Carl Abrahamsson's Blog, page 6

A new An Art Apart film!

Announcing a brand new film in the An Art Apart series: ”Inbetween Frequencies – An Art Apart: Carl Michael von Hausswolff.”

We started shooting this film back in 2013 and have kept working on it since then… And now it’s done! Excellent multi-disciplinary artist Carl Michael von Hausswolff talks about his background, his creative approaches, and what makes him curious. He also talks in depth about major projects like the art collective Radium 226.05 and his ambitious creation together with fellow Swedish artist Leif Elggren: the Kingdoms of Elgaland-Vargaland (KREV). It’s a great and inspiring insight into a multi-creative mind that continues to surprise and stimulate.

Available exclusively at: https://anartapart.substack.com

#carlmichaelvonhausswolff #cmvonhausswolff #krev #elgalandvargaland #anartapart #documentaryfilm #trapartfilm #carlabrahamsson

Source Magic Mentorship

There’s usually a lot of flexibility in how we structure one or more sessions together, but in general I can say it’s a process that allows for you to look at yourself in a new light (or a current problem, or snag, or emotional hurdle). We will look at the issue from different perspectives and see what comes up in terms of paths of possible resolution. I am very much in favor – based on many years of experience – of deep conversations and expressions of potential change through creative endeavors. Although it is theoretically possible to highlight many things in just one session, it’s usually better to process issues over time. I offer an initial 15 minute free consultation so that we can assess together what’s best for you. Usually, a session takes place via Zoom, with or without video (as you wish). Anything that is said during our sessions is of course strictly confidential. If you’d like, I can record our session(s) in order for you to be able to re-listen, but it’s not at all necessary for my work.

Please contact me at: carl AT carlabrahamsson DOT com for more information, or if you have any specific questions.

This week’s treats for you

This week has been great in many ways, and I have added some interesting material to the AN ART APART site:

First, an essay comparing Coralie Fargeat’s excellent film ”The Substance” (2024) with John Frankenheimer’s ”Seconds” (1966). I talked about ”Seconds” at the University of Copenhagen last fall and then realized it’s basically more or less the same film as Fargeat’s contemporary body horror film (and vice versa, of course), and so I lectured about these similarities at the Freud Museum in London late February. Check it out:

https://anartapart.substack.com/p/be-careful-what-you-wish-for

”The quintessentially Faustian deals these people are offered do not come from the archetype of a mocking yet essentially humanity-loving Mephistopheles, but from pure corporate greed hiding behind old parlor tricks and supposedly new formulas to squeeze out the last hysteric pennies of women of all ages while at the same time offering technological gizmo structures for the obsessives in their emasculated self-pity.”

Then there is a deep-diving interview with master artist Vicki Bennett (a.k.a. People Like Us), based on my documentary about her, ”Nothing Can Turn Into a Void” (The documentary is also available at the site):

https://anartapart.substack.com/p/nothing-can-turn-into-a-void

”Nothing is an island. You know, everything is relative, and not only that: everything has relatives, everything has a mother and a father – there is no original, but everything is original – because nothing’s been done before in the same way even if two people do the same thing they are not doing it the same way. So you cannot take away what already happened, you can only add to it. Nothing can turn into a void.”

If you want to watch some good satirical-dystopian films to ease the pain of watching the news, I made a list of ten good ones. If you enjoyed ”Idiocracy” and ”Civil War,” then you’ll find some great films here:

https://anartapart.substack.com/p/need-something-to-watch

I hope you enjoy the material and that you’ll have a great weekend!

A great Joe Coleman interview

I just posted this amazing and previously unpublished Joe Coleman interview:

https://anartapart.substack.com/p/joe-coleman-its-in-the-work-that

”That’s what I do: I find something that speaks to me, and then I go with it and let it tell me its story, but filtered through me with whatever codings there are in my personal history, my family history, my experience with my contemporary understanding of what it’s like to live in this era as compared to that era. All these things then form a portrait, so it’s a different kind of portrait painting; a kind of portrait painting that speaks to religious art.”

#joecoleman #doorwaytojoe #fantagraphics #anartapart #painting #occulture #americana #americanhistory #outsiderart #tomwaits #whitneyward #vanessasinclair #carlabrahamsson

The Anger class is up!

I just posted my four-session class about Kenneth Anger on the Fenris Wolf Substack:

https://thefenriswolf.substack.com/t/teachings

Five and a half hours of Anger chronology, insights, films, Hollywood Babylon, and of course LOTS on Aleister Crowley. My documentary CINEMAGICIAN is also available at the site.

#kennethanger #thelema #aleistercrowley #lucifer #occulture #carlabrahamsson

More Americans: a new photo book

Black and white photographs from American journeys between 1989 and 2012. With his intuitive gaze steering towards the netherworlds of an America that contains equal parts dream and nightmare, Swedish author/photographer Carl Abrahamsson captures a dissolved civilization in stark images: architecture, professionals, homeless, sign languages from bygone days, competition at any cost, saturated emotions, and harsh patterns of a perhaps not so manifest destiny. Working in a tradition of timeless humanist reportage approaches (as formulated by pioneers such as Walker Evans, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Robert Frank), Abrahamsson’s photographic images display the world as it was right there and then, and also leave a retinal residue that (hopefully) still keeps us thinking today.

“Carl’s photographs capture the pathos of America’s crumbling artifice, casting an impartial outsider’s eye on our failed dreams and delusions. Now, as we tumble helplessly into our Trumpian dystopia, these images will perhaps serve as nostalgic icons of a disintegrating paradise, soon to be gone forever.” – Michael Gira

“It’s like when I found my next door neighbor’s photographs of my own house that he had been secretly taking.” – Joe Coleman

“Welcome to the unedited, unfiltered and unveiled world of the promised land. More Americans… Images that tell stories within a story through an eye of awareness and honesty.” – Carl Michael von Hausswolff

”Abrahamsson views the American landscape from a cultural distance, finding unexpected moments of grace in street corners and forgotten spaces. His black and white photographs cut through pretense to capture an America that exists in the space between glitter and rust, hope and hopelessness, lives unfolding in the shadow of fading dreams.” – Sean Bonner

Trapart Books, 2025. 172 pages, hardbound. Available HERE (and at all their national/local sites).

I’m on Rebel Spirit Radio

I’m on Rebel Spirit Radio, talking to Nick Mather about my book Meetings With Remarkable Magicians, and many other things:

Carl Abrahamsson, a multifaceted writer, filmmaker, and philosopher, returns to Rebel Spirit Radio to discuss his latest book, “Meetings with Remarkable Magicians: Life in the Occult Underground.” Carl dives into his personal journey through the magical arts, the significance of individuation, and the philosophical underpinnings of magic. Discover Carl’s interactions with influential figures like Anton LaVey, Kenneth Anger, and Genesis P-Orridge, and gain insights into his innovative concept of the Mega Golem. Carl also shares his thoughts on the interplay between magic and culture, the importance of controlling your own time, and the role of transcendence in modern culture.

I’m on the Spirit Box podcast

I’m on the excellent Spirit Box podcast with the great Darragh Mason, talking about my MEETINGS book and much more:

Watch on YouTube, or listen wherever you listen!

#darraghmason #spiritbox #occulture #innertraditions #meetingswithremarkablemagicians #occulture #carlabrahamsson

Back on Cult of You

I’m back on the excellent CULT OF YOU podcast, talking to Adam Nox about my book MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE MAGICIANS:

”In this podcast episode, Adam Nox interviews Carl Abrahamson, who returns as a guest to discuss his latest book, “Meetings with Remarkable Magicians.” Their conversation delves into Carl’s extensive experiences in the occult world, touching upon various influential figures and organizations he has encountered, including the Temple ov Psychick Youth, the Church of Satan, and the OTO, and personal anecdotes involving notable personalities like Anton LaVey, Genesis P-Orridge and Kenneth Anger. Carl shares insights about his journey through different magical traditions and how art interweaves with mysticism and magic in his life.

Carl reflects on the relationship between creativity and magic, emphasizing the importance of having a clear vision and individuality as a creator in today’s digital age, wherein technology can serve as both a tool for artistic expression and a source of distraction. The discussion touches on the role of film and performance as transformative experiences that can deeply engage audiences, contrasting this with the passive consumption of media prevalent in modern society. Through his interactions with figures like Kenneth Anger, Carl explores how filmmaking can be a magical process, one that is non-narrative and seductive, aiming to invoke deeper responses from the viewer. Overall, the episode captures Carl’s unique perspective on the fusion of art and magic, encouraging listeners to find their personal voice and navigate the complexities of contemporary creativity.”

Get the book HERE:

https://amzn.to/42TKpce

#cultofyou #adamnox #occulture #meetingswithremarkablemagicians #innertraditions #carlabrahamsson

The Sentient Solar Cycle

Introducing: The Sentient Solar Cycle, with author Carl Abrahamsson and psychoanalyst Vanessa Sinclair. Join them for a year long empowering psychic refinement process, with monthly meetings via Zoom. Each 23rd of the month, Carl & Vanessa will shine the light on what’s ahead in the coming month, using astrological concepts, oracular pointers, (twenty)third mind dialogs, guided meditations, and more. After each session there will also be time for Q & A and discussions.

Taking a cue from the monthly regularity and the related accumulation of energy of the sigilizing system of Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth (TOPY, 1981-1991), Carl & Vanessa will focus on monthly assessment in both inner and outer individual spheres, as well as ”meta-programming” intentions for the coming month, and related techniques. It’s about moving a process of determination onwards to a magical formulation that can be private or shared – whatever feels right for you.

Using astrological frameworks and runic oracularity, Carl & Vanessa will part the mythological veil to reveal a regular and creatively inspiring mirror image in which you can make decisions based on a prismatic input previously occult/hidden.

Beginning on March 23 2025, just a few days after the Vernal Equinox, the cycle of twelve monthly meetings begins. With some exceptions, the sessions will basically be divided into one hour talks/conversations, followed by communal focus in meditation, followed by a free discussion/Q & A. Two hours in total. The platform will be Zoom, and video recordings will be made available to everyone who’s signed up for the Sentient Solar Cycle.

How to sign up? By paying $360 via PayPal to: carl AT carlabrahamsson DOT com. A discount method is also available, by signing up for the ”23rd Mind” level at the Patreon of Carl and Vanessa ( www.patreon.com/vanessa23carl ). Being in the 23rd Mind Membership level (and above) gives you automatic access to the Cycle and the recordings (which means a discount of $84 in total).

Why not join Carl Abrahamsson & Vanessa Sinclair in this exciting and inspiring journey together with others of like mind, and revelatory wisdom from the ages? Embrace the synchronistic magic of the ”23rd Mind” and let it guide you to and through a great, creative, and successful year.