Darkly Splendid Abodes
Episodes
Workshop: Thelemic Karma
20 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Karma is commonly described as the results of one’s actions in one form or another, and often gets thought of as a cosmic justice system. But how is...
Deep Dip, The Gospel According to St. Bernard Shaw
06 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
‘The Gospel According to St. Bernard Shaw’ is Crowley’s exhaustive response to Bernard Shaw’s preface to his play, Androcles and the Lion. Bot...
Purifying & Consecrating, with Edward Mason
22 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Plenty of emphasis gets placed on the importance of Banishing Rituals, especially as part of a greater overall Magical Ceremony. But not as much is sa...
Deep Dip: Liber LXV The Book of the Heart Girt with a Serpent, chapter IV
08 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Liber Cordis Cincti Serpente, or The Book of the Heart Girt with a Serpent, is an inspired text written by Aleister Crowley that recounts the experien...
Luciferianism, with Jeremy Crow
18 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Jeremy Crow is a longtime proponent and practitioner of Luciferianism, and his Novus Ordo Luciferi and Flambeau Noir initiatives have helped promote t...
Spinning Stories: Twin Peaks, Fire Walk With Me & Season 1
04 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When tales tap into the subconscious, their themes can transcend the arbitrary boundaries set by the rational mind. Michael and I will delve into the ...
Liber Resh vel Helios, with Edward Mason
20 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Liber Resh vel Helios is a Thelemic ritual adoration of the Sun. Performed at the four stations of dawn, midday, sunset and midnight, it is used as a ...
Deep Dip: Nietzsche's 'History of Morals' (from Beyond Good & Evil)
06 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Crowley considered Friedrich Nietzsche a prophet and forerunner of Thelema, and Nietzsche looms large at a critical point of transition for Western ph...
Deep Dip: Crowley's Yoga, Abuldiz, & the 'Frothy Sexy Summer Reading List'
03 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is Crowley’s approach to Yoga still relevant? And who was Crowley’s Yoga teacher? Did famed comedy film director Preston Sturges’ mother dictate...
The 3 Orders of A∴A∴, with Edward Mason
19 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Magical & Mystical System developed by Aleister Crowley and George Cecil Jones, commonly denoted as the A∴A∴, consists of Eleven Grades or...
Deep Dip: The Formula of I.A.O.
05 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Magical Formula of I.A.O. first occurs in the Adeptus Minor Initiation of the Golden Dawn, during the Analysis of the Keyword. This evolving Formu...
Lilith, with Annie Matan
22 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Annie Matan is an ordained clergy of a methodology in Judaism that recalls ancient Jewish traditions that honour the sacred feminine. We’ll explore ...
Deep Dip: Hume, 'Of Miracles'
08 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Crowley points to David Hume’s essays as ‘the Classic of Academic Scepticism.’ Having previously dipped into Hume, we’ll now move our attenti...
Philosophy of Thelema Workshop
22 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In December of 2024 e.v. I gave the first of a series of talks on the Thelemic philosophy. I focused on some of the core concepts and practices I feel...
Deep Dip: The Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster
08 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster as collated by W. Wynn Westcott are a highly influential, and yet fairly obscure, set of pithy phrases. Gathered fro...
The Physical Body, with Edward Mason
18 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The study of the Occult, the Qabalah, Meditation and Magick can occasionally lead one to get caught up in intangibles, or maybe too much ‘in their h...
Deep Dip: Liber Aleph
04 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Liber Aleph, the Book of Wisdom or Folly, is addressed by Crowley to his Magical Son, Charles Stansfeld Jones — better known as Frater Achad. It cov...
Holy Books: The Parricidal Pomp of Atheists, from Liber LXV
21 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In ‘The Book of the Heart Girt with a Serpent,’ more commonly known as Liber LXV, many parables abound which are instructive of Thelemic spiritual...
Deep Dip: Pistis Sophia
07 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Crowley calls the Pistis Sophia ‘an admirable introduction to the study of Gnosticism’, and includes it in the Curriculum of A∴A∴. But how doe...
Kenneth Grant & Da'ath pt.2, with Edward Mason
16 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last time, Edward Mason and I discussed the subject of Kenneth Grant and the so-called ‘false Sephirah’ of Da’ath. Rather than coming to a stric...
Deep Dip: Liber O (and our Astral Experiments)
02 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Liber O is a short, quick entry-point to doing Thelemic practices. As concise as it is, we’ll see what we can mine out of it by dipping deeper, and ...
Da'ath, and Kenneth Grant, with Edward Mason
19 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The so-called false Sephirah on the Tree of Life, called Da’ath, and the Magician and author Kenneth Grant, share something in common: beginners are...
Deep Dip: Notes for an Astral Atlas
05 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Crowley’s short paper, ‘Notes for an Astral Atlas,’ argues for the possibility of contact with non-human intelligences, by way of the Astral Pla...
Lectio Divina, with Edward Mason
21 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Holy Books of Thelema contain poetic passages that can seem at times sublime or obscure, opulent or opaque. While memorization can seal the text o...
Deep Dip: Hume's 'Enquiry Into Human Understanding'
07 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
To quote Crowley: “Hume said that causal connexion was not merely unprovable, but unthinkable; and, in shallower waters still, one cannot assign a t...
The Angel's 'Language,' with Edward Mason
17 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Holy Guardian Angel usually begins to speak with us long before Knowledge & Conversation is attained, but this speech is often fleeting, takin...
Deep Dip: Energized Enthusiasm
03 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In his essay ‘Energized Enthusiasm,’ Crowley posits how the divine creative energy can be tapped into, as a source of power which he calls “geni...
The Infinite Unknown, with Edward Mason (Season Finale)
22 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Book of the Law proclaims: “Also reason is a lie; for there is a factor infinite & unknown”. What is this “infinite & unknown” fac...
Deep Dip: Check-in 3
08 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As we bring Season 3 to a close, Michael and I will once again reflect on our favourite episodes, as well as what we foresee for Season 4, in what’s...
Divination Workshop
18 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Divination can be a means of obtaining guidance from forces beyond oneself. But even if one chooses the psychological model of the Universe, it can su...
Deep Dip: The Dangers of Mysticism
04 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Warnings about the dangers of Magick practice, and the preference for the apparently safer path of Mysticism, were as present in Crowley’s day as an...
Jung's Seven Sermons to the Dead, with Edward Mason
20 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1916 era vulgaris, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung channeled what would become known as The Red Book. The visions captured in this book culminate in t...
Deep Dip: 8 Lectures on Yoga, Part 2 Lecture 1
06 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 8 Lectures on Yoga, Aleister Crowley attempts to pare away the gaudy veneer, and dispel the fog of superstition, that commonly obscures the fundame...
The Adept Self, with Edward Mason
16 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Often Crowley speaks of his different Magical Mottos as though he’s referring to different individual people, from Frater Perdurabo to V.V.V.V.V., e...
Deep Dip: The 3 Schools of Magick
02 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In Magick Without Tears, Aleister Crowley talks about The Three Schools of Magick, which seem to be differing philosophical perspectives on the Univer...
The Secret Chiefs, with Edward Mason
17 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ascended Masters? Discarnate beings? Living people hidden amongst the crowds? Crowley makes frequent reference to the Secret Chiefs, and their purport...
Deep Dip: Liber Samekh
03 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Aleister Crowley took an ancient Rite of Exorcism and repurposed it as an Invocation of one’s Holy Guardian Angel. The resulting small book, Liber S...
Women of the Occult: Patricia Crowther
20 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Patricia Crowther is hailed as one of the mothers of modern Witchcraft. Initiated by Gerald Gardner and taking the Craft Name of “Thelema,” she we...
Deep Dip: The Black Brotherhood (MWT cap.12)
06 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the system of Thelema, the Black Brotherhood and the Left-Hand Path are technical terms with specific connotations. But it’s not uncommon for peo...
Deep Dip Check-in 2, and Season Finale
16 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Michael and I look back at our discussions this season: Crowley’s Introduction to the Book of the Law, Liber Reguli: the Ritual of the Mark of the B...
Liber B vel Magi, with Edward Mason
02 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In around 1906 era vulgaris, Aleister Crowley received a flood of inspired texts that would come to be known as some of the core Holy Books of Thelema...
Deep Dip: Achad's Flipped Tree of Life pt2: Folly?
19 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In our previous conversation we focused on Achad’s appendix to his book QBL, which consisted of unedited diary notes. Part Two of our discussion mov...
More on the Star Sapphire Ritual: Results
05 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is part two of our look at what Crowley called “the real and perfect ritual of the Hexagram.” How does it compare with the Golden Dawn’s or...
Deep Dip: Achad's Flipped Tree of Life pt1: Wisdom?
22 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the appendix to his book on Qabalah, entitled "Q.B.L.", Charles Stansfeld Jones (a.k.a. Frater Achad) laid out the preliminary scheme for flipping ...
The Star Sapphire Ritual, with Edward Mason
08 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Star Sapphire is Aleister Crowley’s spin on the Hexagram Ritual of the Golden Dawn. First appearing in his little book of meditations entitled T...
Women of the Occult: Rosaleen Norton
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rosaleen Norton was an Australian artist who revelled in her public image as the Witch of King’s Cross. But behind this public persona was a deep an...
Deep Dip: pt.2 of Liber 31 by Frater Achad
17 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Book of the Law made the bold claim that there was "one to come" after Aleister Crowley who would "discover the key of it all." When Charles Stans...
The Abyss, pt.2 with Edward Mason
03 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For the Magician who sets out to cross the infamous Abyss, there awaits on the other side either a place in the City of the Pyramids as a Master of th...
Deep Dip: Liber 31 by Frater Achad
20 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Book of the Law made the bold claim that there was "one to come" after Aleister Crowley who would "discover the key of it all." When Charles Stans...
Women of the Occult: Marjorie Cameron
06 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
An artist with a striking visual style who went by her last name, Cameron was known as a witch, a poet, and an actress. But she also saw herself as th...
Deep Dip: Liber V vel Reguli, The Ritual of the Mark of the Beast
22 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Liber V, or Book 5, is a Magick Ritual invoking the energies of the New Aeon, and its appended commentary elucidates Aleister Crowley's method of pier...
The Abyss, pt. 1 with Edward Mason
08 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For the Magician who sets out to cross the infamous Abyss, there awaits on the other side either a place in the City of the Pyramids as a Master of th...
Women of the Occult: Lady Frieda Harris
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Thoth deck is one of the most famous and influential Tarot decks ever put together, and the artist behind its explosively energetic and colourful ...
Deep Dip: Equinox of the Gods, Chapter 7
18 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Aleister Crowley strives to lay out the circumstances surrounding the reception of The Book of the Law in part 4 of Book Four: The Equinox of the Gods...
Women of the Occult: Dion Fortune
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I'm joined by Rosemary Stehlik in this inaugural episode of Women of the Occult, a series where we explore and honor the prominent and influential wom...
The God Horus and the Vision & the Voice, with Edward Mason
04 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Edward Mason and I discuss the complex god-form in The Book of the Law, Heru-ra-ha, and the corresponding Gods Hoor-paar-kraat and Ra-Hoor-Khuit, all ...
Deep Dip: Crowley's Intro to the Book of the Law
18 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Introduction written by Aleister Crowley for the Book of the Law might be described as "Thelema in a nutshell." We'll dive in and attempt to unpac...
More on Color in Magick, with Edward Mason
04 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Edward Mason and I build on our previous discussion on the subject of Color and its use in various Tarot decks and in Magick. We also drift into some ...
Deep Dip Check-in, and Season Finale
21 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Michael and I look back at the texts we've delved into through our Deep Dip discussions so far, and reflect on how we've benefited from this project.A...
Use of Color in Magick, with Edward Mason
07 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Edward Mason joins me to discuss the use of Color in Qabalah, the Tarot, and Magical and Meditation Practices in general.
Deep Dip 5: Jack Parsons Revisited! (Freedom is a Two-edged Sword pt.2)
17 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We revisit the essay by Jack Parsons, delving into the remaining two chapters that we didn't get to last time, and more fully exploring the paper's go...
Parenting/Caregiving a Conflict of Will? pt.1
03 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today my guest and I chat about being in a position of responsibility towards others, whether as a parent, caregiver, etc, and how this relates to the...
Deep Dip 4: 8 Lectures on Yoga: Asana & Pranayama
19 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This time, we dive into one of the lectures in Aleister Crowley's Eight Lectures on Yoga. The first half of the book, 'Yoga for Yahoos,' is based on t...
More on Visualization, with EDWARD MASON
05 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Building on our previous discussion on visualization and mental focus in Magick Ritual, EDWARD MASON and I explore various practical considerations an...
Deep Dip 3: Jack Parsons' Essay, Freedom is a Two-edged Sword
15 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This time, we dive into the essay on Freedom by notorious Thelemite and one of the founding members of the Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL), Jack Par...
Visualization & Mental Focus, with EDWARD MASON
01 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Edward Mason and I discuss the role and importance of Mental Focus and Visualization in Magick and mystical practices.
Deep Dip 2: Liber CL, De Lege Libellum
17 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We take a deep dive into this little book on the Law and its four Rays: Liberty, Love, Life and Light. Essentially Crowley's distillation of the Law o...
Fun with Planetary Crises, with EDWARD MASON
03 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Anxiety about pestilence, war, famine and climate crisis abounds. How does the Book of the Law counsel us? It doesn't give easy answers... and that's ...
Deep Dip 1: The Tao Teh King, Aleister Crowley's Translation vs. James Legge's
20 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the first of our Deep Dip series, where we take a deep dive into a particular book or subject, we examine Crowley's translation of the Tao Teh King...
Mental Health and Initiatory Orders, with EDWARD MASON
06 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In our inaugural episode, I discuss mental health as it pertains to Golden Dawn-style Initiatory Orders with EDWARD MASON, former Warden of the Temple...
Trailer #1 || Darkly Splendid Abodes
31 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. On Friday, August 5th anno Vviii, Episode One of Darkly Splendid Abodes, the official podcast of Tor...