituals” plural), and multiple crows? Cannot recall any mention of any crows at all in any AC/A.’. A.’. rituals.
Many red flags in even this super-brief 35-word description
I was intrigued for about 10 seconds, until I noticed the lack of mention of specific details on the contents. The page has no more information on that than this post does. I certainly wouldn’t pay $80 for a book that I know next to nothing about the contents of, let alone have no idea what the title even refers to in the context of what it claims to contain.
And not just “Cultic Crowleyanity”, but ” Containing the Common Ceremonial and Codified Conduct of Cultic Crowleyanity” Someone likes the letter C a lot.
Someone has a sense of humor.
It’s an excellent collection, very well printed and bound, and I have only found one typo so far.
Good to know.
Could you share some idea of the contents?
Table of Contents:
A good selection. While I appreciate a nice, well made, pretty book, would this hold any value for someone who already has experience with these selections?
The joy of book collecting is often just the design and beauty of the book, it doesn’t have to have a utilitarian value.
I am aware of that, and I appreciate a lovely book. I just wanted to know if it would be a useful book as well.
I am more concerned with the blurb than the term “Cultic Crowleyanity”. I did find a description elsewhere that gave me a page count of 300+ pp, but no table of contents nor assurance that it isn’t some cheaply made book being sold at high prices.
indeed, i can recommend their stilton!
Awesome article! Where I live in Ohio, Amish farms and stores are very plentiful, and of course they sell homemade cheeses, sausages and bakery products. On the subject of Crowley and Fleming, is it possible that the forged Horoscope magazines written in German that contained subtle messages about Germany’s defeat were thought of by them? If they worked for British Black Ops , it is possible. Also, forged Nostradamus books of prophecy that hinted at Hitler’s defeat. Ironically, Nostradamus who was Jewish was utilized by Josepf Goebbels. There is a long-standing rumor that when Rudolph Hess made his bizarre flight to England, when captured wanted to speak with Aleister Crowley.
As to cheeses for Xmas: of course, because Cheese Is Christ! [homonym for “Jesus Christ” in NY accent for all you foreigners]
It’s “Cheese and crackers” And it is not a NY thing. Not everything is about NY.
“Cheese and crackers” does not sound remotely like “Jesus Christ” in any accent, so i’m confused here.
How does “cheese” sound like “Jesus”? “Jeez” sounds like Jesus. Which I guess is similar to Cheese” or Jesus. Is that what your NY accent sounds like? Then yeah, I guess it does. My bad.
“Cheese Is” = “Jesus”
And that Sparkenhoe Shropshire Blue is particularly godlike-looking. Yum.
I thought this place looked wonderful but as a Wisconsinite, I will be hard pressed to pine for cheeses not within a stone’s throw. We have it all. But, with a fond remembering of the first time I read Regardie’s Legend of AC (and specifically the back and forth between Chesterton and a Young Beast), I’ll link here to Chesterton doing Milton (with a tip of the hat to William Thirteen’s preferences). To quote Robyn Hitchock: “Somebody sound the Cheese Alarm!”
https://chestertonian.com/2016/03/28/the-poet-and-the-cheese/comment-page-1/
I love all kinds of cheeses.
So much so that despite my fit .fittish. physique my cholesterol is high that I can say
Dear Kyle
Americans nor Finnish can make a Gouda for shit.
Thank God our import system is still working.
Likewise, try making an amazing port salut etc in Wisconsin. You are insane lol
Said with much love
I once had the idea and did two drafts of making a Bandes Dessines of an affineur or cheese maker and he had a mouse side kick and his little basement cave to age the cheese in. Across the street was a big mega Supermarket and they would plot ways to bring them down
I love cheese too! What’s your favorite?
The author fails to understand that a Magus has no power to influence external events, such as living in Hastings (or not) – because he has given all that up in order to make changes at a higher level.
This is indeed an interesting coincidence. Over the Newyear’s weekend I was researching the rumor of Edison’s having discussed designing a, EVP machine to record the voices of the dead. I found several interesting articles about Edison by searching the historical newspaper database of the Library of Congress website. Edison theorized that a hyper-sensitive receiver could (He emphasized “could”) pick up disembodied voices. This was in the 1920s and Edison was quite old by that time. The story sounds very entertaining, if not extremely far-fetched (That is why it is science fiction fantasy and alternate history) I doubt if the real Edison and Tesla would have had the time or inclination to associate with Aleister Crowley. But who knows, they might have met at some swanky hotel bar and had few drinks.
Although not a recent post, it is still very cool. Weiser is fun to browse through, not just for Crowleyanity but the occult in general.
Important book, I ordered my copy!
Great news!
Not a good writer? Read The Gems from the Equinox, and his wit and sense of humor is on full display. And no one can tell a story like Crowley could.
Now available from Amazon.
who is the author of the article?
The late Dean Ballinger.
Please note that Snuggly Books has also published ‘The Whirlpool’ by Ethel Archer.
Perique only grows in one area of the planet in St. Parish, Louisiana. As a former pipe smoker, a friend of mine, another Crowley enthusiast told me about it. So, I purchased a small tin from the local smoke shop. I can’t say I liked it, bites too hard. But I can see its appeal, it is very robust. I know Crowley recommended tobacco as an “incense” suitable for work. Currently I smoke cigars, (Churchills) another Crowley pastime.
I attempted to download the PDF of Richard Coles Thelema Revisited, but it was not on the list of PDF’s. Has it been taken down?
Based on this resurrected book review, the book is now in English, and I just ordered a copy from ebay. Vert good review, I’m sold.
Did you read it?
And for another podcast interview:
https://sittingnow.co.uk/episode-81-aleister-crowley-in-paris-with-tobias-churton/
The Wernher von Braun reference is just an attempt to add some moral outrage irony to the fact that yes, Professor Braun was an honorary member of the SS, and a former Nazi party member, as were the other German scientists involved in Rocketry. (Otto Rahn for example). This fact was NOT swept under the cover of “the rocket’s red glare.” He was controversial at the time and had to be “de-Nazified”. You forget to mention that the Soviets also had ex-Nazi scientists working for them.
I guess having a good ghost story around a historic building can bring in the tourists. Just like the Gettysburg battlefield ghost tours. Why would there have been beheadings at the house? Were they judicial beheadings, or murder? Is there any historical or documented proof that a church was there and burned to the ground with parishioners? Even medieval townships kept public records. What was the wizard’s name? If he is buried in consecrated soil, he could not have been a known practitioner of the Black Arts.
Check out an interview with author Richard C. McNeff on You Tube, “About Aleister Crowley MI6 The Hess Solution”. Of course, there is no real evidence that Crowley ever actually debriefed Hess. It is all based on a letter Crowley wrote offering his services in interrogating Hess. Mr.McNeff simply saw this angle as a great “What if” Espionage/occult story. The You Tube interview is only a week old. Obviously, this was a promotional gimmick aimed at anyone interested in preordering the book.
Awesome! I loved reading The Illuminatus! Trilogy. Wilson’s writings are like a roller coaster of characters, insights, and absorbing story telling. If anyone can dissect .and analyze the enigma that was Aleister Crowley, it would be Wilson.
My thanks to Michael Bloom for this link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiMGuUnXCrqELwXACip7bIQ
Well, I for one, am sad to learn of the death of Bill Heidrick. He had a legendary history, of course, but I only first had any contact with him in March to May of this year. I had been translating sections of the Kabbala Denudata from the jpgs which he had put online sometime ago and wanted to ask his permission to include some of them with my text, in the possible event that it ever got published. He was slow to respond and apologised for the fact that he had been busy “whacking weeds” among other things. Anyway, he was friendly, helpful and informative, and gave his permission. Discovered that we had an old mutual interest in the work of H P Lovecraft when I sent him a recent essay of mine and in return he sent me a pdf of Derleth’s The Shuttered Room and Other Tales. Shame that we will not get to update the correspondence.
See also the initial announcement: Austin Osman Spare Tarot Deck & Book by Strange Attractor Press – LAShTAL
Announcement repeated as the Kickstarter has reached its target.
How many of us are sittting around now thinking “Shit. I should have bought that Spare in 1995”?
Exactly that! 🙂
Well, fortunately for me, I did buy “that Spare” in 1995, and am looking at it now – “Ghostly Amalgam” – whilst typing this. I do think that Spare is vastly underrated as an artist. Such an array of styles – the delicate sidereals of actors and actresses in the 1930s, the grotesques of the mid 1020s, the “Witches’ Sabbath” pictures of the early 1950s, and my particular favourites, the suberb pastels of 1954 and 1955. I’m equally interested in Spare’s written work, in particular the late writings of the late 1940s and early 1950s which were finally published in “Zos Speaks!” by Kenneth and Steffi Grant in 1998.
“1020s” – obviously a tyo, meant to say “1920s”
WAOUW OMG finally an interesting tarot deck! Because there ain’t much out there except Thoth/Rider Waite and a couple of obscure ones that are viable.
Very glad to see a second edition of this book is impending, which I gather has a new chapter. I found this book particularly useful for the wealth of information about Achad’s biography and development when I was in the final stages of preparing The Incoming of the Aeon of Maat for publication.
Why do you think there is an extra chapter? In fact it looks like an appendix has disappeared.
Because I read it somewhere. I’ve been in occasional touch with Martin Starr over the years, ever since he agreed to take part in the Starfire ‘Thelema Beyond Crowley’ conference in London in 2004 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of ‘The Book of the Law’. I’ll ask him about any changes.
Hello, since you are on the subject of Frater Achad. What about the Collected Works Vol. 1, Your website says it was supposed to come out last summer
Hopefully, this book will come with some new additions!.
Loved Bill and Bill’s work. 93
Hello, this is my first post, glad to join your forum. I’ve been reading for a while and finally got up the courage to create an account.
I learned about the announcement of the reprint of this book by Mr. Starr from Richard Kaczynski a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, it seems that the selling price of the book is very high. Perhaps I will consider publishing it in Spanish if I reach a satisfactory agreement with the English publisher that holds the rights. It looks great.