The author of this article prefers not to be associated with actual crazy people who also gaze into winking waters – as seen above.   Sitting by the riverbed, I gaze at the turquoise waters. The sun, reflected in the fleeting ripples on the surface, winks at me. A cat and a magpie wander around, comfortable enough with my presence in this natural sanctuary. There are no goetic f(r)iends around, but still someone is talking. The stream holds my gaze, hiding a smile, and then I know it is Her, the Water, that I hear. Once I recognise Her voice, I lay back and listen. Sometimes I answer, but ..read more

Preface: In this series, a writer from The Occult Living Room works closely with a visual artist to construct a esoteric bedtime story which is designed to provoke thought, inspire musing and encourage moments of gnosis. The following is a collaboration and creative exchange between Alexa Brockamp Hoggatt (words) and Sasha Smith (AI imagery). The veil thins, (I am here, find me). All of magick is a question. An exploration of other and else. A lesson in listening. Whispers through the woods of things beyond time and place. All I do is listen. Ear to the air, the fog falls lowe ..read more

Preface: …Perplexed with all he has just witnessed, Murphy retreats to an upstairs bedroom in The Occult Living Room. With a bong clutched tightly in hand, he begins to draw a series of four panels — these depict the odd events which unfolded just prior that evening. Our story begins here: One evening whilst in The Occult Living Room’s egregore Jessi Moon Six heard a peculiar and seemingly familiar voice faintly being emitted from the toaster radio. After a bit of tinkering… With a most unexpected jolt, zap and an eventual discharge — something or someone had been cast out of the toaster dir ..read more

Foreward: The Chaos Diaries series highlights a chaote’s personal gnosis, subjective experience and insight gained from chaos magick workings. In chapter II, Maggs Rose Quartz Chaos combines AI art and words to detail her firsthand experience of working with the egregore/godform 663 – also known as Doombringer. *Author Mark Stavish says the most common esoteric use of the word egregore is: an autonomous psychic entity composed of and influencing the thoughts of a group of people. Observe the crossroads: Again, the crossroads. Observe the crossroads… I feel I’m in a transitional state righ ..read more

You’ve entered guest bedroom #12.  To examine the bookshelf, look here. The post Guest bedroom #12 appeared first on The Occult Living Room ..read more

Jake Stratton-Kent at the release of The Testament of Cyprian the Mage. [Picture taken at The Atlantis Bookshop in London — courtesy of Scarlet Imprint.] When I used to rock climb, there was always that moment when you had to commit. It’s the term climbers use when you need to do ‘a move’ that’s a bit risky. It’s usually risky because there is an immense sense of danger. Sometimes that danger is physical, sometimes psychological, but it’s always 100% real. You have to commit regardless. You have to forget about failure and focus on achieving with your body, what you conceive of in yo ..read more

Desperate timez – Art rendered by Sasha Smith  When I first began my personal path, I was overwhelmed by the prominence of tarot in western esotericism and my inability to access it. Of course, there are numerous digital options for tarot, and I’m sure they would be excellent options for many of you.  However I was personally dissatisfied by this option; I wanted to feel the deck in my hands, and I wanted the cause of the cards drawn to be my intuition as opposed to algorithms. I eventually stumbled upon playing card cartomancy, a system which gives meanings to a traditional card dec ..read more

My Venus altar, facing south. Some of the “softer” solar elements have been incorporated, like the yellow candle, orange plate, and gold foil “dish”.  For me, aesthetic result represents harmony. Therefore, beauty is a sign I’m doing something right.  Venus is known as the goddess of love – sensuality, sex, and passion… But I was drawn to work with her for the purposes of healing. If you’ve followed me for a while you know that I struggle with a myriad of issues, including fibromyalgia, chronic pain, depression, and food allergies. While I am grateful for the lessons and compassion a ..read more

Focalor isn’t really one of the love and light kinda guys. A Portrait of Focalor by Sasha Smith   In this snapshot, we’ll be taking a look at Focalor, aka your best friend and gangster for hire – if you need a gangster demon that is. He’s generally considered to be the 41st spirit of the Lesser Key of Solomon, which means in no uncertain terms: he is a demon. If you read the description verbatim from Macgregor Mathers, it goes something like: The 41st spirit is Focalor. He appeareth in the form of a man with gryphon’s wings. His office is to slay men, and to drown them in the waters, and ..read more

[image] – Flourish by Resident Visionary Artist – Jeff   It had become a tradition between me and some of my practitioner friends to pull general reads for each other, even when we were operating long distance. States away, one of these friends had laid out their cards on my behalf, and determined that this was the most important message for me to hear at the time. “You manifest through your voice,” declared the tarot reader. “That’s the best way you can bring your will into reality – the power within your throat.” Escaping the Doldrums I was in a bit of a magical slump back then, uninspi ..read more