Tag Archives: Aleister Crowley

BLK Celebration 2022 Speaker – Ariock Van de Voorde presents London Calling

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Our annual Black Lotus Kult Celebration will return this 5, Nov in London, where we will proudly present

One Beyond Ten

A Celebration of the works of Kenneth and Steffi Grant

BLKLOndon 

At BLK Celebration 2022, Ariock Van de Voorde will present

 London Calling

Books can change lives, and a copy of Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God found in a public library certainly did just that for Ariock Van de Voorde. He later opened an occult bookstore where Kenneth Grant’s titles were always featured, and where he founded a ritual collective loosely based on the Nu Isis Lodge.

AC and HG

Years later, Ariock co-founded Black Lotus Kult, which he runs with Kindle Cimmerian and Hagen von Tulien under the guidance of Michael Bertiaux. At this year’s BLK Celebration, Ariock will discuss his personal history with work in the Typhonian Current leading to the phone call he received regarding Kenneth Grant’s death 10 years ago, and where we go next on this journey.

DSCN7589

Ariock is a musician and writer currently living in the Mid-South region of the United States. Is a co-founder and director of Ophidian art collective Black Lotus Kult, and is a contributor to several books, journals and audio recordings under his own name, and under the occasional alternate nom de guerre.

Ariock is currently working on music albums with Black Lotus Kult, on a Bertiaux art/music collaboration with the reunited Wendy is Starting At Me, and on a collaboration with artist Charlie Martineau. His primary current writing projects include a book about Esoteric Zen and the Cosmic Dante Current and a short work on experience with the entity LAM.

He wants it known that his dog is better than yours.

dog

We will converge on 5 November in Camden Town  for an evening of discussions on aspects of and experiences with the Typhonian Current.

Due to venue considerations, the event’s location will not be published, and will be sent to those wishing to attend as demand or space allows. Please send an email to caroline@starfirepublishing.co.uk for specifics if you wish to attend.

Starfire is republishing the Typhonian Trilogies, and you can find those currently available HERE

Black Lotus Kult

BLK Celebration 2022 Speaker – Dr. Christian Giudice presents Drinking from Hecate’s Fountain

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Our annual Black Lotus Kult Celebration will return this 5, Nov in London, where we will proudly present

One Beyond Ten

A Celebration of the works of Kenneth and Steffi Grant

BLKLOndon

We are happy to announce Dr. Christian Giudice will return to BLK Celebration to present

Drinking from Hecate’s Fountain:

Kenneth Grant’s Typhonian Trilogies and the Fusion Between Literature and Practiced Magic 

Hacate

In this talk, Dr. Giudice will attempt to situate occultist and author Kenneth Grant and his peculiar blend of fictional occultism, represented by Grant’s Typhonian Trilogies (1972-2002) as one of the most recent practitioners, chronologically speaking, to blur the lines between literary fiction and magical practice. After a brief introduction to Grant’s occult system, Dr. Giudice will draw examples of the blurring of the lines between fiction and practice from his Trilogies, focusing on the text richest in examples of such experiments in fiction: Hecate’s Fountain. Through these examples, a general theory of Grant’s employment of instances of fiction and practiced magic, to constantly keep the reader in a liminal state of consciousness, will be attempted, with particular attention devoted to the British occultist’s use of ufology as a novel instrument to achieve his aims. By employing an old literary device, which he had certainly recognized as being used by previous occultists of the nineteenth and twentieth century, and enhancing it by using novel themes such as the Lovecraft mythos and extraterrestrial entities, Grant has succeeded in creating a vibrant mélange, where, once again, the lines between fiction and reality are constantly being negotiated.

Chris

Chris Giudice is an independent scholar, who has lectured widely on subjects ranging from 19th and 20th century occultism, to psychedelic new religious movements, to occultism in politics and avant-garde cinema. Having obtained a BA in Classics from the University of Oxford, he went on to achieve an MA in Western esotericism at the University of Exeter and a PhD in Religious Studies at the University of Gothenburg. For ten years he was the lead singer of eso-neofolk band The Green Man, publishing 3 albums and 1 ep and touring extensively across Europe. His latest book Occult Imperium – Arturo Reghini, Roman Traditionalism, and the Anti-Modern Reaction in Fascist Italy was published by Oxford Univeristy Press as part of their Oxford Studies in Western Esotericism series. Find it HERE

We will converge on 5 November in Camden Town  for an evening of discussions on aspects of and experiences with the Typhonian Current.

Due to venue considerations, the event’s location will not be published, and will be sent to those wishing to attend as demand or space allows. Please send an email to caroline@starfirepublishing.co.uk for specifics if you wish to attend.

Starfire is republishing the Typhonian Trilogies, and you can find those currently available HERE

Black Lotus Kult

BLK Celebration 2022 Speaker – Caroline Wise presents Kenneth Grant’s London Town

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Our annual Black Lotus Kult Celebration will return this 5, Nov in London, where we will proudly present

One Beyond Ten

A Celebration of the works of Kenneth and Steffi Grant

 

We are elated to have Caroline Wise return to BLK Celebration with an illustrated talk

 Kenneth Grant’s London Town

lime house 

When considering Kenneth Grant and place, one is likely to meander the vast ‘spaces between spaces’, or the Tunnels of Set, exploring inner space. As Black Lotus Kult visits London this year, Caroline will be looking at the London of Kenneth Grant, of the 50s, 60s, and 70s onwards; a world of pubs, art, Jazz, magic, and bookshops and of lifelong friendships emerging. A multidimensional London as the terra-firma from which magical universes can arise. A London where certain places evoked for him the ancient magics, nightside narratives, love, inspiration and poetry, as portals between the planes.

 

Caroline Wise works in esoteric publishing. In 1989 she initiated the republication of the books of Kenneth Grant, starting with Hidden Lore, the Carfax Monographs by Kenneth and Steffi, when at Skoob Books. She is a former owner of The Atlantis Bookshop and in the 1990s was the co-editor of the revived The Occult Observer. In 1993 she produced the then forgotten Ancient Egyptian themed plays of Florence Farr. From the 1970s she has been involved in Earth mysteries and her particular interests are in researching goddesses, and the mythology of London, She is co-editor, with John Matthews, of The Secret Lore Of London.

caroline_Nemi 1 

We will converge on 5 November in Camden Town  for an evening of discussions on aspects of and experiences with the Typhonian Current.

Due to venue considerations, the event’s location will not be published, and will be sent to those wishing to attend as demand or space allows. Please send an email to caroline@starfirepublishing.co.uk for specifics if you wish to attend.

Starfire is republishing the Typhonian Trilogies, and you can find those currently available HERE

Black Lotus Kult

BLK Celebration 2022 Speaker – Michael Staley presents The Magical Universe

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Our annual Black Lotus Kult Celebration will return this 5, Nov in London, where we will proudly present

One Beyond Ten

A Celebration of the works of Kenneth and Steffi Grant

 

We are pleased to announce that Michael Staley will once again be joining us and giving a lecture – 

The Magical Universe

Writing in Outside the Circles of Time, Kenneth Grant remarked: “. . . each individual must create his own magical universe and, by a kind of oneiric perichoresis, evolve his own qabalah and manifest his own truth (maat).”

The Magical Universe is our understanding of the world, our vision of reality, and how we communicate with it. It is something which develops with experience. We take inspiration from a variety of sources, transmuting it through the catalyst of our magical and mystical experience to distil an innate body of work. In this fashion our Magical Universe emerges. In this talk, Michael further discusses the significance of the Magical Universe, drawing on his own experience, as well as referencing the work of others, amongst them Kenneth Grant, Austin Osman Spare and Aleister Crowley.

Starfire Logo 

Michael Staley has been fascinated by the occult for as long as he can remember, and is particularly steeped in Thelema and Advaita Vedanta. Publishing the first issue of Starfire in 1986, he subsequently expanded it into Starfire Publishing, issuing Kenneth Grant’s work from the late 1990s, as well as books concerning Austin Osman Spare and Charles Stansfeld Jones. His most recent task has been the reprinting of the Typhonian Trilogies. To find out more about Starfire Publishing, click HERE

Michael Staley

Michael Staley

We will converge on 5 November in Camden Town  for an evening of discussions on aspects of and experiences with the Typhonian Current.

Due to venue considerations, the event’s location will not be published, and will be sent to those wishing to attend as demand or space allows. Please send an email to HERE for specifics if you wish to attend.

Starfire is republishing the Typhonian Trilogies, and you can find those currently available HERE

Black Lotus Kult

BLK Celebration 2022

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After years of COVID-relation travel restrictions, our annual Black Lotus Kult Celebration is back on this year in London.

We proudly present to you

One Beyond Ten

A Celebration of the works of Kenneth and Steffi Grant

BLKLOndon

We will converge on 5 November in Camden Town (with greatly appreciated assistance from our friends at Starfire Publishing) for an evening of discussions on aspects of and experiences with the Typhonian Current.

The Grant’s body of work, particularly the nine books which comprise the “Typhonian Trilogies” have become increasingly influential over the years. Further, they championed the works of the likes of Austin Osman Spare, Aleister Crowley, Frater Achad and others during times when they had mostly fallen out the of public eye. Additionally, they introduced many readers to the art and writings of more modern figures such as Michael Bertiuax, Nema, and Zivorad Mihaljovic

Due to venue considerations, the event’s location will not be published, and will be sent to those wishing to attend as demand or space allows. Please send an email to caroline@starfirepublishing.co.uk for specifics if you wish to attend.

Starfire is republishing the Typhonian Trilogies, and you can find those currently available HERE  

Starfire Logo

BLK Celebration 2019 – Michael Staley presents “Achad and the Aeon of Maat”

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At BLK Celebration 2019

Michael Staley

will present

“Achad and the Aeon of Maat”

maat1

Frater Achad (Charles Stansfeld Jones) announced the Inauguration of the Aeon of Maat in April 1948. The work of Jack Parsons was moving in a similar direction shortly before this time. In the early 1970s Margaret Ingalls received Liber Pennae Praenumbra, ‘The Book of the Foreshadowing of the Feather’, cast as a communication from Maat. Some years later, Kenneth Grant expanded on this in his book Outside the Circles of Time (1980), drawing parallels between the work of Achad and that of Margaret Ingalls, and tracing links with the Amalantrah Working of 1918.

Mick Maat.PNG

In this talk, Michael Staley looks back at Achad’s development and output, tracing the emergence of a current which takes in his work with Crowley as his ‘Magical Son’, his discovery of the Key to The Book of the Law, his divergence and subsequent estrangement from Crowley, and his work in the Universal Brotherhood, culminating in the incoming of the Aeon of Maat. He goes on to consider the relevance of this current today.

Starfire Logo

The Incoming of the Aeon of Maat:

Correspondence between Frater Charles Stansfeld Jones, Gerald Yorke, and others, 1948-49

will be published this year from Starfire. Click HERE for details.

Michael Staley

Michael Staley

Michael Staley is the founder of Starfire Publishing. He knew Kenneth Grant for more than forty years, becoming his publisher in the mid 1990s, and across a number of years republished the Typhonian Trilogies in new editions.

Michael lives in north-west London with his wife Caroline Wise.

***

 

This year’s BLK Celebration will be held in Orlando, FL on Nov 1 & 2. For details, please click HERE

Tickets on sale NOW at – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blk-celebration-2019-tickets-66741233827

BLKLV

BLK Celebration 2019 – Vadge Moore presents “The Thelemic Ordeals”

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At BLK Celebration 2019

Vadge Moore

will present

“The Thelemic Ordeals”

vadgejacket

Vadge Moore (photo by Justin Larwick/Larwick Photography)

 

The Ordeals are described in Liber AL vel Legis, and are given greater detail in James Beck’s Book of Codes (by way of Aiwass).

In this lecture, Vadge illustrates this path with reflections from his personal experiences.

vadge page

Vadge Moore’s musical career started in the Bay-area music scene in the 1980’s. This eventually led to his joining The Dwarves in 1988.

Vadge started creating art to express his other literary and esoteric interests via his Chthonic Force project. CF saw collaborations with cultural architects Monte Cazazza and Boyd Rice, as well as other figures who balance entertainment with controversy such as Thomas Thorn and Peter Sotos.

***

 

This year’s BLK Celebration will be held in Orlando, FL on Nov 1 & 2. For details, please click HERE

Tickets on sale NOW at – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/blk-celebration-2019-tickets-66741233827

BLKLV

BLK Celebration 2018 – Q&A with Michael Bertiaux, Michael Staley and Black Lotus Kult

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BLK Celebration 2018 is coming next week to Chicago, IL – 14-16 Dec. Read further posts below on this page, or click HERE for details.

As part of the Centennial Celebration at the Occult Bookstore, we will see a special Q&A session with

Michael Bertiaux

MB at work2

Michael Staley of Starfire Publishing

Michael Staley

and members of Black Lotus Kult.

Isis

This is a unique opportunity to tap into these minds and learn about Occult Art, Writing and Publishing, Gnostic Voudon, The Typhonian Tradition, Austin Osman Spare and a variety of other topics.

This will occur late Friday evening, after the launch of Servants of the Star & the Snake

BLK Celebration 2018

Brian Butler restores Kenneth Anger’s triptych version of ‘Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome’

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Anger is an energy.

Anger is an energy.

The restored and enhanced triptych version of Kenneth Anger’s Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome will play one night only (25/6/15) at the Max Linder Panorama in Paris. For those unaware, this classic occult film will interest Aleister Crowley/Thelema fans due to its content, as well as readers of Fulgur Limited’s recent Songs for the Witch Woman, as it features Marjorie Cameron as the Scarlet Woman.

Cults of the Shadow!

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Starfire Publishing has produced many fantastic works over the last quarter century, with a focus on the Typhonian tradition. First published in 1986, Starfire Journal has been the official voice of the Typhonian Order (previously known as the Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis), and has shed light on many of the ideas brought forth in Kenneth Grant’s writings.

Starfire Journal, Volume I, Issues 1-5

Starfire Journal, Volume I, Issues 1-5

With Beyond the Mauve Zone (1999) and The Ninth Arch (2002), Starfire completed the final volumes of Grant’s Typhonian Trilogies. Starting in 2008, they then began to reprint enhanced editions of the previous out-of-print titles in this series; Outside the Circles of Time (2008), The Magical Revival (2009), and Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God (2013). Now comes the announcement of Cults of the Shadow, due this summer.

Although Grant’s works are all amazing, Cults holds a special place to many as their introductory vehicle into the wondrous world of Michael Bertiaux. This title explores Left Hand Path systems and histories, and looks into their manifestation in the works of Bertiaux, Aleister Crowley, Charles Stanfeld Jones and Austin Osman Spare. As with all Starfire reprints of Grant’s work, this will be an “enhanced” edition, with a new typeset, errata from the previous version within the text and notes taken from Grant’s personal copy included. In addition, these new versions have seen new art, interesting endpapers and, when possible, newly photographed versions of the original art. Many plates which were originally presented in black and white are now in colour. Fulgur Esoterica‘s presentations of Michael Bertiaux’s art speak volumes to the importance of colour in examining his work, and we feel many will be amazed when comparing the plates between new and old versions of Cults.

For more details on this title, head to http://www.starfirepublishing.co.uk/Cults_of_the_Shadow.htm

While on the subject of such things, some were caught sleeping at the pace of Starfire’s republication schedule, and a few of the much sought after deluxe copies of Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God are still available. We have nearly every Starfire deluxe in the BLK Library, and while all are spectacular, this volume really matches the physical object well to the content of the book.

AC&THG Deluxe

AC&THG Deluxe

To order, or read more, see http://www.starfirepublishing.co.uk/aleister_crowley_and_the_hidden_god_moredetails.htm

Starfire has also posted a link to Living Traditions Magazine‘s review of  Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God at http://www.starfirepublishing.co.uk/HG_review.html