The Unbinding (Pfeiffer 2023) is a new documentary from the same team that brought us Hellier (Pfeiffer 2019). Because it’s so new, I shall avoid any spoilers in what follows. The Unbinding (2023), directed by Karl Pfeiffer, “an archetypal journey […] to return an object that has much more to it than meets the eye”. It concerns a weird-looking artefact that winds up in the possession of Greg and Dana Newkirk after its original discoverers undergo disturbing experiences and pass it to the Newkirks in desperation. Strange happenings then commence in the Newkirk’s home, so they begin a thorough m ..read more

My working definition of awakening comes from my reading of Daniel Ingram’s Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha: the capacity for direct experience (in real time) of the non-dual nature of reality. However, in an old notebook of mine I came across a different definition from Christina Feldman, which she expressed during a ten-minute consultation at Gaia House. “Awakening is the implosion of all samskaras,” she said. I had forgotten this immediately. At the time it made no sense. Samskaras are unconscious tendencies that influence perception. They determine how and of what we are conscio ..read more

Tommie Kelly and I discuss the Nidana Cards, a new card-based oracle, inspired by Buddhist teachings, which he and I have developed over the past year or so. In the video, we discuss the origins of this new oracle; the meaning and philosophy of the nidanas; how Tommie tackled the challenge of giving them a new and unique pictorial expression; the meanings of some of the cards; the overall character of the oracle; and some guidance on how it can be used for divination and contemplation. Our plan is to release further short videos exploring the meaning of each one of the twenty-six cards ..read more

Conner and I met for the first time at Treadwell’s bookshop in London, where I joined him in conversation to mark the launch of his wonderful first novel, Hawk Mountain. I was delighted to accept his recent invitation to appear on his long-running and immensely wide-ranging podcast, Against Everyone with Conner Habib. It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon, chatting with Conner over Zoom down in the shed. “Surely he’s not going to use all of that?” I thought, after we’d finished. But he did. Pretty much. The conversation circles around the place of magick in spiritual developmen ..read more

I woke in despair and dereliction and put a hand to my heart to comfort myself. The goddess came. She that is both lover and mother. It was her hand against my heart. I no longer comforted myself. She comforted me. I was relieved, but then sensed where she was taking me, and I was filled with dread. Even as she held me, she showed me how everything would be taken away, and all that I feared most would happen. She said: Though it all passes, I shall hold you. I saw how the fullness of being held is the same as the emptiness of everything taken away. She said: Held by me, emptiness is fullness ..read more

I have been listening to Rick Palmer’s Some Other Sphere podcast for quite some time and was delighted when he invited me on as a guest. Rick strikes me as a true Fortean, as the range of topics covered by the podcast suggests: the paranormal, magick, occultism, folklore, cryptids. Recent guests include paranormal investigator Evelyn Hollow, and Rev. Peter Laws (speaking on the links between his passion for horror movies and his religious vocation). Our conversation explores the intersection between psychology, magick, and spirituality, covering topics such as the nature of mind and reality ..read more

I’m very proud to have an article in this interesting and diverse selection of essays that explores the relationship between landscape, place, and the British visionary tradition. My contribution focuses on the film Penda’s Pen (1974), written by David Rudkin and directed by Alan Clark. Entitled “The Magical Praxis and Politics of Penda’s Fen“, it explores the film’s depiction of magick as a means of political resistance and suggests how its themes are maybe even more relevant today than in the 1970s. Copies can be obtained from the publisher, Temporal Boundary Press, alongside other interest ..read more

Looking forward to meeting and appearing in conversation with Conner Habib at Treadwell’s, London (7pm, Thursday 8th September). Conner will be launching his new novel, Hawk Mountain, the story of what happens when a schoolteacher’s life is interrupted by the re-appearance of his high school bully. It’s a tense and beautifully-written exploration of the dark side of innocence and the destructive potential of love. I was blown away by it, and highly recommend it. Conner Habib: author and podcast host of Against Everyone with Conner Habib. I’m looking forwards to exploring with Conner how his oc ..read more

Chuffed beyond words to be invited by Phil and JF onto the mighty Weird Studies! Episode 124: Dark Night Radio of the Soul, with Duncan Barford. It was a great experience to see two of my podcast heroes in action, and witness their wonderful dynamic from behind the scenes. We talk about the dark night of the soul, the shadow side of spiritual practice, and the potential pitfalls and benefits of choosing magick as a spiritual path ..read more

Ultraculture with Jason Louv – Ep. 106: Ramsey Dukes: Patron Saint of Chaos Magick A cosy, relaxed, and wide-ranging chat. Lionel Snell (aka Ramsey Dukes) remarks during the course of this episode how he feels remote and apart from the contemporary magical scene, but Jason deftly steers the conversation in directions that make it plain Lionel is still the most reflective and interesting philosopher of magick writing today. Schizotopia – Ep. 40: Witchtokalypse Now! With Georgina Rose Someone who has prioritised the aesthetic aspects of occultism and learned the hard way that ideas have real-w ..read more