Into The Aethyr – The Thinning of the Veil

Paganism is rife with those who deem themselves helpers of departed souls “trapped” in some earthly desire or other and reluctant to move on. I cringe every time I hear or read the words “into the light,” unless I am watching Poltergeist. These eager ghost hunters frequent cemeteries and old buildings, seeking spirits to usher [...]

Book Review: Modern Magick

Modern Magick: Eleven Lessons in the High Magickal Arts Donald Michael Kraig Llewellyn Publications (1988) ISBN: 978-0875423241 600 pages Reviewer: Sheta Kaey   As this book is typically the first book recommended to anyone interested in learning ceremonial or ritual magick, I thought a review here was appropriate, if only for the purpose of having it in our archives. As a primer [...]

From the Editor – Avoiding Bias in Reviews

  I had originally intended to write a review for Donald Tyson’s Necronomicon Tarot, to be published alongside Lon Sarver’s review in this issue. As I read Lon’s perspective and reflected on my relationship with Don — who’s been a close friend of mine for nearly a decade — I realized that my bias was firmly [...]

Book Review: Encyclopedia of Spirits

Encyclopedia of Spirits by Judika Illes HarperOne (January 27, 2009) $29.99 ISBN 978-0061350245 1072 pages Reviewer: Sheta Kaey I encountered this tome in my local library, which is nothing short of miraculous given the religious climate hereabouts. It was not only in my local small-town-outside-a-big-city library, but it was also in the new nonfiction books section, right up front. I don’t [...]

The Great Work of the Holy Guardian Angel

“Angel” is a word that carries even more baggage than “soulmate” — baggage that goes back thousands of years to the beginnings of Judeo-Christian theology. While the most common definition of the word tends to be “messenger of God,” that raises the further question of “what is God?” and that’s a question I’m not going [...]

The Rapier’s Edge – Follow-Up Interview with Donald Tyson

Nearly a year ago, I interviewed Donald Tyson regarding his then new book, Grimoire of the Necronomicon. Since then, my review partner, Lon Sarver, and I have been working with Tyson’s system and we’ll present our findings in this the next issue. Mr. Tyson was kind enough to agree to a follow-up interview; you’ll find [...]

The Rapier’s Edge – An Interview with Donald Tyson

In 2004, Llewellyn published Donald Tyson’s novel, Necronomicon: The Wanderings of Alhazred, based on the stories of H.P. Lovecraft. While former Necronomicons were written as grimoires, Tyson took a novel (ahem) approach to the text, having fun with it and viewing it, as he told me at the time, as “entertainment.” He followed the following [...]

Into the Aethyr – Belief and Metaphor

The first step to expanding your reality is to discard the tendency to exclude things from possibility. — Meridjet Paradigm Shifting and Reality Tunnels “‘Paradigm shift[ing]‘ has found uses… representing the notion of a major change in a certain thought-pattern — a radical change in personal beliefs, complex systems or organizations, replacing the former way of thinking [...]

Into the Aethyr – Yule 2006

An aethyr is one of a succession of worlds in the Enochian Astral planes, and the fifth element, or spirit, in Wicca and Ceremonial magick. Also, depending on tradition, a formless and invisible substance that pervades the universe1. Greetings, and welcome to the first issue of Rending the Veil and the start of this column. I [...]

The Nature of the Egregore

Editor’s Note: This article was composed and published in December 2006, when Michael Jackson was alive and well. There is no disrespect intended with use of his name here, either then or now. Standard Definition of Egregore Wikipedia currently defines egregores thusly: “Essentially, an egregore is the ’spirit of a thing,’ usually a human group or organization, [...]