We’ve had a fantastic year, and it’s all to you — our supporters and readers.
Earlier in the week we posted our nine most popular reviews from 2014, and now we’ll share the list of our 11 most popular articles from 2014.
Click on the title link to take you to the full article to revisit articles you’ve forgotten, meant to read, or maybe haven’t seen yet if you’re newer to the site. (Welcome!)
Happy holidays!
True Detective: A flat circle in Chapel Perilous
By Ian Cat Vincent
The show gave its viewers a remarkable version of the Chapel Perilous, the brutal forced initiation of a seeker – Rust Cohle in this case – who has to undergo a harrowing ordeal, which they can only emerge from by facing literally everything they fear before reaching enlightenment.
How to achieve altered states of consciousness
By Jarred Triskelion
Entering altered states of consciousness has a dramatic effect upon a ritual. Everything becomes more profound, from the smell of the incense, to the colour of the candlelight, to the feel of your wand in your hand.
Of course Thelema is Satanic
By Thomas Zwollo
Let’s get something straight. Thelema is most certainly satanic, but it is not in any way, whatsoever, Satanism. Now, I am sure many reading this statement will ask, what’s the difference? The answer lies in the role Satan plays.
Whatever else I think of Aleister Crowley, I believe he was an exceptional magician, and many of his books remain the best ever written on practical magick. The Ordo Templi Orientis, the order he entrusted his legacy to, seemed a likely choice. I got in contact with my local lodge, and, after some months, finally met with representatives from that lodge at a pub. They seemed like good folk, and, after a few more months, I was in.
Depression, the dark night of the soul, and magick
By Frater Barrabbas Tiresius
The real question is whether or not mystics and magicians experience the iconic dark night of the soul in the same way. Some have also questioned whether there is a difference between the two paths since they seem to lead to the same ultimate place.
Binaural beats meditation
By J Simpson
Technology is supposed to improve our lives by making things easier and more convenient, and save us time, freeing us to do more meaningful things. Yet I have not seen a lot of in-depth analysis of the ways technological advances have impacted the occult student.
An occult look at The Possession of Michael King
By J Simpson
The Possession of Michael King is a found footage horror film. It follows the titular Michael King (Shane Johnson), a bitter atheist who, following the tragic death of his wife in a freak accident, sets out to make a documentary disproving the supernatural.
How to build an ancestor altar
By Susan Starr
In shamanism you learn fairly quickly about the constant presence and influence of the ancestors, their legacies — both gifts and wounds — and why it behoves you to pay your respects and enlist their help. Yet no matter what path you’re on, a relationship with your ancestors can benefit you.
An introduction to writing tarot poetry
By Tabitha Dial
Tarot-inspired poetry can be a vehicle for ritual, reflection, joy, and for release. Creating it adds a new layer to the act of divination, requiring introspection and expression. Metaphor and mythology feed the imagination in tarot readings and when tarot is used for poetry.
God, Goddess, and Other: Fertility faiths and queer identities
By Deirdre Riley
I worshipped deities I believed were all-encompassing, but I could not see myself within them, and that truly hurt. I thought there was something deeply wrong with me. It wasn’t until years later that I became aware of non-binary identities, and found a word to describe that something I felt.
Limping towards heaven: Walking pathway 25, Samekh
By J Simpson
I selected this particular pathway to work almost arbitrarily. The Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel has been at the forefront of my thinking and metaphysical investigations for the last four years, after I hastily scribbled out the magical oath and started working my way through the Enochian Calls, during a period of unemployment and existential crisis.
We published 64 articles and updates in 2014 from 25 different writers and reviewers. These were the most popular and some of our favourites.
What were your favourites from 2014? What would you like to see us cover in 2015?
Image credit: Raymond Salvatore Harmon
