Went to an estate sale over the weekend and came home with this beautiful antique brass candle snuffer for $18. I’m a sucker for implements 😄 While checking out… @maeviuslynn.bsky.social: I wonder if it was used in ritual? Me (doing my best Yoda impression): It will be. It … will … be.

Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon Encountered this psychedelic/mystical sculpture at the entrance to North Carolina Botanical Garden’s 37th Sculpture in the Garden show. The installations are impressive, from small to towering 🪑: “Unfathomable Trust Throne” by Theresa Arico 📷: @maeviuslynn.bsky.social

Congratulations to Blue Equinox Oasis on 30 years of representing OTO in the Valley of Detroit. The celebration last weekend drew friends old & new—and members past & present—from across MI, OH & IN for a heartwarming evening of connection. Bonus: beautifully etched commemorative wine glasses. /1

Gratefully received a gift of this ca 1952 printing of Aleister Crowley’s “Hymn to Pan” by Alexander Watt of Ontario, Canada.

@maeviuslynn.bsky.social and I recently had the opportunity to frolic amongst some very-late-season sunflowers.

Éliphas Lévi’s “Magical Ritual of the Sanctum Regnum,” translated and edited by William Wynn Westcott in 1896, has just been beautifully reprinted by Troy Books (London) in a foil-stamped hardcover with rubricated text and color images…all at a great price.

“The Battle of Blythe Road” is single #3 from The Telephone Numbers’ new release, Scarecrow II. Its title comes from one of the biggest fish stories in occulture, but the lyrics don’t explicitly reference Aleister Crowley & SL Mathers’ skirmish with WB Yeats & EA Hunter over the Isis-Urania Temple.🧵

Surreal airport moment: “Lick It Up” by KISS blasting throughout the main terminal.

So many people asked about wearing gloves while handling rare books like the ones I posted pictures of yesterday that I thought it worth sharing that archivists recommend against gloves, which reduce tactile sensitivity and can lead to unintentional damage. Clean and dry hands are preferred.

Mind-blowingly rare first editions of esoteric books that I got to hold yesterday (courtesy of Justin Sledge), #5 of 5: Agrippa’s “Three Books of Occult Philosophy” (Cologne, 1533), the granddaddy of occultism and ritual magic.

Mind-blowingly rare first editions of esoteric books that I got to hold yesterday (courtesy of Justin Sledge), #4 of 5: A gorgeous handwritten grimoire including the Key of Solomon, Arbatel, etc. (1686).

Mind-blowingly rare first editions of esoteric books that I got to hold yesterday (courtesy of Justin Sledge), #3 of 5: Johann Reuchlin’s “De Arte Cabalistica” (1517), the famous early and influential text of Christian Kabbalah.

Mind-blowingly rare first editions of esoteric books that I got to hold yesterday (courtesy of Justin Sledge), #2 of 5: First Hebrew printing of Sefer Yetzirah (Mantua, Italy, 1562), the early Kabbalistic account of how G-d created the universe through the 22 letters of the alefbet & the 10 sefirot

Mind-blowingly rare first editions of esoteric books that I got to hold yesterday (courtesy of Justin Sledge), #1 of 5: Meric Casaubon’s “A True and Faithful Relation” (London, 1659), the legendary OG account of the Enochian magic of John Dee and Edward Kelly.

We’ve lived in the same city and taught at the same university, just at different times …so it was inevitable that Justin Sledge and I would meet in real life. I’m delighted that today was finally that day. What a great time talking about both old and new things in esoterica!

@maeviuslynn.bsky.social and I did the Durham Pottery Tour November 8-9 and wound up adopting an adorable pair of devils by Garet Bullard (Dogboy Ceramics).

A new pickup from the Occult Press: Max Theon’s psychic novella “The Occultist” in a lovely limited sailcloth binding. Max Theon is a Polish occultist who inspired the Hermetic Brotherhood of Luxor in 1884. The 2026 imprint will make this as legendary as Crowley’s “Book of Lies” 😁

The normalcy of Paranormal Experiences. Watch the full episode with Dr Richard Kaczynski @richardkaczynski.bsky.social ➡️ youtube.com/live/1JX5una... #thelema #psychologyofmagick #magick

I had a fun time chatting with @drangelapuca.bsky.social, diving into research in psychology and its relationship to some tough questions about the practice and meaning of ritual magick.

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When the Secret Conclave of Spooky Magicians®️ met for a p̶l̶o̶t̶t̶i̶n̶g̶ er, *planning* meeting, we were so excited that Fiction Kitchen’s Halloween Tarot cocktail was still available that we all ordered one…

What in the Mandela effect is this??? (Part of @maeviuslynn.bsky.social’s Little Free Library donation this morning. I am increasingly convinced that she magically manifested me from a near-identical parallel universe that didn’t have things like worms on a string 😅).

I had the pleasure of materializing on Aeon Byte to discuss “Mind over Magick.” Originally a livestream, the first part of the interview is now available at the link in the comments; the remainder is an exclusive for Aeon Byte’s supporters. thegodabovegod.com/the-psycholo...

This Sunday, 9 November, at 1:00 pm EST (6:00 pm GMT) I’ll be joining Angela’s Symposium for a livestream with Dr. Angela Puca to discuss my new release, “Mind over Magick: The Psychology of Ritual Magick” plus my ongoing work on British occultist Aleister Crowley. I hope to see you there!

@magicalbuffet.bsky.social reviews my critical edition of Aleister a Crowley’s “The Sword of Song.” “Filled with essays, poetry, and fiction, Kaczynsk shows this work as a prototype for the later work to come from Crowley.”

For All Hallow’s this year I carved a commemorative Ozzy Osbourne pumpkin. Happy Halloween everybody! 🎃

Latest grimoire just dropped

Don Webb’s amazing review of Mind Over Magick: The most level-headed yet ambitious book on the intersection of neurology, psychology, sociology and magickal practice. THIS is the book that should be on every magician's or witches' bookshelf. The best book I've seen in years. I wish I had written it

Many thanks to @foolishfishbooks.bsky.social for giving “Mind over Magick” a shout-out in the October 16 edition of Esoteric News! youtu.be/Su7T8n3HU90

This is not just big news for me. It's big news for Thelema as well. My book was included in the Publisher's Weekly magazine! 🎉 #occultbooks #magick

In honor of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’s 50th anniversary, for Halloween I’m gonna go as Peter Gabriel’s Slipperman.

Since it dropped, “Mind over Magick: The Psychology of Ritual Magick” has been the #1 new release in magical studies, occultism, mysticism, and new age mysticism. To say I am stunned would be an understatement. THANK YOU to everyone for ordering, reading, reviewing, or otherwise spreading the word.

Pumpkin flotilla! (Another seasonal tradition with @maeviuslynn.bsky.social)

Ready for shenanigans with @maeviuslynn.bsky.social at the Duke Homestead Halloween Phantasmagoria. This homage to Victorian-era Halloween traditions is one of our favorite seasonal activities. The best part for me—aside from the company ☺️—was the opportunity to do molybdomancy.

Here is a great review from Massimo Introvigne of “The Magical Diatis of Leah Hirsig,” edited by Manon Hedenborg White and Henrik Bogdan. bitterwinter.org/o-tell-me-th...

Big thanks to fellow author Steven A. McKay for sending me the Fortean Times issue containing Phil Baker’s 5/5 star review of my critical edition of Aleister Crowley’s “The Sword of Song.” It’s great to have a copy for my archives.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of co-presenting with @dshoemaker93.bsky.social about Thelema to a class on The Roots of American Magic for the California Institute for Integral Studies. What an honor!

“This book is serious, and seriously fun to read.” Thanks to Sara R. Diamond for reviewing “Mind Over Magick” for Facing North! facingnorth.net/books/body-m...

Rest stop photo op 📷: @maeviuslynn.bsky.social

Oops, too late! (Left: hotel room key. Right: random trash found on the ground at Whole Foods)

Gotta love it when Amazon recommends my new release to me. Also when it recommends that I read my friends’ books (as if I haven’t already!)

I just received Melissa Seims’ history of Golden Dawn temple Horus #5 in Bradford, England. At 400 pages, “Light in Extension” brims with new information and never-before-seen images (including sections in full colour!) that significantly expand our understanding of the history of the Golden Dawn./1

On October 7—release day for my new book, “Mind Over Magick: The Psychology of Ritual Magick”—I had a fun conversation with Mike from the Mind Escape podcast. That episode just dropped, and now I want a T-shirt that says I SURVIVED MIKE’S MIND-MELTERS

Busy weekend part 3 of 3: After meeting up with friends for Aleister Crowley’s 150th birthday, @maeviuslynn.bsky.social and I stopped by a pumpkin patch 🎃

Busy weekend part 2 of 3: Attended the local Diwali celebration (this celebration typically occurs a little early depending, I presume, on the venue’s availability) for food, music, dance and culture.

Busy weekend part 1 of 3: Attended the gallery opening of Christiaan Lopez-Miro’s excellent photo exhibition and book launch, “Fractured,” at the Peel gallery and photo lab.

A couple of recent book pickups: Ian H. Gladwin’s English translation of Bernhardt Beyer’s 1925 book on the teaching system of the Gold- und Rosenkreutzer, the German Rosicrucian/masonic/alchemical order whose grade system was borrowed by the SRIA, Golden Dawn, and A∴A∴. /1

I recently had the pleasure of talking about “Mind over Magick” with the Occult Rejects crew. Check it out! m.youtube.com/watch?v=ul4y...

@maeviuslynn.bsky.social Holy Year of Thelema gets noticed in Publishers Weekly roundup of upcoming practical magic guides. A book on Thelema getting a seat at the table in the wider conversation about Mind-Body-Spirit is huge…+in a leading book trade journal www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/...

Toasting Aleister Crowley’s 150th birthday with friends