Latest:
Almanac • May 2021 • “Magic Loves the Hungry”
Saturday ♄, May 1st 2021 • Beltane I have been toying with idea of publishing an almanac containing various tidbits of quoted material, image clippings, astrological notes, everyday goings-on, and more. So… enjoy these selections of ephemera, image, word, and music. • Some magick in musical guise. One of my most-loved songs… Buffy Saint-Marie’s God…
Supplement • Vol. I • Beltane Weekend • 2021
I have always observed traditional pagan holidays as a means of keeping close to cycles of nature and the land. Of these traditional holidays, Beltane has always been the richest celebration for me. A devotee of Spring, I find deep association to the Beltane in the smell of the air during this time of year.…
Artist Feature • Marta Polato • Tree Lore from the “Erbario Suggestivo” series • 2019
Behold the work of engraver, illustrator, and printmaker Marta Polato. Polato is an Italian artist born in Padua and based in Venice. Her works capture the dance — both earthly and otherworldly — of European mythic traditions, herbal folklore, and esoteric currents. Like the flora they depict, Polato’s works emit a deep potency. Polato is…
Atropos’ Nightshade • Death ♄ and Vision ☿
As the baneful and Beautiful Lady of the flowering Solanaceae family, Belladonna emits whispers both pernicious and visionary. Belladonna commands reverence, respect, and caution. She is known by the wise for her role as an agent of the Unguentum sabbati — the flying ointment of the witches Sabbath. The Solanaceae are also called the Nightshades.…
Emblems and Embossments Pt I • The Occult Publishing Co.
In my life, an adoration of a book extends to every detail. The spirit of a book — as well as the genius loci of its author and publisher — is constituted in every facet of a design. This seems particularly the case with old occult books. Combine these dual fascinations and it is no…
Infernal Incense
Amakbuel is the demon you see before you from Compendium rarissimum totius Artis Magicae sistematisatae per celeberrimos Artis hujus Magistros. Anno 1057. Noli me tangere. Roughly translated, the work’s English title reads: A most-rare summary of the entire Magical Art by the most famous Masters of this Art. Year 1057. Touch Me Not. The images…
Jailbreak: Two Liberatory Talismans
Behold this handsome pentacle from Clavicula Salomonis Regis : ex idiomate Haebreo versa. This work is attributed to Abraham Colorni. c.a. 1750-1799. The manuscript image comes from the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania. The work is also known as UPenn Ms. Codex 1673. The Kislak material…
Visions of V.I.T.R.I.O.L.
As an aquaintance once pointed out to me, a fascination with esoterica naturally implies a concern with hidden details, minute features, and the multiplicities of symbolic meaning. In my own life, this emerges as a series of intense dives into a given subject. These dives are bolstered —if not fueled entirely—by my own neurological “divergences.”…
Eidetic Flowerings: Ars Notoria and Heretical Memory
The following diagrams from Ars notoria, sive Flores aurei are fascinating because they distantly resemble alchemical vessels or grimoiric circles. Rather, they are a diagrammatical series of names, tools, and incantations structured to solidify knowledge through eidetic memory — mnemonic devices. In particular, these devices aided students with the transmission of liberal arts knowledge. Scholar…
Le Lac des Aulnes: The Entrancing Costume Designs of a French Fairy Opera
The Bibliothèque nationale de France’s BnF Gallica digital collections are a treasure trove. Seemingly endless in their scope, they contain many overlooked gems. One such gem may be found in Charles Bétout’s costume designs for Henri Maréchal’s 1907 opera, Le Lac des Aulnes (The Lake of the Alders/Alder Lake). Gallica BnF describes the work as…
The Garden of Pomegranates in Pamela Colman Smith’s High Priestess Card
Closely examine the imagery on Pamela Colman Smith’s High Preistess tarot card. It contains the proverbial Pardis Rimonim —a Garden of Pomegranates. Those familiar with 20th century esoteric literature will know this as the namesake of Israel Regardie’s legendary book on Qabalah. For context, page 9 of Regardie’s own Garden of Pomegranates reads: “Based on…
Was Crowley’s Proclaimed Son a Zinester? Liber lucis
An eccentric bit of occult history that will resonate with zinesters. What you see above is cover art for Liber lucis no. 3, Eald Cynren ( which I believe translates to Old Kin from Anglo-Saxon). Described as “A new exposition of the Law of Thelema,” this fanzine-esque series was created around 1972-1974 by Andrew Standish.…
Zine Feature: On the Animation of Statues
I recently finished up one of Brian Cotnoir’s alchemical zines published by his own Khepri Press. “On the Animation of Statues” is a valuable trove of primary sources and secondary insights regarding a fascinating historical alchemical practice. I ordered a few of Brian’s alchemical zines in May. Along with them, he sent me this entrancing…
