Darkly Splendid Abodes

Crowley regularly cites Freud, and psychoanalysis pairs well with philosophy, both of which Crowley encourages as areas of study for the serious student of Magick. My guests and I will discuss the ideas of Lacan, a champion of Freudian thought and a major influence on psychoanalysis.

In the year 1900ev, Aleister Crowley began scrying the Enochian Aethyrs in Mexico, but only managed to pierce the 30th and 29th before feeling denied further progress. Michael and I will explore what the angels had to say to him at this early date, and how it prefigured the fast-approaching Equinox of the Gods.

The Cube of Space is a conceptual layout for a Temple Space, arranging the 22 Trumps of the Tarot visualized at every surface, angle, and dimension of a cube. Edward Mason and I will explore the Cube of Space, and consider ways of incorporating fresh approaches to one’s Magical Practice.

The Prolegomena to Any Future Metaphysics by Emanuel Kant is one of the philosophy books recommended by Crowley to serious students of Magick and the occult. But why? Michael and I will dip into the bewildering depths of Kant's metaphysics to find out.

As we wrap up Season 5, Michael and I chat about Enochian grammar, respond to listener comments, and discuss controversies surrounding Aleister Crowley: Satanist, racist, and possibly something far worse still. Listener discretion strongly advised for the last half-hour.

Modern Thelema is an evolving discourse that benefits from absorbing the manifold perspectives of the world. We’ll bounce off of Mogg Morgans paper, ‘The Heart of Thelema: Morality, Amorality, and Immorality in Aleister Crowley’s Thelemic Cult,’ as we innaugurate our new discussion series: Dissonant Dialectic.

When tales tap into the subconscious, their themes can transcend the arbitrary boundaries set by the rational mind. We’ll see how Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ maps against the critical stages of Thelemic Initiation, as part of our spinoff series: Spinning Stories.

Edward Mason has been a regular guest on Darkly Splendid Abodes going back to our very first episode. But just who is this fellow with the English accent, who evidently lives in Mexico and yet has apparent magical ties to Toronto? Today Edward shares his own journey and experiences from a lifetime on the Magical Path, from involment with various Orders to founding his own Temple, and up to his past fourteen years spent with the Temple of the Silver Star.

The Wake World, or Liber 95 (XCV), is included as the first part of Aleister Crowley’s book “Konx Om Pax.” Originally written as a bedtime story for his daughter, Lola Zaza, it is an allegory for the initiatory ascent of the Tree of Life. Michael and I will compare our past explorations of the Divine Feminine, as we delve into this “Tale for Babes and Sucklings.”

Frater Baltan is an Initiate of Crowley’s system of A∴A∴, and a practitioner of Enochian Magick. We’ll discuss these two Magical systems, on the one hand exploring what the A∴A∴ is for and what an Initiate can expect from it, and on the other discussing the dangers, purpose and best starting-point for Enochian Magic.