Spring 2024 Newsletter
The spring newsletter just went to all subscribers. Unfortunately, I do not have the ability to offer the email newsletter as a web form. Here, I have made an exception and recreated it as a blogpost. If you are interested in receiving the newsletters, please sign up here.
LIFE
These days many of us walk deep in the labyrinth of the mountain. Fears and dreams, void and pathlessness are all around us. In such environments, leaving conscious traces for each other, renewing the signposts through the labyrinth, is one of the truly good things we can do for each other. All our paths are unique; but they intersect and intertwine. It is the sharing of what we have experienced, learned and lived at these crossroads that holds us together as a community. With that in mind, here are a few carvings in the stone that I will leave for you when you stop by...
The short version of my own current path through the labyrinth is this: Over the last twelve months I've spent more time in goêtic practice than ever before. My notebook of slap-the-forehead experiences is overflowing. I am also recovering from the return of my cancer and adjusting to a full castration. Testosterone replacement is a funky body modification with many chapters for self-experimentation! Everything I wrote about the body in Goêtic Atavisms has become an even more carnal reality... At the same time, I’m studying the incision called divorce and all the pain of loss and joy of freedom that goes with it. And I am in a new, very important relationship, which I will tell you more about another time.
BOOKS
Earlier this year we published my book about the ancient magic of the small blades, Trutmezzer - A Blade of Two Ways. The two essays in this book are packed with goêtic practice. In particular, I am pleased that I was able to include a first mention of the Scythian cult of the sword. There will be more to follow on this. — The fine edition of the Trutmezzer book is forthcoming soon, and a softcover edition is planned for release in June.
Work on my Olympic Spirits book is progressing well. Daniel Schulke and ThreeHands Press have kindly taken on this very personal project. Joseph Uccello just finished the artwork for the book and I could not be more pleased with the results. From the text to the layout to the artwork to the binding, this project will be steeped in and embody the best of Paracelsian magic.
As far as I can tell, this will be my largest book to date. It will be divided into an extensive historical section where we trace the origins of the Olympic Spirits, and a second part that examines and restores various historical practices with them. I am particularly excited about the chapter dealing with the Arbatel, which will offer ample opportunity for personal experimentation. — The book is scheduled for publication in August 2024.
Note: If you wanted to lay foundations for a better understanding of the Olympic Spirits book, I recommend my 2021 release INGENIUM - Alchemy of the Magical Mind. Specifically, Chapter IV delves deep into the foundations of Paracelsian Magic. The practices offered here will be essential to progressing to e.g. my reconstruction of the Arbatel.
Finally, just this month I completed the additional material for the Collectanea Goetica on which I am beginning to work with the wonderful Peter and Alkistis from Scarlet Imprint. This extensive volume is slated for early 2025 and will bring together in a single book all my prior goêtic writings, plus more advanced new material. It will unite the content that was always meant to be read and explored as one. Consider me very excited about this project!
ESSAYS
Three new essays for two separate, still secret projects have been completed and are on their way to print. I am rather excited about the content of these unique contributions. They have allowed me to interweave my own recent practical experiences with little known historical material in a way that I hope will resonate. I wrote these essays in sprints of intense research over the summer 2023. I may hint here that in these texts we will travel into the graves and beneath the bones of the dead, as well as high up on Mount Olympus, where we will summon the old gods in our own flesh. More about these projects later this year.
And, as some of you might have seen, I wrote an essay on Paracelsus’ invectives and published it in partnership with Scarlet Imprint for free as a gift to the community. My good friend José Gabriel Alegria Sabogal has contributed some X-rated drawings from his extremely sharp feather. At a time when the path through the labyrinth often seems hopeless, a proper dose of fresh invectives can help immensely. If you’re going to insult, please be inventive!
ADDENDA
Enough about my own work. To conclude, allow me to share a few highlights of content I am indulging in currently with great pleasure:
This conversation between Rick Rubin and Merlin Sheldrake is a treasure trove of great perspective. In particular, it stands out to me as Rick’s highly intentional way of moving from question to question really surfaces so many different nuances of the subject. A great listening experience!
In his first public appearance, my former teacher Agrippa recently joined the excellent GlitchBottle podcast. The focus of the conversation is Agrippa’s magical distance learning school, IMBOLC. I am contributing some experiences as a former student. There is so much more to share about the work and impact of IMBOLC. This was an excellent start.
Oh, and as it directly relates to research I am doing for my new book project, let me share some random Frank Frazetta links: Check out his own (virtual) museum where you can buy high quality prints to adorn your home with some barbarian spirit. Also, be ready for this upcoming massive publication of his works. And in case you ever missed it, like your truly did, don’t forget to check out his stunning animation movie Fire and Ice.
