Carl Abrahamsson's Blog, page 18
June 12, 2023
Our new book is out there!
Our new book is out there! ”We May Need To Call On Our Cosmic Friends” (Magic Monday, part 2)
https://store.trapart.net/details/00194
How do you integrate magic in your day-to-day life? Swedish author Carl Abrahamsson and American artist and psychoanalyst Vanessa Sinclair have successfully merged their interests in Psychoanalysis, Art and the Occult with their daily routines as a married couple. Every Monday on Patreon, they write about their ideas, theories, practices, experiences, collaborations, successes and perhaps even occasional failures, too. Once a year, their posts are anthologized into books like this one.
Relentlessly rubbing out the boundaries between these interesting fields, Abrahamsson & Sinclair enthusiastically experiment with artistic expression in various media while strengthening agency and success in their occult work. All the while learning about themselves and each other in their quest for deeper insights.
This book contains chapters on magic, mysticism, their relationships with Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, necromancy, the power of exposure and honesty, the cut-ups of William Burroughs and Brion Gysin as a magical technique, pathography, dreams, creativity, the unconscious, the dangers of inertia & entropy, occult documents from the ”Society of Sentience,” inspiration, herbal magic, writing a cut-up novel, meetings with infamous Satanist Anton LaVey, the tarot, keeping a diary, film as magic, glitchcraft, wisdoms of psychoanalysis, pansexuality, intuitive altar-building, initiation & secrecy, yoga, and much more.
In their casual and inspiring style, Abrahamsson & Sinclair intimately share of themselves and their lives so that the readers can cherry-pick morsels of wisdom as they see fit. Included are also over a hundred color images: portraits, photographs, film stills, collages and cut-ups from Abrahamsson & Sinclair’s vast and experimental output.
8,5 x 11”, 220 full color pages, available in paperback and hardbound editions. A special bundle edition consists of a hardbound book, signed by the authors, together with an archival quality print of the cover collage by Vanessa Sinclair, also signed by the authors and limited to 23 numbered copies (size 210 x 297 mm).
If you are interested in this book, you should probably also check out the first volume of the Magic Monday series: ”It’s Magic Monday Every Day of the Week” (2021).
”Vanessa Sinclair is a female William Burroughs for the age of desperation.” – Val Denham, artist
”In marked contrast to the surface level reflections that the psychological model can be prone to, Vanessa Sinclair’s work provides a necessary and significant counterweight. This work gives us a vital and re-energised perspective on how the insights of psychoanalytic thinking, language and artistic expression can have true transformative power…” – Steve Dee, author
”Carl performs magick; he concretises meaning and brings forth revelation into his carefully focused vision.” – Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, artist
”Carl guides a new generation of thinkers into a future that asks what if and gets even more strange, surreal, beautiful, and mystical than one can dream.” – Gabriela Herstik, author of Inner Witch: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Craft and Sacred Sex: The Magick and Path of the Divine Erotic.
”Carl Abrahamsson is not only among today’s leading occult writers and artists, but is, in fact, one of this generation’s most vital public intellectuals. Carl is our magickal Moses hoisting a fiery serpent in the cultural wilderness.” – Mitch Horowitz, PEN Award-winning author of Occult America and Uncertain Places
#magicmonday #trapartbooks #vanessasinclair #carlabrahamsson
June 3, 2023
“Dagfjärilar” är en riktigt god bok!
För alla oss som väntat på uppföljaren till ”Allt var bättre förr men inte länge till” i 23 år…
https://store.trapart.net/details/00193
”Dagfjärilar” innehåller ett femtiotal penséer från ett synnerligen personligt perspektiv, tillika uttryckta med idiomatisk panache. En rejäl kioskvältare med andra ord!
Blurben: ”Tankar formulerade av författaren Carl Abrahamsson under det första pandemiåret, 2020-2021. Själva reflekterandet och formulerandet ledde till ett faktiskt förflyttande från storstad till småstad, från tidsbesatthet till tidlöshet, från grumlighet till klarhet. Små penséer med magisk kraft att förändra en livssituation till det bättre när de träffas i det dolda bakom pärmarna i en och samma bok. Även det till synes flyktiga lämnar spår efter sig – en liten tanke räcker gott och väl för att skapa stor förändring, likt en fjärils vingslag i evigheten och det oändliga.”
”Ovissheten om huruvida någon läser eller inte läser dessa mina penséer är mig lika futil som vissheten om att jag verkligen inte är intresserad av andras. Ska man mötas halvvägs när man egentligen redan är framme, eller stanna kvar i början till dess andra hastat iväg och förbi? Futil är mig även vissheten om denna ovisshet.”
#trapartbooks #carlabrahamsson
May 31, 2023
A new Carl book (in Swedish)
En ny bok med samlade tankar: Dagfjärilar
https://store.trapart.net/details/00193
Eller…
https://www.amazon.se/Dagfjärilar-Carl-Abrahamsson/dp/9198871315
Tankar formulerade av författaren Carl Abrahamsson under det första pandemiåret, 2020-2021. Själva reflekterandet och formulerandet ledde till ett faktiskt förflyttande från storstad till småstad, från tidsbesatthet till tidlöshet, från grumlighet till klarhet. Små penséer med magisk kraft att förändra en livssituation till det bättre när de träffas i det dolda bakom pärmarna i en och samma bok. Även det till synes flyktiga lämnar spår efter sig – en liten tanke räcker gott och väl för att skapa stor förändring, likt en fjärils vingslag i evigheten och det oändliga.
”Ovissheten om huruvida någon läser eller inte läser dessa mina penséer är mig lika futil som vissheten om att jag verkligen inte är intresserad av andras. Ska man mötas halvvägs när man egentligen redan är framme, eller stanna kvar i början till dess andra hastat iväg och förbi? Futil är mig även vissheten om denna ovisshet.”
#carlabrahamsson
A new White Stains comp CD
So it begins… A White Stains re-issue avalanche! First to come is a wonderful compilation on the great label Zoharum: ”Singleminded Dualisms.”
Available as a normal CD or a lovely deluxe option (box w cards with replicas of the original covers, a sticker, pins and a backpack (bag) with the characteristic logo). PRE-ORDER today!
WHITE STAINS came into the minds of many listeners thanks to the regular debut album, recorded together with Psychic TV “Live At Stockholm”. However, the history of this band and its metamorphoses goes back much further. Founded by Carl Abrahamsson, from the beginning it served as a tool for proclaiming manifestos inspired by the works of, among others, Aleister Crowley (White Stains is the title of one of the most important texts of the British magician) and other proponents of free thought. While the issues they raised were invariably focused around the subject of occultism and secret knowledge, in the musical layer the band underwent many metamorphoses: from occult/gothic rock through ambient to experimental electronics. As their style crystallized, Carl and Thomas Tibert renamed White Stains to Cotton Ferox. This publication opens the series of reissues of the Swedish group. It is a collection of all short publications that preceded their debut, recorded in the years 1987-1989 and released in the same time only on vinyl 7″ and 12″ EPs. The whole thing was provided with a proper commentary by Carl Abrahamsson, which is a great introduction to listening to the material, pointing to the context in which the compositions contained therein were created.
#zoharum #whitestains #carlabrahamsson
May 20, 2023
Carl talks about BABALON!
Carl Abrahamsson: ”Babalon: the psychology of supra-sexual transformation.” You can watch this video lecture here:
Author Carl Abrahamsson takes a look at the infamous ”Babalon” concept. Who is she? What is it? Experiencing a quantum leap within Aleister Crowley’s Thelema mythology specifically, Babalon has become a major contemporary force in esoteric and sexual individuation processes. Appropriated by many, Babalon has become a cornerstone of sorts in modern occultism, and one onto which one can project seemingly almost anything that feels right for the projector. But wherein lies the substance?
Abrahamsson traces Babalon’s historical roots via Babylonia, John of Patmos, John Dee & Edward Kelly, Aleister Crowley, Jack Parsons, CF Russell, and others, and looks at how a general cultural Judeo-Christian fear of women, sexuality, and freedom took on crystallized, personalized traits that then in turn transcended their own ostracized positions, and morphed into a latter day naughty magical goddess of sorts.
But it’s important to never forget that no matter how alluring and attractive the contemporary myth-making and its inherent iconography is, Babalon is essentially a magical formula that encourages actively working with transgressive transcendences. Regardless of the gender (or even the sexual aspects of gender) of the practitioner, Babalon is quite simply a force that can be integrated and applied by anyone under any ritual circumstances to ”cause change to occur in conformity with will.” The key is to always rebel contextually, and not slavishly within a given ”cultic” and homogeneous environment; this in order to set the maximum amount of fusion/fission energy free, which can then be integrated and directed as the magician sees fit.
If you would like to read this lecture, it has been published in Carl Abrahamsson’s Reasonances (Scarlet Imprint, 2014):
May 16, 2023
A new video lecture (Sexual Dynamics)
Carl Abrahamsson: ”Sexual-dynamic polarity as a magical formula – Aleister Crowley’s views on gender and transcendence.” You can watch this video lecture here:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/sexualdynamicAuthor Carl Abrahamsson takes a look at the dynamic of polarity in general, and within ritual magic and individuation in particular. Aleister Crowley’s concept of ”Babalon” as a sexually charged agent of change must always be looked at in context. Whatever is rebellious today will be ”old hat” tomorrow. One of the challenges of will-focused movements and philosophies like Crowley’s Thelema is to not become habitually enamored by a symbol or Gestalt that was radical and provocative one hundred years ago, but instead to look to a future that is much more rooted in individual psychologies, needs and contexts; it’s the difference between a religious entrapment of sorts and a healthy, solid encouragement to be truly rebellious in the pursuit of individuation.
”We all exist within individual contexts. Crowley’s Thelema philosophy is about individualism, about an enlightened egoism in which you assume responsibility for your own life and your own choices. All collective processes eventually lead to philosophical and moral stagnation. Unfortunately, it’s in the unenlightened human nature to proceed and advance at the cost of others. What could be easier than to hide behind a group or a collective ideal and become a spokesperson for other basically free individuals without asking for permission first? Regardless if you’re a man or a woman or something else, and no matter what you fight for, I think it’s important to remember that you are only you. That personal sphere in itself is an enormous responsibility.”
If you would like to read this lecture, it has been published in Carl Abrahamsson’s Occulture – The Unseen Forces That Drive Culture Forward (Inner Traditions, 2018):
May 15, 2023
I’m on the Idiot Mystic podcast!
I’m on the Idiot Mystic podcast talking about my book SOURCE MAGIC… What is magic 2023?
#idiotmystic #sourcemagic #occulture #carlabrahamsson
May 10, 2023
A new video lecture (Spare & Pound)
Carl Abrahamsson: ”Spare Me A Pound – An initial look at the Sui Genericism of Austin and Ezra.” You can watch this video lecture here:
Author Carl Abrahamsson takes a look at British artist-occultist Austin Osman Spare (1886-1956) and American modernist poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972), and finds many psychic similarities. Not only were they both creative geniuses and masters at their respective expressions; they also created their own systems of esoteric teachings and self-appointed authority. Were they perhaps afraid of being scrutinized by others, and thereby structured an attitude of ”Sui Genericism” (the amplification of one’s own sense of greatness through systematized interpretation and dissemination)? Abrahamsson argues that they were indeed ”Sui Genericists” and that their work was woven from inside a very protected sphere of proto-creative magical thinking. It’s a fascinating insight into a new perspective; looking at these important creators from a magico-anthropological and psychological angle.
If you would like to read this lecture, it has been published in Carl Abrahamsson’s Source Magic – The Origin of Art, Science and Culture (Inner Traditions, 2023):
May 8, 2023
A new edition of a classic book
Finally! A new and expanded edition of BRION GYSIN: HIS NAME WAS MASTER:
https://store.trapart.net/details/00192
Or:
Painter and author Brion Gysin (1916–86) has become an incredibly influential artist and iconoclast. His development of the “cut-up” technique together with William S. Burroughs has inspired several generations of writers, artists and musicians. Gysin was also a skilled networker and revered expat; together with his friend Paul Bowles, Gysin more or less constructed the post-beatnik romanticism dealing with life, music and magic in Morocco. He was also a protagonist in an international gay culture with inspirational reaches in both America and Europe. Not surprisingly, Gysin has become something of a cult figure.
One of the artists he inspired is Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (1950-2020), who collaborated with both Gysin and Burroughs in the 1970s and 80s, while working with avant garde music/performance projects Throbbing Gristle and C.O.U.M. Transmissions. The Gysin interviews made by P-Orridge have since become part of a New Wave/Industrial Culture mythos. This volume presents them in their entirety alongside three texts about Gysin by P-Orridge, plus additional material by editor Andrew M McKenzie, photographer/filmmaker Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson, and authors Jon Savage, Kathelin Gray, Paul “Bee” Hampshire, and Carl Abrahamsson.
Brion Gysin: His Name Was Master is an exclusive and evocative insight into the mind of a man P-Orridge describes as “a kind of Leonardo da Vinci of the last century,” and a fantastic complement to existing biographies and monographs.
“I wanted this book to be for you, as near as possible, what being there was like for me. Cassettes don’t have the smells, the ambient noise, the creak of a chair, the metronomic counting of his hash pipe gulps, strangely almost no phone interruptions (indicating how times change), Moroccan spices, Moroccan music in the background. Brion’s infectious laughter, his coughing fits. Then there is the serious thoughts, the bitchy remarks, the social gossip, the plans for the evening at La Palace where he had a space reserved for ‘Mister Brion.’ Please be there now. I hope that you feel for a moment or two, or three, that you can picture him, all of us, entranced, spellbound, bewitched by this amazing raconteur. This medium, this wizard, Occultist extraordinaire. Inventor of the dreamachine, still slowly moving towards its day of full recognition, this dearly beloved friend and inspiration. Above all else that: beloved friend.” – Genesis Breyer P-Orridge
Please note: we have made a special ”bundle” available, consisting of one copy of the hardbound edition of the book and one copy of an exquisite print of a classic Gysin portrait. The photo was taken in Basel in 1981 by Swedish-German photographer Ulrich Hillebrand. We have made the print available in an edition of 30 hand-numbered copies, signed by the photographer in verso. Trapart Books aficionados will recognize the image as the cover image of the first edition of BRION GYSIN: HIS NAME WAS MASTER (2017). 210 x 297 mm, archival 300 g paper.
#briongysin #genesisporridge #genesisbreyerporridge #williamsburroughs #cutups #carlabrahamsson
May 7, 2023
Upcoming Morbid Anatomy lecture
I have a new lecture coming up this Sunday! The next installment of our Psychoanalysis, Art & the Occult series at Morbid Anatomy Museum is coming up Sunday, May 14th at 2PM EDT (11AM PDT / 7PM UK / 20 CEST):The Uncanny in Cinema: Ingmar Bergman’s Hour of the Wolf (1968), An Illustrated Online Lecture with Carl Abrahamsson: https://www.morbidanatomy.org/events
Swedish author and filmmaker Carl Abrahamsson presents his reflections on Ingmar Bergman’s masterpiece Hour of the Wolf (1968), situating the film with regard to events in Bergman’s personal life, as well as in the culture and politics of the time more generally. Abrahamsson also discusses the relationship of Hour of the Wolf (1968) to other films created during Bergman’s “decade of deep introspection,” most notably Persona (1966) and Shame (1968). Abrahamsson contemplates recurring uncanny themes in Bergman’s work, having to do with the dynamism and reciprocity of interpersonal relations, identity and consciousness, and how this can veer into neurosis or psychosis. This is reflected in the haunting repetition of statements made by Alma (played by Liv Ullmann), “Isn’t it true that couples who spend so much time together begin to resemble one another … they think alike and even look alike. Why is that?”
This presentation is a chapter in Dr. Sinclair’s new edited collection Psychoanalytic Perspectives on the Films of Ingmar Bergman: From Freud to Lacan and Beyond (Routledge, 2023): https://www.routledge.com/…/Sinclair/p/book/9781032060071
Carl Abrahamsson is a Swedish author, publisher and filmmaker. His books include Source Magic(2023), Codex Nordica (2022), Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan (2022), Different People (2021), The Devil’s Footprint (2020), Occulture (2018), Mother, Have a Safe Trip (2016) and The Fenris Wolf series. His films include Reseduction (2022), My Silent Lips (2019), Lunacy (2017), Sub Umbra Alarum Luna(2016) and the An Art Apart series. His publishing company is Trapart Books, Films and Editions. #ingmarbergman#MorbidAnatomy#carlabrahamsson
