Abraxas is a new independent journal of historical and contemporary occultism. Through its pages will be manifest the voices of working occult experience and the visions of esoteric artists, alongside keen insights of original scholarly research. Abraxas will offer the reader a rich resource of thought-provoking essays, vibrant art and poetic myth from some of the most inspirational thinkers, artists, writers, designers and practitioners working in the international occult community today. Here will be found perceptive articles, narratives of workings, mysterious photography, obscure magical text reprints, strange drawings and resonant lyric. Abraxas aims to be intellectually engaging, critically rigorous and visually inspiring. It will be a unique space where fresh insights emerge to feed the mind, imagination and soul.
Nearly all the material is published for the first time. Here may be found inspiring essays from luminaries within the esoteric community, many of them written especially for the journal. Artists too are well represented, both established masters and emerging talents: a feast for the eyes and soul. Our poets include Allyson Shaw, Zachary Cox and, from beyond the veil, Aleister Crowley, whose evocative verse ‘Babalon’ finally finds itself in print more than sixty years after it was written.
Produced in a large quarto format, with 128 pages printed on high quality paper and richly illustrated in colour and monochrome, we hope Abraxas will offer you a strange mirror through which may be glimpsed the zeitgeist of the global occult community today.
Literary contributions for this inaugural issue include:
The Green Intercessor Tutelary Spirits and the Transmission of Plant-Magic Daniel A. Schulke
Caveat Anonyter! A Study of Flying Ointments and their Plants Sarah Penicka-Smith
Sorceries of the Threshold Transgression into the Between States Anon
The Uncertainty of Illumination Gnosis and Epistemology in Traditional Craft Stuart Inman
Lucifer by Starlight An Interview with Francesco Parisi The Third Eye The Fantastic World of Lobsang Rampa Phil Hine
Transmutations of Good and Evil Alchemy, Witchcraft and the Graal in the Work of Arthur Machen Edward Gauntlett
Skip Witches, Hop Toads Stephen Grasso
A Dream of Witchcraft Turned to Nightmare The Five Witches of Albrecht Durer John Callow