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Post by N0T 2 on Apr 2, 2014 12:38:03 GMT
Reading an old favourite and something popped out which I wanted to ask here, if anyone knows the answers:
In footnote 3 on page 30 of Images and Oracles of Austin Osman Spare, Kenneth Grant says that New Isis Lodge grew out of his friendship with Aleister Crowley. I do not recall him saying this elsewhere. I am curious about whether this is a general sort of statement, or whether a Lodge of this kind and its specific type of work was discussed between them?
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The above is in a section dealing with Gerald Gardner's membership of Grant's New Isis Lodge, in which Grant introduced Gardner to Austin Osman Spare. The associated tale of wizardry is also in the Typhonian Trilogies somewhere, possibly Hecate's Fountain.
This passage goes on to say that, due to Gardner's jealousy regarding a Clanda's defection from his coven to Grant's Lodge, he published a nasty letter about N.I.L. in a "popular occult magazine", and other things.
Does this malefic missive of survive? Does anyone know which "popular occult magazine" it was and which issue?
Non-mobilely becoming,
N0T 2
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Post by equinoxofthegods on Apr 2, 2014 17:32:50 GMT
I must pick up a new copy of "The Rebirth of Witchcraft" by Doreen Valiente. There is a story in there about Grant, Spare, Gardner, and a prostitute performing a ritual in a hotel somewhere in London (I think L Ron Hubbard was even involved somehow, but don't quote me on that!! it almost feels too good to be true...). It doesn't say much about the working, but it does say that a knock came to the door and the prostitute was asked to leave the circle and answer the door. If I remember correctly Valiente claims that the prostitute suffered some ill fate in the next few days (death I believe...)
I know they worked together magically in some regard but this is the only place I have ever seen Grant and Gardner's affiliation documented outside of KG's writings. Outer Gateways has some really great bits about Gardner & the New Forest Coven, and his work with an entity known as Black Eagle. The Black Eagle has had great inspiration on my magical work in the past. (I have been using it as a Nightside Totem for almost a decade now with great results.)
Grant doesn't really give a timeline of his interactions with Gardner as far as i remember, and I don't recall him saying much about Gardner having affiliation with N.I.L. in the Trilogies.
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Post by Frater Shaddad on Apr 3, 2014 5:01:38 GMT
I must pick up a new copy of "The Rebirth of Witchcraft" by Doreen Valiente. There is a story in there about Grant, Spare, Gardner, and a prostitute performing a ritual in a hotel somewhere in London (I think L Ron Hubbard was even involved somehow, but don't quote me on that!! it almost feels too good to be true...). It doesn't say much about the working, but it does say that a knock came to the door and the prostitute was asked to leave the circle and answer the door. If I remember correctly Valiente claims that the prostitute suffered some ill fate in the next few days (death I believe...) I believe I know to which ritual you are referring. The following account is from memory, so bare with me. This ritual did not include L Ron Hubbard (I'm pretty sure Hubbard and Grant never met, at all). Gerald Gardner, Kenneth and Steffi Grant, and one or two other women who's names I cannot recall. They were circumambulating the Circle creating a Cone of Power. There was a knock at the door, which was answered. I believe both the woman who stopped to answer and the fella' who knocked both suffered the effects from the interrupted ritual. The resulting tangential tantrum killed one or both shortly thereafter. This Working is recounted by Grant somewhere in the Trilogies. I'm away from my Archives, at the moment, but will look for the source of this when I'm able. In the meantime, perhaps Michael could give us the exact page numbers in the book in which this account appears, and fill in any missing or incorrect information. |
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Post by Michael Staley on Apr 4, 2014 23:19:34 GMT
The rite you're referring to is recounted in Nightside of Eden, pp.122-124 of the Muller & Skoob editions, and pp.118-120 of the forthcoming Starfire edition.
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Post by equinoxofthegods on Apr 6, 2014 14:30:43 GMT
Awesome! Thanks Michael!
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Post by Michael Staley on Apr 6, 2014 20:07:17 GMT
In footnote 3 on page 30 of Images and Oracles of Austin Osman Spare, Kenneth Grant says that New Isis Lodge grew out of his friendship with Aleister Crowley. I do not recall him saying this elsewhere. I am curious about whether this is a general sort of statement, or whether a Lodge of this kind and its specific type of work was discussed between them? I think that KG is talking loosely here. He formed several working groups between his stay at Netherwood in 1945 and the formal founding of New Isis Lodge in 1955, and thus NIL was the culmination of Grant's experience in working with and through these groups. It is in this sense that I take the statement that NIL grew out of his friendship with Crowley. The above is in a section dealing with Gerald Gardner's membership of Grant's New Isis Lodge, in which Grant introduced Gardner to Austin Osman Spare. I don't know anything about Gardner's membership of NIL. So far as I know, the introduction of Gardner to Spare was outside the austpices of NIL. This passage goes on to say that, due to Gardner's jealousy regarding a Clanda's defection from his coven to Grant's Lodge, he published a nasty letter about N.I.L. in a "popular occult magazine", and other things. Does this malefic missive of survive? Does anyone know which "popular occult magazine" it was and which issue? This matter is referred to in the correspondence between Grant and Spare in Zos Speaks!. A letter from Spare dated 23rd October 1955 mentions that an anonymous letter had been sent to Hannen Swaffer. In a subsequent letter of 8th November, Spare says that Gardner and a colleague (identifed as Ameth) were involved. These letters are reproduced on pages 142 and 144 respectively. In the early days of NIL, Grant had notices re NIL inserted in Prediction. At some stage, Prediction declined to accept any further notices. So I'd surmise that the article referred to was in that magazine, although I've not searched copies of the period to confirm that. Grant does state, in an endnote to the first of the two letters referred to above, that the anonymous letter survives, but I've not seen it. |
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Post by N0T 2 on Apr 10, 2014 12:22:14 GMT
The above is in a section dealing with Gerald Gardner's membership of Grant's New Isis Lodge, in which Grant introduced Gardner to Austin Osman Spare. I don't know anything about Gardner's membership of NIL. So far as I know, the introduction of Gardner to Spare was outside the austpices of NIL. This passage goes on to say that, due to Gardner's jealousy regarding a Clanda's defection from his coven to Grant's Lodge, he published a nasty letter about N.I.L. in a "popular occult magazine", and other things. Does this malefic missive of survive? Does anyone know which "popular occult magazine" it was and which issue? This matter is referred to in the correspondence between Grant and Spare in Zos Speaks!. A letter from Spare dated 23rd October 1955 mentions that an anonymous letter had been sent to Hannen Swaffer. In a subsequent letter of 8th November, Spare says that Gardner and a colleague (identifed as Ameth) were involved. These letters are reproduced on pages 142 and 144 respectively. In the early days of NIL, Grant had notices re NIL inserted in Prediction. At some stage, Prediction declined to accept any further notices. So I'd surmise that the article referred to was in that magazine, although I've not searched copies of the period to confirm that. Grant does state, in an endnote to the first of the two letters referred to above, that the anonymous letter survives, but I've not seen it. Thank you Michael, much appreciated. In Images and Oracles...p.30 (Fulgur) Grant says "I introduced him [ Gardner ] to Spare and they both played a part in connection with New Isis Lodge". Spare definitely was, and in context of this and other published references to rites (the one about the Tower later erected in locus of one of these for example, although I'm relying on dim memory here) I interpreted this as meaning they were both involved with the Lodge. Thanks for clarifying this. Thanks also for the reference to the NIL notices in Prediction magazine. There must be surviving copies of some of the relevant issues out there somewhere...and I'm surprised Peter Koenig missed these in his otherwise exhaustive coverage of O.T.O. ephemera! (Or maybe I missed it if he did). Thanks, N0T 2 |
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Post by N0T 2 on Nov 21, 2014 6:31:37 GMT
The idea of an ad for Nu Isis Lodge in Prediction magazine during that period is simply too awesome to ignore.
I am posting this here to remind myself to find a relevant copy of said periodical, and to encourage others to beat me to it if possible.
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