Carl Abrahamsson's Blog

In my An Art Apart post today, I write about how art changed a hundred years ago as a result of the dissolution of civilization post WW1. And about my wife’s excellent book on the subject – THE CUT IN CREATION:

https://anartapart.substack.com/p/dada-go-go-go

”I wonder where the John Heartfields and Hannah Höchs are today? Or even the Gysins, Burroughses and Ballards? There is surely more fodder than ever to ritually scrutinize? Or perhaps the simulacrum plague fever induced by AI has made everyone complacent and lazy? Prompting ”write a text in the style of a William Burroughs cut-up” or ”create an image in the style of John Heartfield” just isn’t the same thing as actually doing the work, is it? ”Where has all the magic gone?””

#cutups #dada #surrealism #thecutincreation #renderingunconscious #vanessasinclair #anartapart #carlabrahamsson

Back by public demand! Learn about Anton LaVey and his magical system within the Church of Satan:

https://www.morbidanatomy.org/classes/p/into-the-devils-den-and-back-an-introduction-to-the-history-and-magical-system-of-anton-laveys-church-of-satan-with-carl-abrahamsson-begins-november-16

This class—taught by Carl Abrahamsson, author of the book Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan: Infernal Wisdom from the Devil’s Den—will present an introduction to the theory and practice of Anton LaVey’s philosophy and magic. Having founded the Church of Satan in 1966, and written the infamous The Satanic Bible in 1969, LaVey’s mind was filled not only with ancient diableries but also a vast amount of syncretisms stemming from his filtering of contemporary times, as well as the highly subjective and personal kinks and obsessions he explored and integrated.

LaVey’s creative mind composed and codified a brand new kind of occultism he chose to call Satanism. This was not necessarily revolt against the monotheistic dogma of the ages but rather a celebration of a rebellious spirit that has existed in all human cultures and times —one of creativity, passion, anti-hypocrisy, magic, genuine culture, and a healthy sense of egotism.

We will go through LaVey’s history and sources of inspiration, as well as the many forms of magic he wove into the Church of Satan. And go through the impact he has had on popular culture. We will look at the history of Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan, Satanic Magic in theory, and Satanic magic in practice. We will also investigate a ”Satano-Gnosis” for the future.

Please note: After each presentation we will encourage the assembled to participate in a lively discussion and Q & A. Be part of the conversation & fun as you learn!

Four Consecutive Sundays: NOVEMBER 16-DECEMBER 7 2025. Do not miss this very special class!

Carl Abrahamsson is the author of the book Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan: Infernal Wisdom from the Devil’s Den (Inner Traditions, 2022), and the director of the documentary Anton LaVey: Into the Devil’s Den (Trapart Film, 2019). He has also written a number of books on Occultural topics, as well as works of fiction, as well as editing the magico-anthropological journal The Fenris Wolf (1989-present day). He has decades long experience of working with LaVey’s magical system in praxis, and is a Magister of the Church of Satan.

#antonlavey #satanism #churchofsatan #magic #occultism #occulture #morbidanatomy #carlabrahamsson

In today’s WEEKLIES at our Patreon, I write about the term ”artistic practice” and how it’s been conflated with artistic ”work”:

https://www.patreon.com/c/vanessa23carl

”Your own introspections, impressions and expressions are worth more than anything else, because they’re the very foundation of what makes you you. Hone the skills, sharpen the edges, practice until (perceived) perfect – and then keep going, never be fully satisfied, cherish and respect the neurosis, fill the unconscious coffers with more stuff, and let it all percolate and cross-fertilize until the cows fly into space and the roosters yodel at midnight. ”Artistic practice” has become an unfortunate misnomer for ”work.” Of course it’s work, too, but not really in the traditional, causal sense. I believe it to be more of a perennial sketching process; gathering impressions on the go and then possibly evaluating what’s what for possible use.”

#weeklies #artisticpractice #vanessasinclair #carlabrahamsson

Crowley just turned 150! Congratulations, you great beast! To celebrate, here’s Bill Heidrick’s excellent epistemology of Crowley sources:

https://thefenriswolf.substack.com/p/some-crowley-sources

”Before going further, an important point needs to be made. Thelema is not Crowley. Crowley is not Thelema. Some of our readers may have a sole interest in the purely literary side of Crowley’s writings, but many share the Thelemic Religion. For the latter, some of what follows may seem to be skirt blasphemy. I offer the following contention: Whatever is sacred in Liber AL specifically or in Thelema generally is independent of Crowley the man. The earlier influences on Crowley, or earlier appearances of the same words and ideas elsewhere, are not in any way relevant to the sacredness of the text. Why was Crowley chosen to be the prophet of Thelema? A simple answer – he was prepared. Crowley was prepared by exposure to the words, ideas and language necessary to receive Liber AL, just as were the prophets of past time prepared to receive their messages. It doesn’t matter that Crowley probably picked up “Aiwass” from unconscious integration of the shapes of the letters of a Greek word in Eliphas Levi’s The Key of the Mysteries (plate called “Great pentacle from the vision of St. John”, Eq. 1:10, Sup. p. 74) or that “Thelema” as a religion and an Abbey comes from Rabelais’ 16th century satire on monasticism.”

#aleistercrowley #magick #thelema #liberal #thefenriswolf #occulture #carlabrahamsson

Just posted an essay about deceitful art narratives (it’s true!):

https://anartapart.substack.com/p/what-is-truth-anyway

”In literature, the boundary between truth and fiction is constitutionally porous, yet mythomania operates in recognizable ways. Marcel Proust’s transformation of social experience into an architecture of memory produces a record that is exacting about affect and perception while indifferent to strict documentary fidelity. He revises and arranges life into a design that clarifies its inner logic. The result is not a lie but a form of interpretive editing. It demonstrates how literary truth often relies on compositional accuracy rather than factual inventory.”

#anartapart #marcelproust #marktwain #salvadordali #pablopicasso #carlabrahamsson

New project with the mighty War San. We just made this track & video, with more to come. Enjoy!

Photo by Vanessa!

#AgainstTheWallOfSound #MicheldeMontaigne #Aftonlandet #ArtFilm #ExperimentalCinema #PhilosophicalCinema #FrenchHistory #NordicArtists #montaigne #spokenword #poetry #megagolem #warsan #kimwarsen #carlabrahamsson

This just arrived: issue no 2 of the excellent D-Generation magazine. Full color offset printed joy, with a superb comp CD:

https://www.dgenerationmag.com/

My contribution is a conversation with the world’s greatest living artist: Val Denham. And Vanessa is on the CD together with Val & Pete Murphy… There’s just too much good stuff, so please check the link and get your own copy NOW! An amazingly great endeavor by all involved! Very proud to be part of this.

#dgenerationmagazine #genesisporridge #valdenham #topy #occulture #carlabrahamsson

Come learn about magic, occult cinema, TOPY, horror culture, cut-ups, Kenneth Anger and much more at your own favorite online place of higher learning:

https://thefenriswolf.substack.com/t/teachings

The Fenris Wolf journal of occulture and delightenment has been going strong since 1989, and now also howls online at its own Substack. Essays, lectures, classes, reviews and much more (updated every week). Stop wasting time and energy – get right with Fenris!

#thefenriswolf #occulture #carlabrahamsson

I am very excited to be a part of this year’s Occulture Conference in Berlin. The line-up looks stellar and I look forward to meeting old and new friends alike. Check it out and get your ticket here!

Home

My talk this time will focus on the path between two recent books: my magical autobiography Meetings with Remarkable Magicians and the brand new Introduction to Occulture. Going from the occult scene of mid 1980s Stockholm to contemporary processes of occulture and occulturation (for good & bad), with lots of stories, meetings, wisdoms, and hopefully inspiring take-aways.

Seeing what works has always been important to me, and the very ambitious Occulture Conference is like an accumulation of exactly that; not only in terms of attracting individuals who have found their own magical truths and systems, but also in its own right: the conference is an active result of an original need that finds or takes form and then very tangibly affects other people. Sharing experiential and experimental experiences along the way is valuable, and it is deeply integrated in my own tradition and system (which we can call ”Current 23”). That’s why I feel such a strong kinship with this conference & festival. It has the audacity and eloquence to present itself without shame or hesitation, thus removing important perennial wit & wisdom from the strictly occult spheres to the more vibrant occultural ditto.

Concretely taking charge of space & time is important. Esoteric sand castles are no longer really useful or relevant. Pragmatism and eclecticism are the keys to building functional networks and foundations for the future. Less dogmatism and more open-minded experimentation lead on to greater things than denominational and territorial nonsense.

I think that this is especially important to keep in mind now that academia wants to get involved, too. There’s an inherent risk that the academic fetishization of data clothed in structure and their apparently erotically charged empiricism could cloud or mute the signal of both occulturation and occulture itself. Please don’t get me wrong: I think academics should always be welcome to the table – hence my own open attitudes in the editing of The Fenris Wolf, for instance – but it is important to realize that they are the ones needing to be challenged at this point in time and culture, and not necessarily the magical practitioners already on their way and already expressing themselves in a solid & healthy first-hand perspective.

That said, I look forward to going to Berlin and sharing my own past and present first-hand experiences. It’s an integral part of Current 23: to pay back & pay forward.

Vade Ultra!

A declaration of love for Russ Meyer’s epic!

https://anartapart.substack.com/p/faster-pussycat

”“Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” remains a delightful beacon because it successfully embodies the fundamental contradictions of American culture itself: the simultaneous fear and fascination with female power, the love-hate relationship with violence, the complex negotiations between high and low culture. It remains a perfect artifact of its time while somehow transcending it, speaking to each generation in its own language.”

#russmeyer #fasterpussycatkillkill #exploitationcinema #turasatana #johnwaters #thecramps #anartapart #carlabrahamsson