Mandrake Speaks Newsletter

• Supernatural Assault in Ancient Egypt

• Thelema Revisited - In search of Aleister Crowley.

• Obituary of Christopher Hyatt by Lon Duquette

• Notes on Ardanari

• Paganism on "Second Life"

• Lectures Talks

• Groups Meetups

• Conferences & Exhibitions (click to view)

• 
  PF Wessex (Glastonbury);
  Druid Camp (Forest of Dean)
  IOT Conference (London);
  Thelemic Symposium (Oxford)

Thelema Revisited - In search of Aleister Crowley.

Compiled & Edited by Richard T. Cole.
ISBN: 1 900962 65 9.
ISBN-13: 978 1 900962 65 0.
Format: Softcover - full colour front and reverse covers.
Number of pages: 104.
Dimensions - 273mm x 210mm.
Illustrations - 167 full colour and 32 black & white.
£18.99

In June 2007, the author travelled to a small fishing village on the north-east coat of Sicily in order to obtain a complete photographic record of Aleister Crowley's former 'Abbey of Thelema', before it crumbles into the dust of Cefalu. Also, to stand in the same room where, exactly fifty years ago, the building's owner gave a curious keepsake to a young child - a small glass phial on which was stuck a label neatly written by the hand of the previous tenant.The photographs and 8mm movie footage taken by the child's grandparents that morning were to feature in a publication intended to cash-in on the growing interest in Aleister Crowley created by John Symonds' 1951 biography ‘The Great Beast' and a three-part series of articles printed in Picture Post magazine (1955). However, the proposed book was never completed. Consequently, this material has languished quietly in a chest of drawers for the last fifty years.

Thelema Revisited is an account of the events the author experienced during his recent visit to Cefalu and also of various correspondences which developed in the subsequent months. Due to a fortunate set of circumstances and coincidences, this travelogue has expanded far beyond its original scope and to a point at which he is easonably confident to suggest that it answers most, if not all of the questions you are ever likely to ask abut Crowley's (very Thelemic) three year and one month long residence at the Abbey of Thelema, in Cefalu.

OK maybe something for the Thelemic anoraks - but even so a surprisingly engaging little volume that made me want to furfill my own long surpressed desire to visit Cefalu, despite the premium cost. Crowley's "Abbey" continues to fascinate each new generation and its amazing that it hasn't been bulldozed - although by all accounts it is penned in on all sides by new housing projects and a retaining wall for the Football stadium carpark. Highly recommended. [Mogg]

Notes on Ardanari (by Mogg Morgan aka Sahajanath)

Feedback please to the www.myspace.com/amookos

(You might also enjoy the short series of pieces on Kaula Lore)

A modern cult of Ardanari draws upon its ancient manifestations but differ in many important respects. For example the historical Kaulas worshipped a Goddess possessed of special abilities including the ability to produce an androgynous elixir or "goddess semen". The experts say that Ardanari was viewed as androgynous in a different way and that this does not include the production of male and female seed or both semen and menstrual blood. see (White 2003 : 278)

The modern cult would be more flexible in its mythology - but is still able to draw inspiration from older sources for the idea that the male and female adepts can be the source of a (if not the) androgynous elixir. Inspiration for this could be drawn from the Tantrik kingship rites of Bali and Java - medieval centres of the Ardanari cult:

'An Old Javanese court poem, the Smara'Dahana ("The Burning of Kama"), translated and commented by C. Hooykaas, ends on the following verses:

Such is her loveliness, moving and sweet,
to be compared with mead in a chalice;
together with her as his principal spouse
did Smara come down to earth;
King and Queen as Ardhanaresvan
continuously on the jewel lion-throne;
King Kamesvara in [the] lotus' inner part,
having as sakti the eight goddesses after their arrival.45

This poem is in fact a reference to the Indonesian royal consecration, which was Tantric.Hooykaas explicates this verse on the basis of Balinese Saiva ritual, in which Ardhanaresvan is praised in the following terms:
"Hence a rain of nectar pours down, therefore on all the limbs and junc-
tions, born from the meeting of husband and wife, this is proclaimed to be
the 'real life.'"46

Here, the king and his queen, husband and wife, embody the divine pair Siva and Uma, who together are called amrti'karam, the "making of nectar, holy water." It is at this moment in the ritual, in which nectar or holy water is said to descend from the sky to earth, that the water in the vessel before the priest becomes transformed into holy water.47

This is the central mystery of Balinese Hindu religion. On the one hand, this consecration ritual transforms a man into a king: whereas as a boy, the king may have had an ordinary name like Ayam Vuruk, the Young Cock, following his "abhiseka" he is given the official name of Kamesvara. On the other hand, it transforms him and his spouse into the central deities of the Tantric mandala, vivifying the world with the nectar of their union:

In the moment of their consecration, the newly consecrated King Kamesvara and his spouse are identified with Siva and Uma bestowing the nectar of their supreme bliss upon humanity.48 The mandala is completed by the array of women that surround the royal couple: the king, together with his spouse, as Ardhanaresvan, are said to be seated in the padma'guhya, the hidden recess of the lotus, where they are surrounded by their eight Saktis, perhaps the king's lesser queens.49 However, as we noted in the previous chapter, the lotus and its heart are, in Tantric parlance, none other than the female sexual organ, and certain Kaula groups represented the Sri Cakra as a yoni surrounded by eight lesser yonis.50' (White 2003 : 135)

Thus we read in
Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol and Spirit:

'Ardhanarishvara "The Lord Whose Half Is Woman" represents a transgendered being created by the union of the Hindu deities shiva (male) and shakti (female). Ardhanarishvara, above all, speaks to the totality that lies beyond duality. In Chinese Taoism (or Daoism), this concept is symbolized by the coming together of YIN AND yang in the Tao (or Dao). Like the Greek god Hermes, Ardhanarishvara is associated with communication; the intermediate being often serves to mediate between women and men, mortals and deities, and between other entities. For this reason, Ardhanarishvara is said to dwell in the chakra (sacred center of the human body) of the throat. In tantra, this chakra is also sometimes associated with oral intercourse, linking the deity not only to androgyny but also to homoeroticism. In the past, Ardhanarishvara was served by gender variant, cross- (or mixed-) dressing, priests.

Alain Danielou* writes, "The hermaphrodite, the homosexual, and the transvestite have a symbolic value and are considered privileged beings, images of the Ardhanarishvara. In this connection, they play a special part in magical and Tantric rites." To devotees, Ardhanarishvara, like Ganesha - Shiva's non-biological son and a companion of Ardhanarishvara - brings prosperity. In artistic depictions, Ardhanarishvarais typically shown with the left half of his body being female and the right half, male. The female (Shakti, or parvati, or Uma) half is usually garbed in red and often holds a lotus, while the male half (Shiva) wears a tiger skin or an ascetic's cloth around the waist. The skin of the female half is tan, while that of the male half is light blue. His/her gaze is pensive, serene; his/her pose sensuous, inviting. The cult of Ardhanarishvara appears to have reached a pinnacle during the tenth through the twelfth centuries and again in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, when he-she became a popular subject in sculpture and painting.

*Danielou, Alain (1907-1994) French musicologist, writer, translator, musician (especially of the vina), dancer, and sportsman known especially for his works on Hindu music, mythology, religion, and mysticism, which include Hindu Polytheism (1964), The Ragas of Northern Indian Music (1968), Shiva and Dionysus (1982), and While the Gods Play (1987). Inspired by a deeply religious mother, at age four he constructed a sanctuary in the woods with images of the Virgin Mary and small crosses. His attraction to the sacred eventually led him to explore other spiritual traditions, particularly Hinduism, and to view eroticism as a bridge to enlightenment. He described his first homosexual experience in beatific terms - he felt suddenly "infused with light." "In that moment of intense pleasure, a god of sensuousness, happiness, and light was revealed to me - that god of love whom mystics [of ancient Greek religion, Sufism, Christianity, and Tantra] write about, the god of Jalal al-Din RUMI and Saadi, of Saint John of the Cross [San Juan de la Cruz] and Saint Theresa of Avila [Santa Teresa de Avila], of Dionysian and Tantric rites."

In the 1930s and 1940s, with his lover Raymond Burnier, Danielou immersed himself in Hinduism, visiting, photographing, and writing about many otherwise neglected Hindu temples. In Fools of God (1988), one of his works which depicts the interrelationship of homoeroticism and the sacred, Danielou describes the erotico-spiritual dimension of the lives of certain sadhus (Hindu ascetics). For these, he insists, "the repression of sex is out of the question. The path of complete abstinence is considered impossible in the age of strife in which we live . . . The man who wishes to conquer heaven and earth must cultivate both sexual and mental energies and at length learn to channel the one into the other." While some sadhus have female companions, others, for reasons including the desire to avoid fatherhood, have male companions Danielou confirms that "relations between person same sex are . .. very widely practiced." Observing "this connection between homosexuality and spiritual life, and the sacred view of this kind of relationship, are well known in all religions," "Sex allows the pupil-teacher relationship to achieve fullness in which the flowering of the body leads to ennoblement of the soul."

see also

David White The Alchemical Body
D avid White, The Kiss of the Yogini
Sahajanath's Tantra Sadhana

Contemporary stuff Ihaven't yet got round to reading (thanks SD for the lead):

Hermaphrodeities by Raven Kaldera

website: O Grand Bucca, both Dark and Fair, divine androgyne, be in all heartsand on the tip of every tongue. For your time has come again as it does with the beginning of each moment! http://www.geocities.com/cronnekdhu/Traditional_Cornish_Witchcraft.htm

Paganism on "Second Life"

My current obsession with "Second Life" has certainly raised a few eyebrows amongst my friends, especially after the recent screening of the BBC documentary "Virtual Adultery and Cyberspace Love" in their Wonderland series. It's certainly true that all human life is here, well almost. Yes there is conflict and abuse, but there is also real learning and growth happening in this virtual world. At the moment I tend to avoid the seamier sides and concentrate on its powerful educational and/or transformational possibilities.

"Educate and Entertain" - said Bertolt Brecht - "Second Life" is entertaining and absorbing. You learn a lot too. It improves hand / eye coordination, your typing improves without you even realising it; and life skills, well they have to get better. So I've had to endure a lot of the "Get a life" type comments - even as in my other incarnation, I help out at the local Homeless Drop-in centre. I might be helping someone discover an interest in Spanish conversation or even Japanese, but I still get sneering comments from folk on the lines of "what's the point of that".

I have two "avatars" - one for my day job, the other to accommodate my pagan interests. What really turned me on was when I discovered it was possible to film yourself in the Second Life world. So using the practice tape of an old lecture as a soundtrack, I was able to add visuals "filmed" on location in Second Life. This is called "machinima" - and the first fruits of that can be viewed as a film on "Egyptian Magick (Typhonian)" currently viewable on Youtube. I spent some time on Second Life getting a reasonable look and perfecting things like gestures before heading off in search of interesting locations.

One of my first hangouts was an island run by the UK's "Children of Artemis". The Children of Artemis, one of the UK's largest Wiccan organisations, is obviously quite ahead of the game when it comes to new technology. Their "witchdating.com" is one of the best I've seen on the net. They obviously have some excellent programmers working for them, as their site has an excellent "bar" - virtual drinks yes, but these are good places to hang out for a chat etc. They also have a shopping mall that mirrors the excellent marketing areas of their regular real life conferences. There was also a fun Greek style temple, and garden area for virtual rituals - but that seems to have been redeveloped now for flats. Sign of the times maybe? In the Second Life "economy" the selling of "real estate" is the primary way people make money - both real and virtual. I hung out at the Children of Artemis site for a while - and although I enjoyed it there wasn't an awful lot of Pagan conversation - mainly it was about clothes and fashion. Although recently I noticed there are lessons on aspects of witchcraft taking place there on a regular basis.

My next stop was the "Cathedral of Thelema" - which really is a fine place, complete with a subsidiary island, as in Liber Al "Build me an island". So far not much has happened in the cathedral, although it is all ready for a gnostic mass. But it's a cool place to hang out and have a chat, or edit one's appearance in private. Some might be sceptical about the value of rituals in cyber space. I have to say that so far I've not been able to make one - despite several invites - but I guess it might be useful for some sort of visualisation or training. Several scenes for my Egyptian Magick film were made in the Cathedral.

Next I went to SPQR Roma - which is a similation based on ancient Rome. I am currently an acolyte in the Collegia Roma, training for the priesthood, although I am really into the Ancient Egyptian religion. I've met a lot of Pagans in Roma and the acolyte training is one of the most thorough I've yet encountered in SL. It didn't take me long to find the deserted Mithraem, just outside the Forum. It's an accurate representation of the real macoy. I should say that as SL is mainly an American thing, it does tend to be deserted when I am about - but that's changing too. There is an excellent Ancient Egyptian simulation although this is used for war gaming. There are many combat areas in SL, but it's not really my thing. But it's usually possible to enter as a non-combatant, as these areas often have excellent simulations. The temples and palaces are really excellent, full of beautful details, including trapdoors and secret passages. All these locations are in my Youtube film. Even so I've not so far found an authentic Egyptian model in SL, neither is there an authentic Hindu Temple. But things are still developing.

My latest excursion is to the Pagan Dawn site - again very quiet when I am there. Pagan Dawn is the publication of the UK's Pagan Federation but I'm not too sure of the relationship between the two. In the island's centre a path laid out in the shape of the Chaos Sphere with eight spikes. Each of the spikes points to a different style of magick. There's also a "traditional English pub" complete with pictures of Austin Spare and Aleister Crowley on the wall. Another spike has a grove for Wiccan type things, another a broken down graveyard for traditional witchcraft. There's a lovely chapel for virtual handfastings. It looks fun. I plan to rendez-vous with some of my SL friends there someday soon. For more details of all these picks, why not look me up on SL. - "Mogg Morgwain"

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Christopher S. Hyatt (Obituary by Lon Duquette)

Alan R. Miller (aka Ph.D.), author, publisher and esoteric pop psychologist died February 9th at his home in Scottsdale Arizona, His wife, Linda and his son, Michael were with him. He was 64. He had been battling cancer and other health concerns for some time. Alan was my lodge brother in the OTO, my career mentor, writing partner (for four titles), and for 20 years a close family friend.

His biographical information and litany of written works is now everywhere on the internet, so there’s no need for me to repeat all that in this short comment. I would simply like to share my thoughts and, in particular, address the statement by one commentator that Alan was a “blowhard.”

That one amused me very much because Alan was indeed a blowhard. He could blow as loud and unexpectedly as the Pacific gale that once capsized his sailboat. His temperament was rough and he was quick to anger. He could aim that mighty wind against friends, colleagues, business associates, and foes real or imagined. To say he could be a difficult friend to have would be an immense understatement. At the same time he was as kind and generous a friend as anyone would care to enjoy. He was also, to the esoteric community, a national treasure. He was not only generous with his time and resources, he was generous with himself.

I was forty years old when Alan Miller handed me a writing career. (Something he did for others as well). For two years I sat five days a week with him and learned the discipline of writing. During that time he fed me a healthy lunch and paid me $1,332 (666 x 2) a month for the privilege. In the meantime I got to rub elbows with the likes of Timothy Leary, Robert Anton Wilson, and (of course) Christopher S. Hyatt. The four titles we co-authored in 1990 & 1991 are still in print and I still get my royalties.

Yes, Alan blew hard. He blew hard against the forces of hypocrisy, ignorance, superstition, tyranny and oppression. He supported a score of esoteric personalities and causes. In the late 70s he befriended Israel Regardie, and managed his finances and investments assuring him a comfortable retirement in Sedona Arizona. He also assured that Regardie would finally be paid for his landmark work with the Golden Dawn material – payment that a previous publisher had shamefully refused to honor.

Alan Miller also blew hard in defense of individuals and institutions that for one reason or another found themselves enmeshed in litigation for the sake of their spiritual and intellectual liberties. Few knew it, but Alan Miller was the closest thing the esoteric communities had to an ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union).

Foremost among his most recent contributions to the Royal Art was his donation of tens of thousands of dollars to repair, preserve and restore to museum gallery standards Frieda Harris’ 78 watercolor masterpieces we know today as the Thoth Tarot.

Alan Miller proudly bore the title of “Blow Hard.” I will miss him very much. Whether you know it or not, because of his years of behind the scenes support and influence in the magical and literary communities, I guarantee that you will miss him too.

Lon Milo DuQuette

PS from Mogg: There are obviously big changes going on behind the scenes at the publishing house New Falcon since Christopher S. Hyatt's death. Nick Tharcher. has now resigned his position with the company amid ominous warnings of what is to come.

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