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But have you checked out our new Esoteric Book Club? First pick is Robert Anton Wilson's Quantum Psychology. Participate here!

Saturday Signal: sifting the signal from the noise of the Internet’s occultural cacophony.

I’ve been crazy busy the past few weeks with work and trying to finish a few pieces of writing to submit to various publications, but I think I’m back on track now, so we’ll try to resume our regular schedule.

There’s still quite a bit I want to discuss in regards to sex and gender and what it means spiritually and magickally, but for now, let’s take a look at symbols in a more generic sense:

• Sor. Ceilede 789, in her blog Beautiful Pyre, re-posts “Golden Fiction“, which originally appeared on Key23.net. In it she examines the concept of hypersigils, noting the differences between these and graphic or mantric sigils, and discusses practical applications.

• Technoccult has started posting more in-depth pieces, and in “Hypersigils reconsidered” Klintron, with references to Grant Morrison (of course), discusses this in context of forming alternate identity-narratives and cybernetics.

• Grant Morrison at Disinfo.con in 2000 discussing…just about everything: aliens, drugs, Aleister Crowley, drugs, the fifth dimension, drugs, hypersigils, drugs, Robert Anton Wilson, drugs, and magick. Click here for part one of five, follow the links on YouTube’s sidebar for the rest. It’s very entertaining.

One of my favourite essays on sigils remains Marik’s Sigils, Servitors and Godforms, Part I and Part II. It’s a great resource. (Marik also makes excellent jewellery.)

Found something fab? Please share it in the comments, or if you use delicious tag it “plutonica” and we’ll take a look. Thanks!

Saturday Signal: sifting the signal from the noise of the Internet’s occultural cacophony.

The comments section has been busier this week than it’s ever been in the history of this blog, largely due to my post about “Sexism in contemporary occulture“, with some spill over on my follow up with “Gender and the elements“. A third post on this theme was planned for Friday, but due to time constraints it will likely be posted tomorrow instead.

You may notice a theme in these signals.

• Did you know that Phil Hine has a new blog? Check it out at enfolding.org, especially the latest post, “Occult gender regimes: the Yin-Yang binary” for a lucid examination of why appeals to history and tradition are often misguided.

• Tim Maroney’s excellent 1998 essay “Facts and Phallacies” looks at Aleister Crowley’s use of the word “phallus” and provides deeper insight into the context which it’s used. It’s clearly not a gender-neutral term, and Maroney eloquently dispels this myth once and for all. (Via Phil Hine.)

• While we’re on the subject, the Arcane Archive has an excellent resource titled “Aleister Crowley: A Legacy of Sexism” which is a compilation of sexist remarks and other misogynistic material sourced from Crowley’s writing. I’ve no doubt the man was a Master, but there’s just no getting around the fact that he was a misogynist.

While not specifically related to occultism, GeekFeminism.org is a great blog and resource for all things geeky and…feministy? In a recent post, “Quick Hit: The Safety Dance“, Terri discusses her experiences at events with unwelcome contact. Strange men approaching her what follows amounts to sexual harassment. I’ve seen this happen at public gatherings at occultural events as well. Being female does not give anyone an excuse to initiate physical contact. Ever.

This is an important subject that requires ongoing discussion, but it will not become the dominant theme on this blog.

We’re rounding out the week, and if you have further links you’d like to share, or stories that need to be told, I’m always available on the blog, but for more private discussions, there’s always e-mail or IM.

Found something groovy? Please share it in the comments, or if you use delicious, tag it “plutonica” and we’ll take a look. Thanks!

Saturday Signal: sifting the signal from the noise of the Internet’s occultural cacophony.

I usually try and avoid the mush that is Valentine’s Day, it’s commercial and crass, but my cold dark heart warms a little when upon learning that science can break hearts. Isn’t that sweet?

But that’s tomorrow. Today is still Saturday, and that means we need signal:

• Jason Pitzl-Waters of The Wild Hunt has co-founded a new project, The Pagan Newswire Collective. The first dedicated blog for the Collective is Pagan+Politics, which will feature an additional seven bloggers. Given his history with the Wild Hunt, this new blog may be worth adding to your feed reader.

• Occultural Anthropology has posted a series of five videos titled “Myths & Logic Of Shaolin Monks” which is worth a look.

• Janelle Weaver wrote a piece for Nature.com titled “Brain surgery boosts spirituality“. A quote: “Removing part of the brain can induce inner peace”. The cynic in me isn’t surprised. (Via Technoccult.)

Ok, so it’s kind of thin this week. I’ve been kind of busy with the book club, which is really a lot of fun. I had to draw a picture of the website freehand and my attempt is spectacularly awful.

Found something nifty? Please share it in the comments, or if you use delicious, tag it “plutonica” and we’ll take a look. Thanks!

Saturday Signal: sifting the signal from the noise of the Internet’s occultural cacophony.

The first week of the Esoteric Book Club has had mixed results. We’ve started the first and second exercises, but participation hasn’t been as high as was suggested by the book club’s launch.

There’s still lots of time to join in. All forums will remain open indefinitely, and when a topic is replied to it shoots to the top, so we’ll see it and respond. So, if you’ve been thinking about it, but haven’t dived in yet for whatever reason, please do join us!

• Patrick Bellegarde-Smith, Terry Rey and Leslie Desmangles let us know “It’s Vodou, not ‘voodoo’” in the Chicago Tribune. (Via The Wild Hunt.)

• In Mary K. Greer’s Tarot Blog she discusses the “Oldest Cartomancy Meanings in English“- and apparently they predate Etteilla! It details meanings for a “regular” playing deck of Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds and Spades.

• Frater Barrabbas asks “Whence Cometh the Demons?” in his blog Talking About Ritual Magick. Judeo-Christian mythology have their guess, so do the ancient Greeks.

• Mike Jay’s essay about “The Birth of the Illuminati Conspiracy” is worth a read on Reality Sandwich.

Found something nifty? Please share it in the comments, or if you use delicious, tag it “plutonica” and we’ll take a look. Thanks!

Saturday Signal: Signal: sifting the signal from the noise of the Internet’s occultural cacophony.

Our Esoteric Book Club officially starts on Monday, but the conversation’s already started, and people have to begun introduce themselves, come join us!

If you missed our earlier announcement, the first pick is Quantum Psychology, by Robert Anton Wilson.

Great stuff.

Now, on with our usual linkage:

• The wonderful blog Gyllene Gryningen has a great post titled “Genie or Genius?” which delves into the history and mythology of the djinn, also discussing possible elemental correspondences. Very nifty.

• Someone’s started a fan page on Facebook for people interested in Buying Crowley Books. They’ve even got a Twitter account (@crowleybooks) now. Via these methods they share info about good places to buy Crowley’s works as so much of it has gone out of print. As of this writing the Facebook page has nearly 700 fans.

• John Griogair Bell points out deficiencies in the Thelemic calendar and recommends some improvements in “Heliocentricity“.

Noise?

• In Letters from Hardscrabble Creek, Chas Clifton wrote a bit about a website he came across which focused on “Having Sex With Ghosts“. Gina “Gnothz” Lanier (what’s a “gnothz”?) is a self-described paranormal investigator who wants to hear about your intimidate relations with the dead. They’re not even funny. One woman complains about obscene phone calls from the dead. It’s just sad. For the voyeuristic with no sense of web design, here’s Real Sex with Ghosts. Oh dear.

Got a cool link? Please share it in the comments, or if you use delicious, tag it “plutonica” and we’ll take a look. Thanks!