I tried to be nice. I really did. I know the Gallery of Magick is popular, and can often be among the first books new seekers encounter. And, let’s face it, we all find simplistic and silly books about the occult in our early studies. I didn’t want to discourage sincere students by bashing the very books that first sparked their interest in Western Esotericism. Even if it’s watered-down occultism, at least it isn’t on par with frauds and posers like Stephanie Connelly-Riser and E.A. Koetting…
Well… at least I used to think that way about it. Now, however, I have read Magickal Destiny by “Damon Brand.” Not only is this the worst book I have ever read about the Holy Guardian Angel (TBF – this book is NOT about the Holy Guardian Angel at all), but it now holds the unique position of the worst book on magick I have ever read.
Let’s set aside the fact I do not believe a “Damon Brand” even exists. I would accuse him of being an AI – but I honestly think AI could write a better book on the occult. The AI wouldn’t come across as this soulless, this uneducated, this biased against anything real, and this adept at marketing over magick. If we set all of that aside – the pages of this book are only useful if you need kindling.
I have to admit, reading “Damon Brand” is kind of nostalgic for me. Not because I began with these books (thank the Gods, my biggest obstacle was 1990s-era Llewellyn – and they were, at that time, the Library of Alexandria compared to the tripe we’re talking about in this review!), but because they have much the same feel as an old Scheuler Enochian book. That is, the chapter titles look good when you browse the book before purchasing it, but there is absolutely zero content in said chapters. It’s nothing but page after page of what the “author” thinks about magick – and even that is repeated over and again ad nauseum just to pad out the length.
And what are those thoughts, brothers and sisters? What kind of adepthood can we expect from “Brand”? Why, we can expect to be told – over and over and over again – how all of the traditional techniques of magick just fail, all the time. They require a ton of work and dedication – both of which this author is staunchly against! – and in the end they probably won’t work for you anyway.
Well thank God “Damon Brand” is here to save the day! He says we can achieve all of our goals and dreams without stupid things like work, dedication, study, practice, and (worst of all!) self-discipline! Why work for hours upon hours, months upon months, to achieve adepthood when you can just scrawl this sigil onto some notebook paper and stare at it for a few minutes and – viola! – you’re a master!
I spent most of this book waiting on Brand to get to a point of some kind – especially after the dozenth time he assures the reader that real books of magick are pointless. He finally gets to the practical stuff in the final couple of chapters – and what do we behold there? A series of newage “protocols” that amount to nothing more than “think happy thoughts”, followed by a bunch of meaningless “Enochian Sigils” that are stated to grant you entry into the Enochian Ethers (newsflash – they do nothing of the sort!). And, somehow, sitting and staring at these sigils for a few minutes each will grant you Knowledge and Conversation with your Holy Guardian Angel. (Updated news flash – it won’t!)
Nothing this book has to say about the Holy Guardian Angel is correct. Nothing it says about Enochian magick is correct. (And, I shouldn’t really have to point out, the Abramelin and Enochian Traditions have nothing whatsoever to do with one another!) The “author” (be it an AI or a marketing team) has no magical experience, no magical knowledge, and his main goal (well, second to separating you from your cash) seems to be stopping you from ever achieving any results or success in your magical practice.
These books hardly qualify as mental masturbation. They have the same “authority” behind them as a Riser Demonolatry book (that is – we have to accept the author is some kind of authority, but we aren’t “allowed” to know or see their credentials – because they have none). There is not one single word in this book that has the slightest value in your occult path. (And I’m including articles here! If he used the word “the”, it was wrong!) The Gallery of Magick isn’t a simple-if-silly series of books for beginners – it’s a barrier to entry. A net to catch LARPers.
Yes, I know there are many of you reading this who began with the GoM books – and you are sincere seekers. As a beginner, you can’t know what is nonsense intended to distract you and what is the real thing. So, you have to rely on guys like me to say something, to give you a warning when something is either wasting your time or actively harming you. So, I am saying it now (and I should have said it years ago) – Gallery of Magick is one of those obstacles. Keep your money in your pocket for stuff you need, don’t hand it over to a con-artist.
Ritual Offerings: Feeding Your Spirits, Empowering Your Magick (inside cover art)
Spirits are not merely an option or tool to be utilized when the magician deems it necessary. Spirits are the very heart and soul of all magick. A consecrated talisman has a spirit attached to it that contributes to the talisman’s power, the incantations we use work because the spirits heard them and acted. We are not alone when cast our spells; our patrons and familiars are always present, casting the spells with us.
Throughout history, ritual offerings have been the central pillar of all magick and religion. Very often, a magickal ritual consists of nothing more than the making of a prescribed offering to a particular spirit in a specified time and place, yet here in the West, the making of an offering has been equated with the worship of the spirit receiving it. The act of offering a spirit something as payment for services rendered has a close association with the dreaded “pact with the Devil,” by which a magician surely sells his soul to damnation, but to the rest of the world an offering is intended to feed and empower a spiritual entity, and to pay it fairly for its aid.
The art of making proper offerings to the spirits is a complex one, rife with strict protocols and warnings, but if you take the time to learn this ancient and powerful art, it will supercharge your magick like nothing you’ve experienced before.
Strictly Limited to 900 numbered copies and filled with over 280 pages of essays and actual photos of authors’ ritual altars, Ritual Offerings unites twelve practicing occultists who share their knowledge and experience with this fascinating and important subject. Traditions from around the world such as Solomonic magick, Tibetan Buddhism, New Orleans and Hatian Voudou, Western Hermetic Theurgy and more are discussed in great detail. Regardless of your tradition, Ritual Offerings will guide you in feeding your patrons and familiars safely and effectively and contribute to our overall success and growth as a practitioner.
Altar and Offerings to Sachiel
Contributors:
Aaron Leitch: Introduction: Magickal Offerings in Western Occultism and Liber Donariorum: the Book of Offerings
Zadkiel: The Elements of Making Offerings: The Offering as Sacrifice
Bryan Garner (Frater Ashen Chassan): Whispers from a Skull: Lessons in Spiritual Offerings from a Conjured Familiar
Brother Moloch: Ancestors & Offering
Frater Rufus Opus: The Back Yard Path toward the Summum Bonum
Denise M. Alvarado: Ritual Offerings in New Orleans Voudou
Jason Miller: Severed Head Cakes and Clouds of Dancing Girls: Offerings in Tibetan Buddhism
Nick Farrell: Offerings In Roman Deity Magic
Sam Webster, M.Div., Ph.D., founder OSOGD: Offerings in Iamblichan Theurgy
Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero: Ritual for the Declaration of Maa-Kheru
Gilberto Strapazon: Offerings in Ceremonial Magick and African Traditional Religions
(* – There are currently plans to release a paperback version of this book once the hardbound numbered copies have sold out. Stay tuned!)
Exciting news about the novel Realm of Angels by Judith Page and myself. It is now available in hard copy – paperback to be precise:
Click to Buy ‘Realm of Angels’ in paperback
What, you want another excerpt?? Ok, then, here you go:
——-
I took a deep breath and leaving the mundane, entered a sanctum.
The room glowed softly in the lantern light. I placed my notes and the goblet on the altar and lit the candles, first the red then the black. I blinked dazedly. The candles were beautiful. I’d always associated the burning of candles and incense with Communion, but somehow this seemed different, evoking a far older tradition long before Christianity took hold in the Fertile Crescent. The mood in the room had changed; it felt a space apart from the ordinary. It was unfamiliar and, dare I say, scary. The emotions running through my mind in that moment were the ones I didn’t want to dwell upon.
I nervously picked up the charcoal with tweezers and set fire to it with a lighted match, watching the flame lick around the edge. It caressed the darkness, the power building quickly as the flame suddenly spluttered and spat, releasing tiny salamander-sparks that traveled through the black tablet. It glowed first red then white hot as I dropped it on a bed of soft sand inside the terracotta dish. Adding a sprinkling of frankincense resin to the charcoal completely changed the ambiance in the room. In a few moments the entire space was shrouded in a haze from the smoke, giving it an ethereal or otherworldly vibe. I inhaled the aroma deeply.
Next, I raised the goblet of wine in salutation to the angels and placed it back on the altar. So far, so good, I thought. Taking a deep breath I sent a silent prayer to the heavens. A state of prayer was something I hadn’t visited for a long time but my very being demanded this sacrifice and I was not going to refuse my soul’s wish. It was done.
Picking up the ball of Rutilated Quartz and the notes, I stepped back from the altar, sat down on the chair, closed my eyes and began to inhale slowly and deeply. I waited. Nothing special was happening, just the pleasant aroma of incense drifted around the room. This was fine, a gentle introduction. It relaxed me.
After several more inhalations everything changed and the air not only filled my lungs but the whole of my body, starting from the soles of my feet and culminating at a point between my eyebrows. The sensation was exhilarating. I began to feel an intimate connection of both mind and breath. This flow of energy swirled within and without my body; it permeated every cell, filling each with an incredible power. It felt good. I opened my eyes and looked at the words I’d copied from the grimoire. A brief thought came and passed, that my father may actually have said this too. With a new intake of breath, I uttered in a shaky voice:
‘I call upon thy sacred name
Of the being that has been with me.
Since the beginning of beginnings.’
I paused and cleared my throat; I was unused to hearing the sound of my own voice and felt very self-conscious:
‘As I gaze upwards,
May I behold thy beauty and thy splendour unto eternity,
Time without end.’
I continued breathing in and out, in and out – concentrating only on my breath and allowing the room’s mystical atmosphere to wash over me. I focused my eyes, unblinking, upon the image of Lucifer on the altar.
Suddenly it happened to me again, that strange but familiar feeling of assault as I encountered something angelic. The whole world grew dark and drained away, narrowing my sight down to tunnel vision. This time it was far more intense than before. I broke out in a cold sweat and began to shiver. I could just make out the distant sound of flapping wings and whispering voices – they seemed somehow impatient. Insistent!
A shock of vertigo hit me, so powerful I would have fallen if I’d not been sitting. I was no longer looking down a long tunnel, I was falling into it! I gasped and gripped the seat of the chair until my knuckles were white, working hard to stave off the rising panic. The ball of Rutilated Quartz lay forgotten in my lap. What was happening to me? Was I having a seizure? A brain aneurism? For the first time it dawned on me that this experiment wasn’t safe; it was deadly serious, and I may very well be putting my mind and/or my soul on the line. Terry had known what he was talking about after all…
And just like that, it was gone. As if the mere thought of Terry had calmed the storm, as if a lead blanket had suddenly been pulled away – the vertigo and panic lifted from my mind. The world, the altar, the incense smoke, even the chair I’d been sitting on had vanished, and I was standing alone in featureless darkness. Somehow I had fallen entirely out of the real world and journeyed to… where?
Ritual Offerings: Feeding Your Spirits, Empowering Your Magick (inside cover art)
Great news! I have been contacted by Nephilim Press and informed that Ritual Offerings: Feeding Your Spirits, Empowering Your Magick has gone to the printer at last!
So calm down already! Sheeesh!
I have been told we estimate about six weeks for the book’s delivery. This will be a limited edition (hard cover of course!), and Nephilim says we might be running a risk of selling out quickly due to the popularity of the individual contributors (see below) and the interest that customers have expressed in pre-orders.
Can We Pre-Order the Book??
No, I’m afraid that Nephilim Press still does not take pre-orders. However, since you are cool enough to be a reader of this blog, you’ll have an opportunity to secure your copy before it is offered to the general public!
Just go to the Nephilim Press Homepage, and subscribe to their newsletter. When the book becomes available, newsletter subscribers will be notified first – giving you first dibs on your copy of this groundbreaking new manual of magick. According to Frank over at Nephilim:
“We only send out emails when new titles are available and people who get the newsletter are notified in advance of the general public so that they can be sure to get a copy before sell outs and such. Our subscriber list is 100% confidential.”
So there you have it. In about a month and a half, if you act quickly enough, you can secure your own copy before they’re gone!
Below is some information and a few excerpts from the book’s introduction, in case you missed them in my last blog post:
Throughout history, ritual offerings have been the central pillar of all magick (and religion). Very often, a magickal ritual consists of nothing more than the making of a prescribed offering to a particular spirit in a specified time and place. Yet, here in the West, the making of an offering has been equated with the worship of the spirit receiving it. The act of offering a spirit something as payment for services rendered has close associations with the dreaded “pact with the Devil,” by which a magician surely sells his soul to damnation.
But, to the rest of the world an offering is intended to feed and empower a spiritual entity, and to pay it fairly for the work it does. We cannot expect the spirits to simply manifest what we desire out of thin air—it takes energy for them to accomplish your goals, and they need to get that energy from somewhere.
The art of making proper offerings to spirits is a complex one, rife with strict protocols and warnings for your safety. But if you take the time to learn this ancient and powerful art, it will supercharge your magick like nothing you’ve experienced before.
Altar and Offerings to Sachiel
In Ritual Offerings, twelve practical occultists have come together to share their knowledge and experience with this fascinating subject. Traditions from around the world are discussed – from Solomonic magick to Tibetan Buddhism, from New Orleans Voodoo and Hatian Voudou to Western Hermetic Theurgy and more. Regardless of your tradition, this manual will guide you in feeding your patrons and familiars safely and effectively.
Take a look at the all-star line-up in the table of contents:
Aaron Leitch: Introduction: Magickal Offerings in Western Occultism
Aaron Leitch: Liber Donariorum: the Book of Offerings
Zadkiel: The Elements of Making Offerings: The Offering as Sacrifice
Bryan Garner (Frater Ashen Chassan): Whispers from a Skull: Lessons in Spiritual Offerings from a Conjured Familiar
Brother Moloch: Ancestors & Offering
Frater Rufus Opus: The Back Yard Path toward the Summum Bonum
Denise M. Alvarado: Ritual Offerings in New Orleans Voudou
Jason Miller: Severed Head Cakes and Clouds of Dancing Girls: Offerings in Tibetan Buddhism
Nick Farrell: Offerings In Roman Deity Magic
Sam Webster, M.Div., Ph.D., founder OSOGD: Offerings in Iamblichan Theurgy
Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero: Ritual for the Declaration of Maa-Kheru
Gilberto Strapazon: Offerings in Ceremonial Magick and African Traditional Religions
Offering Altar to St. Michael
Why Ritual Offerings?
Nearly every author in this book has reported that their magick was “supercharged” by the inclusion of ritual offerings in their spells. Likewise, their students have responded with similar results. Spells that used to take weeks to produce results suddenly happen overnight. Summoned spirits that used to appear weak or far away suddenly become strong and very much present. Talismans begin to have their effect much faster. Why should this be the case?
Because spirits are important to your magick. Today it is quite common to see spirit work listed as a “type” of magick: To accomplish your goals you might choose (for example) a talisman, a spell, an incantation, or summon a spirit. However, this is not how magick was viewed in the ancient world.
Spirits were not merely an option, a tool to be utilized when the magician deemed it necessary. No, spirits were the very heart and soul of all magick. That talisman you consecrated has a spirit attached to it, who accomplishes the intended goal. The incantation you used worked because the spirits heard it and acted upon it. You were not alone when you cast that spell; your patrons and familiars were present and casting the spell with you. And what about spirit summoning, like we see in grimoires such as the Key of Solomon or the Goetia? Those are methods of first-contact with the spirits, who will then teach the summoner how to do proper magick with things like — you guessed it — talismans, spells, and incantations.
In all of the above, spirits are the common factor. It is the shaman’s relationship with the local spirits that makes his magick work so impressively. He knows how to attract them, gains their respect, and uses ritual offerings to feed and empower them so they can protect the tribe.
Magickal Offerings in Western Occultism
Some still choose to view spirit-feeding as a symbolic act — a kind of earthy sympathetic magick whereby we use food to activate otherwise non-physical (spiritual) currents here on the physical plane. Others, like myself and many of the authors in this book, feel the Western gods, angels, and spirits have gone without feeding for far too long; thus, if you feed them as part of your magick, they respond in a big way. No matter how you choose to interpret it, the knowledgeable use of offerings will produce impressive results; they will “supercharge” your magick.
Offering Altar to Archangel Samael
By the way, you can read the entire introduction in the current issue of Hermetic Tablet magazine.
Ritual Offerings: Feeding Your Spirits, Empowering Your Magick (inside cover art)
As many of you know, since I’ve teased it here and there over the past few months, I have been editing a new anthology for Nephilim Press entitled Ritual Offerings: Feeding Your Spirits, Empowering Your Magick.
Throughout history, ritual offerings have been the central pillar of all magick (and religion). Very often, a magickal ritual consists of nothing more than the making of a prescribed offering to a particular spirit in a specified time and place. Yet, here in the West, the making of an offering has been equated with the worship of the spirit receiving it. The act of offering a spirit something as payment for services rendered has close associations with the dreaded “pact with the Devil,” by which a magician surely sells his soul to damnation.
But, to the rest of the world an offering is intended to feed and empower a spiritual entity, and to pay it fairly for the work it does. We cannot expect the spirits to simply manifest what we desire out of thin air—it takes energy for them to accomplish your goals, and they need to get that energy from somewhere.
The art of making proper offerings to spirits is a complex one, rife with strict protocols and warnings for your safety. But if you take the time to learn this ancient and powerful art, it will supercharge your magick like nothing you’ve experienced before.
Altar and Offerings to Sachiel
In Ritual Offerings, twelve practical occultists have come together to share their knowledge and experience with this fascinating subject. Traditions from around the world are discussed – from Solomonic magick to Tibetan Buddhism, from New Orleans Voodoo and Hatian Voudou to Western Hermetic Theurgy and more. Regardless of your tradition, this manual will guide you in feeding your patrons and familiars safely and effectively.
Take a look at the all-star line-up in the table of contents:
Aaron Leitch: Introduction: Magickal Offerings in Western Occultism
Aaron Leitch: Liber Donariorum: the Book of Offerings
Zadkiel: The Elements of Making Offerings: The Offering as Sacrifice
Bryan Garner (Frater Ashen Chassan): Whispers from a Skull: Lessons in Spiritual Offerings from a Conjured Familiar
Brother Moloch: Ancestors & Offering
Frater Rufus Opus: The Back Yard Path toward the Summum Bonum
Denise M. Alvarado: Ritual Offerings in New Orleans Voudou
Jason Miller: Severed Head Cakes and Clouds of Dancing Girls: Offerings in Tibetan Buddhism
Nick Farrell: Offerings In Roman Deity Magic
Sam Webster, M.Div., Ph.D., founder OSOGD: Offerings in Iamblichan Theurgy
Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero: Ritual for the Declaration of Maa-Kheru
Gilberto Strapazon: Offerings in Ceremonial Magick and African Traditional Religions
Offering Altar to St. Michael
The final edits have been submitted, and I expect the book to ship to the printer any day now. Keep an eye on this blog as I will soon announce the release date. 🙂 In the meantime, enjoy this excerpt from the introduction:
Offering Altar to Archangel Samael
Why Ritual Offerings?
Nearly every author in this book has reported that their magick was “supercharged” by the inclusion of ritual offerings in their spells. Likewise, their students have responded with similar results. Spells that used to take weeks to produce results suddenly happen overnight. Summoned spirits that used to appear weak or far away suddenly become strong and very much present. Talismans begin to have their effect much faster. Why should this be the case?
Because spirits are important to your magick. Today it is quite common
to see spirit work listed as a “type” of magick: To accomplish your goals you might choose (for example) a talisman, a spell, an incantation, or summon a spirit. However, this is not how magick was viewed in the ancient world.
Spirits were not merely an option, a tool to be utilized when the magician deemed it necessary. No, spirits were the very heart and soul of all magick. That talisman you consecrated has a spirit attached to it, who accomplishes the intended goal. The incantation you used worked because the spirits heard it and acted upon it. You were not alone when you cast that spell; your patrons and familiars were present and casting the spell with you. And what about spirit summoning, like we see in grimoires such as the Key of Solomon or the Goetia? Those are methods of first-contact with the spirits, who will then teach the summoner how to do proper magick with things like — you guessed it — talismans, spells, and incantations.
In all of the above, spirits are the common factor. It is the shaman’s relationship with the local spirits that makes his magick work so impressively. He knows how to attract them, gains their respect, and uses ritual offerings to feed and empower them so they can protect the tribe.
Magickal Offerings in Western Occultism
Some still choose to view spirit-feeding as a symbolic act — a kind of earthy sympathetic magick whereby we use food to activate otherwise non-physical (spiritual) currents here on the physical plane. Others, like myself and many of the authors in this book, feel the Western gods, angels, and spirits have gone without feeding for far too long; thus, if you feed them as part of your magick, they respond in a big way. No matter how you choose to interpret it, the knowledgeable use of offerings will produce impressive results; they will “supercharge” your magick.
By the way, you can read the entire introduction in the current issue of Hermetic Tablet magazine.
Since you have all of that spare Christmas cash burning a hole in your pocket, how about treating yourself to an angelic adventure? For just ten bucks (Kindle), you can’t beat the price! 😉
Click Image to Buy ‘Realm of Angels’!
Here is a new excerpt for you to enjoy:
——-
I was beat; I couldn’t believe how out of condition I’d become in a few days. Since meeting with Raphael, I felt my mental strength had returned, but my physical strength was zapped. I looked at myself in the hall mirror and was reminded that I’d lost weight. My eyes were different; it was someone else who looked back at me. Terry would be horrified to know that I had continued the angelic work without a break, but I was on a roll. I couldn’t stop. Only three archangels left; I rationalised, how bad could it get?
My stomach groaned; hunger was fast catching up. It was almost midday and when I wandered to the kitchen and opened the fridge, apart from beer, it was empty. I reckoned I had plenty of time before my next working, so I grabbed my bomber jacket and my dad’s grimoire and headed out of the apartment, making my way to Whiteleys. It was the place to go for the best sushi bar in town.
I entered the grand old building from the main entrance on Queensway, marveling at its marble floors and high glass dome. It was once a London landmark, a centre of commerce for the wealthy and the most luxurious shopping complex ever built. It was heartbreaking to see it on the decline, after years of devastating economic recessions.
The empty shops in the complex stood out like missing teeth in a pretty smile; some had been abandoned with signs and even merchandise left behind. All of them were dark and sealed behind ugly metal shutters. As I walked through the building I found myself casting furtive glances into the deserted spaces. There was something ominous about them, even oppressive; they made the entire pathway feel dark and abandoned. I quickened my pace.
More than once I’m sure I caught shapes moving in the shadows; tall thin menacing beings with white faces and pale eyes – watching me. They were in-between creatures, both serpent and human.
My throat felt constricted and my breathing laboured. Nausea gnawed at the edges of my stomach. When I heard the sound of flapping wings somewhere behind me, I broke into a run towards the escalator.
At last I made it to a more populated area of the building. The entire third floor was given over to restaurants, coffee shops and a multi-screen cinema. I glanced over my shoulder to see if any one was following me, everywhere was brightly lit and alive with activity and I immediately felt silly and cowardly. The sense of fear and oppression drained away like a bad dream upon waking. I chuckled, shook my head and was myself again.
I have some exciting news for you – a new work of occult fiction has just been released, and my name is on the cover! And since it’s an eBook, you still have all the time in the world to order it for Christmas. Or just buy it for yourself and read it now! 😉 See below for more info, including an excerpt!
A few years ago, I did some consulting work and wrote a forward for a compact book of angel meditations called Angelic Magick: a Guide to Angelic Beings and How to Walk With Them by Judith Page. It is not a Solomonic text, though it draws heavily on Solomonic material about the angels (including their seals, khameas, functions, planetary associations, the Angelical language, etc). It’s a succinct introduction to the Seven Archangels, including simple methods of establishing contact with them via guided meditation-style pathworkings.
Then a couple of years ago, Judith contacted me with a new project. She was creating a work of occult fiction wherein the main character essentially takes the same journey outlined in her Angelic Magick book. She wanted me to check over her Angelical and Enochian material, add in some technical details (re angelology) and to bring in a bit of my personal viewpoint on the story. I thought it was a wonderful marketing idea for her previous book, and it sounded like fun (I haven’t written fiction in years!), so I joined the project.
As it turns out, this is NOT a story about someone who purchases Judith’s book and starts working through it. Check out the synopsis:
“‘In London 25-year-old Alan King receives an unexpected birthday legacy from his late father, a professor of archaeology who disappeared in mysterious circumstances eight years before at a ziggurat in Iraq. The gift is a grimoire – a book of magic – written, unbelievably, in his father’s hand. Alan is a diligent student of advanced experimental physics with a brilliant scientific mind and finds it hard to come to terms with his father’s seeming interest in medieval methods of summoning archangels. More worrying still is that the name of Lucifer heads the list.’ With advice from his more esoterically-minded friend Terry, Alan decides to try to enter the realm of angels on an experimental basis, seeing a connection between angels and photons. However, all is not ‘light’ and things do not go exactly as planned, with the appearance of seductive unearthly women and dark feathered creatures invading his life, while he follows the prescribed rituals and soars to meet the all-powerful archangels one by one, eventually uncovering a shattering secret.’”
I want to stress that this story is essentially Judith’s. It was her concept and her baby – I just came in to help her raise the little bugger. 🙂 I added in some dialog (especially for the story’s resident source of occult info Terry) and created some of the darker scenes in which Alan is harassed by the fallen Watchers. I added bits and pieces throughout the book, and both the prologue and epilogue. I also added in a tall, dark-suited, slender figure who seems to work for the fallen Watchers in the physical realm – you guys can make of him what you will. 😉
The story itself was entirely Judith’s: the grimoire Alan receives from his deceased father, his decision to work its rituals, his meeting Lucifer, his journey through the planetary heavens and his interaction with various spiritual beings (light and dark, on earth and in heaven), etc, etc – this was her vision of Alan’s journey and ultimate fate.
To finish this announcement, I thought you might enjoy reading the book’s prologue:
Aqar Quf, 230 miles south of Baghdad. 2003.
Professor George King stood outside his tent, looking over the excavation. The merciless sun had sunk over the horizon and dry desert winds were driving away the heat. Local workers, finished for the day, returned to their families, and only a few visiting students continued their labours beneath floodlights. Most of the artefacts had been exhumed over a century before but Professor King knew this place had not yet relinquished all its secrets…
In his hands he held a small journal bound in black cloth with corners of soft beige leather. Creased and stained from much use, its front cover and several pages were missing and the professor absentmindedly traced his fingers along the ragged stubs.
His attention was directed elsewhere. Across the site, beyond the various tents and cordoned off work areas, a massive Babylonian ziggurat dominated the horizon. The Ziggurat of Aqar Quf – known to the ancients as Dur Kurigalzu – was a world-famous landmark, a place of pilgrimage for thousands of years, a focus for tourism and academic fascination. It had often been mistaken for the Tower of Babel – though that temple, long since destroyed, had stood in the city of Babylon itself.
By contrast the Aqar Quf ziggurat was largely intact, rising nearly two hundred feet into the sky. Though relatively small compared to today’s sky scrapers, this primordial temple retained an aura of grandeur. The entire structure was brightly lit with spotlights, a shining jewel on the desert horizon; a monument to the godlike power of a mighty king and the stairway to the heavens for a priesthood that communed with the gods. Baghdad was, and had always been, proud of its landmark.
Professor King took in the majesty before him. His eyes traced the tiered walls and network of stairways from its base to the large shrine at its summit. Involuntarily his heart skipped a beat. “If we’re correct,” he thought, “tonight will be the culmination of a lifetime’s work and dedication. The long search for the Truth may end there, at the top of those steps.”
He turned and entered his tent, where his wife at a makeshift desk poured over pages of obscure cuneiform symbols and tentative translations. She was a linguist who specialised in dead tongues, her efforts indispensable, the translations hers. She would be at his side when he ascended the stairway.
‘You’ve checked it four times, Patricia. I’m certain you’ve made no mistakes.’ He was impatient.
She didn’t look up. ‘That’s easy to say, but you know it’s not that simple. Primordial languages have few established definitions; much has to be taken from context. And if we’re correct about the milieu of these symbols, then absolutely everything is about to change.’
Professor King moved to the other side of the desk and placed his journal on the cluttered surface. His wife looked at the damaged book. ‘You’re certain Alan will know what to do with that information?’
He nodded. ‘God willing, he’ll have guidance.’
He found a clean piece of scrap paper and wrote a short instruction to his brother to hand the envelope to Alan at the proper time. He wished he could say more to his beloved twin, but he couldn’t risk any information falling into the wrong hands.
As the professor signed the note, his assistant entered the tent and softly cleared his throat.
‘Ah, just in time, Hakim.’ said King. He wrapped the book in a piece of cloth, placed it together with the note into a large envelope, and handed it to the young man. ‘You are to drive to Baghdad immediately, and see that this is posted back to the UK.’
The assistant looked confused. ‘Sir, I’m sure I can find a place closer…’
‘No Hakim, I want you to drive to Baghdad and stay at a hotel tonight. Not under any circumstances are you to come back here.’
The young man looked dubiously at the professor and his wife then glanced over his shoulder at the distant ziggurat. When he turned back, some of the colour had drained from his face. He took the envelope cautiously from the professor as if it contained volatile chemicals, then he turned on his heel and sped out of the tent. King trusted him; the envelope would make it out of the country before anyone knew to look for it.
The professor gazed at his wife. Even after these years in the pitiless desert, she was the picture of loveliness. He heaved a sigh, ‘I believe it is now or never, my dear.’
Patricia rose, gathered up her papers and gave a tight smile. ‘We could still be wrong about this.’
But they both knew better.
As the couple walked together across the site toward the ziggurat, many of the workers and students still present watched them curiously. It was unorthodox for anyone to approach the ziggurat at this time of the night.
They reached the foot of the monument and began to ascend; treading purposefully up the steps. Patricia looked at her papers and began to chant in a sing-song voice. Her words were indistinct but the sound could be heard throughout the encampment, and this drew even more curiosity. A few bystanders began to move toward the base of the ziggurat.
The professor and his wife never looked back. They continued up the stairway at a deliberate pace, the lovely English woman chanting mysteriously at every step. Soon they reached the summit and disappeared into the shrine.
The only sound now remaining was the steady hum of the wind and the murmur of those who had gathered at the base of the steps, gazing upward, wondering what the professor and his wife were doing in the highly restricted area.
Suddenly, the sky was lit by a massive flash of light. For a moment it seemed the sun itself had dawned atop the ziggurat, turning night into day. It came without sound, but a mighty shockwave rippled outward from the structure, knocking the onlookers from their feet and tearing many of the surrounding tents from the ground. Those who had been watching the summit found themselves blinded – some for a few hours; a few for several days.
Everyone else rushed toward the ziggurat. Frightened theories circulated. Was it a terrorist attack; a U.S. air strike? Was it a nuclear bomb?
The authorities, both British and Iraqi, were notified. Those who had been blinded were taken to hospital, and those who remained took stock and considered clean-up strategies. A small group of brave souls decided to inspect the summit of the ziggurat before the authorities arrived and the area sealed.
Yet when they reached the temple top they found no damage whatsoever. The walls and their inscriptions were all intact. Even the dust and sand appeared entirely undisturbed.
Except for one place. In the centre of the room was a spot carefully swept clean. Here, freshly drawn with chalk, was a strange symbol. A large circle, more than wide enough for a person to stand in, contained inside it a large heptagon, and within that a seven-pointed star. In the very centre was another heptagon surrounding a pentagram – a five-pointed star. The entire symbol was filled with letters and words that spelt out nothing known from any human tongue.
There was nothing else. The professor and his wife were gone, leaving no other evidence they had ever been there.
The upcoming Nephilim Press anthology Ritual Offerings: Feeding Your Spirits, Empowering Your Magick is moving ever closer to release! I have been given a sneak peak at the artwork that will adorn the inside front and back of the book – and I’m now sharing it with you. 🙂
Keep in mind this is the rough version of the image. I have been assured the final version will be even more elaborate – with further planetary symbols beyond the Saturn symbols. It’s not associated with any of the essays specifically; it’s the image you’ll see on the first and last pages of the book. Enjoy! 🙂
I’m afraid Nephilim isn’t doing pre-orders, so stay tuned here for further updates on the release date.
It is with much sadness that I report the demise of The Magickal Review dot org – which once offered digital scans of all of Dee’s Enochian journals, a PDF of TFR, and many other important academic resources. 😦
I wish I knew what happened, though the site’s administrator (Ian Rons) has been posting for a couple of years that he has lost interest in the Enochian system. He likely simply felt it was time to move on…
I can say, without a doubt, that my last three Enochian books would not have been possible without Ian’s site, along with his direct help and permissions. So wherever you are, Ian, thanks! 🙂
Meanwhile, we have not lost those academic resources! Joshua Knarr acted quickly and recovered most (if not, by this point, all) of the scanned Enochian documents plus a ton of other great material – and archived them all on his Ceremonial Magick Musings blog. Thanks Joshua! 🙂
The Holy Guardian Angel anthology, published by Nephilim Press, has been released at last! 🙂 I’ve updated the blog post accordingly – including a link to where to purchase your copy. 🙂
Nephilim Press will soon publishhas now released a brand new anthology entitled The Holy Guardian Angel. It is a collection of essays about the HGA by various occultists (some you know, and some new names as well) – including me! 🙂
The Holy Guardian Angel
My contribution is called After Abramelin: Working With the Holy Guardian Angel. If you remember my older essay, The Spirit-Magick of Abramelin, this new essay is its direct counterpoint – explaining how one is supposed to work with the Guardian Angel after completing the Rite.
Here are the introductory paragraphs of my essay:
After Abramelin: Working with the Holy Guardian Angel
The Book of Abramelin is a German magickal text supposedly written by Abraham von Worms in the 1400s. It contains a method of invoking and permanently bonding with one’s Holy Guardian Angel. The angel…
Ananael (The Secrets of Wisdom) 