Reviews

The Apophenion: A Chaos Magic Paradigm, by Peter J Carroll
(Mandrake of Oxford, 2008, 168pp, $22.00/£10.99)
Reviewed by Julian Vayne

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Framed as the outpouring of insight generated by the novel Goddess ‘Apophenia’, Pete Carroll’s new work is a real gem. Coming from a science background, this is his attempt to create a falisfiable model of why the universe looks the way it does, and just why magick can operate successfully.

In the inimitable Carrollian style we have come to know and love, our author sets out to demolish the edifices of being, consciousness, causality, the big-bang and more. In toppling these ontological Titans Pete discovers a universe of panpsychism and intense meaning. If nothing else this agrees with my own views and is therefore a Good Thing. Pursuing this process through the scientific style of exploration means that quantum physics, special relativity et al show up pretty frequently in the text. If you buy this book expecting lists of planetary correspondence and ritual-by-numbers instructions you’re going to be disappointed. However this doesn’t mean that this is all physics and no esoterica. Rather the point is that the reading of the universe that the author presents is suffused with magick. (Nevertheless there are some reassuring illustrations of occult entities and one explicit ritual – a rather lovely evocation of the Goddess Apophenia herself).

My reaction in reading this book was one of excitement. The suggestions that Pete advances tickle the mind delightfully. Certainly this isn’t Liber Null. It’s not a manual of techniques but instead concentrates on theory, yet that doesn’t make for a dull read. The theorisation presented here can light the touch paper of a hundred disciplines: cosmology and magick for sure but also Fortean studies, ethnography and especially neuro-biology.

Algebra explodes across the appendices of the book scattering the non-mathematicians towards the Epilogue where things are nicely rounded off in laypersons terms. The truth may well be that we live in vorticitating hypersphere with three dimensional time that, as the author beautifully asserts, “...invites us to become apprentice gods.” The very fact that I can now say ‘vorticitating hypersphere’ and know what that means is a testament to the authors explicatory powers.

The final and perhaps most wonderful thing about The Apophenian is how it demonstrates the development and maturation of Pete Carroll’s earlier writing. If nothing else this stands as a testament to the work of an individual (or perhaps conspiracy of selves!) who’s magick really does seem to work.

Eight chaospheres out of a possible eight!

From Mandrake Speaks (mandrake-subscribe@yahoogroups.com).

Sea, Swallow Me, Craig Laurence Gidney
(Lethe Press, 2008, 204pp, $13.00)
Reviewed by Peter Dubé

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I first discovered Craig Gidney’s writing when he sent me a piece for Madder Love, an anthology of surrealist-influenced queer fiction I was putting together at the time. When I read his story, two things were immediately apparent: a sense for language and an imagination steeped in the shadowy corners of literary history (of course, I accepted the story.) These striking qualities made me very curious about what else he might be putting on the page. Well, Sea, Swallow Me, his first collection, brings together ten examples of those “what elses” …and they are equally striking.

The stories collected in the volume range all over the time/space map from medieval Japan to the antebellum Southern United States, and from there to contemporary Caribbean holiday destinations, and, impressively enough, despite the range, Gidney’s work never feels scattered or unfocussed. The book possesses a real coherence and is held together by a concern for the transformative instance in an ordinary life, more often than not, an instance specifically marked by an eruption of the magical or irrational. Thus, in the title story, a man’s vacation (and life) are shaken up by an encounter with a Santerian sea god, or—in “Come Join We”—a boy must come to terms with the gift of second sight he bears. Though some of the images and narrative conventions (obsession and the spirit/demon lover, for example) may feel a touch familiar due to their venerable place in the world of fantasy/speculative/weird fiction, they are generally redeemed from staleness by the author’s skill on a sentence-by-sentence level, and his refreshingly idiosyncratic sensibility. A particularly deft example of this is in the story “Her Spirit Hovering” in which the terrors of a haunting lie less in any traditional spookiness than they do in its effects on the protagonists’ search for intimacy. And then there are the stories in the collection that have just about nothing of the familiar in them; stories like “Strange Alphabets” in which Gidney imagines a fateful encounter for the great French poet Rimbaud that transforms his arrest and imprisonment into visionary experience and poetic vocation.

So lets end with this idea of vocation; Sea, Swallow Me is a fascinating, well-crafted debut, one that shows real promise for the work still to come. It is the best proof of this author’s genuine avocation, and a wonderful answer to the questions I was asking myself when I opened his envelope long ago.

The Secrets of Masonic Washington, James Wasserman
(Destiny Books, 2008, 192pp, $16.95)

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Wasserman treads a very wellworn bath in his latest examination of secret societies. The material with which he draws from has the potential of being threadbear from overuse. Anyone familiar with Wasserman’s other work would know that of any one, he extremely suited to provide a “guidebook to signs, symbols and ceremonies at the origin of America’s capital.” Wasserman looks far beyond the standard catalog of Masonic influence on the city’s layout, popular monuments and familiar landmarks. He goes inside less familliar buildings to present a host of evocative occult symbolism strewn throughout the District. I was particularly pleased to find a entry for the increibly beautiful interior of the National Academy of Sciences, a place I spend a great deal of time and still marvel at the beauty of its Great Hall. The book is entirely full color and includes numerous illustrative photographs. The book is conveniently ordered for a do-it-yourself walking tour and includes maps for all areas discussed.

The Wizard’s Gift, Mark Townsend
(O Books, 2008, 167pp, $19.95/£9.99)

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Author Mark Townsend is a man of two worlds. Be is both a priest in the Church of England and a member of the Magic Circle, using magic as a transformative tool in his retreats and talks.

The Wizard’s Gift tells the finctional story of a young man who has all but lost the will to live, for his life has become meaningless. Though depressed, he always finds the forest can lift his spirits is. On one of his frequent visits he meets and chats with an old man who possesses a genuine wisdom and spiritual depth. Soon the old man becomes his mentor and, over time a beautiful relationship develops. Gradually our depressive main character re-discovers the wonder and magic of life and begins to think of his mentor as The Wizard. The elder man gives him many gifts—tangible and symbolic items that bring profound spiritual insights and self-knowledge.

It is appears to be the author’s hope that each of these gifts will speak to the readers of the book. The book is intended to spark an inner magic and lead the reader to a spiritually transformative experience.

Townsend has done well at using fiction as a tool for delivering a transformative message—not a feat easily achieved by any stretch. Here, the author does it handily and without the feeling of being lectured to, preached at or hit over the head. The mystical threads are woven into the fine fabric of a wizard’s cloak.

The Veritable Key of Solomon, Stephen Skinner & David Rankine
(Llewellyn, 2008, 446pp, $65.00/Golden Hoard leather edition, £96)

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The Veritable key of Solomon is the fourth volume of the ‘Sourceworks of Ceremonial Magic’ series published by Golden Hoard in the UK. This edition has been reprinted by Llewellyn in the States. Earlier titles included works of John Dee, the Nine Great Keys and a landmark modern edition of the Goetia based on a 17th century edition. This edition lives up to the promise of the earlier titles. Skinner and Rankine continue their superb scholarship to produce an important addition to the modern magical canon by bringing forward another important historical work. Many are familiar with S.L. MacGregor Mathers’ edition which has remained the standard edition for over 100 years. Here the authors go back to three other copies of the work and provide much material and illustrations not available to Mathers from his single source work. The commentary is extremely useful and places the grimoire in its historical context and illustrates its influence through the present day. Simply a must-have for any scholar interested in the history of magic.

The Living Temple of Witchcraft, Volume One, Christopher Penczak
(Llewellyn, 2008, 390pp, $21.95)

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In this latest istallment (the fifth) of ‘Temple of Witchcraft’ series, Christopher Penczak conducts an indepth examination of the Descent of the Goddess. The myth follows Inanna’s journey into the Underworld where she learns secrets of life and death. The book provides lessons for the reader to follow the Goddess’s journey through meditations,. exercises, and guided instructions. Penczak’s work goes deeper into the myth than many other contemporary works incorporating the same subject. Interestingly the author organizes the book along the seven traditional chakras (breaking it into seven corresponding parts). He mirrors Inanna’s descent through a upward journey through ones chakra centers. An interesting work for those looking to expand their practice.

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