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In the previous post in this series, I briefly sketched out the orientalist position on yoga & yoga powers before outlining how the extraordinary abilities attributed to yogis became associated with stage magic and deception. Now I will take a look at how yoga powers were represented in the writings of the leaders of the Theosophical Society. Continue reading »
This post is an extract from a recent lecture at Treadwells Bookshop, entitled “Flying through the air, entering other bodies: Yoga and Magical Powers”. The lecture examined the relationship between yoga and magical or extraordinary abilities. When I began reading for the lecture, I was very familiar with the anti-Yoga views of 19th century scholars such as Max Muller or H.H. Wilson, but less so regarding how attitudes to yoga and yoga powers intersected with popular culture. So here is a brief examination of how yogic powers became associated with stage magic, duplicity and deception. Continue reading »
The Early Poetical Works of Aleister Crowley as published here (Kamuret, London: 2019) comprise four of his earliest published books: Aceldama: A Place to Bury Strangers, Jezebel and Other Tragic Poems, Songs of the Spirit, and The Tale of Archais: A Romance in Verse. They are provided with a fulsome introduction by Chris Giudice. All four of these collections are near impossible to find in their original state, largely due to their limited original print runs. To be able to hold them all in hand at one time is a huge benefit to the student of Crowley and this volume should be hailed for that alone. Continue reading »
Original Falcon Press has just published my new book, Hine’s Varieties: Chaos & Beyond. Its a selection of writings spanning 1985-2019, divided thematically into sections: Chaos Magic, Tantra, Sexualities, Practice, Paganisms, Histories, and Fiction, each section prefaced by autobiographical reflections and with some attempt at background context for each essay.
It is available direct from Original Falcon Press as a printed book, or ebook in Mobi or Epub format. With a foreword by David Southwell, and internal art by Maria Strutz
I’m very pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of a new book by Mike Magee, Yakṣiṇī Magic. Continue reading »
The perception of Asexuality as an orientation has largely become more prominent since the late 1990s with the launching of AVEN (the Asexuality Visibility and Education Network in 2001) and the rapid increase of awareness and activism that it spawned in questioning assumptions regarding compulsory sexuality. While landmark researchers such as Kinsey had previously identified (with an “X”) those people for whom sexual desire was either very low or absent, bloggers and activists were at the vanguard of identifying Asexuality as a discreet orientation that was typified as “a person who does not experience sexual attraction.” Continue reading »
I am an unashamed urbanite. For many years now, I’ve been fascinated with the magical dimensions of urban life, with the encounters with the uncanny and strangeness that spring forth, unbidden, during a stroll to the corner shop, in a night walk through the wood. The way a city reveals its multiple hearts through flocks of starlings or in faded graffiti. So when offered the opportunity to review Wyrd Harvest Press’ recent publications, Folk Horror Revival: Urban Wyrd 1 & 2 I jumped at the chance. Continue reading »
In the first post in this series, I introduced the subject of armed yogis – a concept which does much to perturb the common representation of yogis as peaceful ascetics given to inward, spiritual pursuits and generally unconcerned with the trappings of the material world. Continue reading »
I’ve recently finished reading Owen Davies’ new book A Supernatural War: Magic, Divination, and Faith during the First World War (Oxford University Press, 2018). Continue reading »
When you kissed me, my world turned around. Continue reading »
