Darkly Splendid Abodes

The Wake World, or Liber 95 (XCV), is included as the first part of Aleister Crowley’s book “Konx Om Pax.” Originally written as a bedtime story for his daughter, Lola Zaza, it is an allegory for the initiatory ascent of the Tree of Life. Michael and I will compare our past explorations of the Divine Feminine, as we delve into this “Tale for Babes and Sucklings.”

Frater Baltan is an Initiate of Crowley’s system of A∴A∴, and a practitioner of Enochian Magick. We’ll discuss these two Magical systems, on the one hand exploring what the A∴A∴ is for and what an Initiate can expect from it, and on the other discussing the dangers, purpose and best starting-point for Enochian Magic.

Liber 418, ‘The Vision & the Voice’ is the record of a series of Enochian visions scried by Aleister Crowley in 1900 and in 1909 e.v. These visions are the most well-known example of putting John Dee and Edward Kelly’s system of Angel Magic into practice. Michael and I will look at Aethyrs 9 and 4, and see how our Deep Dips to date aid us in understanding the Angel’s message.

Of all the iconic images associated with Thelema, the most primal, sacred and important is the Stelé of Revealing, a funeral stelé dedicated to an Egyptian priest of the late 25th/early 26th dynasty, Ank-f-n-Khonsu. Edward and I will discuss this ancient depiction of the Thelemic Trinity.

When tales tap into the subconscious, their themes can transcend the arbitrary boundaries set by the rational mind. Dipping into the circuits of time, Michael and I conclude our exploration of the Magical themes of Twin peaks as we look at Season 2 and The Return, as part of our spinoff series: Spinning Stories.

Aleister Crowley had an admiration for Islam and tried to immerse himself in Sufi spaces on a few occasions. The Islamic influence on Thelema is sometimes overt, but often implicit. Author Uthman Ken and I will discuss the Islamic influence on Thelema and on modern Hermetics more generally.

Crowley describes George MacDonald’s 1895 novel LILITH as “A good introduction to the Astral”, and cites it amongst the works of fiction included in the reading curriculum for A∴A∴ and O.T.O. Michael and I will dip into the dreamlike netherworld of this late-Victorian fantasy novel.

Karma is commonly described as the results of one’s actions in one form or another, and often gets thought of as a cosmic justice system. But how is it seen from a Thelemic perspective? And how can the concept inform one’s pursuit to know and to do the True Will? Given in the August of 2025 e.v., this workshop explores how one can know who they are, how individual tendencies influence experience, and how to decide one's future.

‘The Gospel According to St. Bernard Shaw’ is Crowley’s exhaustive response to Bernard Shaw’s preface to his play, Androcles and the Lion. Both pieces analyze the Jesus of the Gospels, with Crowley’s diving into the parallels with the life of the Mystic as well as the Dying God mythos, with abundant quotations from J.G. Frazer’s ‘The Golden Bough.’

Plenty of emphasis gets placed on the importance of Banishing Rituals, especially as part of a greater overall Magical Ceremony. But not as much is said about Purification and Consecration, in spite of being integral elements of Ceremonial Magick. Edward Mason and I will take a look at these Magical applications of Water & Fire.

Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente, or The Book of the Heart Girt with a Serpent, is an inspired text written by Aleister Crowley that recounts the experience of union with his Holy Guardian Angel. Michael and I will delve into Chapter Five, along with Crowley’s Commentary on the text to help us elucidate its mysteries.

Jeremy Crow is a longtime proponent and practitioner of Luciferianism, and his Novus Ordo Luciferi and Flambeau Noir initiatives have helped promote the Lightbearer ethos internationally. We’ll chat about Jeremy’s ‘Promethean’ efforts, find out what Liciferianism actually is, as well as discuss the overlap between Luciferianism and Thelema.

When tales tap into the subconscious, their themes can transcend the arbitrary boundaries set by the rational mind. Michael and I will delve into the lore of Twin Peaks, and see if we can read a Thelemic fable into the film, Fire Walk With Me, and the first season and a half of the television series, as we inaugurate our spinnof series, ‘Spinning Stories.’

Liber Resh vel Helios is a Thelemic ritual adoration of the Sun. Performed at the four stations of dawn, midday, sunset and midnight, it is used as a regular Invocation of God-forms and as a mindfulness practice, by Thelemites the world over. Edward Mason and I will chat about this staple Thelemic practice.

Crowley considered Friedrich Nietzsche a prophet and forerunner of Thelema, and Nietzsche looms large at a critical point of transition for Western philosophy. We’ll dive into a chapter from his book Beyond Good & Evil that lays out the evolution of Western philosophy up to his day, and beyond.

Is Crowley’s approach to Yoga still relevant? And who was Crowley’s Yoga teacher? Did famed comedy film director Preston Sturges’ mother dictate Book 4 to Crowley at the behest of an entity called Abuldiz? And what can we learn from the record of their communication with Abuldiz? Stay tuned for the answers in the Season 4 Finale, ‘Frothy Sexy Summer Reading List.’

The Magical & Mystical System developed by Aleister Crowley and George Cecil Jones, commonly denoted as the A∴A∴, consists of Eleven Grades or Degrees; these in turn compose Three Orders. Edward Mason and I will take a look at these Three Orders, and how they apply to the Path of the Initiate.

The Magical Formula of I.A.O. first occurs in the Adeptus Minor Initiation of the Golden Dawn, during the Analysis of the Keyword. This evolving Formula is the subject of a chapter from Crowley’s Magick in Theory and Practice, and hints at the blueprint for a Ritual of Initiation.

Annie Matan is an ordained clergy of a methodology in Judaism that recalls ancient Jewish traditions that honour the sacred feminine. We’ll explore the subject, and how it resonates with Thelemic ideas, as we delve into the place of Lilith within this framework.

Crowley points to David Hume’s essays as ‘the Classic of Academic Scepticism.’ Having previously dipped into Hume, we’ll now move our attention to his ‘Of Miracles’, where he considers the application of reason to the evidence of testimony.

In December of 2024 e.v. I gave the first of a series of talks on the Thelemic philosophy. I focused on some of the core concepts and practices I feel are worth having in the forefront of the mind while engaging with Thelemic materials, including Crowley’s thoughts on channeling ‘genius,’ the skeptical approach, and discipline in mystical and Magical Practices.

The Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster as collated by W. Wynn Westcott are a highly influential, and yet fairly obscure, set of pithy phrases. Gathered from the texts of numerous ancient writers, these ‘oracles’ seem to hint at an entire schema for the cosmos. We’ll dip our wings into the darkly-splendid waters of these ‘oracles,’ perchance to glimpse the light of the fire therein.

The study of the Occult, the Qabalah, Meditation and Magick can occasionally lead one to get caught up in intangibles, or maybe too much ‘in their head.’ But the Physical Body is no less a part of the equation of our continuing Initiation. Edward Mason and I will take a look at Groundedness, and appreciation for the physical body, as correctives.

Liber Aleph, the Book of Wisdom or Folly, is addressed by Crowley to his Magical Son, Charles Stansfeld Jones — better known as Frater Achad. It covers the gamut of the Thelemic perspective on pretty much everything, and as such is an indispensable guide and reference. We’ll take a look at a set of chapters therein on the subject of the Will, and Sin.

In ‘The Book of the Heart Girt with a Serpent,’ more commonly known as Liber LXV, many parables abound which are instructive of Thelemic spirituality. But in chapter V we encounter a parricidal pomp of atheists. I’ll look at Crowley’s commentary and see how this passage exemplifies Thelemic thought, in the first of our episodes highlighting and delving into the Holy Books of Thelema.

Crowley calls the Pistis Sophia ‘an admirable introduction to the study of Gnosticism’, and includes it in the Curriculum of A∴A∴. But how does Gnosticism relate to Thelema? We’ll delve into the first half of this early-Christian text to see if we can find connections, and contextualize magical ideas about Gnosticism before the discovery of the Nag Hammadi library.

Last time, Edward Mason and I discussed the subject of Kenneth Grant and the so-called ‘false Sephirah’ of Da’ath. Rather than coming to a strict end, our conversation flowered out into a fractal proliferation of further knowledge on the subject.

Liber O is a short, quick entry-point to doing Thelemic practices. As concise as it is, we’ll see what we can mine out of it by dipping deeper, and we’ll also share some of our own experiences, employing its methods for Astral travel.

The so-called false Sephirah on the Tree of Life, called Da’ath, and the Magician and author Kenneth Grant, share something in common: beginners are often warned against pursuing interest in either of them, by those who feel such interest will prove unhealthy or dangerous. But Edward Mason and I will discuss Da’ath, with reference to Kenneth Grant, to see what comes through for us.

Crowley’s short paper, ‘Notes for an Astral Atlas,’ argues for the possibility of contact with non-human intelligences, by way of the Astral Plane. It also urges the need for both an open mind, and a persistent skepticism. We’ll dip into this essay that reads like Magick’s answer to David Hume.

The Holy Books of Thelema contain poetic passages that can seem at times sublime or obscure, opulent or opaque. While memorization can seal the text of such books up into one’s blood, the practice of reading passages aloud in a ceremonial fashion can add a new level of engagement and interaction with these writings. Edward Mason will join me for a chat on this subject.

To quote Crowley: “Hume said that causal connexion was not merely unprovable, but unthinkable; and, in shallower waters still, one cannot assign a true reason why water should flow down hill, or sugar taste sweet in the mouth.” We’ll take our first Deep Dive into David Hume’s ‘Enquiry into Human Understanding’ to learn more about his take on causal connection.

The Holy Guardian Angel usually begins to speak with us long before Knowledge & Conversation is attained, but this speech is often fleeting, taking the form of subtle signs, hints and experiences meaningful only to ourselves. Edward Mason and I will discuss this elusive mode of communication and interaction.

In his essay ‘Energized Enthusiasm,’ Crowley posits how the divine creative energy can be tapped into, as a source of power which he calls “genius.” We’ll delve into this elementary treatise on his theory and practice of sex Magick, as we kick off Season 4 of Darkly Splendid Abodes.

The Book of the Law proclaims: “Also reason is a lie; for there is a factor infinite & unknown”. What is this “infinite & unknown” factor? And how does it undermine the faculty of reason? Edward Mason and I will discuss this apparently ineffable concept, as we skirt the pit of because and flirt with the dogs of reason, in this, the final episode of our third season.

As we bring Season 3 to a close, Michael and I will once again reflect on our favourite episodes, as well as what we foresee for Season 4, in what’s fast become the least-listened-to episode of every season: the Check-in episode.

Divination can be a means of obtaining guidance from forces beyond oneself. But even if one chooses the psychological model of the Universe, it can suggest insights not readily available to the conscious mind. The following workshop, presented as part of an ongoing monthly series in Toronto, explores the Divination methods of Tarot, the I Ching and of Geomancy.

Warnings about the dangers of Magick practice, and the preference for the apparently safer path of Mysticism, were as present in Crowley’s day as any other. We’ll take a deep-dive into Crowley’s rebuttal in his paper, ‘The Dangers of Mysticism.’ And we’ll compare with a more modern paper from a famous 'scientific' publication.

In 1916 era vulgaris, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung channeled what would become known as The Red Book. The visions captured in this book culminate in the appended Seven Sermons to the Dead. Edward Mason and I will discuss these Gnostic-flavored sermons, and examine some of the similarities they share with the themes of The Book of the Law.

In 8 Lectures on Yoga, Aleister Crowley attempts to pare away the gaudy veneer, and dispel the fog of superstition, that commonly obscures the fundamental practices of Yoga. We’ll pick up where we left off in one of our first ever discussions, as we return to explore more of the 8 limbs.

Often Crowley speaks of his different Magical Mottos as though he’s referring to different individual people, from Frater Perdurabo to V.V.V.V.V., even distinguishing his mundane self as “the man Crowley”. Edward Mason and I will discuss this “Adept Self” and how it relates to the Thelemic system, and to occultism in general.

In Magick Without Tears, Aleister Crowley talks about The Three Schools of Magick, which seem to be differing philosophical perspectives on the Universe. But they also seem to represent three factions of Magicians, each of which attempts to guide humanity based on their respective philosophical conclusions. We’ll take a deep-dive into the relevant chapters as we revisit this book.

Ascended Masters? Discarnate beings? Living people hidden amongst the crowds? Crowley makes frequent reference to the Secret Chiefs, and their purported guidance of humanity by various means. Edward Mason and I will take a look at just what these entities are, and what can we say about them.

Aleister Crowley took an ancient Rite of Exorcism and repurposed it as an Invocation of one’s Holy Guardian Angel. The resulting small book, Liber Samekh, also contains elucidating commentary on the nature of the Knowledge and Conversation, and on Magical Practice in general.

Patricia Crowther is hailed as one of the mothers of modern Witchcraft. Initiated by Gerald Gardner and taking the Craft Name of “Thelema,” she went on to be a key promoter of Wicca and defender of the practice of Witchcraft. We’ll learn more about this icon and prolific author, as Rosemary Stehlik and I resume our study of Women of the Occult.

In the system of Thelema, the Black Brotherhood and the Left-Hand Path are technical terms with specific connotations. But it’s not uncommon for people to run fast and loose with these terms, flinging them as insults at others, or making assumptions about their meaning. We’ll dive into Chapter 12 from Crowley’s book Magick Without Tears to find clarification on the subject.

Michael and I look back at our discussions this season: Crowley’s Introduction to the Book of the Law, Liber Reguli: the Ritual of the Mark of the Beast, & CommentaryFrater Achad’s Liber 31, Chapter 7 of The Equinox of the Gods, The appendix of Achad's Q.B.L., and Chapter 5 of Achad's The Egyptian Revival. We'll also reply to some of the comments we've received, and reflect on where we see the series going in the future.

In around 1906 era vulgaris, Aleister Crowley received a flood of inspired texts that would come to be known as some of the core Holy Books of Thelema, taking their place alongside The Book of the Law and Liber 418.Liber B vel Magi is a short text, only a couple of pages in length, which describes one of the most exalted Grades on the Tree of Life, that of the Magus. Join us as Edward Mason and I explore this brief text.