Skip to navigation | Skip to content
I’ve started a Substack Newsletter – Unfoldings – for those who want to be informed of my various projects – upcoming lectures, new books, and Twisted Trunk publications. Whilst there will be some crossover with enfolding, the newsletter will mostly feature different content to what I post here – observations, reflections, ruminations and passing fancies. Sign up using the link below.
If there’s one thing I’d like to be remembered for, it is Pagan News, the zine that occupied a central place in my life between 1988-92. Delinquent Elementals, edited by myself and Rodney Orpheus (my co-creator and co-editor), brings together a selection of the best content from Pagan News over the 36 or so issues. Six years in production, Delinquent Elementals features a selection of news stories, essays, interviews, tips on practical magic, and more. It is a fascinating window into the UK’s blossoming occult scene at a time of rapid social and political change.
Looking back, I can only wonder how we did it. Of course, there were those at the time, that said we’d never keep to a monthly publishing schedule – producing a zine every three weeks. We developed a system – one zine on the street, one in production, and several in various stages of planning. There was a quiet satisfaction to be had in telling a potential contributor that the slot their submission would be published in was already full for the next three issues.
Delinquent Elementals is available direct from Strange Attractor, or all good bookshops.
Back in 2018, I self-published a small booklet entitled Yoginis: Sex, Death, and Possession in Early Tantras. It was well-received, and I am currently working on a revised and expanded edition for Original Falcon Press. In addition to examining tantric scriptures and various purāṇas, I have also been reading tales of Yoginīs in texts such as the Kathāsaritsāraga and Rājataraṅgiṇī. Here is a selection of some of the Yoginī tales that will feature in the new edition.
Continue reading »This account of ritual experimentation from the archives of the Nyarlathotep Coven was originally intended for inclusion in a sequel to my short book, The Pseudonomicon, but by the late 90s I’d more-or-less abandoned lovecraftian experiments in magic, so it never came to pass.
The ancient Greeks created special places – often underground – where visitors could commune with the spirits of the dead. These places were called psychomanteums. The following is a description of the Nyarlathotep Coven’s experiments in recreating a psychomanteum for the purpose of two-way traffic with Lovecraftian liminal spaces and their denizens.
Continue reading »Yakṣiṇīs appear in Brahmanical, Jain, and Buddhist texts and iconography. They inhabit lakes, rivers, forests, and in particular, trees. They are said to be beautiful, but dangerous. Humans can form relationships with them (as sisters, wives, or mothers), but they are jealous lovers, particularly if a man takes a human wife. They often feature in tantric magic as bringers of wealth, power, or secret knowledge.
Continue reading »It is perhaps not surprising to discover that the British Museum, founded in the eighteenth century at the former mansion of the Duke of Montagu, has more than its fair share of ghosts.
Continue reading »Go on any pagan or occult forum or social media platform, and at some point, inevitably, someone will assert that contemporary Witchcraft was, more or less, “made up” by Gerald Gardner. This was the conclusion drawn by Ronald Hutton in his 1999 book, Triumph of the Moon. Over the last two decades though, the story has changed, thanks largely to Philip Heselton’s careful investigation of the New Forest Coven in his books, In Search of the New Forest Coven and Witchfather. Thanks to Heselton, many of the members of this bohemian group have been identified, in particular, ‘Dafo’, Gardner’s friend, lover, and magical partner for 15 years.
Continue reading »Mike Magee, my friend, teacher, and publishing collaborator passed away in the early hours of 11 August 2024.
Continue reading »
With a two-part lecture series on the left-hand path later this month at Treadwells Bookshop 25 July and 8 August, I thought I’d share some personal observations on my previous identification with the LHP.
Continue reading »Continuing my review of Professor Madhu Khanna’s new edited volume of essays, Studies on Tantra in Bengal and Eastern India (Springer 2022). The first part of the review is here.
Continue reading »Some years ago, I was approached by representatives of a major marketing company who wanted to explore the possibilities of using direct magical techniques to promote a product. I cannot discuss this in more depth, as I signed a non-disclosure agreement. Suffice to say, I did not agree with what they wanted to do, and we parted ways on good terms. I did get some material benefit out of the affair. They rang my boss (I was working for a b2b media company at the time) and asked for a reference. My boss, alarmed at the idea that I was being head-hunted by another company, decided to reward me for my work with a present – a state-of-the-art (for 2000 anyway) laptop. I still have it.
Continue reading »