In ancient Tantric concepts, as in modern Western science, the physical universe is seen as an incredible collection of energy. The stars are energy. The chair you’re sitting in is energy. You are energy. This energy is represented as sound. In order for our consciousnesses to deal with energy the goddess Maya gives us the illusion of solidity. The chair is solid. You are solid. This illusion allows us to interact with each other and with the environment. Some people mistakenly assume that the concept of maya is that the physical plane is an illusion. Nope. It’s very real! It is only our interpretation of the reality—that it is solid rather than energy—and our beliefs that result from that interpretation, that is the illusion.

We each have our own illusion or map of reality. This map allows us to to deal with others and our environment. But the reality or “territory” is not the map. A map can help guide you down the street or around the world, but the map is not the street or the world. The map is not the territory.

Okay. That’s actually kind of obvious. A map guides me down the street so I can get from my house to your house. What’s the big deal?

The problem is that your map—created as a result of your experiences and beliefs—is not the same as my map. The more our maps match each other the better we can communicate. As an aspect of magick, I discuss this idea of improving relationships and communication in the new lesson in Modern Magick. (Now in its second printing! Thanks to all of you who have purchased a copy.) You will also find it described in much greater detail in the works of Patrick Dunn such as Postmodern Magic.

So where am I going with this?

Today, in the U.S. and in many other areas, there is quite a bit of binary thinking. By that I mean either/or, my-way-or-the-highway thinking; I’m right and if you think even slightly differently than me, you’re wrong. We see this in politics from people who talk about liberals or conservatives and how if they’re not part of the speaker’s or writer’s perspective, they’re wrong and “bad.” We see it in religion where people think their’s is the only path, and if you disagree slightly you’re wrong and kicked out of that sect. And if you’re on the path of Thelema, the Golden Dawn, certain Pagan/Wiccan/Witchcraft sects, etc. there is only one true order, one true temple, one true coven, and all the others are false and misleading.

Binary thinking. One way or the other. Our way or you’re wrong and get the hell out of Dodge. You’re either with us or you’re against us.

The Real Universe

Just as the reality of the universe is that it is composed of energy, the universe, in reality, is not binary. Oh, there is condition X and condition Not-X, but those are not the only alternatives. Between X and Not-X there is an enormous range of possibilities, a continuum of potentials. Mental, physical, spiritual and emotional evolution does not happen at the extremes, it happens very close to the first position. If a sea creature’s fin in one generation became a wing with feathers, all of the creatures with that mutation would die out. But if a few scales mutated to look like feathers, that creature would survive, especially if it could figure a way to positively use that adaptation. Sometimes there may be larger jumps that have positive benefits for survival (in physical evolution it’s called “punctuated equilibrium”), but in other situations minor changes lead to evolution. That’s why one of the most important questions we can ever ask begins, “What if…?”

What if I accept the idea that our maps of reality are different and that neither is “pure truth,” they’re just our maps?
What if that other magickal Order that pretends to be my true Order has some valid concepts?
What if the leader of my group doesn’t have all the answers?

Is it possible to adjust our maps, just slightly, to allow for more than two possibilities? Perhaps that other group is mostly wrong, but they have a few great concepts. Should you ignore those concepts or integrate with them?

Can we say that your map is not my map and neither map is the true territory? We’re just using them to better understand reality. If I’m at point X and the anti-Donald is at point Not-X, according to plane geometry the two points can be connected to form a line. Along that line are an infinite number of points, numbering from 1 to ∞. I’m much closer to point 2 than I am to point 3,457,502,693. I am far more likely to agree with the person at point 2 than at more distant points, but point 2 and 1 are still different. We still each have our own maps of reality. The important thing, however, is that we’re all on that line.

Currently, in the blogosphere, there are people arguing over what is real and what is not, which is the real group and which is not. I have had my posts taken out of context to defend one person’s position even though that was the opposite of my words when taken in context. It’s as if they don’t think their own words are enough. They have to rely on outside authorities. But as Dion Fortune wrote, there is no room for authority in occultism.

Using their maps, they are right. Using my map, I am right. We have our maps not because they are the reality, the actual territory, but because our beliefs, goals, and experiences create the maps that let us see reality as we will. Our personal backgrounds filter the way we perceive things. The way we perceive things is projected out and viewed on our maps. If our mindset is that of a hammer, when we look out all of the screws and bolts will look like nails. As we say in NLP, “Perception is Projection.”

But I believe that truth really does set us free. And the truth is that there is no single path for everyone. This means that my map, my path, is different from yours. Our different maps are different from everyone else’s. Some maps will be closer to yours or mine and some are further away. That does not make different maps wrong…just different. If we stop looking in binary terms of right and wrong, and instead look for similarities and differences along a path or continuum, we can all advance together. We don’t have to put others down to build ourselves up.

There is an ancient Hawaiian Huna saying:

A Ohe Pau Ko Ike I Kou Halau

it means: “Think not that all wisdom is in your school.”

That may be a good place to start.

A Website for Hardcore Kabalists

Geoffrey Dennis, a rabbi and author of the incredible book, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism, has one of my favorite blogs. It’s called Jewish Myth, Magic, and Mysticism, and it covers some very esoteric topics in a very down-to-earth fashion. For those of you who have read my Modern Magick, you’ll know that I wrote of the “Wasp Kabalah” (the Hermetic or occult interpretation) and the “Kosher Kabalah” (the traditional Jewish interpretation). Rabbi Dennis comes from that Kosher Kabalah focus and has educated and unique interpretations that he very willingly shares. Recently he’s discussed, the Tarot, The Bahir and the Tree of Life, the “Molten Sea,” the evil eye, the use of spit, and why Thor (of Marvel comics and recent movie) is (almost) a MOT (Member Of the Tribe: Jewish!).

If you haven’t figured it out, Rabbi Dennis is not just educated and erudite, he also has a great sense of humor, something that makes his hardcore writing very accessible and continuously interesting.

A Sad Interpretation of the Law

If you’re not reading my friend Jason Pitzi-Waters’ blog, The Wild Hunt, I can honestly say it’s an absolute must! I consider it to be one of, if not the, most vital commentary on current Pagan and magickal items in the blogosphere. Today he reported the case of a Virginia woman who, by law, is being forced to call herself a fortune-teller and limited to opening a shop in areas that also “includes adult businesses, pawnbrokers, material reclamation yards, and vehicle impoundment lots, and forbids her from the zoning district where her current office is located and where other counselors are permitted…[She] is further subject to an additional occupation tax not required of other counselors.”

Although she considers herself a spiritual counselor, the ruling reject this and “subjects her to numerous restrictions including a background investigation, a criminal record check, review by the chief of police and other requirements related to her ‘character’and ‘demeanor’ that are not required of any other religious or commercial enterprise within the County. These restrictions also do not apply to other religious or secular counselors, or even to persons ‘pretending to act’ as fortune-tellers.”

Now, I don’t have full details of the situation, and this may be due more to errors on the part of working within the legal system rather than just giving Tarot readings. However I wonder if the city is also going to force some Christian churches to the same area since some of them also give counseling advice and predict the future?

What do you think?

This Just In—
Get a Free eBook from Llewellyn!

One of the most valuable recent books from Llewellyn is Self-Empowerment Through Self-Hypnosis by Joe H. Slate and Carl Llewellyn Weschcke. Besides giving you clear instructions on self-hypnosis (that’s the easy part!), you’ll learn how to use that skill to improve memory, unleash creativity, break unwanted habits, solve problems, resolve conflicts, manage stress, become more successful, overcome fears, overcome pain, live younger, longer, and better, achieve mental, physical, and spiritual balance, and much more. (Whew! Does it sound like I’m excited about this book? I am!)

For the month of October, 2011, Llewellyn is offering a FREE download of this book for people who have a Kindle or a Nook eBook reader.

Click here to download your free copy for the Kindle.

Click here to download your free copy for the Nook.

This is ONLY for the month of October!

Wisdom Magazine is one of the country’s largest free holistic publications, with 150,000 copies printed bi-monthly in three regional print editions. Wisdom is dedicated to opening people’s hearts and minds to the philosophies, products, and services of the new millennium.

Visit Wisdom Magazine’s website to read the full excerpt, or read more about Self-Empowerment and Your Subconscious Mind here.

AMORC’s Egyptian Museum in San Jose, California

One of the things I remember about the public meetings was a statement at many of the rituals about the two great questions of existence:

Life, and what comes before, and
Death, and what comes after.

People seek to know that our very essence, our soul or spirit, will continue after death. The implication of this concept is that we were here before and had previous lives, and something must happen between lives.

These topics remain some of the most popular in the world. Llewellyn publishes numerous books that focus on these topics including:

• Beyond Reincarnation by Joe H. Slate
• Bringing Your Soul to Light by Linda Backman
• The Case for Reincarnation by J. Allan Danelek
• Death: Beginning or End? By Dr. Jonn Mumford
• Doors to Past Lives & Future Lives by Joe H. Slate and Carl Llewellyn Weschcke (forthcoming)
• How to Uncover Your Past Lives by Ted Andrews
• Practical Guide to Past-Life Memories by Richard Webster
• What Happens After Death by Migene González-Wippler
• Journey of Souls by Michael Newton
• Memories of the Afterlife by Michael Newton

Many other books, including my Modern Magick, have sections on the subject. Aleister Crowley referred to remembering events from past lives as the “magickal memory,” and he believed he had been Eliphas Levi in a previous life.

<— Left: Aleister Crowley in Masonic regalia, circa 1904

Right: Eliphas Levi in 1864 —>

Those who doubt the reality (or possibility) of past lives ask why people who remember past lives were always famous, like Cleopatra or Napoleon. That’s a myth. As a hypnotherapist, I’ve helped well over 1,000 people remember past lives and only one or two believed themselves to be famous…and they thought they had a famous past life before I worked with them.

Most people who claim they had famous past lives have their own psychological issues. As Dion Fortune put it, a famous past life doesn’t give glory to your current life so much as make one wonder what you did to have a current life in a lower state!

Past Lives and Fluffy Bunnies

The value of remembering past lives is not in what happened to you in the past, but how that memory helps you today! That means the objective reality of past lives is pretty much irrelevant! What matters is what you get out of the memory, real or not. If past life memories help you understand yourself better and overcome challenges, the reality of that memory becomes meaningless. It’s good to remember the past when you can use that memory to help your present and create a better future.

Sometimes, however, people can’t even remember their current lives. As a result, some magicians don’t remember what it was like when they were starting out. They don’t remember their flubs and failures on the way to their current level. Is it any wonder that some people see them as stuck up and self-centered?

I still remember some of the very basic books I read when I was learning. I remember going over them repeatedly. Today, some “experts” would consider those books as meant for “fluffy bunny” occultists. I consider such people as beginners on a path to excellence, not “fluffy bunnies.”

And some of those “experts” decry books intended for beginners. Llewellyn has long been a victim of such “experts”  on internet forums. “They only publish books for fluffy bunnies,” the critics say.

This is factually untrue. Historically, Llewellyn has published books for beginners— and intermediate and advanced magickal practitioners. This continues today. If you’re looking for advanced books, for example, just look at the brilliant books by Stephen Skinner and David Rankine.

But as people who have travelled further along a magickal path than beginners, just as it’s important to remember past lives, it’s also important to remember our past in this life. And that means, at times, going back and studying books we read or classes we took when we were neophytes. Often we can learn new things from books that are supposedly meant for beginners. We see the same material with new, more experienced eyes. We remember or discover different ways to express truths.

Even though I’m certified as a master practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, this weekend I’m taking a basic training in NLP from a different trainer. I’ll be getting the same information I learned some time ago but with a different approach. This weekend I’m walkin’ my talk.

How do you go over material you studied long ago? Do you feel you get something new out of it?

110 Years of Spiritual Development

Part 2 of a 3-part Series

Read Part 1 HERE

Preparing the Ground. Planting the Seeds. Nursing the Seedlings.

In the beginning of my first post on this history, I mentioned the concept of The Enlightenment. Part of the concept of The Enlightenment was that people no longer needed kings or religious authorities. They could rule themselves. This was highlighted in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution which used the biggest words on the page to declare that the U.S. was being founded not for religion, not by kings, but by “We the people.”

In 1901, 117 years after the Constitution was created, countries of the world were still controlled by kings and religious authorities. The Enlightenment had not fully resulted in the evolution of the world.

My key word defining the meaning of the Tarot’s Death card is “evolution,” or more exactly, positive evolutionary change. When evolution is delayed or denied—when the actions of the Death card are actively opposed—the result, inevitably, is revolution. In the Tarot, “revolution” is my key word for the meaning of the Tower card. The evolution toward full implementation of The Enlightenment had been actively opposed by world rulers. Revolution was inevitable.

The first half of the 20th century was dominated by two world-altering, revolutionary events: World War I (the “War to End All Wars”) and World War II. WWI was a massive blow in the revolution to change from the “Olde” world to a new one where humans would be masters of their fates, not beholden to kings or gods. But it did not fully result in this worldwide change. WWII furthered the revolution to wipe out the Olde,* but did not fully bring in the new.

There were major changes between the wars, too. Immediately following WWI, as if Mother Nature were not satisfied with the revolutionary work done by humans to get rid of the Olde World and make way for the new, the world was struck by the great Spanish flu pandemic of 1918.

In the 21st century it’s challenging for people in industrialized nations to even conceive of the massive disruption and death caused by the flu pandemic. It actually ran from June, 1917 through December, 1920. Worldwide, more than 25% of all people were infected. Somewhere between 50–100 million people died—the exact number ca’t even be guessed. Even at the lower estimate of deaths, that was more than three times the number of people who died in WWI. As a comparison, WWII statistics estimate that a total of between 50 and 70 million people died from the Second World War.

The vast number of deaths from WWI and the flu had some important results. First, the incredible loss of life resulted in an increase of interest in spiritualism. In the 1920s, with his career flagging, Houdini used the debunking of fake mediums as publicity, a technique he used until his death in 1926. It is part of the Houdini myth and young Houdini imitators often attempt to emulate him in action and skeptical beliefs (although not going so far as to adopt his Jewish faith).

Another important aspect of the horrible loss of life was a shortage of workers. The need for labor resulted in increased wages. New laws in the U.S. allowed questionable use of money. The consequence was a financial “bubble” of people with vast wealth followed by a crash and the great depression.

With the interest in work, rebuilding families, and just surviving, interest in the occult waned. According to Nadia Choucha’s book Surrealism and the Occult, it was the artistic world of the surrealists that kept occultism alive. I would suggest that surrealism—often built more upon the ideas of Freud than on anything traditionally mystical—may have kept alive an interest in the idea of there being “something more” than our material world, but the drive for a cohesive mystical and magickal movement was kept alive through smaller sources.

MacGregor Mathers, the important leader of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, was felled by the Flu pandemic. Crowley, the first to publish the Golden Dawn’s secrets in The Equinox, claimed he had killed Mathers by magick. Crowley lived until 1947. His writings, during his lifetime, were never very popular. There are more students of his ideas and techniques today than at any time in history. Israel Regardie published his massive book, The Golden Dawn, in four volumes, beginning in 1939. That printing remained the only version available for decades. Various books on New Thought and spiritual topics appeared, but there was no connection, no unifying link between them. For example, William Walker Atkinson, using a variety of pseudonyms, wrote on New Thought, Yoga, and Western Spirituality.

William Walker Atkinson

S. L. MacGregor Mathers

After WWII, the big focus among people was to build new homes (living in the suburbs exploded in popularity), expand cities, and link them with roads. Soldiers returning from war began families and the result was the “baby boom.” Again, due to the war and loss of life, wages grew. The middle class grew. The children of the boom grew into young adults and, because of the growth of the middle class, discovered something not available before: time and education. This resulted in generations wondering if there could be more to life. First there were the “Beats” and their jazz music. As racial walls came down, the music changed. Rock and roll became the popular music format. In 1961, the first birth control pill became available. With new music and new sexual ethics, the young people started looking for a new focus, a new, more spiritual life. More on this change and the role Llewellyn would play in my third post on this subject.

Llewellyn from 1901—1961

There can be no doubt that the guiding force behind Llewellyn during this period was the seemingly tireless Llewellyn George with his interest in sharing astrology. Here, from the inside back cover of just one of his catalogs in 1945, is a list of the “complete” writings of George:

This would be enough to please any writer. Look at what was included in his course on astrology, The “Astrologian Outfit,” as seen from this announcement in the same catalog:

In 1905, shortly after founding Llewellyn, George published the first issue of the Planetary Daily Guide (now called the Daily Planetary Guide or “DPG”). This annual guide, still being updated and published over a century later, was the first modern resource allowing more advanced astrological information other than whether it’s a bad day or good day as was so common at the time.

People often ask me why I wrote Modern Magick. There are many reasons, one of the most important being to empower people—to give them the information to change their own lives. The DPG, according to Carl Llewellyn Weschcke, “pioneered ‘self-empowerment’ through easily understood information and knowledge…with each day listing the important Solar, Lunar and Planetary positions and aspects along with full guidance on how to use the information to take advantage of the positive energies in relation to your needs, and to avoid the negative ones.” Today, the DPG includes weekly forecasts reflecting the general astrological influences of the week.

In the early 1900s, George gave a series of lectures on astrology. These were compiled and continuously revised until George’s death in 1954. According to Weschcke, “Continuing his pioneering of modern astrology, [George] traveled the country and spoke at many astrological gatherings even before there were associations like the American Federation of Astrologers and conferences organized to bring leading astrologers together with serious students.” I am happy to announce that some of the more relevant and valuable of his lectures are being edited and may be released in the future both for their historical and continued educational value.

It’s important to remember that in the beginning days of Llewellyn, and for the next 80+ years, there was no internet to order metaphysical books and supplies, and most people were not near bookstores. If you were one of the few living in a major city and did find a retail bookstore, you were unlikely to find many metaphysical books. Llewellyn pioneered making astrological and metaphysical books more easily available, primarily through mail order. According to Weschcke, “Llewellyn George dedicated his life and Llewellyn Publications to making astrology available to everyone. ‘Mail Order’ was a great tradition, soon to be supported by such venerable catalog houses as Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward. Times have changed, and there are many bookstores carrying astrology and New Age books, and nearly 800 stores in the United States that specialize not only in stocking these books but in providing classes and supporting lectures and workshops by leading authors and teachers.”

In my workshops I often encourage readers to support their local independent stores.

Today, of course, Llewellyn is at the forefront of specializing in offering New Age books on line. We are still maintaining our printed catalog for those who prefer it. If you’d like one, and you live in the U.S., fill out the form HERE.

One of the things I always remember that Carl Weschcke said is that Llewellyn is about the “democratization of magick.” This means going beyond the philosophical and theoretical all the way to the practical. One of my favorite words is praxis. It means putting theory into practice. In fact, I would say that unless you put theories into practice they are worth very little. Today, on the internet, I often see people arguing over theories and minutia which could easily be resolved if these armchair magicians got out of their chairs and actually did something!

Since it’s inception, Llewellyn has been about making techniques such as astrology available and practical so that individuals can make use of them. Here is an image from a product sold in 1917:

These “Life Cards” were a practical application of numerology, showing how you could easily use numerology to understand and make changes in your life. Although these cards are no longer available, Llewellyn continues to make numerology practical and accessible with books such as Numerology for Beginners. Again quoting Carl Weschcke, “Practical experience remains the best teacher of all.”

While most popular books on astrology offering daily guidance are based on the position of the Sun, George pioneered an associated focus on our nearest astronomical neighbor, the Moon. His Moon Sign Book began in 1906 and continues in publication for today and tomorrow. It gives extremely practical advice including such things as when to get a haircut, plant crops, go on vacation, make a major purchase, have surgery, or go fishing. The importance of this annually updated book was the way it would empower readers. You didn’t have to go to an expensive counselor just to get precise astrological information. You also didn’t need to have advanced training in astrology to figure out the meanings of the raw information. With the Moon Sign Book astrology became practical for everyone. Weschcke wrote, “The Moon Sign Book simplifies astrology to a wide variety of practical applications and provides both tables of date & time, and explanations of the principles involved. Llewellyn George took the mystery and ‘magic’ out of esoteric science, and gave everyone equal opportunity.”

In 1920, George moved to the Los Angeles area, taking Llewellyn Publications with him. It seems that by 1927, the Llewellyn name and reputation had become strong enough that George’s original Portland School of Astrology could be folded into a Llewellyn College of Astrology:

This diploma from 1927 shows how George was not only a pioneer in sales of books via mail, but also for mail order courses. Mail order courses became popular during the run-up to the Depression as people valued education more and more. Such courses became even more popular during the Depression as people saw an education as a way out of poverty.

Today, many people see Apple’s Steve Jobs as a marketing genius because of his linking of computer hardware and software. Buy one and you’re inclined to buy some of the other. This is called the “halo effect.” But it was George who was a pioneer of this concept decades earlier. This course with its diploma was actually sold as a “supplement” to the A to Z Horoscope Maker and Delineator (still in print but greatly edited and enhanced for modern audiences and known as Llewellyn’s New A to Z Horoscope Maker and Interpreter).

Above is the cover of the 1929 edition of the “A to Z.” Still in print after nearly 100 years—and constantly up-dated and expanded—it is both a textbook and a reference. It has probably trained more astrologers than any book in history and is used by trained astrologers as a reference to details.

In my opinion, throughout the entire history of Western Civilization, the two most important books on astrology  are Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos, which established the rules of astrology, and George’s A to Z, which made that information (updated with recent discoveries and explained in modern language) available to all. Yes, there have been many other books on astrological principles that have been valuable, but none have had a greater lasting impact than these two books.

Above is the 1930 issue of George’s The Astrological Bulletina. It was published from 1908 until George’s death. Although it wasn’t a pure magazine—sort of a magazine, journal, and semi-annual publication—it did show that Llewellyn has had an interest in magazines. This manifested more strongly after Carl Weschcke purchased Llewellyn in 1961 and will be described more in the concluding installment of this series.

Published in 1941, The Sky is the Limit was a small booklet written by George. It’s stated purpose was as an “inexpensive book to correct common misconceptions of Astrology by revealing facts concerning its values.” Thus, George was not only a teacher, practitioner, and proponent of astrology, he was also a defender of astrology as a practical and usable tool. Within this booklet he quoted a variety of famous writers and philosophers, as well as the Bible, to show that astrology was not about some supposed unchangeable fate, but rather that the real purpose and value of Astrology is to help us improve our lives today. He illustrated its values in areas ranging from criminology to agriculture, from poultry farming to medicine including surgery and dentistry, in business and in other fields. He explained astrology’s basic principles simply and concisely, gave basic information for each of the birth signs and their planetary rulers, information on planets, houses and signs, planetary hours, comets, and such common information as how the days of the week were named.

It is in this booklet that George reveals his approach to astrology. In answer to the question, “Is Astrology Science or Religion?” he responds,

To me, Astrology is a universal religion and a science-in-the-making…Astrology is the connecting link between the Human and the Divine. It is a spiritual science couched in finite terms for the understanding of mortals struggling toward the light of a better day.

Fate magazine began in 1951. It started telling stories that ranged from fact to fiction that was implied to be fact. Over the years, it evolved to a magazine that presents facts and possible interpretations, infuriating debunkers and so-called “skeptics.” Although it was not started by Llewellyn, FATE would eventually be purchased and run by Llewellyn for several years. More on that in the concluding post of this series.

Llewellyn George died in 1954. The company passed in ownership to a printer. The printer discovered that publishing is not an easy business. He cancelled most of George’s books. After a few years of struggling, he decided to sell the company, if anyone would buy it.

In 1930, Carl Weschcke was born. His family had become wealthy from selling over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. But he had other desires. He wanted to publish books. The easiest way would be to buy an an already existing publisher. He asked business friends if he should get into publishing. They advised him against it because it was a difficult business. Raised with an interest in astrology and the occult, he asked if he should publish books on astrology and the occult. Again, he was advised him against it. Astrology was dead. The occult was dead. New books on astrology were just rehashes of older works. Nobody wanted them. Nobody was buying them.

Still, he looked until he saw an advertisement from printer in California…

To be continued…

All that remains of the original Llewellyn Publications from the years it existed in Los Angeles, from 1920–1961. This is the rusting hulk of the neon sign that once lit up the night from the roof of the building at 8921 National Boulevard in the Palms/Culver City area. On the upper left was a crescent moon. In the center was a pentacle. At the right was a full moon. The sign says, “Read the Moon Sign Book.”**

A slightly different view of the sign. The sign is currently resting against the eastern wall in the small back yard of the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in West Hollywood. The Bodhi Tree opened in 1970 and became a focal point for Los Angeles’ metaphysical and new age community. People came from all around to shop its large and varied assortment of books, unequalled anywhere in the area, as well as just to revel in the store’s calm and peaceful atmosphere.

Unfortunately, after over 40 vital years of service to the community, the owners have decided to retire. Unless an individual or organization committed to maintaining the store’s excellence and focus decides to purchase the name and reputation of the store (the location has already been sold), the Bodhi Tree will close forever in the fall of 2011.

**

*

*This compares with the thesis presented in Gerald Suster’s book, Hitler, the Occult Messiah. While I strongly disagree with the major thrust of Suster’s book, I agree with his observation that WWII moved to complete the transition from the Olde world to the new that violently began with WWI.

Original cover of first edition in my collection.

I read this book not knowing what to believe about it. I had been reading H.P. Lovecraft’s fantasy fiction for years. Now, an author was claiming that his strange fantasy worlds were actually Lovecraft’s own revelation and he only presented them as fiction…they were real! Grant’s book also looked at the history of occultism as being focused around sex magick and variations of what Aleister Crowley called Thelema. He also goes into more modern occultists such as Frater Achad and Austin Osman Spare.

Israel Regardie, it turns out, did not like the book and gave it a scathing review. Other reviewers gave it very high or very negative marks, showing vast differences of opinion. Who was this Kenneth Grant?

Grant was born in 1924. He claimed to have had contact with non-human entities as early as 1933. A decade later he became the secretary for and studied with an aging Aleister Crowley. He discusses this and includes some of the letters and notes between them in his 1992 book, Remembering Aleister Crowley. When I first read that book I was reminded of a naive, young Regardie, also Crowley’s secretary, who was mocked by Crowley over things such as poor fingernail care. It seemed as if Crowley were mocking Grant, too, at times with patience while at other times with exasperation. He also had high hopes for Grant, seeing him as a potential head of his Order, the O.T.O.

Upon Crowley’s death in 1947, Carl Germer became the head of Crowley’s O.T.O. and in 1948 gave Grant a charter to run a group. It rapidly grew in size, but in 1954 Grant had a revelation that Thelema was focused around the star Sirius and the Egyptian deity Set. Unhappy, Germer expelled Grant in 1955. Grant believed that Germer didn’t understand what was going on, and with that expulsion effectively turned the order over to Grant, making him the head of the Order.

Grant’s version of the O.T.O. continued, eventually battling in court over the name (and rights to publishing Crowley’s works). For a time, the Grant group became the “Typhonian O.T.O.” and later the “Typhonian Order.”

During this time, Grant wrote nine books sharing his concepts and theories, known as the “Typhonian Trilogies.” He also edited works by Aleister Crowley and wrote about artist/occultist Osman Osman Spare.

There is no doubt that Grant was a controversial figure. Still, without him we might not have had the current interest in the works of Nema, Spare, Achad, Lovecraft, and the actual practice of magick (as opposed to the theoretical study of magick). Without Grant, Chaos Magick might not have developed.

There was a time when the occult world was filled with quirky, original, and progressive thinkers—”personalities”—including Crowley, Regardie, Gardner, Martello, Weschcke, Leek, Motta, Spare, Achad, and others. The were experimenters, innovators, and what author Colin Wilson referred to as “Outsiders.” Most of them, sadly, are now gone.

I have never met anyone who was indifferent about Kenneth Grant. His books absolutely deserve to be read and studied, either to be used as guides or considered the bizarre ramblings of someone who was crazy.

Kenneth Grant died on January 15, 2011. You may love him or hate him, but one thing is sure.

He will be missed.

Kenneth Grant
Occultist, Author
May 23, 1924 – January 15, 2011

Rest in Peace

Edgar Allan Poe

So I read them, looking for the scare factor. I found them to be…boring. I went back to the movies and found one that is really great, The Black Cat, a 1934 film starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Sure, the bizarre, sets were discomforting and the plot was filled with obsession, implied forbidden sexual and occult practices (the main bad guy may have been modeled on Aleister Crowley) and a horrifying climax that is only shown in shadow. But it was the concepts and beliefs that were the basis of the film that really got me.

Years later, the guitarist in a band I was in told me that if I like horror stories, I needed to read some of H.P. Lovecraft. I eventually read all of his stories and his one novella. He was that good. How good?

With Poe, after I read his stories, I was left saying to myself, “That was a scary story.” With Lovecraft, after reading a story, I was left saying to myself, “Turn on the lights. Make the coffee. I am not going to sleep tonight!”

H.P. Lovecraft
Illustration by Dominique Signoret

Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890–1937) wrote pulp fiction, so called because it appeared in magazines made on cheap paper known as “pulp.” Perhaps the turning point in his career was in 1928 with the publication of a story, “The Call of Cthulhu.” It was the fourth in a series of stories that had a common background of horrendous beings and gods who once controlled the Earth and who now want it back. Most of the stories had a similar plot: a man begins investigation into something strange, discovers these other dimensions and beings, and either barely survives them or dies preventing their return.

Frankly, I find his writing style to be terrible and bloated. But it creates an amazing mood, leading you to wonder whether or not something actually exists, something horrible and terrifying beyond description, just beyond our physical world. It’s the concepts and ideas that are more frightening than anything.

Lovecraft was part of a circle of some of the greatest fantasy writers of the time. They liked the concepts and wrote stories using the same background, known as the “Cthulhu Mythos.” They also played tricks on each other. Lovecraft called one of his demons “Klarkash-Ton” in honor of Clark Ashton Smith. Lovecraft was also a ghost writer, even writing a story, “Imprisoned with the Pharaohs,” attributed to Houdini.

If you’re interested in Lovecraft, a movie, “Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown,” is available for free on the internet. Use this LINK to access it.

Cthulhu and the city of  R’lyeh
Illustration by Dominique Signoret

Lovecraft used elements of the Mythos in many of his stories, including some he ghost wrote. The other authors in his circle such as Robert E. Howard (famed for Conan), Robert Bloch (author of Psycho, the book that was the source for Hitchcock’s famous movie), and August Derleth used elements from the Mythos in some of their stories, too. Without knowing that these authors knew each other and were using this common background on purpose, and seeing the same concepts in differing places by different authors, many people began to wonder, “Could this possibly be true?” They started looking for evidence of its reality.

One of the most common links found in many stories was a fictional book of dead names, the Necronomicon. For years, dealers in antique books were asked for this tome. And when there’s a need, someone always comes up to fill that need.

Lo, The Necronomicon Appears

Several people made fake versions of this book. Perhaps the most famous version was published in 1973 with an introduction by L. Sprague de Camp. Another version had a few pages appear in a magazine. It was written in what was supposedly Arabic and included a translation. Someone noted that the pages of the original text were all the same.

In 1978, a version of the Necronomicon by George Hay (with an introduction by Colin Wilson) appeared. At the time, Llewellyn was publishing what was arguably the best occult magazine in U.S. history, Gnostica (some say the great Gnosis was better, but I would say it was far more of an erudite journal than a popular magazine). Gnostica ran a long article on the Hay book, including a comment by Carl Llewellyn Weschcke that if any system was consistent, it could work as a magickal system. This concept was not widely believed at the time, and it was revolutionary. It was a direct precursor to the numerous magickal and Pagan systems that exist today and one of the reasons I believe Mr. Weschcke is justifiably called the Father of the New Age.

Also in the late 1970s, there appeared a version of the book by “Simon.” Originally a large hardbound book published by the Magickal Childe occult shop of New York (the owner, the late “Horrible” Herman Slater, gifted me with a copy), it came out from Avon as a cheap, mass market paperback. Suddenly, everyone had a copy and wanted to do magick using it. I often was asked questions about it, most often by people who had little or no experience with magick. I had a stock answer I sent back to people giving the facts about the book. In the second edition of Modern Magick (and republished in the new third edition) I wrote, “Frequently (in the stories, at least), the entities of the Cthulhu Mythos are uncontrollable and destroy (or attempt to destroy) those people who call them. Are you willing to chance that? Are you prepared to chance that?” Do see the book, The Necronomicon Files for the full story on this text.

Beyond the Fad

Most intelligent occultists were ignoring the Cthulhu Mythos and any of the Necronomicon versions as a source. But one, little-known author presented an alternative: What if there really were a sort of “astral” Necronomicon that Lovecraft had tapped into? Could his stories be just a blurred reflection of the reality? Kenneth Grant published his first book that broached this possibility in 1972. Most of his books now are rare or still very expensive. I believe more people talk about Grant’s ideas than have actually read them. However, a small group of dedicated occultists began experimenting with Grant’s actual concepts. Many, including Linda Falorio and her Shadow Tarot and Nema are moving Grant’s approach to new levels.

In 2004, Donald Tyson published a version of the Necronomicon. According to Wikipedia, “The Tyson Necronomicon is generally thought to be closer to Lovecraft’s vision than other published versions.” Tyson has also written other books on this system including a practical magick book, Grimoire of the Necronomicon.

Should You or Shouldn’t You?

The modern tradition of Chtulhu magick is a neomagickal tradition. I see no reason to dabble with it (especially using the Simon book) when other, far older traditions with much stronger egregores (Enochian and Solomonic, for example) are available. Plus, there’s that little thing of the entities of the Necronomicon wanting to rip you to shreds if you screw up in the slightest.

However, if you are interested, I would recommend working with either Grant’s or Tyson’s versions.

Coming back to the beginning of this post, it’s the concepts behind Lovecraft’s stories that make them interesting. Similarly, it is the concepts behind Grant’s and Tyson’s approach to magick that, in my opinion, are so important to the future of occultism and magick. They go back to Dion Fortune’s idea that there is no room for authority in occultism. Do your own research, including mystically and magickally, to find out what works for you.

UPDATE:  I forgot to mention that many years ago, while I was attending UCLA, I wrote a story in the Cthulhu Mythos tradition. I have posted it for your reading pleasure HERE. Don’t read it alone…at night…

]]> http://www.llewellyn.com/blog/2011/01/poe-lovecraft-magick/feed/ 8 http://www.llewellyn.com/blog/2010/10/self-empowerment-through-self-hypnosis-in-fear-not-blog/ http://www.llewellyn.com/blog/2010/10/self-empowerment-through-self-hypnosis-in-fear-not-blog/#comments Thu, 07 Oct 2010 15:54:52 +0000 Anna http://www.llewellyn.com/blog/?p=3944 Rejuvenation by Joe H. Slate, Ph.D. and Self-Empowerment Through Self-Hypnosis, by Slate and Carl Llewellyn Weschcke, have been mentioned by Kay Campbell of The Huntsville Times in the Fear Not blog. As Campbell mentions, Self-Empowerment Through Self-Hypnosis is about using the power of hypnosis to achieve physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Used correctly, the authors explain, hypnosis becomes a power tool to improve memory, unleash creativity, break bad habits, overcome fear and pain, and achieve mental, physical and spiritual balance.

The Fear Not blog is from Kay Campbell of The Huntsville Times and centers on religion, spirituality, and living. You can read the full post and others here.

On Sunday, I gave a workshop on the future of magick, for the Los Angeles/Orange County Pagan Pride Day event, focusing on banishing rituals used by Chaos magicians, especially one created by Peter Carroll. You can find out more about this in the new edition of Modern Magick which is just shipping. It was originally taught to me by Ms. Lola Babalon who also wrote a section in my Modern Sex Magick.

But I’d like to talk about the workshop I gave on Saturday for the Antelope Valley Pagan Pride Day event. The topic was “The Power of Real Hypnosis.” I chose that title for two reasons. First, a lot of people have misunderstandings about hypnosis because of what they see in movies or on TV. It’s odd. People see movies with actors pretending to be vampires and monsters and realize that while the movies are fun, there aren’t vampires and monsters as shown in those shows. On the other hand, people see movies with an actor who pretends to be hypnotized and think that represents the truth about hypnosis. It doesn’t. Hypnosis isn’t a truth serum. Hypnosis can’t force you to do something you don’t want to do. You can’t get lost in a hypnotic trance and not come out. Those ideas can make good plot points in movies, but they don’t represent real hypnosis.

The second reason I chose that title is because most people in the new age/occult/Pagan community who teach hypnosis aren’t trained in hypnosis. They learned either from reading a book or being taught by someone who also wasn’t trained in hypnosis. Learning a skill such as hypnosis isn’t difficult, just as riding a skateboard isn’t difficult. Learning how to do it from a book or from someone who isn’t very good at it can be a challenge.

My C.V.

I believe I’m qualified to comment. I am extensively trained in hypnosis. I am certified as a hypnotherapist by the National Guild of Hypnotists (the world’s largest certification organization for hypnotists), the American Board of Hypnotherapy, The Association for Integrative Psychology, and the Society of Experiential Trance. I also possess numerous certificates in advanced hypnosis training and am a Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming, an allied art to hypnosis. I am certified as a hypnosis trainer by the American Board of Hypnotherapy and the Society of Experiential Trance.

I know hypnosis. I know trance. And I know how to teach hypnosis. The area that interests me the most is hypnotic past life therapy, which I’ll discuss in another post. I’ve hypnotized thousands of people. Sometimes, however, hypnosis produces results that surprise even me.

Suggestions Not Needed?

As many of you know, the process of hypnosis is actually fairly direct. First, the state of hypnotic trance is induced. Second, a series of specially-designed suggestions is given, ideas that go directly into the unconscious mind. Finally, the person emerges from hypnosis and his or her unconscious marshals their abilities to achieve the goals that have been put into the unconscious via the suggestions.

Hypnotists want to feel useful. The thing that really separates a good hypnotherapist from others is not the ability to induce hypnosis, but training and experience that allows him or her to design suggestions that will best help people achieve their desired goals.

But what if those suggestions aren’t needed?

There is a belief among some hypnotists that merely inducing a state of hypnosis can be therapeutic. No suggestions are necessary. Some say that this is because the unconscious already knows what it needs to do. Going into hypnosis for the purpose of achieving a certain goal or goals merely unleashes the incredible power of the unconscious mind to empower a person to do exactly that.

However, others say that simply going into hypnotic trance will cause positive changes. It is the hypnotic trance state itself that is important for humans to regularly experience. To me, this makes sense. We regularly go into and out of hypnotic trances, such as when reading a great book, when watching an exciting moving, when entering and rousing from normal sleep, etc. If hypnosis wasn’t good for us, why do we so readily and often go into trance?

During my workshop on Saturday I explained in greater depth what hypnosis isn’t and what it is. Then I let people experience what hypnosis is like without being hypnotized. Finally, for those who wanted to be hypnotized, I led them in an induction, gave positive suggestions of feeling great, rested, and being able to achieve their goals—very generic suggestions—and then led them out of hypnosis.

After the workshop several people came up to me and told me that the hypnosis had helped them deal with issues they were facing, and that they couldn’t thank me enough. They really got a lot out of it. My suggestions had been very generic, but it helped them with specific issues they were facing. It would seem, then, that for many people, just going into hypnosis is helpful.

There are lots of books on hypnosis. Llewellyn offers some of the most practical ones around. However, there is one that deserves special attention. It’s called Self-Empowerment Through Self-Hypnosis by Carl Llewellyn Weschcke and Joe H. Slate. It’s a great book on using hypnosis for spiritual and practical advancement. Some of you reading this may be wondering why I’m recommending this considering that I wrote earlier that learning hypnosis from a book is challenging. Well, I’ve got a secret! The book is ready to read and study and learn from now. In just a few months (it hasn’t even been announced on our website yet!), Mr. Weschcke and Dr. Slate will be releasing a CD, the Self-Empowerment Through Self-Hypnosis CD Companion. This is an addition to the book, not a repeat of it. Together, they will be a great pair for helping you to learn hypnosis and obtain your goals.

More than 40 years ago, a book came out called The Complete Magick Curriculum of the Secret Order G.’. B.’. G.’. by someone named Louis T. Culling. I purchased my copy from Gilbert’s, a bookstore just east of Vine on Hollywood Blvd. Israel Regardie used to hang out there near the occult books and listen to the silly things some people would say. (The store closed several years ago.) And when I saw the book I have to say I was surprised. This “complete” book was under 130 pages and included some very large photos. Regardie’s book, The Golden Dawn, was five times the size of this book. How could Culling’s book be “complete?”

My suspicions were correct. That slim book had what, to me, was just the barest outlines of a system, only a couple of rituals, and some descriptions about some ideas concerning sex magick. It was nothing. I put it away and, except for some of the descriptions of basic levels of sex magick, I ignored it.*

Rebirth

Some time ago, the head of Llewellyn, Carl Weschcke, asked me if I thought the book should be republished. I thought it would be a good idea if it was expanded with explanations and comments. At the time I didn’t know this was exactly his plan.

I have called Carl Llewellyn Weschcke the “Father of the New Age.” There may be some people who, philosophically, could claim that title, but when it comes to promoting the ideas that became the basis of New Age concepts, nobody has done more that Mr. Weschcke. I’m not going to list all of his accomplishments. Rather I want to point out that he has literally studied, practiced, and lived what is now called the New Age. Nobody I know of who is living today knows more theory, history and practice than him. That’s why he was the ideal person to edit, add notes, and make comments to the new edition of The Complete Magick Curriculum of the Secret Order G.’. B.’. G.’. And now, at almost three times the original size, this book really is complete.

Overview

The book begins with an extended section describing Culling. You’ll learn more about him and his background than anywhere else in the world. You’ll also learn about Weschcke’s background and history. Weschcke (pronounced “wesh-key”) really is Llewellyn, and the more you know about him the more you know about the company. Each chapter then has Culling’s original material with explanatory notes, when needed. This is followed by comments, discussion points, and definitions of terms used in each chapter. At the end of the book there is an extended glossary, the divinatory meanings of the I Ching hexagrams [Without this a section of the book is meaningless. It was not in the original edition.], and a modern bibliography. This leads us to the content of the book.

Why I Hated the First Edition

and Why Some People May Not Like This Edition

When Culling was first attracted to the GBG it was because it offered a “shortcut to initiation.” I was looking for a shortcut when I picked up that first edition, too. But it didn’t seem to offer that at all. It seemed superficial at best. In fact, however, it was only my understanding that was superficial.

Today, I have seen an increasing trend of people who seem to want everything, including spirituality and magickal abilities, without changing themselves in any way. If there is something about a particular spiritual system, especially Wicca, that they don’t like, rather than doing the introspection necessary to discover why they don’t like it, they simply leave the system and look for another or invent something that allows them to remain exactly as they are. If spirituality doesn’t change you, what good is it? Similarly, due to the appearance of magick in movies, TV, and novels, many people think they can simply mumble a ritual from a book and wave a wand to get results. Most become highly disappointed when they discover it doesn’t work that way. As I like to say, “Magick isn’t something you do. Magick is something you are.” The practice of exercises so you can do magick changes you. If you are unwilling to change, you will have very little luck with magick. If you are unwilling to change, if you are unwilling to do the work, you won’t like this book.

But, if you want to enhance your spirituality and empower your magick, and if you’re willing to do the work, this book can be an incredible guide. As Weschcke writes, “The founding concept is that the whole operation of Ceremonial Magick can be reduced to a few very efficient steps…[W]e may remove all excesses commonly found in other Magickal Orders and Esoteric Societies—those robes, fancy trappings, complex formulae, long drawn-out rituals and extensive speeches…” To many people this implies that there isn’t a lot of work to do. Rather, it means that you need to regularly practice a few basic techniques. As Weschcke comments, “The need for and value of regular and consistent practice will be emphasized again and again. It is regularity and recording that are the foundations of process…” As Culling puts it, “If one practices consistently, daily and regularly, then one should begin to see automatically why merely reading books about the theories and philosophy of magick and other phases of occultism is a sterile thing.”

If you’re willing to do the regular practice, you’ll get two benefits: the ability to do real magick and achievement of true initiation.

The Borderland State

The key to gaining these abilities is the conscious attainment of what is called “The Borderland State.” This is the state of mind similar to the period between being asleep and being awake. It is from within this state that you can create all of the phenomena of magick and spirituality. It is a blending of the conscious and subconscious. The difficulty is breaking down the barriers between them and uniting them.

To that end, the beginning work consists of seemingly meaningless exercises such as recording all of your dreams and learning to write backwards, forwards, and in a circle (both clockwise and counter-clockwise). These techniques break down the differences between conscious and subconscious. They challenge the mind to work in new ways. They break down your normal thinking patterns and open you to spirituality and magick. They’re also easy to do; but for effectiveness, they have to be practiced regularly.

A shortcut doesn’t mean less work. Taking a shortcut through a forest may be a lot more work than taking the well-worn path around the forest—but it will save lots of time. If you are willing to do the work, you can save years worth of time.

But you have to do the work.

Sex Magick

What follows next are several brief chapters on sex magick. The basic concept is that you must have extended periods of sexual activity and the ability to focus on the goal of your magick. The thing is, it doesn’t give you explicit and exact instructions on how to do this. Here is where you are given a wide range for individuality. You are told what you should accomplish and then given totally free reign to discover the best ways for you to accomplish it. If you are looking for the standard, Western concept of sex magick using an alchemical metaphor, this book presents it simply, effortlessly, and precisely.** But to what end?

Magick is Something You Are

The ultimate goal of the techniques in this book is for you to be able to achieve a magickal trance. This is not a shamanic or hypnotic trance. Rather, it is a term that means being able to live totally within a particular paradigm. For example, being able to see everything as beautiful. Culling writes, “I know more about Beauty per se than all of the books on the subject, lumped together, could ever reveal. Beauty, as with other trance subjects, cannot be defined—not even divined; experience needs no definition, nor could tolerate it.” Achieving this state, a state of true initiation, is the ultimate goal of this book. It is being magick. It is being able to become one with any concept and bring it into your life. It’s something else!

Final Notes

I have stated that there are good hierarchies—ones that are open and through which people can move up and down depending upon their desires and capabilities—and negative ones (that keep certain people in power). The former I call open or natural because even among groups that are against such vertical alignments, they naturally develop. Unfortunately, some people simply lump all hierarchies together and denounce them. Here you will find a strong defense of the value of natural hierarchies. If you are used to your leaders denouncing hierarchies (and don’t see the conflict in this), you will find this book challenges your beliefs.

In Modern Magick and other writings I have talked about the value of “vibrating” words of power. I have said that when focused within, your body (or a part of it) should feel that energy. Culling agrees: “The way that one feels when intoning the words should be a guide as to whether they are properly intoned. If one is not stimulated by the words, then it is not properly done.”

A True Shortcut

The Complete Magick Curriculum of the Secret Order G.’. B.’. G.’.*** is a true shortcut to magick, to personal discovery, to living a truly magickal life, and to initiation. If you’re willing to do the work entailed in this simple text, you will be highly rewarded. This book is a timesaver, not a work saver. It’s also ideal for people who are willing to challenge the status quo and take personal responsibility for their own futures. If you are such a person this book is highly recommended.

* I’m glad I kept it, though. My copy is in like-new condition and currently, copies in far poorer condition are selling for up to $200.00!
**My Modern Sex Magick discusses this system but focuses on (and updates) an older, Kabalistic system.
***Culling reveals two meanings for G.’. B.’. G.’.: the most common is “Great Brotherhood of God.” However, he also uses “Gnostic Body of God.” Which is it and what does it mean? Read the book and decide for yourself.

Update 2: The fallout from my interview on Coat-to-Coast AM with George Noory has been amazing. I’ve been deluged with email comments and questions, especially from people who also visited my website. I apologize for any tardy responses to you and thank you for your support and understanding.

Update 3: This is it! I have the final proofs to the new 3rd edition of Modern Magick. I’m working on them to make sure that the end result is the best it can possibly be. Next: off to the printer.

Update 4: This weekend I’ll be attending the Los Angeles Harvest Festival and giving two workshops, one on the different styles of magick that the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn actually practiced and the other on how to really charge and open your chakras.

A Secret Order Revealed!

An Amazing Classic Book Revised, Expanded, and Reissued

A revolution happened over 40 years ago. Wicca and Witchcraft was beginning to grow. Like wildfire. For high magicians, though, the story was quite different. A few people had very idiosyncratic groups. A few people were trying to get the Golden Dawn going again, but for most people Regardie’s book, the key to the Order, was difficult to follow. The O.T.O. was small, but beginning to grow. Magicians knew about that Order, but didn’t really know too much of how it worked. Instructions for the Order, appearing in The Blue Equinox, wouldn’t be reprinted for another half decade. Many ceremonial magicians were working rather blindly, wishing for something more concrete.

In 1969, a book with the audacious title, The Complete Magick Curriculum of the Secret Order G.’.B.’.G.’. by Louis T. Culling, first appeared. I say “audacious” because this “complete” book was a mere 130 pages. Crowley had written tens of thousands of pages, Regardie’s book on The Golden Dawn was almost 850 pages. How could such a small book about an unknown Order be complete?

Culling joined this Order by answering an advertisement that offered a “shortcut to initiation.” He quickly became the head of the local group in San Diego. The Order closed, by prearranged plan, in 1936, and Culling waited four decades to report on what they had done. The book was complete, but only if you had an expansive knowledge of occultism. Because of this, the book, filled with amazing information, eventually went out of print. As of this writing, copies of that rare volume now sell for up to $200.00.

Over a year ago, I talked with the President of Llewellyn, Carl Weschcke, about this book. It would be great to reprint, I suggested, IF everything in it was fully explained both in a historical context and so that people could use the techniques. I didn’t know at the time that Mr. Weschcke was planning to do exactly that.

I can think of nobody better to expand and explain this classic book of magick. He knew Culling and has an incredible knowledge of magick and occultism from a historical, theoretical, and most importantly, a practical basis. That original book was complete because the G.B.G. was founded upon the revolutionary premise that High Magick can be distilled to a few powerful and efficient steps.

So finally, a new edition of this book is back in print. The notes, additions, explanations and information from Mr. Weschcke, plus the new, more convenient size, have resulted in making this book almost three times its original length. The clarifications and new information are nothing short of amazing.

The truth is, I haven’t finished this book yet. However, I do have the original and I’m already impressed with what I’ve read. I’ll have more to say in a future blog post.

When Regardie originally published the teachings of the Golden Dawn in the late 1930s, most of the group was moribund and many gave up, essentially ending that manifestation of the G.D. The book, however, kept the knowledge alive and allowed for its rebirth and current flowering. This book started a revolution 40 years ago by reporting what Culling had experienced and done, but the Order had been closed for decades. With all of the additions by Weschcke, I would not be surprised to discover a rebirth of this important but briefly-lived magickal order. If you do not have the original book—and even if you do—I would encourage all people interested in ceremonial or high magick to study this book. You can discover more about it HERE.