MetaFilter posts tagged with Occult

"George Washington is the American Christ"

Burhanistan — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:41:39 -0800

Mystical Sites – U.S. Capitol : The US Capitol isn’t simply another governmental building. It is the spiritual center of the United States. Its structure, its art and its symbols all reveal the great importance of secret Fraternities in the shaping of the world most powerful government. An entertaining if not specious look. Also, don't miss the breakdown of Jay-Z.

Make mine Laudanum!

JoanArkham — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:13:45 -0800

Steampunk is OK, but I prefer Victorian Lowbrow.

The Necronomicon Files

Artw — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:15:03 -0800

"Necronomicons: The Scariest Book in the World" - A talk given by Daniel Harms, author of the Encyclopedia Cthulhiana, on the history of the Necronomicon(s) - taking in Abdul Alhazred, John Dee, assorted aquaintences of HP Lovecraft, some rather dodgy sounding occultists from the 70s and a man known only as Simon. Previously.

The Song Doesn't Remain the Same

Bookhouse — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 23:54:36 -0800

Jimmy Page's lost soundtrack for Kenneth Anger's Lucifer Rising is worth checking out on a Saturday night (scroll down to the middle of the page to hear it). Droning and dark, it might have fit the completed film (NSFW) quite well if Anger hadn't fired Page before he finished the tracks. Anger, the legendary avant garde filmmaker and gossip, replaced Page with former Charles Manson associate and convicted killer Bobby Beausolei, who recorded the official soundtrack with a group of fellow prisoners called The Freedom Orchestra.

And Away We Go...

cinemafiend — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:12:48 -0800

There is a remarkable collection of books partially exhibited online at the Richter Library at the University of Miami. The library's physical exhibit includes a sample display of books on spiritual photography, clairvo yance, and a nice run of FATE Magazine. The collection contains over 1700 books and there is a full bibliography. You might ask, what's so special about this collection? Well, the books are all From the Library of Jackie Gleason. Admittedly, this post will have limited appeal to those not interested in rare books, Jackie Gleason, and the occult...

AOS

internationalfeel — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:36:15 -0800

O f f i c i a l W W I artist, chaos magici a n.

Paranoia is a heightened state of awareness

bodywithoutorgans — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 20:07:16 -0800

The fringes of knowledge Amok publishers specializes in collecting the finest of esoterica. Back before the Internet had everything, people with deviant tastes would have to rely on mail order catalogs such as Amok. It has published a compendium of bizarre books known as Dispatches since the 80s. I managed to bump into this book at the University library. I also wasted half a day savoring the ridiculous annotations and drawings. Here are some reviews that hype it: "The Amok catalog is required reading for all information junkies, mutants, lunatics and anybody else interested in exploring worlds and ideas never seen... A side effect of reading the Amok catalog is that it could make you reconsider the very nature of imagination, freedom and possibility." – San Francisco Chronicle "Amok is the research guide to all the sordid thoughts you'd never discuss at lunch... the index of all that we hold obscure, perverse, and dear." – Esquire "You think you're postmodern. You give to your local National Public Radio station. You write letters on behalf of prisoners of conscience. Jesse Helms makes your knee go into involuntary spasms. You are primed for First Amendment battles and believe you stand squarely on the side of the purists. Until you start to leaf through the Amok Fourth Dispatch." – Publisher's Weekly "The benchmark sourcebook on deviant literature." – Vanity Fair "An impressive collection, absolutely definitive in many ways – one can almost say that there's no need to read anything that isn't in this catalogue." – J. G. Ballard "A reading list from Hell that is a must for any serious oddball bibliophile." – John Waters

William Butler Yeats

homunculus — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:30:07 -0800

The Life and Works of William Butler Yeats - Online Exhibition. [Via]

The Mindscape of Alan Moore

MythMaker — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:49:41 -0800

The Mindscape of Alan Moore. Documentary featuring interview with comic book writer Alan Moore. More interviews. (previously)

Aleister Crowley in drag = Barbara Bush

anticlock — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 18:40:20 -0800

Aleister Crowley, grandfather of George W. Bush? Well, obviously.
In late 1924, Pauline Pierce, Frank Harris, Nellie O'Hara, and Aleister Crowley get together in France and experience "Eroto-Comotose Lucidity." Afterwards Pauline Pierce returns to the states. In June 1925, Pauline Pierce gives birth to a daughter, Barbara.
Also, and again.

Who's Your Demon?

Bookhouse — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 11:20:15 -0800

The Dictionnaire Infernal. Tired of the same old devil costume each Halloween? Why not go as Bael, Asmodeus or Gaap? Written and (wickedly) illustrated during the 1800s, the Dictionaire (annoying sound warning) has the demon you need. Of course, there are other resources. If you have a hard time choosing, try your birth month's demon.

The Bizarre Odyssey Of Frank Collin.

jonmc — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 06:26:57 -0800

Frank Collin. Just your average everyday half-Jewish Neo-Nazi pederast occult author. Former leader of the Neo-Nazi group that marched through the predominantly Jewish Chicago suburb of Skokie in 1977, triggering protests and court battles. Collin himself was half-Jewish, strangely. He later went to jail for child molestation and seems to have turned to writing books about witchcraft since his release. A truly strange story.

Human being = monster

Tarn — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 03:10:21 -0800

You are the stock of the corporation known as the U.S.A. Following the recent discussion of a Jordan Maxwell video, colourfully dismissed as "new age sewage", I thought Mefites would like (and/or rather, I would like Mefites) to apply their knowledge and insight to a far more topical example of Mr. Maxwell's work. A jumping off point: The law administered in the courts is maritime law. (Google video @ 1 Hr)

BULLSH*T!

crunchland — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 09:22:19 -0800

BULLSHIT! Penn & Teller present their rational, libertarian bent views on diverse subjects, now available for free download on Google Video ::: profanity; creationism; alien abductions; conspiracy theories; recycling; gun control; endangered species; religion; the bible; family values; the apocalypse; signs from heaven; the occult; 12-step recovery programs; exercise v. genetics; environmentalism; hypnosis; ghosts; the war on drugs; feng shui / bottled water; college; PETA; and abstinence.

Signs of the Times??

tranceformer — Sun, 05 Feb 2006 15:20:40 -0800

73% of American Teens Experimenting with the Occult Fundamentalist religious research group the Barna Group has published the results of a study with 4000 teens that shows that a third of American teenagers have used a Ouija board, 1 in 10 have been in a real seance and 1 in 12 have cast spells or made potions. Also here, here. I for one blame this guy and this girl.

Gentlemen take polaroids

tellurian — Wed, 01 Feb 2006 19:27:31 -0800

Carlo Mollino [Polaroids section NSFW] A student of the occult, he was an Architect, Designer, race car enthusiast and photographer [NSFW]

Tim Boucher, Occult Investigator

CrunchyFrog — Sat, 30 Apr 2005 20:47:13 -0800

Hey Everybody! Since I became an occult investigator, my life has turned into one non-stop party! I'm having so much fun, and learning all kinds of cool things about myself and the world. It's really an absolute blast!
Tim Boucher isn't a paranoid occult-conspiracy theorist, a strident anti-occult crusader, or a neo-pagan or New Ager, but he is an occult investigator. That is, he's a fun-loving guy with a penchant for reading and writing about cool or weird things humanity has done in a search for a higher purpose.

A Magical Tradition

elphTeq — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 15:09:06 -0800

Imps imparting the secrets of magic : a visual history of a recurring motif through 19th Century magicians' posters. via Airbag : Longboard

The Grey Lodge Occult Review

homunculus — Wed, 25 Feb 2004 14:12:59 -0800

The Grey Lodge Occult Review. Issue #10 is online. [Via Disinformation.]

The Immortal Count

synecdoche — Tue, 25 Mar 2003 20:16:33 -0800

Who was Count Saint-Germain? I was reading Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum (discussed a bit here) and encountered the Count Saint-Germain, who I had vague recollections of from an episode of ...In Search Of. Turns out he is a pretty fascinating character, and has been labelled a genius, a charlatan, and even a vampire.

Occult Chemistry

none — Thu, 13 Mar 2003 14:15:39 -0800

Occult Chemistry. Direct observation of atoms through clairvoyance.

wfrgms — Wed, 05 Dec 2001 14:21:13 -0800

If you were expecting the Lord of the Rings movie to receive as much if not more scrutiny from Conservative Christians as Harry Potter did you’re in for a surprise. Despite LOTR being filled with violence and intense fantasy imagery few churches or religious watch-god groups will be condemning the fantasy epic like they did the occult heavy, yet kid-friendly Harry Potter flick.

The reason is simple: Tolkien was a devout Christian.
In fact, Tolkien persuaded C.S. Lewis, who himself later wrote several Christian classics, to become a Christian. The two are credited with paving the way for a new genre of devotional literature, influencing authors like Charles Williams, T.S. Eliot, G.K. Chesteron and Dorothy Sayers.

Fortunately for most Tolkien doesn’t let Christian imagery dribble into his stories the way C.S. Lewis did. So expect religous LOTR friendly reviews from all with the possible exception of the ChildCare Action Project. One has to wonder though - if Harry Potter author, J. K. Rowling, was more publicly religious would her books be as controversial?

wfrgms — Thu, 11 Oct 2001 08:18:31 -0800

Focus on the Family likes watching bad TV. Recently they have been howling about a cheesy CBS werewolf show, Wolf Lake. As Focus tells it the show is dripping with titillating lycanthrope partial nudity and guilty of promoting kooky Native American spiritualism.

"They had nudity - or partial nudity, at least - within the first twenty minutes," and, "There is an effort to put spiritualism on par with mainstream religion."

Granted, CBS’ Wolf Lake is no FOX’s Werewolf - but Focus on the Family doesn’t stop with lycanthropes. They also have problems with other occult-glam fare like Buffy, Angel and Charmed.

Is Focus right? Are these shows damaging to the viewer? Should we just say no to hot werewolf sex? Or should these nutty right-wingers just flip the channel?

nonharmful — Thu, 26 Jul 2001 14:20:33 -0800

German satanic couple held after ritual murder Nothing better to create hits than this.
It has: devil-worshipping, satanic killing, with 66 machete and hammer wounds, "The victim was no longer recognisable", DNA analysis to discover his identity, black oak coffin, upturned crosses, Nazi SS rune stones, Count Dracula's castle, walls were covered in black cloths, "When Satan Lives", July 6, a date supposedly chosen for the satanic symbolism of number six, The shaven-headed, body-pierced Daniel and his pink-haired, leather-clad bride Manuela, occult chat-line....

I'll stop now, but there's more....

quirked — Fri, 08 Jun 2001 08:36:41 -0800

Belief in Astrology up 3% to 28% and belief in ghosts up 13% to 38%. I find the new Gallup Poll on Americans' Belief in Psychic and Paranormal Phenomena depressing, but not surprising. Aren't we supposed to be headed in the other direction?