Cagliostro: Autobiograffia Spiritista

by Michael Bertiaux, Carlos Pla (Translator)

Michael Bertiaux is one of the most influential living personalities in western esotericism. Spending all his life in the pursuit of spiritual evolution, his work was first made public in the ’70s in Kenneth Grant’s Cults of the Shadow, which introduced the Chicagoan occultist and his blend of Haiti Voudoo and Gnostic mysticism. At that time the only possible access to his work was through personal contact or by following a four year course in the Monastery of the Seven Rays, one of the many organizations to which he was related. In the ’80s Bertiaux saw published his mammoth tome, The Voudon Gnostic Workbook, which shed a more comprehensive light on his teachings. At the beginning of the new century a tide of interest in him arose, thanks to the Italian translations of Lucky Hoodoo and Cosmic Meditation, the English edition of the latter, the republication of the The Voudon Gnostic Workbook and new works published by Fulgur Press. Bertiaux is recognized as an inspiring author on fundamental themes in the magic and mysticism of the new Millennium. Many see him as a cult figure from which they draw insights, inspiration, and a full comprehension of some deep motives underlining their spiritual evolution.

So it is a pleasure for me to present you his work Autobiograffia Spiritista, a book which many will find weird and obscure but others a true gem of classic mediumistic occultism. Set in the city of Chicago, Cagliostro assumes his form and speaks to the mediums, identifying the common path which leads individuals to spiritual advancement for the benefit of all mankind. Illustrated by the author’s art, this book contains surprises you will discover if you are able to follow the threads, here disseminated by one of the most inclusive human beings in the occult world.

Michael Bertiaux, Autobiograffia Spiritista, edited and produced by Roberto Migliussi, English language, limited edition of 300 copies numbered, size 21cmx14,8cm, 92 pages, illustrated, ISBN 978-88-942129-3-8.

150 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Michael Paul Bertiaux (born January 18, 1935) is an American occultist and Old Catholic Bishop, known for his book Voudon Gnostic Workbook (1988), a 615-page compendium of various occult lessons and research papers spanning the sub-fields of Voodoo, Neo-Pythagoreanism, Thelema and Gnosticism. Long considered by occultists one of the underground classics of 20th century occultism, the book was out of print for many years and fetched increasingly high prices in the antiquarian market before it was reprinted in paperback by Red Wheel/Weiser in 2007. Note that the unique spelling of "voudon" is an innovation of Bertiaux's, (though it is similar to the traditional spelling of vodun). Bertiaux also coined the term vudutronics to refer to his idiosyncratic interpretation of this religion.

Bertiaux was born in Seattle, Washington, on January 18, 1935. His father was a captain in the merchant navy and his mother was a prominent Theosophist. Bertiaux served as an Episcopalian minister in the Seattle area before traveling to Haiti in 1964.

In 1964, Bertiaux traveled to Haiti, where he was initiated into the system of Haitian Voodoo. He settled in Chicago in 1966, where he formed (among other bodies) the Neo-Pythagorean Gnostic Church. Bertiaux's interpretation of Voodoo has been strongly influenced by Martinism, a Francophone version of esoteric Christianity and Masonry which became established in Haiti in the 18th century.
Bertiaux has long been associated with the Ordo Templi Orientis Antiqua, an initiatic gnostic-magical order supposedly founded in 1921 in Haiti by the gnostic patriarch and voudon high-priest Lucien-Francois Jean-Maine.[citation needed] The O.T.O.A. tradition comes from the gnostic voudon, as practiced in secret societies. There a synthesis was developed of European gnostic-hermetic currents, being the heritage of the ancient western initiatic tradition, with the Haitan metaphysics. Inside the O.T.O.A. works the Monastery of the Seven Rays. Both of these organizations cooperate with the gnostic church Ecclesia Gnostica Spiritualis.
La Couleuvre Noire (Cult of the Black Snake) is an independent order founded in 1922, closely cooperating with the O.T.O.A.. It is dedicated to the practice of advanced techniques of gnostic voudon, a powerful system of afro-atlantean magic in its traditional and purest form. Today, Courtney Willis (Tau Ogdoade-Orfeo VIII) is the Hierophant and the Sovereign Grand Master Absolute (SGMA) of the L.C.N. as well as the S.G.M.A. of the O.T.O.A. Michael Bertiaux (Tau Ogdoade-Orfeo IV) is the Grand Conservateur of the L.C.N. and the Hierophant of the O.T.O.A. Bertiaux also heads the Choronzon Club, in his words "his personal magical club" for his personal students and initiates.
For a period Michael Bertiaux was also a secretary of the Theosophical Society until moving to Chicago in 1966, where he trained and qualified as a social worker, a job he remained in for just under forty years. He worked especially with the Chicago Haitian community, now comprising approximately 5,000-15,000 individuals.
Bertiaux's life and occult system are examined in Kenneth Grant's books, Cults of the Shadow (1975), Nightside of Eden (1977), Outside the Circles of Time (1980), and Hecate's Fountain (1993). Grant devotes two entire chapters of Cults of the Shadow to a discussion and analysis of Bertiaux's work in La Couleuvre Noir, as well as a portion of the chapter “Afro-Tantric Tarot of the Kalas."
Bertiaux was also featured in the 1985 book and documentary by Nevill Drury, The Occult Experience.
Bertiaux's magical system is complex, including terms unique to himself, such as the "meon" and "Zoythrian" energies but also drawing on magical extensions of the writings of H.P. Lovecraft and the teachings of Aiwass.
Following his retirement, Bertiaux has focused on his art and writing.

Reviews

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was really excited to hear about this book coming out (especially so soon after Ontolgical Graffiti). While I haven't finished OG yet due to the size and the fact that I feel I need to absorb each seance in it and come to it as it "calls" me, (This method has yielded great results) this book I couldn't put down and had to read all the way through. The directions Michael Bertiaux takes mediumship shows that he continues to take it far from the spirtualism of old and weave it into his creative universe. I will be coming back to this one for further insights too.

[Victor Cirone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is yet another incredible work by Michael Bertiaux which explores the topic of mediumship in great and revealing detail. My favourite passage from the book: "The cult of inner alchemy is the only true form of mental science - because it is based on an induction of the ancient traces and fragments from the remote past - and not a past on Earth - rather a past in widely spaced and elemental worlds - which are beyond all of our imaginings."

[MrHundredand11 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating insight into the modern day dealings of the spirit of a master from a few hundred years ago. I loved it and appreciated the gems it shared. This definitely gave me a whole new way of looking at the modern Memphis-Misraim revivals. The tiny chapters that are basically seance report are deceptively potent.