45 DuQuette, Tarot of Ceremonial Magick.
46 A phenomenon that often characterizes spirit communication. See chapter 13.
47 Whether or not this is a historical fact, the current structure of a standard deck of tarot cards has nevertheless evolved over the centuries to represent a perfect reflection of basic Qabalistic principles.
48 Considered by many magicians to be the most sacred and powerful of magical unguents, Oil of Abramelin was first mentioned in The Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage, written in 1458 by Abraham the Jew. It is made up primarily of pure cinnamon oil, olive oil, and small amounts of oil of myrrh and galangal.
49 When you think about it, what more personal, practical, and sacred magical vessel is there for a coffee drinker?
50 See chapter 13 and appendix 2.
51 My magical motto is “Adeo Sat Bene.” It is Latin for “So far, so good.”
52 But I have written a very nice introduction to the subject that I am not shy about urging you to read. Enochian Vision Magick—An Introduction and Practical Guide to the Magick of Dr. John Dee & Edward Kelley (York Beach, ME: Weiser Books, 2008).
53 Or in many standard decks, the fire, water, air, and earth Court Cards are King, Queen, Knight, and Page.
54 The twenty-two cards of the greater arcana are associated with the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and are often referred to as the “Trumps.” They are the cards most people think of when they hear the term “tarot cards.” In the Tarot of Ceremonial Magick they are numbered 0–21 in the following order: Fool, Magus, High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Adjustment, Hermit, Fortune, Lust, Hanged Man, Death, Art, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Aeon, Universe.
55 The fifty-six cards of the lesser arcana are divided into the four elemental suits: Wands/Fire; Cups/Water; Swords/Air; Disks/Earth. The Ace of each suit is, as it were, the master card of the suit; the four Court Cards (Knight, Queen, Prince, and Princess) and nine Small Cards (2–10) all “living” inside the Ace. A complete pack of tarot cards contains: Twenty-two trumps; four Aces: sixteen Court Cards; and thirty-six Small Cards.
56 Aleister Crowley, 777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley, revised edition (York Beach, ME: Red Wheel/Weiser Books., 1986).
seven
A Midsummer Night’s Curse
Lord, what fools these mortals be!
Shakespeare57
Curses. Now here’s a subject for a discussion of low magick!
Do curses work? Have you ever been cursed? I mean really cursed—cursed by someone who believes they know what they’re doing and makes no secret of the fact that they’ve put a curse on you; someone who stands ready to delight in news of your misery and adversities and hungrily take upon themselves karmic responsibility for your every misfortune? Even if you do not believe in the power of curses, it’s very unsettling to think that someone out there fears or despises you so much they profess to willfully project a current of malice toward you in a poisonous ray of concentrated hate.
That’s why, in a way, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a believer in curses or not. If somebody has cursed you and you learn about it, and you feel uncomfortable about it, then the curse is at least already partially working. How would you handle something like that? How would you go about neutralizing a curse without being dragged deeper into the mad, toxic world of the curser?
This is a story of a misunderstanding, a curse, and an improvised magical operation designed to neutralize the curse. The misunderstanding was between two very dear friends of our family, both of whom are/were practicing magicians. One is a prominent foreign filmmaker (I’ll call him F.F.); the other, at the time, a struggling artist and writer (whom I’ll call S.A.). One is still living; the other is now sadly deceased. To respect the privacy and memories of both living and dead, I will not reveal their identities other than to say it is likely that both their names would be recognizable to at least a few of you who are reading these words.
S.A. was a huge fan of the work of F.F., and in the autumn of 1981 he convinced me and several other adventurous lodge brothers to travel to upstate New York to attend a film festival where F.F. was to speak and exhibit several of his films. After the event, S.A. and I had an opportunity to have drinks with F.F. and talk at some length. All three of us were students of magick in general, and the magick of Aleister Crowley in particular, so we hit it off like kindred souls. Before we parted, I gave F.F. my phone number and encouraged him to call me the next time he was in the Los Angeles area, adding that he was more than welcome to stay with the DuQuettes while he was in the neighborhood. I never dreamed he would take me up on the offer.
About a week later, I received a call from F.F., who said he was still in the country and staying with a friend in San Diego. He told me that in two days he was scheduled to visit Catalina Island, but, if my offer of hospitality was still open, he would be happy to come stay with us until then. He even offered to bring a copy of his newest film and screen it at our home for our lodge members. It was an outrageously kind and thoughtful offer that I immediately accepted.
Naturally, S.A. was beside himself with excitement and was one of the first to arrive for movie night. Another of our lodge members went to the mall and purchased every copy of one of F.F.’s
