Darkly Splendid Abodes

For the Magician who sets out to cross the infamous Abyss, there awaits on the other side either a place in the City of the Pyramids as a Master of the Temple... or madness amongst the so-called Black Brotherhood. But just what is this Abyss of which we speak? I discuss the topic with Edward Mason in this first of a two-part series.

The Thoth deck is one of the most famous and influential Tarot decks ever put together, and the artist behind its explosively energetic and colourful cards was Lady Frieda Harris, a long-time friend and collaborator of Aleister Crowley. We’ll pay homage to this artist, author and mystic, as Rosemary Stehlik and I continue our look at Women of the Occult.

Aleister Crowley strives to lay out the circumstances surrounding the reception of The Book of the Law in part 4 of Book Four: The Equinox of the Gods. We'll deep-dive into Chapter 7, exploring some of the proofs and synchronicities surrounding this supernaturally-delivered text.

I'm joined by Rosemary Stehlik in this inaugural episode of Women of the Occult, a series where we explore and honor the prominent and influential women who have shaped occult thought and magical practice throughout history.We'll begin with a look at Dion Fortune, influential author and founder of a Temple system.

Edward Mason and I discuss the complex god-form in The Book of the Law, Heru-ra-ha, and the corresponding Gods Hoor-paar-kraat and Ra-Hoor-Khuit, all of which fall under the umbrella of the God Horus. We'll take a look at Liber 418: The Vision & the Voice for further insight into the nature of Horus.

The Introduction written by Aleister Crowley for the Book of the Law might be described as "Thelema in a nutshell." We'll dive in and attempt to unpack this brief text.

Edward Mason and I build on our previous discussion on the subject of Color and its use in various Tarot decks and in Magick. We also drift into some tangential subjects of a Magical nature.

Michael and I look back at the texts we've delved into through our Deep Dip discussions so far, and reflect on how we've benefited from this project.Aleister Crowley's translation of the Tao Teh KingLiber de Lege LibellumJack Parsons' essay, 'Freedom is a Two-edged Sword'and Lecture Four from pt.I of Crowley's Eight Lectures on YogaPlus, our thoughts on secondary Thelemic texts, and our suggestions for newbies.

Edward Mason joins me to discuss the use of Color in Qabalah, the Tarot, and Magical and Meditation Practices in general.

We revisit the essay by Jack Parsons, delving into the remaining two chapters that we didn't get to last time, and more fully exploring the paper's goal of clarifying the nature of freedom and rallying women to take up the two-edged sword of freedom.