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David19
November 25th, 2006, 03:28 PM
I thought i'd start a thread to see who your favourite occultists are, they can be ancient (as in from 'pagan' times), old (Medevial, Renaissance, etc), modern (probably from 1900s - today), or whoever, as i think it would be interesting to see who people admire or respect.

I'm not that experienced in magic, but some of my favourite occultists so far that i've read are Dion Fortune, i've got her books The Mystical Qabalah and Psychic Self-Defence of PDF download, and i think they're great, and she seems to know her stuff, unfortunely, she does seem a bit racist at times (e.g. i think she sees the 'white race' as better, etc), but i think this is due to the time period (and many occultists and magic users of the same time period were like that, e.g. Crowley was radical in many ways (having sex with guys, etc), yet was also an extreme anti-Semitie, Gardner probably had some racism (or maybe homophobia?) too (just a guess considering his age and the period he lived, etc), and i don't like her treating gods as archetypes but aside from that, she seems very cool.

Peter Carroll(sp?) who wrote Liber Null and Psychonaught(sp? i hope i've spelt that right) also seems very cool, and i like his book Liber Null (again, i've got it as a PDF download).

There's a lot of Golden Dawn writers that i really like the sound of, and i'd like to read too.

And recently, i like what i've read so far of Iamblichus, an ancient Neo-Platonist(sp?), who wrote 'On the Egyptian Mysteries' or 'The Egyptian Mysteries' (i think one of those is the title?), and 'On Daemons' (again, can't remember if that's the actual title).

He seems like a very cool person, who knew his stuff, and i'd like to learn more about him (as well as if Neo-Platonism is compatible with 'hard' polytheism).

And, i can't think of anymore, there probably are others i like, and i'll add them if i remember them, but there's also a few Jewish Kabalah (which aren't the Kabalah Centre of the U.S. celebrities) books i want to get, and i'd like to get the 'Greek Magical Papyri', as i think it sounds interesting.

But, anyway, what occultists do you like, admire or have influenced you in your practices and/or beliefs, even religion?.

Thanks.

BTW, i would have made a poll, but there's just so many, that it would've gone on forever!.

mtpathy
November 25th, 2006, 08:11 PM
Yup at thanksgiving over at my wifes families house i played spacemen with all the kids; every couch and chair was mountain peeks and hills and the carpet was lava where all the monsters lived and tried to eat us all up.
Children with such wonderful imaginations, they helped me go to another world that was full of adventure and excitment, where everyday objects can become a vehicle for the mind to explore.
I think the greatest thing about this though is when one simply asks the child how they do it, they look at you with a blank stare but can't give you a answer.

Infinite Grey
November 26th, 2006, 09:51 AM
(Dr.) John Dee (1527-1608) and Johannes Trithemius (1462-1516) are my favourites.

Prophecy
November 26th, 2006, 10:23 AM
it would have to be Idries Shaw. Credited for translating numerous works of old scrolls and texts left by "sorcerers." I have a copy of his work here that noone sees. It is very old out of print and the pages are falling out some are even crumbling. So that's why noone gets to see it now. Except me :hahugh:

Amelserru_halqu
November 26th, 2006, 09:57 PM
Aliester Crowley, Dion Fortune, Peter Carrol.

Simply Puzzled
November 27th, 2006, 05:29 PM
Gardner probably had some racism (or maybe homophobia?) too.

Gardner spent over half his life planting as a civil servant in Asian British colonies. He seems to have carried away a deep and profound respect for the people who inhabited the regions and studied them as an amateur anthropologists. He was incredibly enlightened by modern standards.

As for homophobia, well, I am unaware of any anti-GLBT writings or practices on his part. He was a member of a fertility cult that focuses on the male/female polarity, but that doesn't make him homophobic.

David19
November 27th, 2006, 05:39 PM
Gardner spent over half his life planting as a civil servant in Asian British colonies. He seems to have carried away a deep and profound respect for the people who inhabited the regions and studied them as an amateur anthropologists. He was incredibly enlightened by modern standards.

As for homophobia, well, I am unaware of any anti-GLBT writings or practices on his part. He was a member of a fertility cult that focuses on the male/female polarity, but that doesn't make him homophobic.

Thanks, i didn't mean to insult Gardner or his memory (or Wicca), but i thought that the majority of people in that time period (e.g. 30s, 40s, etc) would have been somewhat racist in attitudes.

It wasn't based on anything i read about Gardner, just a presumption from what i know about the time period.

Thanks again and sorry if i insulted Gardner :).

~Owl~
November 27th, 2006, 06:15 PM
Well, I may be off track here, but I don't "worship, or revere" any person, be they occultist or not. We are ALL occultists.
I know...nobody said that. Just let me have my say.

Now before you start plucking my feathers out, I'm just saying that the title just rubs me the wrong way.

I was influenced by Starhawk, Doreen Valiente (highly), some Gardner, Sybil Leek, and a few others.

These are AUTHORS as well as occultists. My opinion of Crowley?Never mind. Enough said.

covenofkeys
November 27th, 2006, 06:20 PM
D.Valiente was wonderful! lol well yep Crowleys book of magick was um...interesting however! lol

Knate
November 28th, 2006, 02:45 PM
Israel Regardie.

Top of my list.

:hahugh:

Simply Puzzled
November 28th, 2006, 03:49 PM
Well, I may be off track here, but I don't "worship, or revere" any person, be they occultist or not. We are ALL occultists.

Isaac Newton once said "If I have seen farther than others, it is only because I have stood on the backs of giants."

I could never have invented the Tarot deck on my own, and my particular method absolutely requires the energy that has been built into it from centuries of use. That's just one example, but it's important to remember that we are all standing on the backs of giants, and it's good to look down every once in a while and remember who those giants were.

(btw, I didn't take it as an insult to Gardner, just clarifying)

Jeremy Westenn
December 4th, 2006, 01:00 AM
Scott Cunningham rocks. He opened the door for everyone here.

MorningDove030202
December 4th, 2006, 02:42 AM
Ok, this is a cheezy answere, but it's true...

...my favorite occultist would be my trad's elder, Ivo Dominguez Jr. He kicks butt and lives 30 minutes north of me. Yes, he's a Wiccan Occultist, Kabalist, Cerimonal Magician, Water Pourer/Fire Tender and knows his ways with medicinal herbs as well....

....all in all, a great guy to learn from....

Dove