When Nikki and I wrote The Book of Baphomet we were both intent on exploring (amongst other things) the idea of the imminence of spirit. That’s why the book opens with a re-telling of the story of creation based on the latest scientific ideas. This account, rendered in prose poetry style, was for us the modem mythology of Baphomet; the story of how physics gives rise to chemistry, chemistry to biology and biology to awareness. Where the divine is situated not in an ex nihilo alien dimension, but right here, right now.
The scientific story of creation, as far as we know it in the early 21st century, is truly mind-boggling. A tale easily as vast, complex and dramatic as anything in the narratives of religion. Moreover this scientific story, like Baphomet, is forever incomplete and ramifying as new discoveries, in and through the world, are made.
Space is big.
We can easily retell the scientific story in a way that meets our human need to recognise the sacred, the awesome. “We all have a thirst for wonder. It’s a deeply human quality” in the words of the great Carl Sagan (Peace Be Upon Him).
The Seven Secular Sermons are, for me, the most beautiful way I’ve yet encountered of poetically expressing the awesome truth of reality as science currently describes it. I’ve mentioned the project on this blog before and am enjoying immensely the emergence of each poem (or song, or meditation…the text could be these and many more things) as they are published here.
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to interview Daniel Böttger, the author of the Sermons. At Daniel’s request Nikki Wyrd and I have made this recording of the First Sermon. Find yourself a nice bit of planet to hang out on, and have a listen.
“This meditation’s rhyming verse describes a paradigm of us inside this universe, adrift in space and time.”
As heavy showers and hot bursts of sun turn the green into the gold of high summer here’s a little round up of some of the things the theblogofbaphomet team and our friends are up to at the moment…
In blog news we’re really pleased to have exceeded a quarter of a million page views of the blog itself, and over 3,000 likes on our Facebook page. We’re really pleased that, without using clickbait headlines or click farm antics, we’ve become one of the most popular chaos magic blogs on teh internetz, part of the ‘fourth wave’ of chaos magic (for more of which see below…).
In his professional life, Julian has been doing loads of work with big historical country houses (and hobnobbing with the landed gentry) helping them to develop new ways of engaging their visitors. Perhaps more significantly, Julian has also been the artistic muse of Nicola Claire-Lydon in her painting of Pan. Julian writes: “It’s always a delight and indeed an honour to inspire others. I’ve been fortune to be a model for Victoria Gugenheim, Matt Kaybryn (as Mercury in The Portals of Chaos) and more recently Nicola. Being painted in oils is a really powerful process, especially as Nicola is a close friend and we developed some ideas about the image (notably the way Pan’s horns are represented) together. I’m also especially pleased that Pan is available as a limited edition Giclée print, art card and, most wonderfully, emblazoned on a tea towel. My new mantra is ‘Lint Free, Scratch Free, Absorbent, Hygienic’. 😉 ”
Io Sauce Pan!
Copies of Pan in all his many manifestations are available in the Another Green World gallery, Tintagel, Cornwall, contact details HERE.
Steve Dee continues his spiritual quest following the publication of his first solo work A Gnostic’s Progress – Magic and the Path of Awakening. Following the release of Steve’s heady fusion of Left-hand path queer-witchcraft sorcery, chaos magic and post-Christian (but not post-Christic) Gnosticism Steve was invited for a follow up interview (the first one is HERE) with Miguel Conner. Steve will also appear in a forthcoming interview with Morgana Sythove; check out Wiccan Rede (There’s a review of Chaos Craft there too).
Meanwhile Nikki has been diligently working on various publishing ventures. A Gnostic’s Progress was the second book from Ms Wyrd’s imprintThe Universe Machine. As well as being sub-editor for Psypress UK Journal she has also been honoured to assist with assembling the references, proofing and copyediting the magnum opus of Infinity Foods founder and Chinese medicine man Peter Deadman. The book Live Well, Live Long looks set to become a seminal text on Chinese Traditional Medicine.
Up country (as we say in Devon) various festive fnords have been manifesting at Festival 23. None of the Blog of Baphomet crew were able to attend this year, alas, but Dave Lee and others were there representin’ for Current 23 in what turned out to be a sell-out and, from early reports, a deliciously Discordian event, which will hopefully manifest once again in 2018. Dave has also penned an important essay about the history of chaos magic (we’re currently enjoying the fourth wave of this esoteric approach). We’re hoping to include this in a forthcoming publication written (and illustrated) by current members of The Illuminates of Thanateros. Stay tuned to this channel for updates.
May you be free of The Curse of Greyface. May the Goddess put twinkles in your eyes. May you have the knowledge of a sage, and the wisdom of a child.
There’s more excitement to come this autumn, with several other publications, and plans to develop some public workshops and even a chaos retreat for 2017, plus of course next year will see another Breaking Convention Conference. (And thinking about the power of psychedelics, readers of this blog may enjoy this presentation by Breaking Convention founding member and all round wonderful chap Ben Sessa, entitled Is MDMA psychiatry’s antibiotic?)
Thanks again for engaging with our work and for all the lovely feedback.
The Blog of Baphomet 