Entering the Desert
Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 12:15 pm
Anyone else reading this book, "Entering the Desert" by Craig Williams? (Anathema 2017)
I buy very few new Left Hand Path books myself, but felt that this might be something to try out. In the beginning where I am (page 34/155) the book feels rational, deep, fresh, taking partly Traditionalist & partly more free & individual attitude considering the problems of quantitativeness & pseudo-spiritual consumerism. The style is intelligent & beautiful. From where I stand, it seems that some of the things that the author criticizes in the modern grimoirists have actually crept into his own language or method as well, but we shall see.
There are several reasons to open this discussion. First, so much of the attention to occult literature seems to be bibliophilic in nature, i.e. more is spoken about even (and especially) the new books' aesthetics than their actual content. Even though I confess to be a bibliophile myself, I would very much like to see more talk about the ideas presented in the books than about the books as items.
Secondly, even though a big part of our dharma in the Star of Azazel would be to connect things & uphold harmonic syncretism ("to spiritually unite forms of esotericism"), very little is actually spoken about our nearest neighbours, the other Left Hand Path societies & practioners. While I understand this might also be so in order to be polite (after all, if all the ideas of some other society would have been chosen instead of SoA, our member would be the member of the other group instead...), it can also lead to narrow-mindedness and even actual intolerance in the long run, as has happened to many other groups that are seemigly based upon universal brotherhood.
Thirdly, Entering the Desert seems to be a welcome bridge from - often severe & uncompromising - Traditionalism to more individually minded Left Hand Path esotericism. That certainly would be very close to our ideas in the theosophically, ethically oriented Left Hand Path society.
I buy very few new Left Hand Path books myself, but felt that this might be something to try out. In the beginning where I am (page 34/155) the book feels rational, deep, fresh, taking partly Traditionalist & partly more free & individual attitude considering the problems of quantitativeness & pseudo-spiritual consumerism. The style is intelligent & beautiful. From where I stand, it seems that some of the things that the author criticizes in the modern grimoirists have actually crept into his own language or method as well, but we shall see.
There are several reasons to open this discussion. First, so much of the attention to occult literature seems to be bibliophilic in nature, i.e. more is spoken about even (and especially) the new books' aesthetics than their actual content. Even though I confess to be a bibliophile myself, I would very much like to see more talk about the ideas presented in the books than about the books as items.
Secondly, even though a big part of our dharma in the Star of Azazel would be to connect things & uphold harmonic syncretism ("to spiritually unite forms of esotericism"), very little is actually spoken about our nearest neighbours, the other Left Hand Path societies & practioners. While I understand this might also be so in order to be polite (after all, if all the ideas of some other society would have been chosen instead of SoA, our member would be the member of the other group instead...), it can also lead to narrow-mindedness and even actual intolerance in the long run, as has happened to many other groups that are seemigly based upon universal brotherhood.
Thirdly, Entering the Desert seems to be a welcome bridge from - often severe & uncompromising - Traditionalism to more individually minded Left Hand Path esotericism. That certainly would be very close to our ideas in the theosophically, ethically oriented Left Hand Path society.