Darkly Splendid Abodes

In 1916 era vulgaris, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung channeled what would become known as The Red Book. The visions captured in this book culminate in the appended Seven Sermons to the Dead. Edward Mason and I will discuss these Gnostic-flavored sermons, and examine some of the similarities they share with the themes of The Book of the Law.

In 8 Lectures on Yoga, Aleister Crowley attempts to pare away the gaudy veneer, and dispel the fog of superstition, that commonly obscures the fundamental practices of Yoga. We’ll pick up where we left off in one of our first ever discussions, as we return to explore more of the 8 limbs.

Often Crowley speaks of his different Magical Mottos as though he’s referring to different individual people, from Frater Perdurabo to V.V.V.V.V., even distinguishing his mundane self as “the man Crowley”. Edward Mason and I will discuss this “Adept Self” and how it relates to the Thelemic system, and to occultism in general.

In Magick Without Tears, Aleister Crowley talks about The Three Schools of Magick, which seem to be differing philosophical perspectives on the Universe. But they also seem to represent three factions of Magicians, each of which attempts to guide humanity based on their respective philosophical conclusions. We’ll take a deep-dive into the relevant chapters as we revisit this book.

Ascended Masters? Discarnate beings? Living people hidden amongst the crowds? Crowley makes frequent reference to the Secret Chiefs, and their purported guidance of humanity by various means. Edward Mason and I will take a look at just what these entities are, and what can we say about them.

Aleister Crowley took an ancient Rite of Exorcism and repurposed it as an Invocation of one’s Holy Guardian Angel. The resulting small book, Liber Samekh, also contains elucidating commentary on the nature of the Knowledge and Conversation, and on Magical Practice in general.

Patricia Crowther is hailed as one of the mothers of modern Witchcraft. Initiated by Gerald Gardner and taking the Craft Name of “Thelema,” she went on to be a key promoter of Wicca and defender of the practice of Witchcraft. We’ll learn more about this icon and prolific author, as Rosemary Stehlik and I resume our study of Women of the Occult.

In the system of Thelema, the Black Brotherhood and the Left-Hand Path are technical terms with specific connotations. But it’s not uncommon for people to run fast and loose with these terms, flinging them as insults at others, or making assumptions about their meaning. We’ll dive into Chapter 12 from Crowley’s book Magick Without Tears to find clarification on the subject.

Michael and I look back at our discussions this season: Crowley’s Introduction to the Book of the Law, Liber Reguli: the Ritual of the Mark of the Beast, & CommentaryFrater Achad’s Liber 31, Chapter 7 of The Equinox of the Gods, The appendix of Achad's Q.B.L., and Chapter 5 of Achad's The Egyptian Revival. We'll also reply to some of the comments we've received, and reflect on where we see the series going in the future.

In around 1906 era vulgaris, Aleister Crowley received a flood of inspired texts that would come to be known as some of the core Holy Books of Thelema, taking their place alongside The Book of the Law and Liber 418.Liber B vel Magi is a short text, only a couple of pages in length, which describes one of the most exalted Grades on the Tree of Life, that of the Magus. Join us as Edward Mason and I explore this brief text.