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This section is under continual construction and revision. Please bookmark and check back periodically for updates. Constructive suggestions are always welcome from those who visit My site. If you know of a book, film, or musical piece that merits inclusion in this section, by all means, contact the webmaster! Cultural Zeitgeist Clues |
Mystery Babalon. Daughter of the Divine, Bride of the Demonic, and thus Bride also of the Divine. Forger of their Reconciliation in Love and the End of Reason's Lie. Sword-girt Feminine archetype of Life, Light, Love, Liberty, Lust, Lahat, and Laughter. Heh Finale, World-soul and Soul of the World. Daughter of Fortitude ravished every hour from Her youth; Voice of the Thunder, Perfect Mind, whose Name is Understanding and in whom dwells science. Epitome of vision and prophecy in ecstasy, Traverser of the Timestream, rippling rock dropped in the pond of reality, cosmic Zeitgeist, nexus of the tesseract, stablisher of the pillar in the void, temple of Abaddon, alphabet of Dee and Kelly, spirit bound in the Mirror by the Great Sorceror at the Dawn of Time, and Undoer of the Wrong of the Beginning. That about says it all.
Does She walk among us? Is She really incarnate in our midst? You be the judge of that. Go on ... immerse yourself in the Dream, dance in the arms of the Story, taste an echo of the timeless love-song of Belarion and Babalon, drown in the living flame of pure gnosis, and relish the unfolding histomythory. TIME IS. Here are some clues to get you started.
"My way is not in the solemn ways, or in the reasoned ways, but in the wild free way of the eagle, and the devious way of the serpent, and the oblique way of the factor unknown and unnumbered." -- Liber 49, v. 36.
"of the making of many books there is no end ..."
JACK PARSONS
Freedom Is a Two-Edged Sword (Oriflamme) -- a collection of Jack's essays circa 1950. Absolutely indispensible for understanding Jack's thinking on society, politics, history and magick. Offered exclusively through New Falcon Publications.GNOSTIC/HERMETIC
Sex and Rockets -- the first full-length biography about Jack W. Parsons, published by Feral House. Sex and Rockets plumbs the depths of Jack's contributions to the science of rocket fuel and engages in meticulous reconstruction of the Babalon Working. (Click here to read the Webmaster's review)
MAGICK AND THELEMA"And she shall wander in the witchwood under the Night of Pan, and know the mysteries of the Goat and the Serpent, and of the children that are hidden away."
Gnosis: the Nature and History of Gnosticism
The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics Jean Doresse.
Gnostic Truth and Christian Heresy: A Study in the History of Gnosticism. Alastair H. B. Logan
The Hermetica: The Lost Wisdom of the Pharaohs. Timothy Freke, Peter Gandy, et al.
Hermetica -- the Greek Corpus Hermeticum and the Latin Asclepius in a New English Translation, With Notes and Introduction. Brian P. Copenhaver, ed.
Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece by The Three Initiates.
The Hermetic Tradition: Symbols and Teachings of the Royal Art. Julius Evola.
The Tree of Gnosis -- Scheduled to be published December 1999.
The Book of Certainty: The Sufi Doctrine of Faith, Vision and Gnosis. Abu Bakr Siraj Ad-Din.
Gnosis of the Mind (1906) -- the classic by G.R.S. Mead, reissued in paperback.
The Bridge to Nothingness: Gnosis, Kabala, Existentialism, and the Transcendental Predicament of Man Shlomo Giora Shoham.
Gnosis and Hermeticism from Antiquity to Modern Times (Suny Series in Western Esoteric Traditions). R. Van Den Broek, Wouter J. Hanegraaff (Editors).
New Age Religion and Western Culture: Esotericism in the Mirror of Secular Thought (Suny Series in Western Esoteric Traditions.) Wouter J. Hanegraaff (Preface).
The Gnostic Jung and the Seven Sermons to the Dead Stephan A. Hoeller.
The Gnostic Religion Hans Jonas
MODERN MAGICKAleister Crowley
In the O.T.O. there is a running joke about the "Aleister Crowley reincarnated club" and the colorful egos who consider themselves its sole member. Many years ago, someone suggested to Me that given the Great Beast's karma, he would likely return as the two things he seemed to hate most: female and American. All kidding aside, wouldn't it seem rather fitting for the Beast to return as Babalon? Ironic, too, after the way he thinly veiled his jealousy in chastising Jack for doing His Will according to the instructional documents of the VIII* and IX* of O.T.O. The numbers are aright ...
Gems from the Equinox -- an indispensible compendium of magick and mysticism. "The Vision and the Voice" contains numerous meaty references to Babalon as well.
The Law Is for All -- Crowley's own commentary upon the Book of the Law. Revealing.
Moonchild Some believe this Crowley novel had an influence upon Jack Parsons' purposes in the Babalon Working. In any event, Crowley seemed none too thrilled, complaining once in a letter that "apparently Jack or somebody is trying to produce a moonchild. I get fairly frantic when I contemplate the idiocy of these goats ..."
The World's Tragedy -- Crowley on churchianity.
777 And Other Qabalistic Writings -- an invaluable resource of qabalistic and magickal correspondences.
Liber Aleph Vel CXI: The Book of Wisdom or Folly. For the finely tuned eye, there's a few obtuse Babalon "clues" buried in here along with Therion's other spiritual insights.
Kenneth Grant
Heretically abstruse and Lovecraftian in the extreme, Grant's writings are jam-packed with his uniquely wandering, free-associative forays of language and number. His explorations with raw phonetics and obscure gematria remain unparalleled in this regard, despite his penchant for fantasy godforms and fringe notions. Obscure Babalon clues are known to have been gleaned here, too.
Austin Osman Spare
Noted for his trance artwork and shameless exploration and celebration of divine-daemonic tantra and autoerotic sexual formulae. Spare embraces desire and abhorrence, pain and pleasure alike, plunging into union and attainment via the power of transmutation through lascivious ecstasy, a key formula of the Incarnate Babalon. Caveat: most of these titles are available through special order only.
Anathema of Zos: The Sermon to the Hypocrites.The Book of Pleasure (Self-Love)
From Inferno to Zos: The Writings and Images of Austin Osman Spare
Other Tomes
This section will be expanded in the near future.
Maat Magick: A Guide to Self-Initiation, by Soror Nema with an introduction by Kenneth Grant.TANTRA
Angels, Demons & Gods of the New Millenium L.M. DuQuette
My Life With the Spirits: The Adventures of a Modern Magician. Lon Milo Duquette
Pacts With the Devil: A Chronicle of Sex, Blasphemy and Liberation. S. Jason Black, Christopher Hyatt
Taboo: the Ecstasy of Evil Hyatt/DuQuette
Undoing Yourself with Energized Meditation and Other Devices by Christopher Hyatt.
The Illustrated Kama Sutra translated by Richard Burton. Timeless classic from India. Burton is well-noted for his translation of The 1001 Arabian Nights as well. This book is actually a condensation of the three ancient love manuals of India (Kama Sutra, Ananga-Ranga, and Perfumed Garden) into one edition.SEXUALITY
The Complete Kama Sutra: The First Unabridged Modern Translation of the Classic Indian Text. Alain Danielou (Translator), unabridged version of the ancient classic. Modern rendering strips the confusion from older Victorian translations.
Art of Tantra and
Tantra: The Indian Cult of Ecstasy
Philip S. Rawson.
Egyptian Tantra Yoga Dr. Muata Abhaya Ashby
Secrets of Western Tantra: The Sexuality of the Middle Path. Christopher S. Hyatt
Tantra Unveiled: Seducing the Forces of Matter & Spirit. Pandit Rajmani Tigunait Ph.D. "Is it difficult, between matter and spirit? For Me it is ecstasy and agony untellable ..."
The Essential Tantra: A Modern Guide to Sacred Sexuality. Kenneth Ray Stubbs
Spiritual Sex: The Secrets of Tantra from the Ice Age to the New Millennium. Nik Douglas
Tantra, Cult of the Feminine Andre Van Lysebeth
Healing Love Through the Tao: Cultivating Female Sexual Energy. Mantak Chia, Maneewan Chia
The Technology of Orgasm: Hysteria, the Vibrator, and Woman's Sexual Satisfaction. Rachel Maines. From the dustjacket: "It is widely recognised that some mental conditions are treated by electric shock but less broadly advertised is that others were alleviated by electric cock." A history of the clinical development of the modern vibrator, originally a medical device to treat so-called 'hysteria'.EROTICA
Sexmagick : Women Conjuring Erotic Fantasy by Cecilia Tan (Editor). Originally released in 1993, this package of seven women writers describing not only erotic but also profound mystical changes is being repackaged and re-released.
The Art of Sexual Ecstasy Margo Anand, Leandra Hussey
Sexual Energy Ecstasy: A Practical Guide to Lovemaking Secrets of the East and West. David Ramsdale
Sexual Secrets: the Alchemy of Ecstasy Nik Douglas, Penny Slinger
Story of O. Pauline Reage, translated by John P. Hand. Currently ranking #7 in popularity in South Pasadena -- and no wonder; it is a personal favourite of the Webmaster, and Pasadena, as we all know, is Jackturf. The real significance of this work lies beneath the surface of a beautiful fashion photographer yielding herself to continual ravishment of sexual pain and pleasure. It is a metaphor for a journey of spiritual transformation -- and a valuable cluesource.ASTRAL LOVE and the BINARY STAR QUEST
Black Feathers: Erotic Dreams by Cecilia Tan. Five-star reviews on Amazon.com for this anthology of fresh erotic stories ranging from the seamy to the sublime.
"Envision thyself as a cloaked radiance desirable to the Goddess, beloved. Envision Her approaching thee. Embrace Her, cover Her with kisses. Think upon the lewd lascivious things thou couldst do. All is good to BABALON. ALL."
The experience of erotic, emotional and spiritual love-bonds with a non-physical entity upon the astral realm is a central keynote in the unfolding histomythory and lore of Incarnate Babalon. I have not yet personally reviewed these particular books to verify their validity or usefulness, but it is encouraging to see books being written on the subject, at least. Is it pure coincidence that their ISBN numbers all begin with "156-718"?
WHOREDOM: SACRED AND COMMONAstral Love: Romance, Ecstasy & Higher Consciousness. D.J. Conway
Naked Soul: Astral Travel & Cosmic Relationships. Marlene Marie Druhan
Moonflower: Erotic Dreaming with the Goddess by Sirona Knight.
Perfect Love: Find Intimacy on the Astral Plane. D.J. Conway
In Search of Women's Passionate Soul: Revealing the Daimon Lover Within. Caitlin Matthews. The Animus, Jungian counterpart to the Muse, is a vital key to comprehension of the relationship with Incubus or Astral Lover. I have not yet reviewed this book, but I am familiar with the Matthews' writings on the Grail, and consider their work worthy of respect.
The Search for the Beloved: Journeys in Mythology and Sacred Psychology (Inner Workbook). Jean Houston "[T]he deepest yearning in every human soul is to return to its spiritual source ... Houston provides a modern-day structure for this traditional spiritual quest, incorporating personal mythology, "rites of pathos," and archetypal imagery ... a tool for those who are excavating the deepest mystery of all--the discovery of creative source and destiny." -- Amazon.com
The Passion of Isis and Osiris: A Union of Two Souls. Jean Houston. This internationally renowned philosopher, psychologist, and explorer of world myth takes us deep into the mysteries of Egypt, land of the ancient soul within us all, and brings this world to wonderful life, showing how the myth of Isis and Osiris gives modern readers a design for the marriage of body and soul, life and death, the tangible and the hidden. "[R]e-creates nothing less than a moment of Egyptian magic that allows us to enter a consciousness that is the gateway to transcendent love. This story of two spiritual soulmates still has resonance for us today, whether we are seeking to join the disparate parts of self or searching for a mate to bond with, soul to soul." -- from the description.
SACRED TEXTS"Though they call thee harlot and whore, shameless, false, evil, these words shall be blood in their mouths, and dust thereafter. But my children will know thee and love thee, and this will make them free."
The Sacred Prostitute: Eternal Aspect of the Feminine. By Jungian analyst Nancy Qualls-Corbett.
Aphrodite's Daughters: Women's Sexual Stories and the Journey of the Soul by Jalaja Bonheim. Discovering the role of sexuality in women's spiritual lives. The author's interest was initially sparked by meeting an aging devidasa, a woman who had served as a sexual priestess in the Tantric tradition.
Live Sex Acts: Women Performing Erotic Labor by Wendy Chapkis, Jill Posener, Annie Sprinkle (Photographer). This expansive analytic perspective draws on more than 50 interviews in both the illegal sex industry of the United States and in the free and open trade in the Netherlands to capture the wide-ranging experiences of women performing erotic labor. 12 photos.
Whores and Other Feminists. Jill Nagle (Editor). The first volume to examine sex work and the sex industry through the eyes of self-identified feminist sex workers: strippers, prostitutes, porn writers, producers and performers, dominatrices and their allies. With first-person accounts by such underground luminaries as Nina Hartley, Tracy Quan, and Annie Sprinkle as well as forays into the sex dens by a number of academics.
Sex Work: Writings by Women in the Sex Industry. Frederique Delacoste and Priscilla Alexander (Editors). This original collection of writings by street prostitutes, exotic dancers, nude models, escorts, porn actresses and workers in massage parlors is "the book that coined the phrase 'sex work'" according to publisher Cleis Press. Also covers arguments by three feminist writers defending prostitution and pornography from the charge that they serve to subjugate women, reducing them to objects in the eyes of men, contending instead that these women are, in fact, working to achieve everything the feminist movement stands for: self reliance, strength, and a fight against unfounded stigmatisms. The arguments explain that feminist condemnation of the sex industry is actually counterproductive for women as a whole, preventing women from exploring their own sexuality and in fact oppressing women sexually.
The Dark Magus and Sacred Whore -- fiction by Mark Ramsden. I have not yet read it but it looks fun.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur S. Golden. Compelling tale of the lifespan of a geisha, portrayed as trophy mistress and artisan rather than the common association of "prostitute."
The Book of the Law -- the core sacred text of Thelema and the Ordo Templi Orientis. Delivered through Aleister Crowley by the entity, Aiwass, in Cairo, Egypt, April 8-10, 1904 e.v.DIVINE/DAEMONIC FEMININE
The Nag Hammadi Library -- a definitive translations of the tractates in the Gnostic Coptic Library. Concise introductory comments allow each tractate to be offered virtually clutter-free. By the way, you do know "The Thunder, Perfect Mind" is totally the primordial, formative voice of Babalon ... right?
The Other Bible Willis Barnstone, ed. Gathers into one volume the Gnostic Gospels, Dead Sea Scrolls, Christian Apocrypha, Jewish Pseudepigrapha and Kabbalah. Awesome collection.
ELAINE PAGELSFaces of Babalon -- A Compilation of Women's Voices. Black Moon Publishing
Dancing in the Flames: The Dark Goddess in the Transformation of Consciousness. Marion Woodman, Elinor Dickson
Idols of Perversity Fantasies of Feminine Evil in Fin-de-Siecle Culture. Bram Dijkstra Totally delicious collection of Victorian art; too bad not more of it is in color.
The Redemption of the Feminine Erotic Soul Rachel Hillel
Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood: A Treasury of Goddess and Heroine Lore from Around the World. Merlin and Cynthia Stone
Sophia: Aspects of the Divine Feminine Past and Present. Susanne Schaup
Sophia, Goddess of Wisdom Caitlin Matthews
A personal favorite of Mine. She gets a gold seven-rayed star for some smashing scholarship.
HISTOMYTHORIC TOOLSAdam, Eve & Serpent The Origin of Satan The Gnostic Gospels
RELEVANT MISCELLANYSelf-scripting and personal mythos construction are key components of the incarnate Babalon consciousness. Successful employment of this skill requires comprehension of traditional mythic meanings as well as conscious awareness of our own metamythic programming capacity.
The Mythic Imagination: The Quest for Meaning Through Personal Mythology. Stephen Larsen, in the footsteps of his mentor, Joseph Campbell. We all create personal mythologies that reflect larger myths and also our own deepest desires and aspirations. This book is a quest for the ancient source of vision and meaning in the realm of dream, myth, and archetype.
The Mythic Journey: The Meaning of Myth As a Guide to Life. Liz Greene, Juliet Sharman Burke, Juliet Sharman-Burke (Contributor).
A Mythic Life: Learning to Live Our Greater Story. Jean Houston. Mythic elements in modern living can result in patterns repeated time and again in modern lives, crossing cultural and historical barriers to reassert themselves. Become more fully awake to your life and the myths we all live by, whether we consciously know them or not.
Mythanalysis by Pierre Solie. Analysis of myths about life, sex and death and our nocturnal and daytime dreaming, with an interwoven case study.
The Mythic Path: Discovering the Guiding Stories of Your Past - Creating A Vision for Your Future. David Feinstein, Stanley Krippner, Gayle Gray (Illustrator), David Feinstein Ph. D., Jean Houston (Introduction), June Singer, Ph.D. A workbook for taking responsibility for renewing the personal "guiding" mythologies which establish our identity and provide a sense of direction and self-worth. How to identify outdated myths, produce alternative imagery, and integrate a new vision into our life, using dreams, journals, and ritual to aid the transformation.
Escaping the Mental Straitjacket: Personal Experience as our Spiritual Guide. Dr. Clement De Wall. The author is a theologian who takes seriously the personal experience of each individual, committed to the belief that theology belongs to everyone and is not the domain of any select, priviliged group.
The Making and Unmaking of Reality - (Suny Series in Western Esoteric Traditions) by Lee Irwin. Also available in paperback. "The book's insights lead one through a well-organized revelation of the ancient mysteries, esoteric knowledge, and religious traditions to expand one's perspective of reality. The author generously shares his insights on the path of Wisdom and the true nature of reality. Highly recommended." -- Amazon customer review.
Living Myth: Personal Meaning as a Way of Life. D. Stephenson Bond
Freedom: Alchemy for a Voluntary Society Stephan Hoeller. "An alternative philosophic basis for freedom based on writings of ancient Gnostics and psychologist Jung. Synopsis: In this provocative and timely work, Dr. Hoeller examines the psychology of tyranny and shows how segments of our society preach freedom but actually advocate oppression. Stunning in its insight, this book will help readers understand the movement towards freedom that is occurring in the world today as well as the concept of freedom itself."
Further expansions are planned for this section. Suggestions are always welcome.
All film icons and title links anchor to DVD format unless noted otherwise. Click the "VHS" below the icon to purchase VHS format.
Contact. Earth's first encounter with alien civilization results in tesseract/wormhole technology. Dynamic plot involves conflict between establishment and visionary endeavor as well as a touch of conspiracy intrigue, laced with fascinating tensions between faith and science, subjectivity and objectivity in the perception of reality.
VHSCube. A handful of people awake to find themselves trapped in a giant puzzle box and have to find the way out. Intense interaction, psychological tensions and interpersonal differences, with a fascinating discussion about whether or not the establishment involves conspiracy. One ironic twist near the end in particular makes the whole film ideal for viewing by candidates at II° (O.T.O.) initiations.
VHSDeja Vu. VHS format only. Dialogue-based and slow-moving, with characters who fall a bit short of convincing. However, for those who have the patience, a story of destiny and soul-recognition emerges. Probably most valuable for some amazingly accurate insights into the struggles involved when destiny clashes with practical reality and the mind must grapple with such decisions. Nice wrap-up at the end.
(The) Devil's Advocate. Money. Power. Success. He gives it all, but He never made you do it; you always chose it yourself. "Free will -- it's a bitch." Excellent plot, character development and storyline; this one is a winner all around. Cluemine: Watch for the "incestuous (half) sister" at the end, and listen carefully to the dialogue.
VHS(Bram Stoker's) Dracula. Cluemines: love transcendent of time and death in a vein the world cannot understand or appreciate; soul-recognition, connection awareness; dark astral lover; pursuit of unfolding destiny and conflict therein; blood of immortality concept; awareness that what humans deem "evil" can feel and love; reconciliation of light and darkness; trauma inflicted by what is supposed to represent supreme good resulting in the root of "evil."
VHSEden. Astral projection, dawning spiritual awareness, and the quest for freedom from physical, mental and emotional limitations and confines. Set in 1965.
VHSEnd of Days. Cluemine: She's born to be the bride of Satan; He's coming for her, and what scares her the most is that she knows she will want Him when He gets there. Meanwhile part of the church wants to save her and the other part wants to destroy her. Too bad the character never goes any deeper to really comprehend or embrace her identity or destiny, nor is there any development thereof beyond the cliched "Rosemary's Baby" notion. Still, it does alright as an action flick with an Apocalyptic twist.
VHSExcalibur (directed by John Boorman). Timeless classic. Cluemines: grail mysteries; ruling/guiding archetype and its relationship to nexus and world-soul; magick underpinning the making of history; conflict of love and law; too many others to list.
VHSInauguration of the Pleasure Dome. VHS format only. This classic surreal underground film by Kenneth Anger features one of Jack Parsons' former wives, (Marjorie) Cameron, taking the role of the scarlet woman. Great for viewing in an altered state of consciousness.
Lucifer Rising. VHS format only. Another art film by Kenneth Anger, featuring the filmmaker himself in the role of Lucifer, with Marianne Faithfull playing Lilith.
The Matrix. To date, the mother of all cyber movies, a visceral depiction of the difference between enlightenment and sleepwalking, set in a graphic post-apocalyptic world. Cluemines: contact and election, awakening out of illusions, exercise of volition in the "initiatory journey," entheogen vs. escape, magickal training, and more.
VHSThe Ninth Gate. Mercenary antiquarian is hired to recover the only three existing copies of a rare occult tome reputed to have been penned by Lucifer Himself. This leads him on a quest to solve the mystery of the hidden message behind a set of tarot-like images, including one very reminiscent of Atu XI: Lust from the Thoth deck. Mysterious, sexy woman with anti-grav and ass-kickin' powers seems to be following him. (Guess who?) Too many subtle clues here to detail; see how many you can discern! Only those clued in appreciate the ending, which literally, in theatres, left the uninitiated scratching their heads and whining, "that's it?"
Pi. A haunted mathematician named Max is looking for the patterns in everything: science, nature, religion, economics. Paranoid, hallucinating and suffering migraines, he holes up with his homemade supercomputer, obsessed with cracking the secrets of pi. Meanwhile fortune-hungry investors and Hassidic Jews seeking a 216-digit number to reveal the "true name" of God are looking for him. Eerie music and images enhance this black & white winner of the 1998 Director's Award at Sundance Film Fest. Qabalah-dweebs will love this one.
VHSTwelve Monkeys. This one has it all: action, adventure, drama, romance, suspense, time travel, twists on reality, and a post-apocalyptic theme. Brad Pitt does a brilliant job playing a nutcase, too. Cluemines: exploration of "Cassandra complex," issues of sanity-evaluation impacting the divergence of experience, connectedness beyond the senses, future selves' encounters with the present, affecting things backward through time. A personal favorite of Mine.
VHSV: the Original Miniseries. VHS format only. If you missed this classic s/f armageddon trip in 1983, deprive yourself no longer. This action drama of overlords who come in peace to enslave mankind is an inner awakening waiting to happen. Reminiscent of the third reich and eerily prophetic of the present-day agendas of various freedom-abrogating special interest groups, with a heroic grass-roots resistence movement that will make you cheer.
V: The Final Battle. VHS format only. The sequel miniseries to the above, and no less riveting or revelatory. The entire V saga succeeds amazingly in covering the scope of mankind's historical and present political, social, economic, religious, and ethnic conflicts with an excellent blend of action, drama, and multiple layers of symbolic meaning.
Further expansions are planned for this section. Suggestions are always welcome. If you know of a book, film, or musical work that relates to the Babalon Current in any way, directly or tangentially, email Me with it, and explain its significance. If it's valid and relevant, or if I think others might find it so, I'll include it here in this section.
Got clues? ;-)