The Starry Cave

It is not uncommon for people to blame the stars in their natal chart for whatever defect of character they might possess. This idea is largely due to the modern revival of astrology, greatly inspired by some of the tangents of C.G. Jung. Jung was occupied with astrology, as he was with alchemy and Gnosticism, he saw astrology as the summation of the psychological knowledge of antiquity – and thus he held a firm traditional base at heart. Jung was a pioneer and as all pioneers he went through a rapid succession of changes, ending with his Gnostic revelry known as ‘Seven Sermons of the Dead’ and his ‘The Red Book’. Up to this time his thinking was riddled with attempts and broken and reconstructed hypothesizes. He wanted to reintroduce traditional Platonic ideas into science and particularly psychology. Sadly it is not his conclusions he is remembered for, rather some stepping stones towards his summation. This is not uncommon; the same fate befell his teacher, Freud, who is basica...

Provocations is something we all experiences, it be by accident or it being deliberate. A thoughtless word spoken in the wrong moment or the rash action we give to the world on a bad day can invite conflict. Sometimes people provoke some sort of reaction because they feel bad about themselves or they suffer from envy. At other times it is to measure strength or they seek to win an argument so they can feel better about themselves or the philosophy they took as a compass in their life. There is no limit to what can provoke us and therefore, instead of entering the negative energy of a provocation it is better to take a step back and see what we can do with the provocation. For Oscar Wilde the answer to a provocation was to repay it with kindness, because nothing would provoke more than this. Ifá places at the center of fortune iwa rere – a joyous, calm and happy character. If this is what we seek to maintain any provocation will be solely a dance and not a battle. In...

15 th of July this year a mob of neo-Pentecostals invaded a terreiro of Candomblé in Olinda, Pernambuco, Brazil screaming for casting out Satan and threatening to kill the people in the terreiro if their evil ways where continued. This is not a unique incident – but one of the more grave ones so far as the aftermath revealed, torture, persecution and violence. These Pentecostal formations seem to be the more fresh branch on the tree of Inquisition and intolerance, continuing a putrid legacy of self righteous wardens of ‘divine law’. This is perhaps not such a great mystery given the obsessive occupation these neo-Pentecostals have for Satan, it is like the God of Love has been relegated completely to the shadows of neglect and turned into a cruel protector of wrath and intolerance. Love thy neighbor has fallen out from the commandments and is replaced with ‘slay the infidels’ – and in a world like ours, we all are standing with a foot and an arm in Hell. Seeing the natur...

Genuine Witchcraft is Explained  by John of Monmouth is an important book, particularly in the power of being a historical document and a celebration of legacy. It is truly an important publication that allows the reader a travel in time that allows us to witness the dynamics in a working group of the mysteries. As a historical document it is also volatile for the discrepancy that lies at root of history as a discipline; notably that history is largely qualified guesswork upon facts occurring across a horizontal axis of events. History has never intended to be anything more than this. All historians will have a point of departure that serves as their focus, the red thread as it were. For John of Monmouth the focus is Ron White and his legacy – as such the book is a tribute to this man and the impact he held on the revival of paganism and witchcraft – and it is perhaps here the book can be experienced as a bit diffuse as it sets out to explain witchcraft, but is in reality ...