From New Dawn 143 (Mar-Apr 2014) One of the most compelling themes of current times is Gnosis – the idea of a transcendental knowledge that, like enlightenment, liberates the individual from bondage to the world of suffering. While Gnosis and Gnosticism […]
Secret Wisdom
Is Your God a Devil?
From New Dawn 142 (Jan-Feb 2014) It is one of the most familiar and reassuring lines in scripture: “The Lord is my shepherd.” But when you think about it, the metaphor is a disturbing one. It’s true that a shepherd […]
The Dual Search for the Philosophers’ Stone
To say what the Philosophers’ Stone – the great goal of alchemy – is, one has to know. And to know, one must have attained it. I cannot claim to have done this, so what follows must be speculation. The mystery grows […]
Ritual Magic in Theory & Practice
Several years ago I decided to do an evening-long introduction to ritual magic at the New York Open Center, one of the city’s best-known gathering places for mind, body, and spirit activities. Soon before it was about to start I […]
2012, the Apocalypse & the End of the Age
Cultures that view themselves as waning are usually those most likely to tap into doomsday scenarios, especially when the world’s end is followed by universal renewal. – Prof. Anthony Aveni, American anthropologist & astronomer An Apocalypse (Greek: ἀποκάλυψις apokálypsis; “lifting […]