Hermetically opened

Before Christmas, esoterica and hermetica aficionados in Holland and abroad got a nice present: The Bibliotheca Philosophica Hermetica opened again, after facing complete destruction for a year. Unfortunately I was hindered from attending the opening on December 16 due to teaching obligations, so I have no first-hand experiences to share this time. Apparently the library in Bloemstraat, Amsterdam, was packed full of people, and the new incarnation of the Ritman library got off to a good start. For now, the Ritman family is running the library on their own, keeping the doors open all weekdays as before. There is also a splendidly looking new website. While browsing it, make sure to read Wouter Hanegraaff’s opening lecture, published in the website’s new blog section.

Welcome back!

Published in: on December 30, 2011 at 4:54 pm  Comments (1)  
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“Varieties of Magical Experience” – a new article on Crowley, magic, and psychologisation

Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft (Penn Press)

The November issue of Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft ran an article by my colleague Marco Pasi, titled ”Varieties of Magical Experience: Aleister Crowley’s Views on Occult Practice”. It may safely be characterised as the most complete academic treatment of Crowley’s magical thought and practice that has so far been published in a peer-reviewed journal. It also ties in neatly with a discussion here at Heterodoxology and a couple of other blogs earlier this year (Tyromanteia and Invocatio), namely the question of the “psychologisation of magic”. A review is definitely in order.

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Published in: on December 26, 2011 at 7:01 pm  Comments (6)  
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