Plutonica.net

New translation of Arbatel

Psyche — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:00:45 +0000

Weiser Books sent me the new translation of Arbatel: Concerning the Magic of Ancients published by Ibis Press in 2009, and I’ve just started reading it.

Joseph Peterson’s translation is the first published in English since 1655.

This edition contains both the Latin original and the English translation, annotated by Peterson.

From Weiser:

Arbatel’s magic is full of wonder and free from the sinister elements usually associated with texts on the subject. But it is about more than magic; filled with gnomic wisdom, it urges us to help our neighbors, be positive and grateful, and use time wisely. Above all, it teaches us to pay attention, looking for the wondrous and miraculous. In fact, to the author this virtually defines the magus.

Full review to follow.

Copyright © 2007-2010 the author and Plutonica.net.
For the original source of the content please see Plutonica.net. Also check out our Esoteric Book Club.

New translation of Arbatel

April’s Esoteric Book Club pick

Psyche — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:53:58 +0000

The votes are in, and April’s Esoteric Book Club selection is S.S.O.T.B.M.E., written by Lionel Snell as Ramsey Dukes. The full title is Sex Secrets of the Black Magicians Exposed – I love his sensational titles, they have almost nothing to do with the books themselves (see also BLAST Your Way To Megabuck$ with my SECRET Sex-Power Formula – another book about philosophy).

It’s an excellent book, one I’ve already read several times, and one I recommend highly. I’m thrilled that it was chosen, I think it will make for excellent discussion in April.

The only reason I didn’t include it in my list of “Top 5 Books on Chaos Magick” was because S.S.O.T.B.M.E. predated it, but it will be interesting to trace its influence through to today.

April’s forum is open and ready if anyone wants to get started a little early, otherwise I’ll post a reminder closer to the date.

Hope you’ll join us!

Copyright © 2007-2010 the author and Plutonica.net.
For the original source of the content please see Plutonica.net. Also check out our Esoteric Book Club.

April’s Esoteric Book Club pick

Thanks to our February sponsor

Psyche — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:40:30 +0000

As we announced in February, we now offer advertising at excellent rates.

The first company to take us up on this was AloeRoot, a web design company with a beautiful site, a helpful blog, and a great client list.

You’ll still be able to find their ad on the far right hand side of our website for the next couple of days with the special code for a discount on their services and I highly encourage you to check them out.

Interested in advertising with us, too?

We still have spaces left for March and April, please see our rates or contact me for details.

Thanks again for being our first advertiser, AloeRoot!

Copyright © 2007-2010 the author and Plutonica.net.
For the original source of the content please see Plutonica.net. Also check out our Esoteric Book Club.

Thanks to our February sponsor

Yin, phalluses and Crowley’s sexism

Psyche — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:00:48 +0000

Saturday Signal: sifting the signal from the noise of the Internet’s occultural cacophony.

The comments section has been busier this week than it’s ever been in the history of this blog, largely due to my post about “Sexism in contemporary occulture“, with some spill over on my follow up with “Gender and the elements“. A third post on this theme was planned for Friday, but due to time constraints it will likely be posted tomorrow instead.

You may notice a theme in these signals.

Did you know that Phil Hine has a new blog? Check it out at enfolding.org, especially the latest post, “Occult gender regimes: the Yin-Yang binary” for a lucid examination of why appeals to history and tradition are often misguided.

Tim Maroney’s excellent 1998 essay “Facts and Phallacies” looks at Aleister Crowley’s use of the word “phallus” and provides deeper insight into the context which it’s used. It’s clearly not a gender-neutral term, and Maroney eloquently dispels this myth once and for all. (Via Phil Hine.)

While we’re on the subject, the Arcane Archive has an excellent resource titled “Aleister Crowley: A Legacy of Sexism” which is a compilation of sexist remarks and other misogynistic material sourced from Crowley’s writing. I’ve no doubt the man was a Master, but there’s just no getting around the fact that he was a misogynist.

While not specifically related to occultism, GeekFeminism.org is a great blog and resource for all things geeky and…feministy? In a recent post, “Quick Hit: The Safety Dance“, Terri discusses her experiences at events with unwelcome contact. Strange men approaching her what follows amounts to sexual harassment. I’ve seen this happen at public gatherings at occultural events as well. Being female does not give anyone an excuse to initiate physical contact. Ever.

This is an important subject that requires ongoing discussion, but it will not become the dominant theme on this blog.

We’re rounding out the week, and if you have further links you’d like to share, or stories that need to be told, I’m always available on the blog, but for more private discussions, there’s always e-mail or IM.

Found something groovy? Please share it in the comments, or if you use delicious, tag it “plutonica” and we’ll take a look. Thanks!

Copyright © 2007-2010 the author and Plutonica.net.
For the original source of the content please see Plutonica.net. Also check out our Esoteric Book Club.

Yin, phalluses and Crowley’s sexism

Gender and the elements

Psyche — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:00:06 +0000

This is a subject I’ve been frustrated by for some time now, and I’d like to air my thoughts and see what you think about it.

The basic gender assignment which are still frequently in use today date back to the 5th century BCE. The fragmentary writings that survive from Empedocles, among other things, establish the four roots (later elements) as Earth, Air, Fire and Water, and that further, these are associated with specific gods: Hera, Zeus, Hades, and Nestis (Persephone).

These associations had complex geographical and mythical attributes which are rarely (if ever) taken into consideration. They don’t specify mystic sexual or gender-based properties inherent in the elements themselves, but rather describe mystic attributes relevant to these specific divine couples.¹

Taken out of context, the elements often get (mis)classed as: Earth/female, Air/male, Fire/male, Water/female. This tradition has become entrenched in modern occultism, and it is patently absurd.

If we take a surface reading of gender stereotypes as presented, they make little sense. Is the person the fiery temper represented by nurturing Earth or deep water simply because she’s female? Must the practical labourer who’s held the same job for so many decades be viewed as intellectual air or fiery inspiration, simply because he has a penis?² It simply doesn’t hold up, and perhaps it never really has.

We can still make use of the elemental associations in light of what they represent, for example:

Earth – fertile, steadfast, practical
Air – intellectual, remote, changeable
Fire – passion, inspiration, transformation
Water – emotional, nurturing, hidden

and various esoteric attributes, but we need not pretend these associations must be attributed to binary gender conventions.³⁴

Objects are no more imbued with mystical power than abstract concepts. The sword or wand ought not represent “male energy” (whatever that is) due to a faint phallic resemblances; there are no physical resemblances between a chalice or pentacle that suggest “femininity”. There are more relevant – and more potent – concerns inherent in the symbolism without forcing genders upon them.

Do we lose anything by dropping these arbitrary gender distinctions? What do we gain?

Copyright © 2007-2010 the author and Plutonica.net.
For the original source of the content please see Plutonica.net. Also check out our Esoteric Book Club.

Gender and the elements

Footnotes:

For more on Empedocles and the establishment of the four classical elements, see Peter Kingsley’s Ancient Philosophy, Mystery, and Magic: Empedocles and Pythagorean Tradition.
Yes, these are characterizations. Of course there are exceptions – many! That’s why they’re absurd.
This topic arose in part due to a comment made on the previous post, “Sexism in contemporary occulture“; the commentator was making a point about gender associations in Chinese Medicine, and the polarity of yin and yang.
Further, while I remain unconvinced in the wisdom of ascribing binary attributes to all things, I find this especially so in gender-assignments, and particularly in regards to occult subjects. It doesn’t translate that negative/positive, passive/active, shady/sunny are all sides of the same coin, and it makes even less sense when we attribute gender to them.

Sexism in contemporary occulture

Psyche — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:55:41 +0000

Sexism is a topic that came up in a forum I recently started participating in. None contested that it was endemic in occulture, but few seemed interested in exploring why this was.

I know women¹ who have been asked “who are you here with?” when they attended events. Several have had men try to “explain” technical points to them, unprompted. In my own experience, after choosing a stone to represent an element at a gathering, I overheard a man complain that I should not have been “allowed” to choose Fire.

The most common reaction reaction to the above was a dropped jaw and a private resolution to never attend such events again.² And they don’t. Yet many (men, usually) seem bewildered by low attendance of women in their group/temple/lodges.

We have lost essential voices of dedicated magickians because they were treated poorly and edged out of the public sphere. They post profound things in friends-locked spaces on LiveJournal, are brilliant on IM, in private conversation and other “safe” spaces where they won’t be shut down. Few publish books, and those that do stick to other “safe” topics like occult biography and history. ³

How did we let this happen? What can be done about it?

Copyright © 2007-2010 the author and Plutonica.net.
For the original source of the content please see Plutonica.net. Also check out our Esoteric Book Club.

Sexism in contemporary occulture

Footnotes:

We’re going with a gender binary here because that encompasses most (all?) of the people I know who have been in these situations, but apply the sentiment elsewhere as necessary, and please do provide feedback if this doesn’t fit your experience, or you have something to add that relates.
I made a point of speaking to the man handing out the stones.
Mary K Greer’s Women of the Golden Dawn: Rebels and Priestesses was excellent and much needed, but can you name a single contemporary female author who’s written about the Golden Dawn from a practitioner’s perspective? Alex Owen’s The Place of Enchantment was incredibly informative (my review here), but again, historic. I haven’t yet read Owen’s The Darkened Room, but Jaq D. Hawkin’s treatment of a similar subject in contemporary occultism I found lacking. The archetypes presented in Women of Power were limited, and I didn’t find a place among them for myself (my review here).

Political pagans, Shaolin monks and spiritual brain surgery

Psyche — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:14:11 +0000

Saturday Signal: sifting the signal from the noise of the Internet’s occultural cacophony.

I usually try and avoid the mush that is Valentine’s Day, it’s commercial and crass, but my cold dark heart warms a little when upon learning that science can break hearts. Isn’t that sweet?¹

But that’s tomorrow. Today is still Saturday, and that means we need signal:

Jason Pitzl-Waters of The Wild Hunt has co-founded a new project, The Pagan Newswire Collective. The first dedicated blog for the Collective is Pagan+Politics, which will feature an additional seven bloggers. Given his history with the Wild Hunt, this new blog may be worth adding to your feed reader.

Occultural Anthropology has posted a series of five videos titled “Myths & Logic Of Shaolin Monks” which is worth a look.

Janelle Weaver wrote a piece for Nature.com titled “Brain surgery boosts spirituality“. A quote: “Removing part of the brain can induce inner peace”. The cynic in me isn’t surprised. (Via Technoccult.)

Ok, so it’s kind of thin this week. I’ve been kind of busy with the book club, which is really a lot of fun. I had to draw a picture of the website freehand and my attempt is spectacularly awful.²

Found something nifty? Please share it in the comments, or if you use delicious, tag it “plutonica” and we’ll take a look. Thanks!

Copyright © 2007-2010 the author and Plutonica.net.
For the original source of the content please see Plutonica.net. Also check out our Esoteric Book Club.

Political pagans, Shaolin monks and spiritual brain surgery

Footnotes:

For the record, I am happily married to my partner of nearly eleven years. I just don’t go in for the paper hearts and corny cards. A waste of resources.
I even got called out for cheating on a Photoshopped printscreen. Which is fair enough, I guess.

Crowleyana galore

Psyche — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 02:49:02 +0000

My review of Aleister Crowley: A Modern Master, by John Moore is now up on SpiralNature.com, you can read it by clicking this link.

I was really excited when I got the book. It was published by Mandrake of Oxford, who’ve put out many excellent books over the past decade,¹ but unfortunately this wasn’t one of them. I really wanted to like this book, read the review for an analysis of why it didn’t end up happening.

In other, closely related news, Weiser Antiquarian has announced that they have three new Crowley titles available for sale, all signed by the author.²

They are as follows: The Magickal Essence of Aleister Crowley, by J. Edward Cornelius; Aleister Crowley and the Aeon of Horus, by Paul Weston; and The Wickedest Books in the World: Confessions of an Aleister Crowley Bibliophile, by Blair MacKenzie Blake. Each sounds interesting in their own way, particularly Cornelius’, which contains reworked material originally published in the Red Flame.

So many new being published about Crowley lately. A new trend?

Crowleyana galore

Footnotes:

Jan Fries’ Visual Magick, and Humphries and Vayne’s NTWICCM, for a start.
Signed copies while they last, of course.

Cthulhu cakes

Psyche — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 02:49:44 +0000

So, while tentacle surfing the Lovecraftian web¹ I came across a rather appetizing site called Lovecraft News Network.

The LNN² dedicates itself to providing “an eclectic, free source for the latest news related to H.P. Lovecraft, including original interviews, culture, science, scholarship, and kitsch”.

Today’s post certainly falls into the latter category with “An illustrated study of Cthulhu cakes“, including the cakes in the pic on the left, crafted by Darcy LeClaire.³ Click the link for further horrifyingly delicious examples.

They ask:

What does this say about contemporary culture? What would the ideal Cthulhu cake taste like? Are Jane Austen fans jealous they don’t have an iconic figure of doom with which they can conjure forth in an act of confectionery heresy?

I confess that my first response was to note that these looked way tastier than the Flying Spaghetti Monster holiday treats I came across in December.

But these are valid questions. What do you think would be the perfect flavour for Cthulhu-themed treats?⁴

Cthulhu cakes

Footnotes:

Yeah, I just said “surfing the web”. Without irony. Party like it’s 1996.
The riff off CNN is intentional, as evidenced by the site’s logo.
My one critique of the site so far is that it rarely includes backlinks. I had to find the above link to LeClaire’s cakes via Google.
And would you really want to eat a fishcake with icing? Or a fishcake at all, for that matter?

Catalogue Seven now available from Fulgur

Psyche — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:11 +0000

Catalogue Seven was released today from Fulgur, featuring works of art by several of their authors and illustrators.

Most notably it contains several drawings and illustrations by Austin Osman Spare, including the one pictured left, titled there as “Three Men in a Cavern”.

Also included are “hand-decorated diabolical objects” by Barry William Hale, whose Legion 49was put out by Fulgur last year. By this they mean Jack Daniels and rum bottles decorated with sigils and atwork and, well, I’ll use Hale’s description:

The Sigillick Conjuration of Beelzebub is incorporated into the walls of these Seven unique Talismanic Bottles sporting a variegated panapoly of magical signs and symbols sacred to the Lord of the Flies.

One of my favourite modern occult aritsts is also featured, Orryelle Defenstrate-Bascule, with images from his Conjunctio, also published by Fulgur.

I’m more than a little in love with the pencil drawing of Isis, especially after getting the chance to see Orryelle’s Ganeshe in his glory at Treadwell’s last fall.

Even if, like me, you can’t afford any of them, it’s definitely worth a look.

Catalogue Seven now available from Fulgur