It is only since the eighteenth-century Enlightenment that the Christian West made “belief”—the acceptance of certain creedal propositions—“the first postulate” of religious life. In the West, we have developed a culture that is rational, scientific, and pragmatic; we feel obliged to satisfy ourselves that a proposition is true before we base our lives upon it, […] Read more
A blog of occasional articles and notes about hermetics, alchemy, gnosticism and my own work.
Michael Meade, in The Sun: Here’s the dilemma: people can’t initiate themselves. The only way I can reveal myself to myself is if someone else is protecting, supporting, and challenging me. The person who’s undergoing the initiation has to feel safe enough to let go and challenged enough not to stay still. When the function […] Read more
“…we have to rediscover, to reapprehend, to make ourselves fully aware of that reality, remote from our daily preoccupations, from which we separate ourselves by an ever greater gulf as the conventional knowledge which we substitute for it grows thicker and more impermeable, that reality which it is very easy for us to die without […] Read more
The Alchemist Protects the Athenor (Notre-Dame Cathedral Paris)
Fulcanelli (Le Mystere Des Cathedrals, p77) says: This time, the artist watches over the product of his labour. Our knight, clad in armour, with greaves on his legs and his shield on his arm, has taken up his position on what seems to be the rampart of a fortress, judging by the battlements which surround […] Read more
The Artist Puts on His Shoes
Here the artist puts on his shoes. (Photo: Amanda Gruhn.) And here, in a somewhat earlier shot, the artist is unamused […] Read more
Christabel Drying
Here is Christabel, newly made and drying nicely on a warm winter day […] Read more
Jeselmina (Dry Version)
Here is the second form of Jeselmina taking shape. (Her first, wet, form – with Consort – is here.) In this second form she has wings. You can read more about her character […] Read more
Watercolour Photoshoot
Sophisticated studio facilities come into play in this watercolour photoshoot :) […] Read more
The Couriers Emerging
Here are The Couriers emerging from their nascent state […] Read more
Wet Jeselmina and Consort
This is the making of the first, wet, version of Jeselmina with her Consort. This version lasted only for the photo shoot. Here is the final work, Reconception of Ore. (The Consort’s hat was a later addition.) […] Read more