Mandrake Speaks Newsletter

• Tantrik Revelations in a London Pub

• WICCA: Magical beginnings (summary/review by Tzaddi)

• "Sex in the City" - actually Peter Grey's "The Red Goddess" (reviewed this time by Mogg)

• Phil Hine Interview

• Falcon Press (Still) Rising

• Lectures Talks

• Groups Meetups

• Conferences & Exhibitions (click to view)

• Colours of Chaos - Conference (London);

• What is Tantra? (London)
• Thelemic Symposium (Oxford)

WICCA: Magical beginnings
- A Study of the Possible Origins of the Rituals and Practices Found in this Modern Tradition of Pagan Witchcraft and Magick.
By Sorita d’Este & David Rankine
Published by Avalonia Books, 2008

According to the preface "this book was born out of a discussion on the origins of the Wiccan Tradition as known today, with some of our students in late 2001. . . Has Wiccan history tied itself into knots of personalities in an effort to conceal its true origins? Was there something we were missing? Why was it that whilst some people claimed that the tradition was the continuation of a very ancient Pagan religion, others stated that it was created (or compiled) in the 1950s or 1940s in England? Why was it that Gerald Gardner was greatly respected as the ‘Father’ of the modern movement and simultaneously viewed as a charlatan? What really made Wicca, Wicca? (From Preface p10)'' ''So the book beings with a discussion of Wicca's emergence in the 1950s, primarily through the work of Gerald Brousseau Gardner and a subsequent succession of people associated with him. During the transitional period of the 1950s, between the austerity of post-war Britain and the swinging sixties, Wicca quickly gained media attention as something mysterious and beyond the norm... ''

The authors say "it would be naïve to believe that all the practices and beliefs of the tradition sprang fully formed into being from nowhere and that it was completely unknown or thought of prior to Gerald Gardner. Undoubtedly the publication of his factional novel High Magic’s Aid in 1949, and subsequent writings, teachings and media exposure inspired and fuelled the interest of many people to explore what Gardner referred to as ‘the witch cult’. It would however probably be more accurate to view Gardner’s work as being the product of, or the continuation of, a growing spiritual and magickal current fuelled by a wealth of material published in numerous sources by a range of authors in the previous years, as well as the practices of a wide spectrum of esoteric groups and orders which flourished at the time and in the preceding decades.''

This is followed by a discussion in chronological order on the works by influential authors including the following:

JG Frazer, Folklorist, who in 1890 published his classic work The Golden Bough

Charles Godfrey Leyland, American Anthropologist, who published Aradia Gospel of the Witches in 1899

Margaret Murray, British Egyptologist, who published The Witch Cult in Western Europe in 1921, and The God of the Witches in 1933.

Jessie L.Weston, Folklorist, who published From Ritual to Romance in 1920, a work that explores the Arthurian mystical and magical themes.

MacGreggor Mathers ‘translation of The Key of Solomon in 1889, Jules Michelet’s La Sorciere,

Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Wilhelm Reich, Aleister Crowley, Dion Fortune, Israel Regardie, Golden Dawn, AO Spare, Kenneth Grant, Jack Parsons, Frater Achad.

The influence and ideas of these various sources are explored over several, detailed chapters concluding with five different putative origins viz:

1. The Wiccan tradition is a continuation of the grimoire tradition
2. The Wiccan tradition is a continuation of the Victorian ceremonial magick system
3. That the Wiccan tradition was a creation of Gerald Gardner and his associates
4. That Wicca is the survival of a British folk magick sytem
5. That Wicca is a final form of a tradition of European witchcraft going back to classical Greece and Rome

The authors carefully go over each point, bringing together and skillfully summarise material that has so reanimated witchcraft research over the last decade and that has yielded a crop of original books such as Philip Heselton's Wiccan Roots and Owen Davies Cunning Folk. What they bring to the equation is a strong practical knowledge of the mechanics of magick, plus the fruits of many long hours reading and editing their excellent published editions such as "The Goetia of Dr Rudd" (Golden Hoard Press), and their extensive experience of running covens and groups.. So they know of what they speak. A good read. Highly recommended [Tzaddi]

Phil Hine interviewed by John Wisniewski

> >When did you become interested in Chaos Magick?

I came across copies of both Pete Carroll's Liber Null and Ray Sherwin's The
Book of Results around 1980-81. I have a dim memory of picking up The Book
of Results at Chris Bray's shop The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Of course it
wasn't actually called "Chaos Magic" then.

> >Which writers' works have inspired you in your writings?

That's tricky. I've been influenced by a great many authors - and continue
to be so - but how does one distinguish between an influence and something
which is genuinely inspiring? It's rather obvious I was influenced by both
Pete Carroll and Ray Sherwin - after all without reading their early works I
wouldn't have picked up on and become involved in the chaos magic scene in
the late 1980s. But equally, I was influenced by some of the social
constructionist theorists I encountered when I did my first degree - in
particular, Irving Goffmann, Stan Cohen and Laurie Taylor. Cohen & Taylor's
book "Escape Attempts: The Theory and Practice of Resistance to Everyday
Life" was a very strong inspiration for me in the early 1980s for example,
and its one of the few books I still possess from that time of my life. All
of my chaos magic-oriented writing owes a big debt to Goffmann and Cohen &
Taylor - as much as it does does to occult authors. In fact I'd say that in
general, I've found non-occult authors to be more inspiring - I'm thinking
here of Keith Johnstone's classic "IMPRO", for example, or David Harvey's
"The Condition of Postmodernity" which was a big help in rewriting Prime
Chaos for the New Falcon edition.

I'd also say that I was very much inspired by Starhawk, whose writings I
encountered in the mid-1980s. Her writing about magic, feminism, and
direct-action politics really put the hook in me, although I don't know if
that is apparent for other people. It was Starhawk's work that provided the
initial inspiration to get involved in ecomagic and pagan networking
(PaganLink), which led to me editing Pagan News for four-five years.

There is also a phenomena which I could class as "reverse inspirations" -
that is, books that I think are pretty bad and might possibly be useful for
me in doing my own take on a particular subject.. Take for example Adrian
Savage's "An Introduction to Chaos Magick" - a book which I read in 1988 and
thought was bloody awful, frankly. (btw, you can find the full text of this
slim-hipped volume preserved for posterity on the chaosmatrix website). I
think if I hadn't read Savage's book, I probably wouldn't have written the
original chapbook version of Condensed Chaos. I had some friends who were
interested in chaos magic, and I said I'd find some "introductory" reading
material for them - and i thought to myself, after reading Savage's little
book, that I might as well have a go myself on the basis that I couldn't do
any worse. I used to have a small set of books that I filed under the
"reverse inspiration" category, but they all went in the last pruning of my
shelves.

There are also authors I've put off reading in any depth because I felt what
I'd seen of their work was very interesting and I didn't want to
unconsciously "nick" their ideas - which can easily happen if you're writing
under a deadline and don't always take note of sources and so forth. Pete
Carroll once wryly quipped "I'm sick of half-baked ideas that pass from book
to book without any intervening thought" which I think is a good point for
writers to bear in mind - although of course I've done my share of that too.
-----------------------------------

continued next time

Phil Hine
info@...
www.philhine.org.uk

Falcon Press Rising

To Our Friends,
Hi everyone, this is Nick Tharcher, formerly of "New Falcon Publications" and Linda Miller, the widow of Alan R. Miller, Ph.D. (aka Christopher S. Hyatt) who was President of New Falcon until his death on February 9, 2008. As you may know, we recently announced the opening of a new press: "The Original Falcon Press".

Many of you know Antero Alli as the author of Angel Tech, but you may not know that he is also a great filmmaker. We have just released 3 of his full-length films: "Hysteria", "The Mind is a Liar and a Whore", and "Orphans of Delirium". For more information see:

* http://www.originalfalcon.com/dvd-antero_alli_hysteria.php
* http://www.originalfalcon.com/dvd-antero_alli_mind.php
* http://www.originalfalcon.com/dvd-antero_alli_orphans.php

Speaking of "Angel Tech" (which will be shipping in just a few days), we have also released a new, 2 CD audio set called "Angel Tech Talk" in which Antero discusses the 8-Circuit Brain Model made famous by Timothy Leary and Robert Anton Wilson. Antero has been working with this model for many years and has made some new discoveries that we think you will find both fascinating and useful. For more information see:

* http://www.originalfalcon.com/cd-angel_tech_talk.php

With every order of $50.00 or more (less shipping and handling), we will include another new DVD at no charge: "An Interview With Antero Alli" in which Antero discusses his "paratheatre" projects, his relationships with Christopher Hyatt and Robert Anton Wilson, and much more.

Other recent releases include all of the Golden Dawn Audios (be sure to check out the special price for the complete 10-CD set). See:

* http://www.originalfalcon.com/audio.php

In addition, we have released Christopher Hyatt's audio and video works, among them the Energized Hypnosis and Radical Undoing series. This includes his last video, "Radical Undoing Volume 4: The Core". For more information see:

* http://www.originalfalcon.com/dvd-radical_undoing_vol4.php

In addition, we have released Dr. Hyatt's "Black Book" series. For more information see:

* http://www.originalfalcon.com/b-black_books.php

In the days and weeks to come, we will be adding many more of Hyatt's books as well as previously unreleased material.

We're delighted to be back and invite you to visit our website at http://www.originalfalcon.com

We deeply appreciate the support that so many of you have given us in recent months (thank you all!), thank you especially for your recent orders, and we hope that you will visit us soon.

Warmly,

Nick Tharcher & Linda Miller

Address The Original Falcon Press
1753 East Broadway Road #101-277
Tempe, AZ 85282
U.S.A.
Phone (602) 708-1409
Fax (602) 708-1410
Email info@...
Website http://www.originalfalcon.com

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The Red Goddess
by Peter Grey (review)

258pp, Hardback 2008 £37 + p&p

This is a beautiful, provocative, thought-provoking book, one man’s journey in search of the obscure object of his desire – full of odd typography, robust, sometimes rough language and a £37 price tag. Using the latest research from books such as “Strange Angel” , “Love and Rockets” and “The Unknown God” the author blends his own narrative around that which he sees as the three pillars of the Babalonian mythos – Enochian Magick, Aleister Crowley and Jack Parsons. Thus one reads:

“Eunuchs have been used traditionally to serve the Goddess, often as sodomitic dog priests. That name is not a slur but most likely comes from their dog position sex. These were important priests who served the ancient Love Goddess by sacrificing their reproductive power. They are no longer men. They cannot penetrate the mystery. I will not advocate the joys of self castration or the smooth root of the Skopsie, but it is certainly one way to serve Our Lady. I prefer Magick with the balls to push shaft deep into the crimson petals of the Goddess.”

Babalon is modern goddess, one of the most recent to emerge from the cauldron of serendipity. Even so, some, Peter Grey amongst them, would claim she has antique roots. She remerged in the modern world via the writings of Aleister Crowley, who is also responsible for renovating the old English spelling as Babalon, which has a significant numerology of 156 as opposed to 165. For Babylon, is an ancient Mesopotamian city, the Bête Noire of the ancient Hebrews, and therefore a natural cipher for corruption and hubris in the strange apocalyptic end game of the Biblical New Testament. I’m talking of the Book of Revelation, a book that exerted a powerful influence on Crowley’s imagination and one way or another figured large in his new Thelemic mythos.

The Book of Revelation is widely believed to contain much hidden and indeed Kabbalistic symbolism, So no surprise that the “anti-gods” of that book turn out to be, according to Thelemites, the true corrective of the modern age. The goddesses of ancient Babylon were Innana, Ishtar and Astarte. These are “Red Goddesses” in more ways than one – and possible role models for the modern woman who is powerful, self sufficient and above all sexual. Whether modern “scarlet woman” is, as Herodotus suggested, willing to give herself to any man for any small coin, seems unlikely these days somehow. So in as much as the author of Revelation was saying that it’s the goddesses that really bring society down, Crowley and the Thelemites say the opposite.

Few would argue that Peter’s Red Goddess is a Mesopotamian creation. Most of us accept Mesopotamia, as the “cradle of civilization” and the dispersal hub for many important things, writing, astrology, technology, religion, etc etc. I must admit my own dealings with “The Red Goddess” are in her Egyptian territory (see “The Bull of Ombos”) Peter devotes a short chapter to the exploration of her possible Egyptian roots, although this is maybe a clear example of where the works of the Victorian Egyptophile Gerald Massey provide an inadequate guide to the material.

AFAIK, Egypt, did indeed benefit from early contacts with Mesopotamia before the rise of the Pharaohs (i.e. 4000BCE) but its main development was independent. So for example although writing may have been invented in Mesopotamia, it was also invented quite independently in Egypt, presumably for the same imperative. The earliest reference in Egypt to the Semitic goddesses Astarte and Anat belongs to the reign of Thutmoses c1500bce, both love goddesses were married to ultimate “Red Bull” Seth. But my Egyptian “Red Goddess” has to be Hathor, a goddess as old as time, goddess of the cattle cult (hence the horns) she is indeed sensual, sexual and intoxicated. (See “Hathor’s Secrets”) When old man Ra is down in the dumps she lifts her skirts and gives him a laugh.

Having said something of the mythology of Innana et al, Peter soon leaves behind the ancient world. I definitely wanted more info on Mesopotamian religion, as his analysis is consistently interesting and engaging. He then follows the tracks of the Belle Dame Sans Merci, through the writings of her numerous modern devotees, including John Dee, Marquis de Sade, Jack Parsons and indeed many a modern mage, including his own dealing with she who must be obeyed, which brings to mind the lines of the song “my knuckles are bleeding and my knees are raw”. This reworking of the Crowleyian material on the nature of the scarlet women, is seen largely through his poetry and forms “The Red Goddess’ ” vibrant core.

Peter has no time for the post modern obsession with transgender and reclaiming the “blossoms of bone”. “Eunuchs” he tells us, “cannot penetrate the mystery.” But there again for me, Babalon might be like “post porn modernist” Annie Sprinkle –the love of whose life is famously the tortured Les, a female to male transsexual.

So all in all an interesting and provocative monograph; worthy I would think of some wider circulation. It might be that this first edition which is perhaps aimed at the “collector” for whom “the medium is the message.” Its white wibeline cover with red embossing is very striking; there are tipped in illustrations, one in colour. And indeed interior text is black and occasional red. Even so I’d be happy to read it in a standard hardback “Starfire” mode or even a good trade paperback. But whatever way you read it, it’s definitely worth a spin. [Mogg]

Mogg Morgan’s talk at the Supermoot of the former Albion OTO on the 12th July was certainly a revelation to me. As an overview of his book Tantra Sadhana, I had expected the familiar description of complex mantras and mystical rituals I’ve come to expect from books on authentic Tantra. But this was an introduction to a Kaula tradition and so very different. Kaula was described as the midpoint between Kula, a kind of dark, shamanic Tantra focussed on taboo breaking, and often anti-social activities, and Tantra proper, a later rationalised and domesticated tradition, operating on a more intellectual level. Kaula was thoughtful without being over intellectualised and dark without being anti-social he explained. He then went on to outline its basic features and practises. More controversially he highlighted not only the antiquity of the tradition and its connection with universal shamanic themes, but also his belief that the ancient magic of Greco-Egypt
had been transported to India, its trading partner, and influenced the emergence of Kaula after it was supressed in the West. Even more interestingly he suggested that the idea of a dogmatic tradition either in Ancient India or Egypt was a later development that fossilised magic and the original school was far more free form and experimental, much like Chaos Magic.

But it was on a more personal level that I found the talk most enlightening, as it contained elements central to my own experimental work that was pleasantly surprised to hear in his talk. Elements that added much to my own conceptions on various projects and also strangely connected these projects together. Most obvious was my work with Nu Thelema, a reformation of the current that in part addresses the misogyny and patriarchy in Crowley’s system. So I was thrilled to hear how important female Tantrists were in Kaula, the term Yogi, being merely the masculine form of the older term Yogini. This alone pulls the rug from under the feet of Thelemites who claim women can’t be priests.

But there was more to come, for it was revealed that the original and most powerful Yoginis were not female adepts but ‘witch spirits’ much like a lilithine incarnation of the Tibetan Dakinis. Several things about this stunned me, one was the mythic similarity between the Yoginis (associated with Shiva and Kali) and the Nysiadean Nymphs who raise Dionysos in Greek myth, not least their mutual association with the Pleiades and Hyades, but also their relationships, with some Yoginis associated with Kali, through the Matrikas, and some Nysiades associated with Ariadne Corona, the consort of Dionysos, through Adraste and Coronis. The Dionysian Mysteries and culture have been central to my work for over a decade, but I had not discovered their Tantric aspect before, or their relation to my Thelemic activities.

Crowley’s ‘best advice’ was quoted as ‘don’t worry about the OTO stuff just go to India and explore the Kaulas’. A reconstructed
Dionysian Tantra has thus been inspired! To some extent I was also impressed with the dark, taboo breaking aspect of the Kulas and Kaulas, and their attempt to go beyond the habitually human, which corresponds in many ways with my eEOD and its Lovecraftian mythos. However the thing that stunned me most was the traditional forms of interaction with the Yogini, the meetings in woods and at crossroads, their association with burial grounds, caverns and circles, the offerings, the exchange of energy for power or favour, their vampiric tendencies and their dangerous tricks or tests, as well as their associations with trees, birds and folklore of danger to babies! All of which exactly matches my personal experience in my main Witchcraft activity, Fey Magick and study of its lore. The Yoginis (and Nymphs) are obviously Fey!

Even more significantly it matches the Romany tradition of Fey witchcraft found in Leland’s Gypsy Sorcery (perhaps not surprisingly if theories of Indian origins are true, though modern research indicate Middle Eastern influences are stronger). In Leland’s 19th Century work we meet Slavic and Romany sorcerers strangely called the Kristniki or Kristaca, ‘the crossed or baptised one’, holy or magical, 12th sons who battle ‘evil witches’. What is interesting about them is how they gain their powers, for a Kristniki is "a man who has won the love of a Vila." The Vila or Aerial Spirits are Slavic-Romany elementals, and in this context Nymphs. They are attracted to ‘holy men’ who encounter them after sleeping in hollow trees in the wildwood and entering Faerie, where they engage in great pleasure before returning. The Vila is said to ‘gain a soul’ and the Kristniki ‘gains power’ as a result of this union. Warnings are given about the dangers of the Vila however, in particular their threat to babies and their vampiric nature. This is almost pure Kaula. More on which can be found in GYPSY SORCERY, C G LELAND, CHAPTER IX currently online at the website http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/gsft/gsft11.htm

Modern Romanys even talk of love spells involving menstral blood and ‘cakes of love’, which will also ring bells with some no doubt.

It seems Mogg’s talk has revealed I’ve been studying and practising Kaula for some time without even knowing it! Naturally he was very interested to hear this and encouraged me to write about it.

One thing I still find hard to swallow though (sometimes literally) is the notion that the energy exchange in Kaula is rooted in certain bodily fluids.. A well known idea in Western Magick now, but one that always makes me wary of excepting buns from Thelemites! There may well be some deep mystery in this, so I haven’t totally rejected the idea, but scientifically I can think of no basis for it, nor can I find much desire for it in most cases (excluding the exceptional scarlet offer). However Mogg reminds me that in Kaula such encounters are not necessarily on the physical level
and so I have no doubt that the Yogini have their sweet side too.

Tantra Sadhana
a practical introduction to Kaula Magick
By Mogg Morgan

Mandrake, 2008, 178pp, £10.99
ISBN 978-1-869928-421

A ‘Sâdhana’ is an instrument that leads to a particular goal. In Tantra, it is a technical term denoting worship or spiritual practice.

Tantra Sâdhana is a collection of related instructional papers designed to aid the aspirant through a foundation practice.

The work was originally conceived as leading to a practice over the course of one lunar month. In addition, the author had added several useful appendices
- including the previously unpublished Tantrik Knuckle Bone Oracle.

The reader might find this a good general primer combined with some more unusual, perhaps advanced material.

Contents:

Introduction / / What is Tantra? / Sâdhana/practice / Mantra / Mandala or Yantra / MudrA / NyAsa / DhyAna / PUja / DIkshA / Magick and Liberation / Svecchacara / Tantrik traditions and sects / Recommended Reading / The opening rite / Yoga of the voice / Quarter Guardians / Visualisation / The Astral Temple / The Kamarupa Temple Meditation / The Kalas / The Ganesha Practice (Sadhana) / Ganesha rupa / The ‘Demon’ Doctrine and the roots of Tantra / Invocation of Kundalini / IV The Serpent Power /The Kaulajnana -Nirnaya of the School of Matsyendranath / Yoga Sutras of Patanjali / Grammar of Tantra / The VAma-keshvari-matam / Oracles / Tantrik Knuckle Bone Oracles / Pronounciation / When Your Guru Goes Gaga / Hindu Lunar Calendar

Review from White Dragon

"I first became interested in Tantra years ago when I read AGHORA, At the Left Hand of God by Robert E. Svoboda. The ideas of breaking out of social conditioning, becoming yourself, all appealed to me. Since then though my interest waned due to the New Age inundation of, ‘tantra for lovers’ type waffle. Then comes Tantra Sadhana for me to review and I once again find myself inspired. This e-book takes the form of an introduction to the subject and then gives the reader some basic ritual to work through. First published as a fact-sheet for AMOOKOS, Arcane and Magickal Order of the Knights of Shamballa, so you know the information in chapter one is solid enough. The inclusion of the Gnostic Pentagram Ritual was not to my taste, It’s a personal thing, but I would rather the author had used the version from the PGM, from which the GPR is a more rubbish version. I know why it’s there, but it didn’t work for me. What I did find very useful was the extensive appendix, for me, this is the best part of the book, and with a little imagination can be used to form your own Tantric rites. I was very pleased to see the Ganapati Upanishad text included, I was at a private ritual years ago where Phil Hine did this and I found it very moving. Anyone interested in Tantra beyond the New Age tripe will enjoy this book and I would recommend it without reservation. I would also say it’s worth reading for people interested in Chaos Magick, because reading it, it becomes obvious how Tantric ideas have shaped the Chaos Current that we have today. "

PS here's a version of the talk from Youtube -the sound quality could be better and there is a more personalised account to appear in the next edition of Howlings - finger's crossed - Ed

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