The Cult of the Black Cube

by Arthur Moros

Genres: Occult, Religion, Esoterica, Magick, Philosophy, Spirituality

175 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, gosh, perhaps I went into reading this with incorrect expectations.

The author supposedly was a serious devotee of Saturn for most of his life and died soon after writing the book. Oooh, spooookyyy. OK, why not. That made me expect this to be a grimoire with some unique, interesting personal insights. Maybe even a religious text of sorts.

But mostly it's a report on what Saturn is like (dark, cold, black, frail, Chaos, with a terrifying gaze, malefic etc repeated many, many times) and that Zuhal, Kronos, Saturn, Šani and a couple others are the same guy, because reasons. I didn't quite feel convinced by the argumentation as to why other gods from different cultures that are similar are just similar, but Saturn is definitely the same guy in all the described cultures. Most of the text has references and much of it is quotes from other works. Which is fine, interesting and useful, but that's not what I expected and not what I paid for.

There are a couple of unusual ideas and insights that are mentioned in passing and, if I'm not mistaken, one ritual that is original, not taken from the Picatrix or an ancient Arabic or Indian text. Like, it says a couple of times that Saturn is imprisoned in his xenodimensional prison and sometimes is let out and a true Saturnian will join the cause to set Him free and establish his dominion once again by... letting Him wreak havoc on your life I guess? Moros never goes too deep into THAT actually ORIGINAL (or at least not commonly known) part of the mythology that he obviously finds to be central to the Saturnian path.

You'd expect the chapter "Saturnine Gnosis" would contain some kind of original insights, but no, it's another list of things that Saturn is and what is connected to Him. Has Arthur Moros learned nothing in his YEAAAAARS of devotion or perhaps he's just a fictional guy who "died"? Is that just his style, to be dry and non-personal? Does he want to keep his secrets? Why write a book then, there are a bunch of nice books about Saturn from many viewpoints, all listed in the bibliography of this book.

I honestly despise when people try to write about occult topics in an academic manner. Just because you call yourself "the author" and use references doesn't make the text much more "convincing", it's still a text about mythology, spirituality and magick. The person reading is already convinced enough to hear you out, you don't have to pretend to be supersmart. As long as you don't write elaborate doomsday predictions and have a little self-criticism and critical thinking, and it shows in your text, you're good. It's not the 17th century when the occult has to pretend to be a mainstream science.

I don't find it useful to have a list of rituals and nothing about whether and how they've worked for the person writing them down.
"This rite, as the other one that precedes it, is intended to call on the power of the Saturnine deity for whatever reasons the magician requires."
Gee, thanks. The book is full of impersonal texts like this. Yeah, I could also post somewhere a compilation of rituals with no comment from myself and you would have no idea whether I've tried them, whether they've worked, how to know they've worked, any of the practical and mental aspects.
The book gives you a bunch of information, a bunch of warnings and then it expects you to do what you want with it and experiment. Also, you're actually supposed to find a Saturnian teacher, or you most probably won't even get too far. Oh, well.

It is mentioned in passing, that animal and human sacrifice is not to be frowned upon by the true Saturnian because reasons. Gosh, I've been suddenly impaled by the EDGE!

Don't get me wrong, this book contains so much useful and interesting information about Saturn in the context of culture, symbology, a bit about magick (mostly in passing and not in depth). But it's nothing you couldn't get anywhere else. It won't be of any help if you've already delved deep into all things Saturnian. But it's decidedly better than a lot of Saturn-related edgelord shit that's been published in recent years.

[Mateusz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story instead of a review (with hidden twists):

A man walked into the temple of Saturn and demanded: "Give me all the gold you have". He was slayed, disentrailed, crucified and displayed on view, then quarterdrawned and burned to ash.

Another person, worried by the cruelty, asked the priest: "Why?".

The priest replied: "Because he wanted to have the gold, without dying for it."

The person asked: "Is he in Elysia, after all, you slayed him in most cruel of fashions".

The priest replied: "When dying for things you are not prepared for, your fates are most horrid".

The person asked again: "He wanted to be your acolyte".

The priest replied: "Those who are not entitled to pass the threshold, are shattered against the mortuaries of Saturn's rings".

The person asked one more time: "Why didn't you accept him?"

The priest replied: "To become an emperor and stay an emperor is a difficult task, sustenance of gold depends on continuous propitiation of the lead"

The person replied: "What is the gold?

The priest took his mask off and turned out to be Marcus Aurelius, Aurelion Thrion: "My friend, to join the spheres of gold, you need conquer the malice of humanity, and you passed the ordeal, one head lost and decapitated, another worthy initiate saved, join us!"

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Those who know other publications by Theion also know their care in choice of author and book they want to publish and the in depth approach those volumes take. "The Cult of the Black Cube" is no different, especially if you have read the Sepulcher Societies other volumes like "Underworld" which also feature a broad historical foundation, testimony of a personal approach and practical advice. The now available second edition feature additional introductions by Thomas Vincente ("The Faceless God") and David Beth ("Voudon Gnosis") who both set the material in further perspective, especially the essay by David, sketching an approach to Saturn via the Kosmic Gnosis, his current.

[Y · Rating 2 out of 5]

First half discusses the god Saturn in his variations through cultures. He is described as a god of death, chaos, and darkness. The second half is an how-to guide to make a shrine and perform rituals in your own home.

Wasn’t for me. Came across as kind of hokey.

[Nick Spiess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caution, read at your own risk.

An eye-opening book that will open up a rabbit hole of esoteric symbolism that will change the way in which you see the world entirely.

[Håkan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Clavis Saturni essay by David Beth (not in first edition) is the only part that is worth reading. It takes a very refreshing and anti-transcendental view on the Saturnian kosmic heresy. I would say it does not have much to do at all with the rest of the book by Moros.

[BugNotBugYesBug · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have an intense relationship with this book. There was, during 2017, an intense upwelling of interest in Saturn in the online occultist community. Or at least it seemed so to me. I am nothing if not an edgelord, so naturally my interest was piqued. This review is of the 1st edition

This book is ostensibly, an analysis of the syncretic entity Saturn-Cronus which emerged as an important religious figure after Rome conquered Greece. It is divided into three sections, though the final section, Saturnine Rituals, is more like an abutment to the second. The sections are, as titled:

I Scholarly Materials on Saturn
II Saturnine Gnosis
III Saturnine Rituals

For experienced practitioners, the splitting of sections II and III is an immediate red flag, and one that is unfortunately a warning that should be heeded.

Introduction and Foreword:

The first section, Scholarly Materials is functionally an attempt at a disquisition on Saturn. It is preceded by a short introduction that in turn follows a foreword by Frater U:D of the Fraternitas Saturni, which is a luciferian organization with a neo-emanationist cosmology and a masonic structure. They do a lot of sex magick. While one could, using a more sophisticated approach, justify opening the book by a member of this organization, this is not at all done. There is a small sentence later about it being "Saturnine in character and essence" along with, horrifyingly enough, a shout-out to the Order of Nine Angles- An action I can only describe as both stupid and dangerous- without any real exploration or elaboration.

The introduction includes some personal anecdotes about the character of Saturn and what the author ostensibly gained from working with him. I am not sure the author, as portrayed, ever actually existed. I am fine with this, I am not sure it matters. But it is very silly if so.

Section I: Scholarly Materials

This is divided into sections on Saturn in the Islamic, Classical, and Indian traditions. The section in the Islamic tradition was the one I found most interesting and compelling. It also is chosen to lead for, I think, a particular reason. The lion's share of this section is an analysis of the islamic astrological correspondences of Saturn, which they called Zuhal. The author bolds those correspondences that strike him as particularly relevant and important. Ones that contradict his thesis are ignored. This is, arguably, justifiable when trying to construct a syncretism between this many cultures for practitioners of the occult but I, personally do not find it convincing.

Most frustrating and notable are the author's deliberate choices to ignore all positive aspects associated to the deity. Frankly, if you decide to work with Saturn seriously, you will very rapidly find it to be not only disrespectful, but borderline libelous. Saturn is by no means a gentle god, but the portrayal here is an absurdity.

The books leaned on most heavily in this section are The Picatrix and Nabatean Agriculture. The cited volume, that contains Nabataean Agriculture, The Last Pagans of Iraq is actually a wonderful work. Those interested in the history of religion would do well to give it a look.

The second part, Saturn in the Classical Tradition, is perhaps most revealing of the author's strange goal. It is also badly mislabelled which I will make clear shortly. While the notion of a singular 'Classical era' is obviously a sort of convenient academic fiction used to organize analysis, the author's use of it is nearly unconscionable. In the initial half, which is a discussion of the basic aspects of Saturn-Cronus in classical Greece and Rome, the author glosses over the massively important role of Saturn in Roman culture before the emergence of cristendom to focus almost exclusively on Saturn as the Titan demiurge and the ruler of chaos. This then is used to draw a connection between Saturn-Cronus and the gnostic demiurge that emerged in later eras.

This is the author's true goal and the core of his "saturnian current." A kind of inverted gnosticism, where the prospective adept is to willingly take up arms on behalf of a tyrant demiurge that is a splinter of entropic wrongness embedded in the fabric of our universe which has been shackled by the spiritual forces which govern our world. But he is also, somehow, no enemy of humanity, he is the father of our material cosmos.

Here we see now the point of the work's organization. By opening with a list of correspondences from Islamic astrology, the reader is primed to accept the very dubious move from classical antiquity to gnostic emanationist cosmology and planetary magic. An attempt at justification is made, I assume, by a brief citation of the PGM and a discussion of Saturn as a "magical deity."

The final part of this section is Saturn in the Indian Tradition. This section is extremely short, and mostly a way to draw attention between similarities between Saturn in the Indian and Islamic traditions. Emphasis is, again, upon Saturn as a cold, malevolent spirit, that must be propitiated with offerings. This is partially true. Shani, historically, is merciless with those who draw his ire but also and most importantly is a god of justice, learning, stability, and karma.


Section II: Saturnine Gnosis

For those who have not spent time with occultists(I am most jealous of you, they have brought me a bounty of woe unrivalled) when a practitioner refers to "gnosis" in this context thet mean the body of occult revelations one obtains through a spiritual practice.

This section opens with an aside on discernment, and the value of finding a good teacher. Following that, the consistency of certain correspondences lead the author to declare that we must assume "the saturnine deity" is real. This is silly.

Afterwards, we are treated to what are, in the author's eyes, the most important correspondences. Darkness, Trauma, Chains, Time, Cold, Ancestry, Death, and The Black Cube. Pretty metal tbh. I will confess, it drew me in at the time.

The bit on the Black Cube is very cute. It declares Leviathan from Hellraiser to be a good representation of Saturn. I do not entirely disagree, but it's still very funny to mention in an ostensibly serious work. Thank you Clive Barker for your services to the chaotic, oppressive, ruthless, and alien aspects of the ground of all being. And also the cool BDSM monsters.

This is all followed by the most alarming piece of the book. The part on the Saturnine Path describes a hypothetical Regna Saturnia which the adept is supposed to help presence and establish. A proposed political order in which humanity bends the knee to a sovereign power and serves it. An example of this is a highly oppressive surveillance state. Positive mentions of Saturnine practice are then brought up, including the Order of Nine Angles which is a decentralized fascist cult of accelerationists and Stephen E Flowers who is basically just a nazi. Like he's a nazi. He's a volkisch traditionalist.

The section closes out on the gifts and misfortunes bestowed on those who obtain Saturnine Gnosis and the value of blood in this practice. I do not think this part is wrong. It aligns with my personal experiences reasonably well. At a glance, this happens because those who are drawn to the darker aspects of saturnine practice will naturally be prone to emphasize these things in themselves in sympathy with their object of worship.

Section III is some rituals and closing remarks

Altogether, this book is staggeringly inadequate as an introduction to Saturnian practice. But it does a good job portraying the exciting and dangerous elements of it. It's more of an advertisement to the most annoying people on earth than a serious religious text.

I must say one thing in its defense. The central notion of a Saturnine deity, a powerful force astrologically represented by the planet Saturn that historically manifested as malefic creator deities associated with karma, time, and secrets is actually extremely fertile ground for a very satisfying and robust practice. But the book's limited scope, flawed political and religious agenda, and refusal to seriously engage with more modern techniques that started to emerge in the 70's render it more appropriate as a spark of inspiration than anything else. I have found that while yes, Saturnian practice is harsh, it is most concerned with labor, contemplation, respect, patience, and endurance in the face of a sometimes cruel and alien world. Blood happens as a matter of course-it will be drawn when the situation demands it. And death is simply the cost of living.

Those seriously drawn to Saturn will be better served by building a practice using the following:

The Picatrix
The Last Pagans of Iraq
Saturn: A New Look At an Old Devil
Visual Magick by Jan Fries
Franz Bardon's works on Hermeticism and evocation
Arbatel
1 (one) book on Antinomian practice, read with the role that the Titans playes historically and their relationship to Saturn in mind - I recommend Qabalah, Qliphoth, and Goetic Magic.
Holy Daimon by Frater Acher

[Pieter-Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book isn't revolutionary, but it is elucidating and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to cut to the chase and cut through a lot of the nonsense clogging the internet when it concerns this topic. I'd say the author does an excellent job at balancing the book nicely between a solid and not too exhaustive theoretical breakdown of the Saturnine ( with a short but extremely useful and helpful bibliographical section ), as well as a practical part, which, to be honest, will most likely leave most of its readership kindly refusing the offer. Yet that's the whole point of this deity and its unforgiving nature. Personally, I think if you've taken an interest in the chained cubical crimson god, then the book argues it's obvious you belong to this sort of crowd and it's up to you as to how far you're willing to take this. The book offers a rather extreme example of taking it to the literal end in the final chapter of the book.
The introductory essay written by David Beth, connecting the Saturnine to the ideas of Ludwig Klages, is fantastic. It weaves the content of the book perfectly together with the anti-cosmic gnostic philosophy that all the other publications of Theion share with this one.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the second edition with the forward by Thomas Vincente and the supplemental chapter by David Beth. Both contributions were very interesting, in particular, David Beth's addition of how his Kosmic Gnosis ideas fit into the rest of the book was one of the best explanations I have ever heard from Beth on his Kosmic Gnosis current.

The rest of the book was for the most part a very interesting account of how to think about and work with the old titan Saturn; however, the author tries to make the case that there is a cross-cultural connection of Saturn that can be seen outside of Eurasian context, as far afield as, Tezcatlipoca of the Aztecs and Baron Samedi of Haitian Vodou. The argument and evidence to support such a claim is flimsily presented and not very compelling.

There is an intriguing grimoire at the end for those that want to make Saturn the center of the spiritual practice.

The bulk of the material is a worthwhile read for those interested in Saturn; however, with the book being quite pricy I would be hesitant in recommending it to those with a more casual interest.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical and clear in language, this slim volume is excellent for those who wish to initiate devotion and praxis within the Saturnian Current. Highly recommended.

[Gwyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deeply compelling fetisch, a work that stirs the detritus of the Soul.

[Lydia Chaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was recommended this book by a colleague when I told them about being invited to a Saturnalia gathering - and I was fascinated from the get-go.

[Bigjim46 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really schizo

[Simoo]

Schizo book

[Ferguson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate the demiurge.