Analysis, Appreciation and Criticism of the Grimoire Revival in Contemporary Occulture.

The genesis of this article was a comment on the post of a respected sorcerer from the grimoire tradition. The post itself was a meme, poking fun at the tendency of some occultists to fit every occult practice into the framework of Hermetic Kabbalah. I left a light-hearted comment that sparked a conversation about the decline of the Magical Revival.

After realizing that a brief response wouldn't suffice, I decided it was time to clarify a viewpoint I frequently share but seldom elaborate on. Judging from my occasional critical posts and comments on social media, it might seem that I have a low tolerance for the greater Grimoire Revival style of magic. However, in other posts and particularly in my personal life, I actively research and practice within the context of Goetic magic, enjoying discussions about it and allowing it to inform my other works. I also incorporate the ideas of contemporary magicians who have made significant contributions to the field, applying them to my own methods or using them as guides for deeper research. I tend to be inclusive, and my own work aspires to define with more coherency an all-encompassing vision of the Mythical and Non-local realms that intersect our own perspective position.  Doing that while ignoring the historical foundations of the occult itself would be something beyond foolish, but in neglecting any other dimension recognized in any given occult or religious context would be equally foolish.  Each tradition, from those traditions of great historical importance to the individual tradition of every modern magician's unique path, acts as a torch to illuminate a great Mystery that CAN, I now insist, be explored and defined in a semblance of objectiveness.  That goal can only be approached by an honest comprehension gathered from respectful experience in as many perspectives as possible, else it would only be rearticulating armchair speculation.

Rather than accuse me of willing hypocrisy, allow me to provide a more nuanced explanation for my contradictory takes on the Grimoire Revival. It's rarely, if ever, the material itself that triggers my frustration.  You'll hear me embrace it wholly for what it is, and just as often see me highlight its often ignored flaws when it's wielded like a banner of the Truth in support of someone's swelling ego at the expense of other schools of though.  Although the traditional grimoire style isn't my preferred method of magic, and I haven't often achieved remarkable success with its established spells (with a few exceptions, like the Headless Rite), it's not the content that bothers me. What truly concerns me is the prevalence of petty, cynical, and arrogant individuals within this segment of the occult community. Their unfortunate influence affects newer magicians who are still building their understanding of the Art.

While I comprehend the psychology behind revivalists adopting aggressive stances against many modern expressions of occultism and magic—often as a response to the rejection of traditional systems and the literal nature of magic by two specific groups:

A subset of the Western lodge adherents mixed scoffing elitism with a view that all magic was merely psychological symbolism, or as black magic that was folly to engage with. Waite is a key founder in this attitude, along with the entire position of adjacent Theosophy, which itself influenced the second group: New Agers that drained the essence from every authentic practice they could grasp, filled it with air, and commodified it into a vapid, heartless, zombie-eyed "positive thinking manifestation corporate affirmation" paradigm that grew out of both New Thought and, ironically and interestingly, the subculture of channelers and the sketchy entities that began influencing the greater zeitgeist through those people, which had a further genesis in the UFO phenomenon of the 40s and 50s - which is another entire can of worms.

To refrain from further discussing the intriguing undercurrent of that whole connective root structure and its possible authentic (if not malignant) sourcing in actual interaction with unknown spirit beings, let's return to the point -

The original revival in the lodge systems was tainted with insincerity - again, read Waite's book on the Importance of Ceremonial Magic, where he deems the entirety of ancient magic as deluded nonsense or Satanism to be avoided, and then intentionally changed information in later works. Here's the introductive paragraphs to Waite's IoCM, so you can digest both his position, and his inflated writing style:

"THE ordinary fields of psychological inquiry, largely in possession of the pathologist, are fringed by a borderland of occult and dubious experiment into which pathologists may occasionally venture, but it is left for the most part to unchartered explorers. Beyond these fields and this borderland there lies the legendary wonder-world of Theurgy, so called, of Magic and Sorcery, a world of fascination or terror, as the mind which regards it is tempered, but in either case the antithesis of admitted possibility. There all paradoxes seem to obtain actually, contradictions coexist logically, the effect is greater than the cause and the shadow more than the substance. Therein the visible melts into the unseen, the invisible is manifested openly, motion from place to place is accomplished without traversing the intervening distance, matter passes through matter. There two straight lines may enclose a space; space has a fourth dimension, and untrodden fields beyond it; without metaphor and without evasion, the circle is mathematically squared. There life is prolonged, youth renewed, physical immortality secured. There earth becomes gold, and gold earth. There words and wishes possess creative power, thoughts are things, desire realizes its object. There, also, the dead live and the hierarchies of extra-mundane intelligence are within easy communication, and become ministers or tormentors, guides or destroyers, of man. There the Law of Continuity is suspended by the interference of the higher Law of Fantasia. But, unhappily, this domain of enchantment is in all respects comparable to the gold of Faerie, which is presumably its medium of exchange. It cannot withstand daylight, the test of the human eye, or the scale of reason. When these are applied, its paradox becomes an anticlimax, its antithesis ludicrous; its contradictions are without genius; its mathematical marvels end in a verbal quibble; its elixirs fail even as purges; its transmutations do not need exposure at the assayer's hands; its marvel-working words prove barbarous mutilations of dead languages, and are impotent from the moment that they are understood; departed friends, and even planetary intelligences, must not be seized by the skirts, for they are apt to desert their draperies, and these are not like the mantle of Elijah." - A.E. Waite, the Importance of Ceremonial Magic*

Note the perspective of Waite, who seems almost offended by the idea that Magic does magical things, and clearly mocks the entire groundwork of magic itself, as opposed to the biblical paradigm, which he considers legitimate and enduring - ironic, with him being one of the most contemporarily famous members of the Golden Dawn, a group now perceived as one of the prime examples of modern occultism by the greater public. So, with all that considered, when folks like Skinner, Rankine, and JSK began to do their work, they were often rebuffed by the Waite-inspired lodge mystics, modernist neopagans, and other supposed authorities on magic who, clearly, didn't actually practice magic. Mixed with the overwhelming amount of mediocre and often entirely fictional Wiccanry for Suburban Teens*-type books from Barnes & Noble that became the sole accessible material for many people, aside from the works of Anton LaVey and poor Simon. Great antagonism against the dedicated base of people working hard to retranslate and explore the grimoires arrived from various angles, most of whom barely believed in the stuff they wrote book about. Yet, the hard work of those dedicated magicians revealed incredible threads of connection between ancient, nearly forgotten practices to the medieval Grimoire culture to the modern occult landscape - and that connection was incredible valuable, not just to sorcerers, but to historical comprehension of our ancestors overall.

Sometimes, you must adopt a warlike stance to establish yourself when the prevailing culture seems set on ignoring or even actively denying your voice. So, in retaliation, it appears the Revivals adherents also launched a war against... well, many forms of magic that didn't fit into their historical, generally goetic, model. Like the rest of this commentary, this isn't and wasn't an absolute stance - but enough notable people drew swords to make it matter, and with them a great mass of sycophants, themselves only of mediocre capability and experience, edged into the forefront of modern occulture. What these followers lacked in actual originality and skill, they made up for by basking in the social nearness of the new Cool Kids. While the core magicians putting in that effort should be commended for their work, it's obvious that their many digital followers lacked the spine to create and attempt even a simple magical working of their own devising, instead preferring a strict diet of Someone Else's Woo (tm).

So, I understand the psychology of the Revival's attitude, but I find it entirely useless and detrimental despite that understanding. Instead of enjoying a position of respect and community, many Grimoire Revivalists just... became bullies. Even more regrettable, some of the more experienced and respected people in the revival community - those who came to hold the most influential voices, actually became the biggest bullies themselves, not realizing (or, perhaps, feeling justified) that they were turning into the exact kind of individuals that originally rejected the Grimoire traditions in the first place.

Thus, we have a situation where socially popular pseudo-academics control the popular narrative on magic - which is a significant issue when new magicians often build their entire practice foundation on that narrative. The common trend has shifted away from honest inclusiveness to various forms of magic (because magic is fascinating and wonderful and has infinite ways of expressing itself among people) - encompassing subjects from traditional grimoires, folk magic, shamanistic paganism, to the best of weird metascience-exploring-chaos magic, urban sorcery, and the valuable realms to be explored in the (actual) practice and theory of the many lodge-inspired traditions.

However, what we're left with is a new breed of scoffing elitists who essentially confine themselves to a small in-group. They dominate the social media landscape, referencing only each other and each other's work. They attempt to define Magic itself, altering it to mean only the "practical results"-obsessed, grimoire/PGM-related styles they are skilled in. If your lifetime of magical experience follows a different path, they'll dismiss you as a deluded New Ager with an infection of UPG (Unverified Personal Gnosis), and then advise you to read a book of some deceased individual's UPG, written centuries before indoor plumbing was invented during an era when slavery was rampant - and which required you to often have a "virgin boy" (apparently readily available) to communicate with a class of spirits that evidently didn't hold you in high regard.

Their justification? Well, the chaos magicians, the neopagans, and whoever else are delusional clowns - naturally, they use the most misinformed, uninformed, therapy-needing internet examples they can find, while disregarding the extensive work done in those areas, as well as the brilliant figures that emerge with a bit of research into the actual material. Most of these individuals haven't read, tried, or remotely understood the material they reject, regardless of the fact that a practical comprehension of most of these sectors supports and reinforces the others, from post-gnostic avant-garde cybermagic to the PGM, to the strange rabbit hole of UFOnaut channelers with their Paracelsian foundations.

Too Long; Didn't Read (TLDR): Undoubtedly.

In short, when you attempt to control the narrative in this insincere manner, you end up discrediting the genuine efforts of many people. Discussions are stifled, as people anticipate pedantic Grimoirists interrupting and ridiculing anything not referenced in the Verum as Not Real. Consequently, they avoid becoming the next target of bullying on platforms for sharing their beliefs, methods, or experiences with spirits in good faith. People cease sharing, and may even face a crisis of faith in their own abilities that they didn't deserve to experience - not because their experiences lack authenticity, but because someone they've never met can sell more books by using them as an example of "bad magic," while their own work is labeled as "real magic."

The irony is palpable. The realm of Will and Wonder has transformed into just another business, mundane and devoid of essence. Fear not, though - you too can learn some average, intermediate Solomonic ideas or sing along to rewritten Hellenistic hymns for the low, low price of $600 per class, perhaps $1000 if the instructor reveals the great secret of how to control your new demon acquaintance ("You have to be assertive, like taming a horse!")

Now, as I conclude, let's have some fun speculating a Conspiratorial notion - a notion founded on what I've observed throughout the revival and its inherent hostility: The entire foundation of the magical ethos of the revivalists, at least among a vocal segment, implies that ALL POWER AND MAGICAL ABILITY stem from the actions of spirits. You inherently possess little or no power yourself and must rely on agreements and deals with highly unpredictable, capricious, inhuman, and often openly malicious sublunar entities that, by definition, take pleasure in deceiving and manipulating humans.

The New Definition of Real Magic is that You Don't Actually Possess Magic.

It's fascinating that the vehement rejection of other traditions' validity seems primarily directed at those schools which emphasize PERSONAL and INHERENT MAGICAL and SPIRITUAL POWER. You know, those traditions and methods that refine and enhance your own spiritual insight and power, teaching you how to directly cast spells, control forces, and interact with spirits INDEPENDENTLY - aided and guided by genuinely helpful, even caring, spiritual allies who collaborate with you rather than exploiting you.

A whole generation of new magicians might end up believing that the only viable form of magic is essentially relinquishing their own spiritual agency to literal demons, reinforcing a core belief that their personal power doesn't exist in the first place. I, personally, find this situation highly objectionable.

Perhaps (and here's that familiar conspiratorial flavor), if any grand plan existed among the sublunar ranks of airy legions, it might involve a long-term strategy to diminish the one group of human beings that can counteract, control, and even threaten them. The potential of a fully realized and expressed human soul is formidable, and an Initiated and confident individual is a truly formidable entity in the subtle realms. Magicians wield power, far more than most individuals can acknowledge due to the pervasive cultural narrative imposed on us from our earliest days. Ironically, this narrative originated from the Spirits themselves during the inception of nearly every major religion and mystical system, which evolved into global institutions forming the foundation of human identity and self-perception. Their message is consistent: You are feeble. You are flawed. You are sinful. You possess no power. God is powerful. All authority comes from Outside, at the Will of the one Controlling you.

Truly, it's an ingenious deception. The majority of humans never stood a chance. A random spirit entity manifests in a bush to an Egyptian-Hebrew shepherd amidst a midlife crisis, claiming to be the God of his People, and bestows purpose. A few miracles along the way (which may have been caused by Moses himself, but attributed to God), and you have the longest-standing misinformation campaign in human history: Convincing the most powerful incarnate beings on the planet that their finest parts and abilities are both malevolent and nonexistent, while the ones with the "true power" are the very entities they can command using the power they've been coerced into denying!

I can't confirm whether the magical subversion attitude in occulture is new, but it is specific and possibly targeted.

Thankfully, it's bound to fail. Trends are fleeting, and magic - akin to Ian Malcolm's concept of Life - always discovers a path. Our essence is one of evolution and freedom, even in the face of the myriad challenges arrayed against us.

Whether that conspiracy holds any kernel of truth remains uncertain, yet my own insight into the Grimoire Revival often taints my enthusiastic interest in the subject with a lingering sense of alarm, akin to how my instincts react when a dangerous entity approaches or when a person harbors malicious intentions. It's always wise to exercise caution toward any belief or methodology that urges you to relinquish your own power. I'll be clear and saying this, to the end: Generalities are never accurate, and to say my most antagonistic statements apply to all members of the previously discussed groupings is clearly not my intention. There are plenty of kind and moderate individuals that enjoy playing in the entire sandbox, most of whom are advanced or thoughtful enough to recognize the value inherent of many systems, even ones formed from uneven historical foundations. Magic, in itself, is noumenal and liminal, arising within an Intermediate zone between the Real and the Unreal and defined as much by objective powers in nonlocal dimensions as by the imaginations of those that interface with that Liminality through Myth, Epiphany and Mystery. That doesn't suggest that is isn't altogether Actual. It isn't a delusion that exists solely to aid a psychologist in relieving depression or to manifest your best self! (tm). It's both archaic and evolving, a tapestry of power and meaning behind the stories of our lives and art - and a practical way to affect change to your life or the universe around you, and assist in surviving this weird, often challenging world. Conclusion? Be Cool to each other. Relax that cyncism, no matter how justified you feel in holding it. Perhaps, do your own woo, and allow others to experience the joy of discovering theirs without an old fogey forcing their most sincere and powerful experiences into a narrow box.

(*In case you can't digest the overwhelming puffery and archaic affectations of old Arthur, here's the paragraph rewritten in a more edible way: The regular investigations in psychology, mainly led by experts, are surrounded by a fringe area of questionable and occult experiments. Sometimes, these experts might dabble in this mysterious territory, but it's often left to adventurous individuals without formal training. Beyond these familiar zones and the border area, there's a fantastical realm known as Theurgy, Magic, and Sorcery. This place can be both intriguing and terrifying, depending on how you see it. Here, paradoxes seem real, contradictions make sense, effects are greater than their causes, and the intangible has more substance than the tangible. In this realm, what you see can become unseen, the invisible can be made visible, and things can move without crossing the space in between. Even straight lines can enclose an area, space has more dimensions, and there are unexplored regions beyond. This is where life might stretch, youth could be renewed, and physical immortality could be within reach. Here, Earth can turn into gold and vice versa. Words and desires can supposedly work magic, thoughts can manifest, and desires can materialize. It's a place where even the dead could be alive, and cosmic intelligences could communicate and play various roles in human affairs. It's as if the usual rules get suspended by a higher law.

However, unfortunately, this realm of enchantment is pretty much like the fantasy gold you hear about in fairy tales, possibly the currency of this world. It can't stand up to daylight, human scrutiny, or logical thinking. When you subject it to these, its mysteries fall flat, its contradictions become laughable, and its supposed mathematical wonders become just empty talk. Even its promised magic potions fail, its transformations don't need any expert validation, and its supposedly powerful words become nothing more than twisted remnants of dead languages—losing their power once they're understood. Even interactions with departed friends or cosmic intelligences should be approached carefully, because they tend to lose their allure and significance upon closer inspection—unlike the enduring impact of figures like Elijah.)