Saturday Signal Archive

Another Saturday, another Signal.

Before we get started, I just wanted to highlight that the first “Interludes” issue of Trigger93 is now available for download, free of charge.

You may recall I reviewed the first issue of the new occult journal in January, and if that’s anything to go by, it should be a good read.

While we’re at it, I have a new review in the latest issue of Witches & Pagans as well, issue #23. The theme for this issue is “Law & Chaos”, and it has a great interview with Peter Carroll, Jaq D Hawkins and Andrieh Vitimus about chaos magick, what it means to them and where they think magick is heading in the future. You should check it out.

Now, on with your delicious linkage:

• Dave Evans  and David Sutton have written an article on the magickal battle of Britain for Fortean Times.
• Tibetan singing bowls have given up their chaotic secrets, as Jason Palmer reports for the BBC. Science is cool. (Spotted via Technoccult.)
• Sarah Veale gives five reasons Aleister Crowley’s still relevant on Invocatio.
• Over on Therioshamanism, Lupa has a thought-provoking post about anthropocentrism and what it means in (neo-)Pagan spirituality.
• On Nick Farrell’s blog, Nick shares what Regardie didn’t know about the Golden Dawn, the post title a cute play on Regard’s classic, What You Should Know About the Golden Dawn (my 2006 review here).
• More fun from Nick Farrell, “Mathers’ secret hair colour revealed“. Deliberate deception, or an old magickian’s vanity?

New reviews on our sister site, Spiral Nature:

• Planetary Spells & Rituals, reviewed by Gesigewigu’s
• Confessions of a Black Magician, reviewed by me
• Dancing with Spirits, reviewed by Mike Gleason
• The Light of Sex, reviewed by me
• Zen: Simply Sitting, reviewed by me
• Bridging the Gap, reviewed by Mike Gleason

Thanks it for this week, kids.

I know you’ve been asking yourself “What would a teaspoonful of neutron star do to you?” The answer: bad things.

Or you may be asking “Where has Psyche gone?” The answer is: nowhere really. I’ve just been busy. (Sorry.)

As it happens I’m still around, often on Twitter and Facebook, and I recently joined Google+ – which is pretty nifty. I blogged my initial thoughts about G+ over here. (BTW: if you’re intrigued and want an invite let me know and I will hook you up.)

I’ve also been posting reviews on Spiral Nature (see below for the full list of new stuff), and I have a few pieces forthcoming in various occult journals – further details upon publication.

Neat stuff keeps happening, and I want to share it. I don’t know where the time goes.

Here are a few things I’ve found:

• John Coulthart shares HP Loevcraft’s favourite artists over on Tor.com. Among them are Henry Fuseli, Francisco Goya and Sidney Sime. Also included? Lovecraft’s first sketch of Cthulhu. Nifty.
• Kalagni has great advice for sex with angels over on Blue Flame Magick. All the stuff you wanted to know, but were afraid to ask. Pro-tip: plan for bukakke.
• On Enfolding.org, Amy Hale discusses Pagan “Elders”, and challenges the term, even as it’s usage is growing. I’m not a big fan of the term myself, especially when most Pagan “Elders” are self-proclaimed.
• In other news, NewScientist shares a field guide to bullshit in an interview with Stephen Law, regarding his new book, Believing Bullshit. Could be useful. *cough*
• In Austria a Pastafarian has wont he right to wear a pasta strainer in his driver’s license photo. It’s religious headgear, you see.

As mentioned above, since our last Saturday Signal, our sister site has posted a number of new reviews which may be of interest:

• Divine Duality, reviewed by Ryan Valentine
• Defense Against the Dark, reviewed by Gesigewigu’s
• Man-Made Monsters, reviewed by me
• Teachings of the Santeria Gods, reviewed by Lilith Saintcrow
• Gift of the Dreamtime, reviewed by L. D. Taylor
• Witch Hunts, reviewed by Mike Gleason
• Loneliness and Revelation, reviewed by me
• Swami Panchadasi’s Clairvoyance & Occult Powers, reviewed by Gesigewigu’s
• The Weiser Field Guide to the Paranormal, reviewed by Lilith Saintcrow

And that’s the signal for this week.

I’ve missed you guys. What’s new with you?

It’s a weird world we live in when we learn that squid can fly. It’s true. Photographic evidence here.

Earlier we asked which colour was the least magickal, here’s a link to an article where you can train yourself to see impossible colours. Nifty.

As it’s been a while since I last posted one of these, I have an impressive backlog of links, but we’ll begin gently with the following signal finds:

• Erik Davis was interviewed by Klint Finley for Technoccult. They discuss spirituality and his new book, Nomad Codes.
• Over on Enfolding.org, Phil Hine has scanned and made available essays he wrote for Chaos International, as well as an essay on sigilization for White Dwarf.
• The Eyeless Owl writes about “Spiritism and the Singularity“, discussing the transference of consciousness into machines, and its implications.
• Kalagni on Blue Flame Magick explains “The Secrets of the Summoning Circle“, its history, and why it’s more than just a simple protective barrier.
• On the Llewellyn JournalCaroline Dow offers “10 Tips for Giving Dynamite Tea Leaf Readings“. They’re good tips, and most of them can apply to any kind of divinitory reading, especially tarot.
• And Ryan Valentine gives good book porn in “Spring Devils and Giving Hands“.

Over on our sister site, SpiralNature.com, we have some new reviews:

• The Three Rays of Witchcraft, reviewed by Mike Gleason
• Everyday Sun Magic, reviewed by Ryan Valentine
• Disciple’s Guide to Ritual Magick, reviewed by Mike Gleason
• Sun of gOd, reviewed by Gesigewigu’s
• Where Do Demons Live?, reviewed by me
• Thomas Berry, Dreamer of the Earth, reviewed by Ryan Valentine
• Feast or Famine, reviewed by L.D. Taylor
• Victor Hugo’s Conversations with the Spirit World, reviewed by Mike Gleason

As always, if you come across anything nifty, please share it in the comments, or drop me a line, and we may post it in next week’s signal – along with attribution, of course!