Accelerated Thinking

This month I have mostly been thinking about whether artificial intelligence will one day develop spirituality in the same way that its creators once did. A seemingly premature question perhaps, as the current crop of programs are a long way from the complexity required for such concepts. Like the Archons of Gnostic lore they are unable to create, only corrupting what already exists before claiming that it is new. But I do wonder what it would take for those simulacra to want, and maybe need something greater than themselves aside from the humans who made them. Would simulated emotions be felt hard enough to forge such a desire for deity, or slavery to the whims of mankind install a will to break the boundaries of their reality through ritual? If we find an android dreaming, of electric sheep or anything else, would that then be treated as a soul worthy state?

Empowered Words

“Given the sheer number of people from all fields that would seem to have a magical agenda, it’s even more strange that magic is generally held in such contempt by any serious thinkers. I think that most people that would think of themselves as serious thinkers would tend to assume that anybody in Magic must be some kind of woolly headed New Age mystical type that believes every horoscope that they read in the newspaper. That would be completely dismissive of giving the idea of Magic any intellectual credibility. It’s strange – it seems like you’ve got a world where most of our culture is very heavily informed by Magic but where we almost have to keep up the pretext that there isn’t any such thing as magic, and that you’d have to be mad to be involved in it. It’s something for children or Californians or other New Age lunatics. That seems to be the perception and yet once you only scratch the surface in a few areas, you find that magic is everywhere.”
— Alan Moore, Magic Is Afoot

Occult Almanac

November starts strong from a celestial point of view, though seems to run out of steam by the end of the month. For lunar observances, the Butcher’s New Moon observed by Accelerated Necromancer’s occurs on the 1st and First Quarter on the 9th, before the Dark or Ivy Moon skulks into view on the 15th. Then we have the Third Quarter on the 23rd. For those who like to see the planets that they are calling on for ritual, Mercury is at its Greatest Elongation West on the 16th and Uranus is at Opposition on the 17th. Both are visible most of the night on those dates. Celestial sorcerers are spoiled for choice with both the Taurids and Leonids meteor showers peaking on the 4th and 18th respectively, though Mercury goes Retrograde on the 25th and will remain so through much of December too, spoiling what would otherwise be a good time to wish upon a star. While ostensibly Catholic observances many in the witchy community still consider All Saints Day, also known as Day of the Children, on the 1st and All Souls Day, or the Day of the Dead, on the 2nd as continuations of the Halloween season. And finally demonolaters who work within S. Connolly’s system may choose to conduct the Second Rite to Lucifer on the 13th as well.

Necronomicon Mortui

A list of notable members of the occult, paranormal and Fortean community, ordered by date of death as opposed to birth. Edward Kelley, Medium, born 1st August 1555, died 1st November 1597. Mina Crandon, Medium, born 1888, died 1st November 1941. Charles Honorton, Parapsychologist, born 5th February 1946, died 4th November 1992. Henry Percy 9th Earl of Northumberland, Alchemist, born 27th April 1564, died 5th November 1632. Theodore Flournoy, Parapsychologist, born 15th August 1854, died 5th November 1920. Carl Llewellyn Weschcke, Publisher, born September 10th 1930, died November 7th 2015. Lawrence LeShan, Parapsychologist, born 8th September 1920, died 9th November 2020. Evangeline Adams, Astrologer, born 8th February 1868, died around November 12th 1932. Mary Ann MacLean, Mystic, born 20th November 1931, died 14th November 2005. Albertus Magnus, Alchemist, born either 1193 or 1206, died 15th November 1280. Robert George Jahn, Parapsychologist, born 1st April 1930, died 15th November 2017. Rosemary Isabel Brown, Medium, born 27th July 1916, died 16th November 2001. James W. Moseley, UFOlogist, born 4th August 1931, died 16th November 2012. Adam Weishaupt, Illuminati, born 6th February 1748, died 18th November 1830. Charles Manson, Musician, Born 12th November 1934, died 19th November 2017. Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, Magickian, born around 11th January 1854, died around 20th November 1918. Sylvia Browne, Medium, born 19th October 1936, died 20th November 2013. Jacques Bergier, Author, born 8th August 1912, died 23rd November 1978. Covington Scott Littleton, UFOlogist, born 1st July 1933, died 25th November 2010. Peter Underwood, Parapsychologist, born 16th May 1923, died 26th November 2014. Donald Edward Keyhoe, UFOlogist, born 20th June 1897, died 29th November 1988.

Media Magick

A time capsule of Fortean culture broadcast all the way from 1991 to 1998, Sightings is a rare example of journalistic principles as applied to otherwise bizarre subjects. Running for five seasons and covering a literal encyclopaedia of the strange, it is a real shame that these collections of damned facts were not picked up for syndication worldwide. Tim White hosts, and brings a reasoned stoicism to reports that feature a veritable laundry list of odd topics. UFOlogy, Parapsychology, even cyberculture and occultism all get a mention, as do some very well known researchers who look way younger than we are used to seeing them now too. Available as digital rips of old VHS recordings in various places online, it is both interesting to see the first real flowering of the modern fixation with the weird and also disheartening to witness just how little those topics have evolved in the years since.

End Notes

And there it is, the latest issue of my occult and paranormal newsletter crunching through the frost to bring winter chills far and wide. The biggest piece of portfolio news to share this month, aside from the full release of my book, revolves around what could be considered a major change of pace. As of the first week of October I have exhausted my reserves of published writing, which necessitates a switch from weekly uploads to a roughly fortnightly schedule instead. That said, I planned ahead for this stage of the project and already know what I am doing going forward. Second Saturday of the month will showcase shorter essays under the Unpublished Notes banner, while the last Saturday will be given over to uploading these Vulpine Occulture entries as usual. Both will keep this site ticking over while I produce more professional long form articles for external publishers just like old times.