good-looking - I did wonder
whether their words/ideas
would sound quite so com-
pelling coming from the
fat, plain or elderly. I also
couldn't help thinking that
this type of occult belief rep-
resents a certain kind of mix-
n-match spirituality. We can
access quantities of inform-
ation concerning the cults of
ancient pagan deities, but if
the living traditions of wor-
ship are long since broken,
their context gone and any
surviving evidence frag-
mentary and esoteric, then
the field is open for wishful
reconstruction powered
solely by the needs of the
worshipper and subject to
constant re-designing to meet
these. And, yes, I'm aware
that some people perceive
this as the essential pattern
of all religion, but anything
set up as "alternative" can't
even claim justification by
context (which is, of course, part of its
appeal for many of an esoteric bent).
It was reassuring to wander round
the stalls and find evidence of other,
perhaps cosier, patterns of belief.
Among the sexy, high-powered grim-
oires (and sandwiches) were all the
things I associate with those home-
grown Pagan and Wiccan practices
that seem to fuse concepts of witch-
craft and Druidism with a nostalgic
nature-worship that shades gently into
environmentalism. Assorted objects
made of deer horn and anything that
can be labelled Celtic began to look
comfortingly familiar, but I wonder if
this style of things has become almost
too acceptable to be termed occult?
There's a slippery path of decorative
neo-hippie loveliness that can lead
directly to a realm of fairies, dragons
and cute ceramic unicorns. Occulture
certainly wasn't taking us there, and
two other talks from magical practit-
ioners made me aware that, far from
fuzzy emotional responses, a grasp of
geometry might actually be as valu-
able as geomancy in attaining occult
goals. Jake Stratton-Kent and Stephen
Skinner practise goetic magic, where
by rituals and offerings spirits can be
summoned (demons are evoked, angels
invoked - but don't quote me on that.)
And without obvious cynicism or vis-
ible self-delusion, each was confident
of the efficacy of his method. Stratton-
Kent called this "conjuring" to denote
a bringing together - you don't impose
anything on the beings called forth. In
over 30 years of conjurations, he has
established a remarkably well-mann-
ered rapport, a repertoire of preferred
offerings for each spirit (blood is rarely
requested, wine remains a favourite,
though the more ancient Cthonic enti-
ties prefer barley beer). The perform-
ance of the ritual, the presence of fire
and a welcome with incense constitute
Blood is rarely
ABOVE LEFT:Alkistis
Dimech and Peter
Grey spoke on their
devotion to The Red
Goddess.
ABOVE RIGHT:
requested;
• •
One of the John
Joe Amador death
masks on display
wine remains
to accompany
Nick Reynolds's
fascinating talk.
a favourite
significant basics, as they do in so many
patterns of worship. Stephen Skinner, a
leading force in the publication, correl-
ation and explication of magical texts,
gave an admirably clear talk which
worked as a "new readers start here"
introduction to things goetic but also
discussed fine details for the discern-
ing practitioner. Here was the whole
business of charts, tables, times and
equipment concisely sketched with ref-
erences to usages ancient and modem.
When the jewelled breastplate of the
ancient Hebrew priests is described as
"protection technology", you do start to
re-examine a few premises.
Seductive (and slightly scary) as
were the hands-on speakers, Occulture
did offer other routes of access to
topics centred less on belief than on
intellectual engagement. Dr Dave
Evans, author of The History of Brit-
ish Magic after Crowley, shredded the
pedigree of Amado Crowley, self-styled
illegitimate son of the Great Beast,
with wit and vigour. Sculptor Nick
Reynolds gave a fascinating account
of the history of death masks - ritual,
artistic and commemorative - ending
with brief footage showing a mask
being taken from the recently-executed
body of John Joe Amador in Texas,
2007.Versions of this mask were on
display, and impressive as these are
when viewed as esoteric outsider art,
Reynolds's account also prompted a
direct and powerful response of simple
human sympathy.
It was impossible to get to every-
thing and events I missed included the
(inevitable) showing of Kenneth Anger
films and a talk by lain Sinclair. I hesit-
ated over "Lunch with your D<emon"
which was described as a "hermetically
sealed ritual performance". I'm not a
wuss, but such things can be awfully
opaque to the uninitiated. However it
turned out, rather to my relief, to be an
engaging performance piece from actor
Robert Goodman about the psycho-
geography of Albion, where our inner
d<emons (ancient Greek-style spiritual
selves rather than spawn of Hell)
were invited to develop a magically-
enhanced sense of place by travelling
from the White Cliffs to Hoxton via
just the sort of weird associations of
locality, character and history on which
forteans thrive.
In the evening, there was a "Lunar
Event" atThe Foundry, which promised
to reveal the undeniable capacity
of occult culture to manifest via
performance and cabaret in a pub
atmosphere. Possibly d<emons,or even
demons, were raised, but I never made
it, six hours of intense concentration
having exhausted my energy, psychic
or otherwise. It wasn't the most com-
fortable of days, and knowing rather
more before I arrived would have given
the experience more focus, but by the
time I staggered out blinking into the
evening sunlight I'd absorbed enough
food for thought to keep me chewing
through several <eons. Iii