Category Archives for magick

March 13: "Simultaneous Conjugation of Four Spirits in a Room"—Alan Moore & Stephen O'Malley at Laing Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne

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Above: The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, John Martin

From the Laing Gallery:

Alan Moore & Stephen O’Malley

Simultaneous Conjugation of Four Spirits in a Room: 2010

13 Mar 4 – 4.30pm

For the opening of ‘The Great British Art Debate: Turner Versus Martin,’ AV Festival 10 brings together two great forces in contemporary culture, the graphic novelist Alan Moore (V for Vendetta, Watchmen), and musician Stephen O’Malley (Sunn O))), KTL, Gravetemple). Alan Moore will write and perform a new text responding to the energy of the two paintings on show: John Martin’s The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and Hannibal Crossing the Alps by JMW Turner. Stephen O’Malley will create a new ambient soundscape, sonically melting in the radiance of the paintings.

Forthcoming from Starfire: two previously unpublished grimoires by Austin Osman Spare

Wikipedia: Austin Osman Spare

Just spotted this announcement in the “Forthcoming” section in the Autumn/Winter 2009 catalog from Starfire Publishing (available as a PDF from here):

Two Grimoires by Austin Osman Spare — set for publication in Spring/Summer 2010

The early years of the 20th Century were a time of great creative ferment for Spare, and amongst the items which survive from these early years are two intriguing and sumptuous grimoires, each of which is a notebook consisting of fine pen and ink and watercolour drawings. These notebooks were unfortunately not completed by
Spare. There are a number of full-page and half-page paintings and drawings; other pages have embellishments, with spaces for text which clearly was to have been inserted later. From the addition of his bookplate, it is clear that both notebooks were at one time the property of Spare’s patron Pickford Waller.

AmenAOS

The first of these grimoires, entitled The Focus of Life & The Papyrus of Amen-AOS, is dated 1905-6. Much of the lettering remains in pencil, some of it giving clues to the underlying meaning of the imagery. An important element of this grimoire is that it features an early form of the ‘exteriorisation of sensation’ which Spare subsequently developed into the Sacred Alphabet which is a feature of The Book of Pleasure.

AOSRampant

The second, slightly later notebook is The Arcana of AOS & the Consciousness of Kia-Ra, dated 1906. This is in some ways the more finished of the two notebooks, and picks up some of the imagery from the earlier notebook as well as integrating some new elements.

These two grimoires by Spare are at once enigmatic and full of haunting beauty. The paintings and drawings from each notebook are here reproduced in full colour. With analytical essays by Michael Staley, Stephen Pochin and William Wallace, and an introduction by Robert Ansell, this publication adds to our understanding of Spare’s early years as an artist, mystic and philosopher, and sheds light on the early development of his sigilisation techniques.

REAL-LIFE "AVATAR" 1-3

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REAL-LIFE “AVATAR” NO. 1: “The Coconut Revolution,” a 52-minute documentary on a successful uprising by original people (led by Francis Ona, pictured above) versus the combined might of a giant multi-national mining corporation, paid mercenaries and two governments’ militaries…

The first few minutes of “The Coconut Revolution” documentary…

This is an incredible modern-day story of a native people’s victory over Western globalization. Sick of seeing their environment ruined and their people exploited by the Panguna Mine, the Pacific island of Bougainville rose up against the giant mining corporation, Rio Tinto Zinc. The newly formed Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) began fighting with bows and arrows and sticks and stones against a heavily armed adversary. In an attempt to put down the rebellion the Papua New Guinean Army swiftly established a gunboat blockade around the island, backed by Australian Military personnel and equipment. With no shipments allowed in or out of the island, the People of Bougainville learned to become self-dependent and self-sustained.

The full 52-minute documentary is viewable here:
http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=9073157933630784238

REAL-LIFE “AVATAR” NO. 2: The Dongria Kondh (India) vs. Vedanta Resources (UK)

“Niyamgiri Mountain is a living god for us,” said the father of four who until now had never left the state of Orissa. “It has provided us with food, water and our livelihoods for generations. Even if we have to die protecting our god we will not hesitate, we will not let it go.” Read more here

REAL-LIFE “AVATAR” NO. 3: “Quilombo Country” (above)

“Quilombo Country” explores Afrobrazilian village life among the forests and rivers of northern Brazil, with rare footage of festivals and ceremonies that blend Catholic, African and native Amazonian rituals and customs, including the use of dance, drumming, tobacco and other sacred plants to facilitate the communication between the spiritual and material worlds.

Ranging from the abandoned sugar plantations in the Northeast to the heart of the Amazon rainforest, “Quilombo Country” is alive with first-person accounts of racial conflict, cultural ferment, political identity, and the struggle for land and human rights.

quilombocountry.com

Dame Darcy's E Z BAKE COVEN CALENDAR(cy) 2010

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From Dame Darcy:

“NEW E Z BAKE COVEN CALENDAR(cy). The 2010 Witchcraft Calendar has many exciting spells to try at home plus lots of offbeat holidays and fun facts about Witchcraft through the ages. Comes in various random colors. 2010 with two bonus months until Feb 2011. Hand crafted, only $10. ”

Buy direct from Dame Darcy via Etsy

Today, Philly, 5:30pm, FREE: "Gold, Elixirs and Books of Secrets: A Brief History of Alchemy"

From the website:

Alchemy

Basil Valentine, Practica cum duodecim clavibus in Musaeum hermeticum reformatum et amplificatum (Frankfurt, 1678)

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Gold, Elixirs and Books of Secrets: A Brief History of Alchemy
An Illustrated Presentation By Dr. Anke Timmermann

Lecture at 5:30 PM in the Institute’s historic lecture hall
Museum open from 4:00 – 7:00 PM

Wagner Free Institute of Science
1700 West Montgomery Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19121
Telephone: 215-763-6529

Alchemy, the ancient art of transforming matter, fueled the imagination of scholars, doctors and nobleman for hundreds of years. They believed that a truly worthy alchemist could produce the philosopher’s stone, a legendary substance that would make him wealthy, wise and near immortal. The experiments, books and events that paved the paths of alchemists throughout the ages not only make good stories, but also document a part of early science that is often misunderstood.

This talk will decipher the story of alchemy from its ancient beginnings through its medieval heyday to its eventual demise in the shadow of modern chemistry. Showing some beautiful and symbolic images from rare books, Anke Timmermann will explain how alchemists thought and worked, and why even they often had trouble figuring out what it all means.

Dr. Anke Timmermann is a historian of alchemy and the current Associate Director of the Beckman Center for the History of Chemistry at the Chemical Heritage Foundation. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge. Her research interests include the history of alchemy and medicine in medieval and early modern Europe. This program is part of the Year of Science.

NATURE WILL BE THERE TO DELIVER: An invitation to communicate with plants

An invitation to communicate with plants

text and photos by Nance Klehm

adam's pine

painting by Adam Grossi

Six years ago, I had my first loud and explicit communication from a plant. It was a pine tree that called to me—an 800-year-old pine in Ireland. It was encompassed in a buttery halo, rhythmically puffing pollen smoke signals from its multitude of male flowers. Its fecundity pulled me to it. I put my hand on its deeply flaked bark and it held me. I could not move my hand and didn’t want to. It poured itself into me, filling me like a river. “Oh, I see,” I told it silently. The strength of its flow made me start to cry.

Learning to listen to trees led me to hear other plants as well. And talking back to them. I found that some plants pulse, while others stream: their flows are different frequencies, strengths and textures depending on the plant’s species, its health and its age. Plants are networked batteries; trees are pneumatic tubes and portals.

Recently I asked a few people to sit with a plant that they’ve been “noticing.” The people I asked are sensitive people, but not experienced with plant communication. This is what they shared with me…

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A journey into "Der Ochideengarten"

Here’s a buncha high-res cover scans from “Der Ochideengarten,” arguably the world’s first fantasy magazine, published in Germany 1919-1921, courtesy of our friend Will Schofield at A Journey Round My Skull. Click on images to greatly enlarge.

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Some background on Der Orchideengarten from Will:

The World’s First Fantasy Magazine – Der Orchideengarten

Illustrations from Der Orchideengarten, the World’s First Fantasy Magazine

More images from Der Orchideengarten are up now over at John Coulthart’s feuilleton site….and Will has just added another clutch at A Journey Round My Skull! That should keep you busy.

More high-res cover scans after the jump…

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