The Long Night

The Long Night is upon us again. Don’t blink. 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 [...]

The “-ism Schism” – Comments on Atheism vs Faith

“Death to all fanatics!” — Ho Chih Zen 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 [...]

The Magick of Christmas: Renewal and the Aeon

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 [...]

The Purpose of Ritual, Meditation, and Other Practices in Thelema

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 [...]

Guttershaman: Authenticity, Part 2

“Where there is money, you have cheats. The two go together.” — Eric Cantona “Send lawyers, guns and money — the shit has hit the fan.” — Warren Zevon 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). [...]

Poetic Journeys – Binding

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, Only good shall come to me and mine; Rebounding damage that thou might choose Until thou learn such harm to refuse. ©2004, 2009 by Ambrose [...]

The Dictionary of Traditional Magick and Etherical Science

Akashic Record (Yoga, Theosophy) A term invented and popularized by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. The idea is that the Akasha is a thought substance which can be imprinted by experience, making it possible to retrieve otherwise inaccessible information from the past, such as a person’s past life. This is remarkably close idea to the concept of Jung’s [...]

Veiled Issues – Does Materialism Threaten Paganism?

  Before I begin my critique of Mr. Tyson’s essay concerning the threat posed by atheism, which appeared in last season’s issue of Rending the Veil, I should like to convey I have nothing but the utmost respect and gratitude for Mr. Tyson’s contributions to the occult community. The author’s Portable Magic has been an especial [...]

The Dictionary of Traditional Magick and Etherical Science

Agape (Ecclesiastic) Greek αγαπη Unconditional love. Godly love. The love feast of the primitive Christians, being a meal partaken in connection with the communion. Originally a Hebrew funerary ceremony during which wine and milk were poured into the earth over the grave, and food was passed in to the corpse through a hole in the [...]

Book Review: The Balance of the Two Lands

The Balance of the Two Lands: Writings on Greco-Egyptian Polytheism H. Jeremiah Lewis Bibliotheca Alexandrina; CreateSpace (June 3, 2009) ISBN: 978-1442190337 372 pages Reviewer: Lupa   Heh — the review I wrote about just before this one, incidentally, was about the blending of multiple religions! Go figure. However, whereas ChristoPaganism was about modern mixing of neopaganism and Christianity, The Balance of the [...]

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