III-21 Yule 2009

“Every witch is familiar with intention-based magickal workings — Know Thy Will, focus intention through a process or on an object, direct the focused energy, then expect manifestation. For simple example, my Will is “I will be healthy and fit.” I then focus my intention of health onto an apple, directing that intention by eating an apple several times per day. …” Read more…

“Because, yes, this is Her Night. My Lady. Mother Darkness, the Lady of Those Who Survive, Queen of the Night, She Who Submits, the Mistress of Harlots, the Left Hand of the Divine. . . Those who serve my Lady, who revel in the shadows, and who embrace their own darkness find that Yule is not the celebration of the birth of Lord, but the time when our Mother wandered alone after …” Read more…

“Donald Tyson’s rant in an earlier issue of Rending the Veil¹, calling for a united Pagan/ Christian front against the spectre of encroaching atheism has led to several interesting comments — notably from Psyche² (who points out the range of atheist positions is far wider than Tyson claims), and Grey Glamer³ (who makes a strong case that …” Read more…

“As the Year darkens and grows cold, and as we fall into the depths of the oncoming Winter, we perceive a drop of bright energy in all the chilly gloom. The Winter Solstice season has traditionally been associated not with darkness and despair, but with hope, renewal and light. We feel a deep acceptance of limitation and loss that allows us to surrender into the dark, surrender ourselves …” Read more…

“When doing some practice or ritual, if one is a Thelemite then one must always ask this question: How does this help the fulfillment of my Will? Too many times do Thelemites perform ceremonial rituals and yoga practices for some aim other than the fulfillment of their Wills. Thelema often speaks of Initiation, the Great Work, Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel, Nothing/ Naught/ None …” Read more…

“Previously on Guttershaman. . . I was looking at how modern Western “Shamanism” is a mix of ideas borrowed from various native traditions (often without either respect or understanding). I also noted that sometimes the matter of “authenticity” to an existing tradition was not the most …” Read more…

“Yule — the wheel of the year turns; yet everything appears to stand still in the frozen, icy world. Thoughts during this season turn to the past as we examine and reflect on everything that has happened — from joys to disappointments. We make promises to ourselves, New Years’ resolutions aimed to fix the flaws and invigorate the positive within ourselves. …” Read more…

“Artemis Pangaia! | Mystery of mystery | White light within the Flame | The Hidden Fire | Is the Heart of Nature. | The brilliant Light | Erupts from Yoni | In the scream-cry-chant of Birthing …” Read more…

“The air is crystal hard, not clear; | Chilled by mottled, somber blankets. | Cold grey on darker grey | Lift pillars above the dull snow. | Yet this drear light lies. | Beyond the grimly bare trees | Wild rose and black briars | Set stealthy green shoots. …” Read more…

“I hear music in the chilling winds from the sea. | It is wailing my lonely cry, “Come back to me.” | In loneliness, my heart aches so I want to die. | Winds, blowing over the sea, sing my mournful cry. …” Read more…

“As human beings, we necessarily craft metaphysical paradigms which explain our perceptions and direct our actions. Whether we believe in Providence or in Lady Fortune determines whether we acknowledge some propitious turn of events as divine blessing or else merely good luck. Whether we believe in the inherent dignity of human life crucially affects how we approach questions of …” Read more…

“21 December, 2009 — Chaos magic has come a long way from its early, quantum-infused inception via Carroll and Hine, though some would say it’s courted stagnancy in recent years. Slovakian author Josef Karika has the antidote to that fear with his entertaining, irreverent, and wholly pragmatic text, Liber 767 vel Boeingus: Rough Experiments in Chaos Magic. …” Read more…

“Broadsword Comics (November 25, 2009) 34 pages The Tarot: Witch of the Black Rose comic series is the story of Tarot, a warrior witch, and her family, foes and Lovers. Featuring stories of fantasy action and adventure, frequent scenes of nudity have grown progressively stronger as the series has gone on. Each issue is backed up with interviews with actual …” Read more…

“My interest in photography began when I was very young. My father was one of the best known photographers and “print men” in Argentina, and since he had a lab in our house I had plenty of opportunities to watch him perform his awe-inspiring magick in the darkroom. I watched and learned and, with his help, became enthralled in black, white, and those 256 shades in between. To me, …” Read more…

“Creature of God, I wish thee no ill | But just to teach thee: rule thy will. | Christ’s love invokes His Might as Son | To heal the hurt thy choices have done. | Thus, when harm may rule thy mind, …” Read more…

“Geoff Mains, in his seminal work on Leather culture, Urban Aboriginals: A Celebration of Leathersexuality, uses this quote in his introduction to that work. Later, he frames the tribe of Leather (at that time, Gay Leather, the pansexual Leather/BDSM movement, was in its infancy) in terms of Apollonian and Dionysian structure. This dynamic has framed discussions of early SM and …” Read more…

“In the still of the dark of the moon | after the revelry has passed on | deep, deep into the frozen fields of dreamless sleep | we, walking, silently, along the riverbed | breathing in ancient ash of woodsmoke | breathing out long-growing tears …” Read more…

“If you’ve read much of my writing, either online or in books (especially DIY Totemism), you’ll know that I have a tendency to advocate working with totems other than the Big, Impressive, North American Birds and Mammals (BINABM) that so often show up in totem …” Read more…

“Each issue, Gerald del Campo offers up his unique take on ten esoteric terms – some you’re familiar with, and others he’s created. …” Read more…

“In my last column, I suggested that the western magical tradition can be seen as a response to Plato’s theory of Ideas. If we imagine that magic interacts with a world of more primary forms than our physical senses can detect, we are Neoplatonic. If we argue the opposite, that there is no such Ideal world, we are Aristotelian and, usually, materialists who do not do magic at all. …” Read more…

“This book is a spirited attempt to reclaim that most twisty and controversial of magical ideas, Black Magic — and is also a manual of what the author calls “Anarchashamanism.” The position taken could be broadly described as anti-capitalist, non-hierarchical (power-with rather than power-over), ecologically aware and rebellious without falling into the trap of simple …” Read more…

“This is truly one of the most informative new esoteric books that I’ve read in quite a while. When I heard that a new book had come out that was immediately put on the required reading list for students of the A∴A∴, I wasted no time in borrowing it from a friend. After reading it through, I wasted no time in getting myself a copy as well. Gunther’s 30-plus years of A∴A∴ experience …” Read more…