Accelerated Thinking

This month I have mostly been thinking about cultural appropriation. It is a difficult topic for chaos magickians to understand, as when results are all that matter any sensitivity towards the practitioners of other paths becomes a moot point. That said, I have always tried to lean towards appreciation instead, though some would say that willingness to temper my lust for new occult toys with deference to the feelings of others holds me back. Far from it, in actuality it pushes me to find similar strands within starkly different esoteric disciplines, and seek results through the technical building blocks which underlie open and closed traditions alike. I did not become a chaote to blindly ape the actions of others, but to understand the roots of spell work and strike out on my own. It is as a result of this distance that I can appreciate foreign Veil related observances such as Obon, but only ever as a tourist.

Occult Almanac

August starts with the Corn or Holly Super Full Moon on the 1st, while the Third Quarter on the 8th soon leads us towards the Micro New Moon on the 16th. The First Quarter is on the 24th, the same date that the Moon occulates Antares when viewed from the United States. Interestingly, there is a Blue or Reed Full Moon on the 31st, adding to the already abundant lunar energies this harvest season. Mercury is at the greatest elongation East on the 10th, and Saturn is at opposition on the 27th. The Perseid meteor shower continues throughout the month until around the 23rd, and the Southern Hemisphere based Delta Aquariid shower runs until roughly the same date. For observances the Obon festival, which celebrates ancestors and wondering ghosts, occurs in Japan between the 13th and 15th, adding a generous dose of spirituality to an otherwise physically focussed time of year.

Necronomicon Mortui

A list of notable members of the occult, paranormal and Fortean community, ordered by date of death as opposed to birth. Harvey Spencer Lewis, Rosicrucian, born 25th November 1883, died 2nd August 1939. Robert Morris, Parapsychologist, born 19th July 1942, died 12th August 2004. Jon Nodtveidt, Satanist, born 28th June 1975, died 13th August 2006. Frank Podmore, Parapsychologist, born 5th February 1856, died 14th August 1910. Scott Rogo, Parapsychologist, born 1st February 1950, died 18th August 1990. Oliver Joseph Lodge, Spiritualist, born 12th June 1851, died 22nd August 1940. Dora van Gelder Kunz, Theosophist, born 28th April 1904, died 25th August 1999. Count Alessandro di Cagliostro, Magickian, born 2nd June 1743, died 26th August 1795. Henry Sidgwick, Parapsychologist, born 31st May 1838, died 28th August 1900. Manly Palmer Hall, Mystic, born 18th March 1901, died 29th August 1990.

Grimoire Guides

An obscure text that I am sure very few people actually own, Revolutionary Demonology by Gruppo Di Nun is a deep and complex set of narratives exploring accelerationist ideas in a purely occult context. Divided into three sections, each of which loosely connects the diverse and challenging essays within under a given contextual banner, the topics vary from media critique to a searing refutation of mainstream religion. Even culture itself is on the chopping block, and the heady mix of cutting edge philosophy and magickal history gives the entire text a breathless quality which manages to keep the reader engaged no matter how technical the content becomes. A little know fact about the original CCRU is that they moved towards occultism during their latter days, and as a result the idea that the two philosophies are intertwined should be considered cannon.

Audio Sorcery

I first stumbled upon Pagan folk band Omnia while looking for ritual music during a particularly busy Halloween. One of their tracks came up at random in the middle of a Paleowolf playlist and I dropped everything to deep dive their discography on the spot. It is safe to say that I was not disappointed, as both their vocals and ability to tell a story show a technical maturity that their playful trickster spirit personas may initially hide. Songs such as Morrigan and Toys in the Attic are near perfect examples of this narrative complexity, while Earth Warrior and I don’t Speak Human shade more into visceral eco activism. It is always hard to decide upon the best albums to recommend for new listeners, but 2012’s Live on Earth offers a perfect overview of their work up to that point, while 2018’s Reflexions reimagines various milestones from their earlier career.

End Notes

And that is it then, my second newsletter style entry done and dusted. I switched the title to Vulpine Occulture, in keeping with my fox like persona, and also added a related cover image too. The dayglow orange it uses is definitely part of the design language for The Accelerated Chaote, along with an open bordered white background and uneven text columns. In other announcements, I have plans to expand the Necronomicon Mortui section with fresh information in the coming months, as I just secured a new resource to mine for the relevant occult and paranormal obituaries. So keep an eye out for that as we hit September and October. As always the best way to show your support for what I am doing here is to share these posts, as well as any of the previously published articles that resonate with you, far and wide across the ‘net. And don’t forget to follow my blog for future updates too.