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Mandrake Speaks Newsletter
Edited by Mogg Morgan
No 222
Monthly info for friends of leading occult publisher and bookseller Mandrake of Oxford
info on ours and other interesting publications, reviews and events.
All inquiries and contributions and are welcome if sent to: mandrake-owner@yahoogroups.com
Unless otherwise stated please do repost in whole or part to other lists including our byline
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send an email to same if you'd like to become a regular subscriber to this free transmission.
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Contents
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Magick Works: Mandrake - New Title
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Honouring the Ancient Dead & Avebury Reburial Consultation
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Devoted by Scarlet Imprint (review)
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The Cornish Witchfinder (Review)
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Priestesses, Pythonesses & Sibyls (Review)
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Lectures Talks
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Groups Meetups
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Conferences & Exhibitions (click to view)
PF; COA, Occulture, Equinox, Nu-Thelemic Symposium and more - its going to be a busy year.
Devoted -
Scarlet Imprint has done it again. Another ravishing text which combines tasteful production with quality writing. Bound in saffron coloured book cloth with a cut back design which, depending on how you look at it, is either a chalice or two faces about to kiss. By all means judge this book by its beautiful cover. The collection of essays found in Devoted are tales of the bhakti yoga of modern magick. Levannah Morgan described her allegiance to Inanna. Stephen Grasso leads us into the society of the Loa. Peter Grey reveals more on his worship of Babalon. In total fifteen essays, which provide an excellent range, both in style of writing and of the diverse of spirits to which the contributors are consecrated.
In common with previous productions from this energetic publishing house, we have not only quality and substance but also novelty, for these are quintessentially modern practitioners of the arcane arts. If nothing else this book demonstrates successfully that prayerful, even 'religious' praxis within occultism is thriving. Through these essays we are introduced to fourteen occultists who have a living relationship with their gods. This makes a pleasant change from the model that presents spirits as being endogenous psychic productions.
My only reservation is that I want more! (But perhaps that is the doom of those who are devoted!) Not merely more details about methodology (some of the writers in this collection are painfully honest about their techniques). I guess it's that Devoted left me hungry for the intensity of experience that our authors have found in their adorations. In Devoted we hear voices that speak directly from the visionary state. This book is a poetic download from magicians living in the rapture of their gods, and their hymns of praise are quite intoxicating.
Julian Vayne
---------------------------
Devoted
Various
Edited by Alkistis Dimech
Introduction by Peter Grey
Scarlet Imprint
Devoted is an octavo book of 173pp, bound in saffron book cloth, black chalice stamped and finished with night black endpapers.
It is being prepared in a strictly limited and hand-numbered edition of 814 copies.
A copy can be yours for thirty-one English pounds plus postage.
Devoted comprises fifteen essays by fourteen writers on their devotional practice.
It is a bloody and passionate blend of primal gnosis and poetic expression.
These essays reveal and revel in powerful applicable magickal practice.
They are suffused with the living experience of the Spirit world.
Devoted will enrich your own work, whether you are witch, magician, heathen, thelemite, or sorceror.
From possession work, to blood letting and fetishes, to sabbatic dance, there is a wealth of experience to explore within these pages.
Devoted provides indepth essays on working with:
Babalon
Ishtar
Hecate
Lilith
Loki
Tiamat
Dionysus
The Yoginis
The Lwa
The Spirits of goetia
Our writers are a chorus of powerful new voices and established practitioners whose Work has often been overlooked:
Stephen Grasso, Peter Grey, Mogg Morgan, Jake Stratton-Kent, Richard Ward, Levannah Morgan, Ruby Sara, David Blank, Mark Smith,Charlotte Rodgers, Mordant Carnival, Tony Elliott, Alkistis Dimech,George Sieg.
Priestesses, Pythonesses & Sibyls:
The Sacred Voices of Women who speak with and for the Gods
Edited by Sorita d’Este
Avalonia Books
PB, 196pages, RRP £12.99, ISBN 978-1905297214
www.avalonia.co.uk
Truth to tell I tend to be narrow in my choice of reading material, so the opportunity to review this book has also given me a chance to challenge my limitations, which can only be a good thing!
I personally am not into gender discriminate spirituality such as Goddess Worship and whilst I acknowledge it is a path for some, it is not my way.
Conversely, for many years I was quite outspoken about the lack of strong women’s voices within some magickal groups before I eventually realised there were many other social, racial, and sexual groups that were also not represented in certain magical circles which indicates a greater issue than simple misogyny.
Thus while I was slightly put off by the appearance of this book, with the swirling feminine archetypes on the cover and some of the contained photographs of beautiful glamorous practitioners, I was also intrigued to read the words within that were experiences of trance work by a range of contemporary, female, magical practitioners.
So I pushed myself and was well rewarded.
The first three essays assembled in the section ‘Ecstatic Histories’, were of a more academic format, and whilst nicely written and well presented, in my mind were too short; however they acted as a good introduction for the work to follow.
The remainder of the book consisted of articles written by eighteen contemporary practitioners from a variety of traditions and their experiences with trance.
These traditions include Goddess Spirituality, Wicca, The Western Mystery Tradition, Thelema, Candomble, Voudou and Seidr.
While a variety of perspectives from different Traditions is of interest for the reader (and shows a fascinating correlation of experience and result, despite differences in approach) and lifts the anthology beyond the narrow focus of what is considered to be ‘women’s spirituality’; what makes ‘Priestesses, Pythonesses, Sybils’ fascinating is the immersion, and studied passion, focus and exploration in all of these women’s writing.
I did note a strong undercurrent of Wicca and frequent mention of the ‘Drawing Down of The Moon’ Ritual throughout the book.
However upon reading more closely it can be seen that a study of Wicca has acted as a springboard to some of these writers, such as Sophie Fisher, to explore other traditions. When you think about it, there are few initial routes to study structured magical spirituality in the Western World; Wicca being one.
Janet Farrar’s piece ‘Waking the Gods: Our Odyssey into Trance Prophecy’ was a particularly fascinating chronicle of her journey exploring a variety of trance techniques, and ‘The Republic of Heaven on Earth: Trance Gender and Choices’ by Yvonne Aburrow was superb.
I do suspect that this anthology is targeted at a specific market, considering the cover and magical backgrounds of the contributors and I feel Sorita d’Este has made a mistake here as the book has the potential to have a much wider appeal.
However in essence Sorita has done an admirable job: this is a book of voices and experiences of women who are intelligent and articulate explorers in the realm of trance and oracle.
[Charlotte Rogers]
The Cornish Witch-finder (Review)
William Henry Paynter and the Witchery, Ghosts, Charms and Folklore of Cornwall
Selected and Introduced by Jason Semmens
ISBN 9780902660397, 256pp, published at £11.95 by the Federation of Old Cornwall Societies.
Which you have to admit is a bit of a bargain for such a well turned out illustrated book. Although personally I prefer a lighter bookwove to the heavy coated but undoubtedly high quality stock used here. I could also have done with an index, a real adornment to any good book, in my opinion, William Paynter (1901 - 1976) was a folklorist, antiquary and bard of the Cornish Gorsedd who specialised in collecting witch-stories and folklore during the 1920s and 1930s. Seems to me that these days more traditional approaches to witchcraft are very popular amongst the practitioner community. Many might be sceptical that contemporary wiccans share any common ground with the witches of the great European witch hunts. Even so there can be very little doubt that there was quite a vital nineteenth century witchcraft tradition surviving up to the First World War. Afterall the ethnology collections of Oxford and elsewhere are full of the surviving magical objects from this time before the modern occult revival. Traditional practitioners may once have been pretty thin on the ground but have achieved a miraculous revival and nowadays the world and his wife claims to be one. In his time Paynter had to work quite hard to find any living informants. I thought it was maybe a good time to pop down to see my friend the Cunning Man Jack Daw and ask him a few questions about all this.
I found him outside his caravan grollicking a rabbit, Over a cup of tea I asked him whether Paynter ever managed to meet any living witches? His accounts are always of the kind "while discussing the mysterious fraternity of wizards and witches with an old man well over eighty he informed me that about forty-five years ago his attended the assizes in Bodmin . . . just before dinner ... a strange individual, dressed in a long white shirt, entered the room etc.," I repeat, did Paynter ever get to meet the actual Wizard or must he always settle for these second or third hand accounts?
"It's the nature of the beast" JD says cryptically
"Pardon?"
"The West Country in the nineteenth century is libel central. So the short answer is,
that first hand interviews with the real Mccoy are so rare as to be non existent."
"So no one ever met a real witch?"
"Not one would admit it."
"But" I interjected, "he could have spoken to any number of modern practitioners who claim to have witches in the family from these very places and times?"
"Yep" JD replies, "tis a mystery."
I showed him my copy of the Cornish Witch-finder and he was very soon absorbed in its contents, letting out the odd grunt of recognition and affirming that it was truly an excellent collection of articles full of the most revealing material.
"That Paynter" he says, "he has a fine Cornish Nose. He knows his stuff, although some of it he might have took from the works of other folklorists such as Bottrell and Hunt."
He was full of admiration for the editor Jason Semmens for having the nous to have tracked all of them articles down from some many diverse and obscure sources. So there's an endorsement. The book is full of rare and fascinating material although naturally rooted in the conventions of the times. The introduction by Jason Semmens is detailed and informative and all in all this is a very welcome addition to the genre. And at £11.95 a pop, what are you waiting for?
[Mogg]
Honouring the Ancient Dead & Avebury Reburial Consultation:
In case you missed it -
EH / NT / CoBDO Reburial Consultation has arrived and this is a final call for submissions from you. If you are also submitting a response as an individual or through
another organisation, please don't let that stop you adding your voice to our shared submission. If HAD's voice is to have validity, I need to hear from you.
direct to:
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.19820
which is another very informative website with all the relevant documents
This story definitely has legs, as just one example from UK's Daily Mail online
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1127430/Druid-wars-How-drunken-row-4-000-year-old-bones-causing-chaos-pagan-circles.html#
Some elements of the pagan movement have rather built "King Arthur" up over the years -
something they may sometime regret :) - especially as he uses his undoubted clout with the media to slag off former friends.
This story about the Avebury Consultation is set to run and run -
and is something of a landmark for Pagans interested in the topic -
the consultation has now been extended btw.
HAD (www.honour.org.uk) is not supporting the application for reburial
but thinks Paul Davies made a reasonable case but not one that has universal support amongst pagans.
HAD on the whole emphasises appropriate and respectful display and
access to all. Most press reports have tended to favour certain perspectives within the
pagan movement that make a better story. (btw there is a proposal that pagans perform some sort of annual rite in
museum collections at samhain)
HAD "queries the language of the DCMS Guidance, proposing that the language of ‘claims’
is inappropriate and has put CoBDO in a no-win situation. If a British organisation such as
CoBDO had been given the option to use the language of ‘expressions of interest’, the
relevance and value of their input would have been immediately heard, supported,
understood and of value. It is essential that an inclusive language be
offered that is more appropriate for the British situation. "
Full background see:
www.honour.org.uk
Magick Works: stories of occultism in theory and practice
by Julian Vayne
(Author of "Pharmakon" and "Now That's What I Call Chaos Magick"
Enter the world of the occultist: where the spirits of the dead dwell amongst us, where the politics of ecstasy are played out, and where magick spills into every aspect of life.
It’s all right here; sex, drugs, witchcraft and gardening. From academic papers, through to first person accounts of high-octaine rituals. In Magick Works you will find cutting edge essays from the path of Pleasure, Freedom and Power.
In this seminal collection Julian Vayne explores:
* The Tantric use of Ketamine.
* Social Justice, Green Politics and Druidry.
* English Witchcraft and Macumba
* The Magickal use of Space.
* Cognitive Liberty and the Occult.
* Psychogeography & Chaos Magick.
* Tai Chi and Apocalyptic Paranoia.
* Self-identity, Extropianism and the Abyss.
* Parenthood as Spiritual Practice.
* Aleister Crowley as Shaman
...and much more!
http://www.mandrake.uk.net/9781869928469.jpg
Lectures
Details of location below
Date |
Speaker & Topic |
Event |
| Wednesday 25th February 2009 | Golem-Building for Dummies: Practicalities, Texts and Principles from Jewish Lore Simson Leigh 25th February (Wednesday) 7.15 for 7.30 start£5 Everyone knows the story of the golem of Jewish folklore -- some audacious perosn creates a servitor being (a golem) by sculpting out of clay, then bringing it to life by doing certain special things and inscribing upon it one special Hebrew word. Most famous is the story of the Maharal of Prague in the 16th century, but it is a very old piece of lore indeed: it goes back as far as the 2nd and 3rd centuries in the Persian Empire. It is an almost unknown fact that Jewish writings do actually provide recipes, guidance and steps for a practitioner to create a golem. This information is often glossed over, obscured or even omitted from the literary canon and from discussions. Until tonight. Tonight, Simson Leigh pulls these out from their hidden places to reveal the methods of golem-making that Jewish texts actually prescribe. Bring a notebook and pen, and be prepared to sleep with the light on afterward. Simson Leigh has been a friend of Treadwells for a couple of years, a student of texts on Kabbalah and early Jewish Mysticism for several years more, and an interest in golems since childhood. |
Treadwells |
| Wednesday 4th March 2009 | Moon Magick in Ancient Egypt Mogg Morgan The importance of lunar mysteries in Ancient Egypt is often downplayed or even denied. MM has over several books revealed much new material on this topic. What began as an exploration of the Myth of Horus & Seth as waxing and waning moon, expanded to include a secret key to the Ancient Egyptian Magical Religion. Apart from published work, Mogg Morgan is currently exploring this themes online via www.thepaganactivist.com (Golden Dawn Notebook) and his "Golden Dawn Egyptian Gnosis" lecture series for Secondlife and RL venues. Details on request to: mandox2000@.... |
Secret Chiefs |
| Thursday 5th March 2009 | Cinematic Evocations: Occultism in Obscure Cinema Patricia MacCormack (Anglia Ruskin) 5th March (Thursday) 7.15 for 7.30 pm start£5 In this lecture, which is illustrated with film clips, Dr MacCormack will explore the occult themes in some lesser known films from the history of cinema; you will be regaled with a cinematic panoply of rituals, demonic incarnations, witchcraft, magi and ancient ones. As she takes you from silent Weimar to Italian horror, from Anglian Pan paganism to French occult vampirism, she shows how cinema has not only shown audience members the esoteric, but summoned them into its spell as enchanted acolytes. Occultism, she shows us, was part of the inception of cinema: spectators, with their dreams and fantasies, entered into Faustian pacts with the enigmatic plane of the screen and its magickal intensities. Its spell continues to this day, with the screen continuing to open up for us other worlds and planes of intensity. Dr Patricia MacCormack is senior lecturer in Communication and Film at Anglia Ruskin University; she works and has published extensively in Continental philosophy, cinesexuality, post-human ethics, chaos magic, sexuality and occult culture. She returns to Treadwell's, having last year given the highly provocative paper 'Enfolding Magic' which sold out and generated some of the most vigorous debate the seminar series has known.
|
Treadwells |
| Saturday 7th March 2009 | Caroline Wise and Friends 7th March (Saturday) 11.45 am -5.45 pm £40 Caroline Wise has been working as an occult priestess for over 30 years and, though well-known for numerous projects, she is most famed for her magical explorations with the elusive goddess Elen whom she has been exploring for over 25 years. Wise published a seminal essay on Elen in 1990 (The Aquarian Guide to Legendary London) and since then her research and spiritual work has continued, inspiring others to follow her lead. Once a year Caroline Wise offers an experiential day with Elen and horned goddesses, in which she shares some of the meditations, research, and ceremonial workings for which she has achieved such note. This day will include oracle work, journeying and ceremony, divination, and attuning to the goddesses of the land as we trace their footsteps and trajectories. The day will culminate in a walk to the river Thames. Caroline presents Goddess days in the UK, Germany and the United States.
|
Treadwells |
| Wednesday 11th March 2009 | Typhonian Magic of Kenneth Grant: Lecture Two in the Series Michael Staley 11th March (Wednesday) 7.15 for 7.30 start£5 Second lecture in the series by Michael Staley, on the work of magician and author Kenneth Grant (b. 1924). More details in due course. |
Treadwells |
Venues & Organisers:
Bath Omphalos |
Bath Omphalos Omphalos Magickal Moot is an independent group open to people from all magickal paths. Meetings are on the second Sunday of each month, upstairs at the Huntsman, 1 Terrace Walk, North Parade, Bath (on 'Bog Island'). The next meeting will be on Sunday 8th of March 2009 gathering around 2.00PM for a 2.30 start. Check our postings regularly for updates, as there is often a guest speaker (when a donation of 5.00 will be asked for to cover expenses). Suggestions for discussion topics are welcomed - prior knowledge of a topic is not essential as we can all learn from each other. The Huntsman serves food, the upstairs room is large and atmospheric, and the whole place oozes with history. Their weblink is Website: http://www.omphalos.org.uk/ |
London Earth Mysteries Circle |
London Earth Mysteries Circle 7.00pm Tuesdays (2nd 4th in month) From 12 February 2008, New Venue: |
| London Secret Chiefs |
SECRET CHIEFS 8pm - at the Devereux Public House, 20 Devereux Court, off Essex Street, Strand, London WC2, near Temple Underground. |
MWNN |
THE MOOT WITH NO NAME |
R.I.L.K.O |
R.I.L.K.O |
| Treadwells Bookshop |
Treadwells Bookshop Full descriptions of all events are to be found now on Treadwells website |
Groups Meetups
'Oxford Talking Stick Pub Moot' |
Meets every Thursday at The Angel Greyhound Pub (St Clements st) Oxford. See also below: |
| LAESO (London) | email for details to: lawbright@... |
Conferences & Exhibitions
| Saturday 7th March 2009 | Devon, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Pagan Federation Friday night (6th March) Quiz and social. Saturday speakers : Competition: Come as a `Familiar spirit'! |
|
| Saturday 4th April 2009 | Wyrdwoods The Oxford Esoteric Writers Forum Cassandra Bellingham |
Oxford City Centre, Mitre Inn, High Street (corner of Turl Street) |
| Saturday 18th April 2009 | Pagan Federation Wessex Conference Glastonbury Town Hall
Nathaniel Harris, Patrick "Jasper" Lee and The Jal Folk Theatre, Pete Jennings.
http://pfwessex.org/conference-2009.html
|
Glastonbury Town Hall |
| Saturday 16th May 2009 | Witchfest South 10:00 a.m. till Midnight |
Norwood, London |
| Saturday 23rd May 2009 | Occulture Festival 11:30 a.m. til 5:30 p.m. Line UP Occulture 2009 Lon Milo DuQuette |
Hoxton, London |
| Sunday 24 May and Bank Holiday Monday 25 May 2009 |
Beltane Bash Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Programme coming soon. |
Conway Hall London |
| Saturday 30th May 2009 | Ludlow Esoteric Conference and Book Fair Author, lecturer and publisher, Stephen Skinner will be speaking at the Esoteric Conference & Book Fair in Ludlow, Shropshire this May! His talk will be on The Key of Solomon.The addition of Stephen Skinner co-author of 'The Veritable Key of Solomon' with David Rankine, [who is also speaking at the Conference, on Demonology and the Grimoire Tradition] to the conference line up will make this years conference excellent valuefor your money; six speakers all for the price of just £15! Plus the Book Fair, (admission: free) Esoteric Conference and Book Fair, Speakers are:~ Nigel Pennick… Runes and Magic. Sorita D'Este… Gerald Gardener and the Book of Shadows. David Rankine… Demonology and the Grimiore Tradition Geraldine Beskine… Progradier and the Beast. Philip Heslton… Mothers of Wicca. Occult Book Sellers (new and second hand) will be:~ |
Ludlow |
| June 12-14th | "Equinox" Festival Dates and Lineup announced! June 12-14th London More artists and speakers will be announced in the coming weeks! ALL NEW WEBSITE with media links, artists/speaker bios, and ticket info. The Equinox Festival, a 3 day media arts festival dedicated to We are pleased to announce the following confirmed artists for this Music performance: John Zorn MORE TO COME IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS Ritual Performance: Arktau Eos Lecture/Presentations: Ralph Metzner MORE TO COME IN THE FOLLOWING WEEKS Films - Paola Igliori Craig Baldwin Harry Smith Alejandro Jodorowsky Maya Deren Raymond Salvatore Harmon MORE ARTISTS TO COME! SURPRISE GUESTS! Tickets go on Sale March 20th via Wegottickets.com |
|
| Sunday 13th September 2009 | Doreen Valiente Day This is advance notice that Atlantis Bookshop is organising an event to mark the 10th anniversary of Doreen's passing. It's going to take place on Sunday 13th September at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London, and it sounds as if it will be an event to remember! Full details will be available later in the year, but put the date in your diaries :) |
Conway Hall, London |
| Saturday 26th September 2009 |
Nu Thelemic Symposium Holywell Music Room, Oxford City Centre, on Saturday 26th of September this year. This is possibly one of the most listed buildings in the country so quite and difference from last year. It does mean that we can have 200 tickets available though so we won't have to turn so many away. The downside is that as the building is listed, staging a full rite with candles and incense there is unlikely to be possible. We will be getting a side room though so workshops are very much on the agenda. Here is the Wiki entry for this very famous building: The building is in the city centre right next to all the original University Campus buildings and Ashmole's original museum. That area is all laid out in the Alchemical design using Hermetic conceptualisation. There will be plenty of pubs and restaurants nearby too. I hope the day time event to start arround 10:00a.m. and go on till the early evening when we will move to a seperate venue for a social, much like the old Symposiums but hopefully about double the size. Speakers still have to be established though I have a few who are pencilled in. Suggestions are welcome but it is worth noting that the Symposium is not really geared toward beginners, though without meaning to lose them by blinding them with too much information. We don't really want it to become a soap box conference of rival orders trying to grab beginners you see. It is much more of an adepts conference, with speakers generally being asked to speak from experience on matters that they have worked on personally. The workshops will be introductions to practices that the people running them, have plenty of experience in too. Anyway the ball is rolling again. I hope to see you there. We will be putting advanced sales of tickets up in the next few weeks, so be early to secure your seat. Love is the law, love under will. Thank you, --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ |
Oxford |
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