In association with The College of Thelema of Northern California, Teitan Press has released The Thoth Tarot, Astrology & Other Selected Writings, by Phyllis Seckler (Soror Meral).

The book is edited and introduced by Dr. David Shoemaker, Gregory Peters and Rorac Johnson.

From the book’s description on the publisher’s website:

The Thoth Tarot, Astrology & Other Selected Writings, is edited by three of Phyllis Seckler’s former students: Rorac Johnson, Gregory Peters, and David Shoemaker. It includes a biographical sketch of Phyllis Seckler drawn from her own autobiographical writings, and two of her most important essays: “The Tarot Trumps of Thoth and Psychology” – a detailed analysis of the psychological and magical symbolism of the Trumps of the Thoth deck – and “Thoth Tarot and Astrology,” a significant study of astrology and the natal chart, with special reference to the cards of the Thoth deck. Both of these essays were previously serialized in Seckler’s journal In the Continuum, but they are here presented for the first time in book form, accompanied by redrawn and corrected diagrams.

In addition to the essays the book also contains a selection of important correspondence between Seckler, Aleister Crowley, Karl Germer and Jane Wolfe. These are followed by a transcript of the last major interview conducted with Phyllis Seckler, in which she recounted the details of her introduction to Thelema and involvement with the old Agape Lodge, her subsequent participation in various Thelemic organizations, and her thoughts on developments within the Thelemic world.

It retails for 45$US and is available from Weiser Antiquarian. For the first week – until September 28th, 2010 – the book will be available with free shipping in the US and at a reduced rate for international sales. For more information see Weiser Antiquarian.

First up: a revised and expanded version of Richard Kaczynski‘s Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley has been released by North Atlantic Books with more than a hundred pages of new material.

This new release is good news, especially as the previous edition published by New Falcon currently fetches upwards of 100$US.

Yes, Perdurabo came out in August. This post has actually been in draft mode for ten months, but somehow I managed to miss the actual release date. On the plus side, this means I have additional content to share, such as two podcasts and a lecture!

In episode 8 of the Thelemic podcast Speech in the Silence Richard Kaczynski gives two readings from the new material in Perdurabo. Continue reading »

Brother Curwen, Brother Crowley is the latest title from Teitan Press which features correspondence between Aleister Crowley and David Curwen.

The book is edited, annotated and introduced by Henrik Bogdan. Tony Matthews, David Curwen’s grandson, also provides a biographical foreword.

From the Teitan Press description:

In September 1944, a fifty-one year old Londoner named David Curwen wrote to Aleister Crowley, initiating a correspondence that would last several years. While Curwen approached Crowley with deference, the relationship that evolved between them was a complex one that defied the accepted parameters of the student-teacher nexus. For David Curwen was no newcomer to the study of the occult, and Crowley soon discovered that the flow of knowledge would not be simply one way. In particular Crowley was tantalized by the deep understanding of the principals of tantra that Curwen had acquired during the course of many years study under a mysterious guru.

At Crowley’s urging Curwen joined the O.T.O., but he remained skeptical of many of “the Beast’s” claims, and the two ultimately parted company on strained terms. However, Curwen retained his interest in the occult, and in later life he devoted himself to the study of alchemy, publishing the results of his researches pseudonymously in the book In Pursuit of Gold, a work that many believe to be the most significant study ever published of practical alchemy.

For the first week copies purchased through Weiser Antiquarian will come with a book-plate signed by Bogdan & Matthews and will be shipped free of charge in America or at reduced rate for international customers. For more information on this offer see Weiser Antiquarian.

The book is limited to 777 copies (of course), and retails for 45$US.