Thursday, December 31, 2015



I have an upcoming podcast interview via SKYPE with Jim Harold on the Paranormal Podcast at the start of the New Year.

Paranormal Podcast with Jim Harold
Podcast Interview-January 5, 2016
Time: 12:00 PM EST

The Paranormal Podcast has been on the air since 2005 and to date, the show has had 12 million downloads on I-tunes. Jim Harold has 20 years of experience in media and he is the author of True Ghost Stories: Jim Harold’s Campfire (Volumes I-IV).

Last month, I gave interviews with three very well-respected radio/podcast shows; two of these interviews are now available for listening or upload at the following links:

(1) Behind the Paranormal with Paul & Ben Eno- Show #614 December 14, 2015 6-7 PM EST 1240 AM.  "H. P. Lovecraft and the Western Occult Tradition” with Prof. John L. Steadman


(2) Dead Air Paranormal Radio with Andrea Perron & George R. Lopez- 9-11 PM EST on December 22, 2015- "A World Awakening Author Spotlight- John L. Steadman"
 

In addition, I have received three very good book reviews in the following publications.  To read these, please click on the links below.

(1) Behutet: A Magazine of Modern Thelemic Magick & Culture.  Issue #59.Reviewer: Frater Neo.


(2) Spirituality Today.  Tuesday, 11/14/2015.


(3) Innsmouth Free Press Blog; Whispers & Speculation Corner, 10/12/15: The Canadian Thanksgiving Edition.  Reviewer: Allen Griffin


JLS

Sunday, December 13, 2015



I have several events in December.

Behind the Paranormal with Paul & Ben Eno
WOON 1240 AM  Boston/Worcester/Providence

Radio Interview-Monday, December 14, 2015
Time: 6:00-7:00 PM EST

Behind the Paranormal has been described as “the most intelligent and informative paranormal talk show anywhere.  The show is currently enjoying its 8th year on the air.

The Wigglian Way Pagan Podcast with Sparrow & Mojo

Radio Interview-Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Time: 7:00 PM EST

The Wigglian Way is one of the longest running pagan podcasts in the US.
Wigglian means “moon-worshipper.” 

Dead Air Paranormal Blog Talk Radio with Andrea Perron & George Lopez

Radio Interview-Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Time: 9:00-11:00 PM EST

Andrea Perron is the author of House of Darkness House of Light, whose paranormal experiences in a Harrisville farmhouse became the inspiration for the recent Hollywood film The Conjuring.

JLS

Tuesday, December 1, 2015



I have several upcoming events for December.

Coyote Wisdom LLC
2432 N. Grand River Avenue
Lansing, Michigan. 48906
(517)323-1707

Book Signing- Saturday, December 5, 2015
Time: 1:00-5:00 PM.

The Coyote Wisdom Bookstore is one of Michigan's premiere New Age bookstores. The store provides a wide variety of books and tools for spiritual growth & transformation.

Behind the Paranormal with Paul & Ben Eno
WOON 1240 AM  Boston/Worcester/Providence

Radio Interview-Monday, December 14, 2015
Time: 6:00-7:00 PM EST

Behind the Paranormal has been described as “the most intelligent and informative paranormal talk show anywhere.  The  show is currently enjoying its 8th year on the air.

JLS


Tuesday, November 17, 2015

I have three upcoming events for November.

Barnes and Noble
DePaul University Loop.
DePaul Center
1 E. Jackson Blvd
Chicago, Illinois
(312)362-8792

Book Signing- Friday, November 13, 2015
Time: 6:00-7:00 PM

Stirring the Cauldron 
Paranormal/ Neopagan Radio Show
Para-X-Radio Network
Host: Marla Brooks

Podcast Interview-  Thursday, November 19, 2015
Time: 9:00-10:00 PM EST

Thelema, NOW!
U. S. Grand Lodge Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O)
Interviewer: Suzanne Torchia

Radio Interview-Friday, November 20, 2015
Time: 9:00-11:00 PM EST

In addition, I have a book signing at the Coyote Wisdom Bookstore next month.

Coyote Wisdom LLC
2432 N. Grand River Avenue
Lansing, Michigan. 48906
(517)323-1707

Signing- Saturday, December 5, 2015
Time: 1:00-5:00 PM.

The Coyote Wisdom Bookstore is one of Michigan's premiere New Age bookstores. The store provides a wide variety of books and tools for spiritual growth & transformation.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015



I have two upcoming book signing events for the last two weeks of October.

Barnes and Noble
4370 Miller Rd.
Flint, Mi. 48507
(810)732-0937



Book Signing- Saturday, October 24, 2015
Time: 1:00-3:00 PM

The Triple Goddess Bookstore
2019 East Michigan Avenue
Lansing, Michigan 48912
(517) 883-3619

Book Signing-  Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Time: 7:00- 8:30 PM

The Triple Goddess Bookstore is Michigan’s oldest New Age bookstore.  The store provides a wide variety of books and tools for spiritual growth & transformation.

Customers can purchase herbs, candles, incense, statuary, essential oils, crystals & jewelry.  The store also offers Tarot readings, Astrology readings, and personalized astrology reports.






Saturday, October 3, 2015



I recently gave an interview to The Occult Detective, "The Whisperer in Darkness: An Interview with the Author of H. P. Lovecraft and the Black Magickal Tradition", on September 25, 2015.

Please check it out; the site is a Halloween lover's delight, cut from the black velvet night and orange, witch-fire light of Hallowmass Eve:

http://www.occultdetective.com

I also gave a  three-part interview to The R'lyeh Tribune, "Lovecraft and Magick: An Interview with John L. Steadman" on September 24, 26 and 28, 2015.  Please check this out as well via the following links:

http://blog-sototh.blogspot.com/2015/09/1-lovecraft-and-magick-interview-with.html
http://blog-sototh.blogspot.com/2015/09/2-lovecraft-and-magick-interview-with.html
http://blog-sototh.blogspot.com/2015/09/3-lovecraft-and-magick-interview-with.html

The R’lyeh Tribune also did a review of my book  on September 5, 2015: "Horror Theory: Lovecraft and Black Magick".  To read or download the review, please visit The R'lyeh Tribune at the following link:



http://blog-sototh.blogspot.com/2015/09/horror-theory-lovecraft-and-black-magick.html


Finally, I wrote a piece: “Lovecraft’s Man or Monster?” for Patheos: Hosting the Conversation for Faith.  This article explores Lovecraft’s views on man and monsters.  Read this article via the link:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/throughthegrapevine/2015/10/lovecrafts-man-or-monster/

JLS

Wednesday, September 9, 2015



My book H. P. LOVECRAFT &THE BLACK MAGICKAL TRADITION was released on September 1, 2015 and is now available in most bookstores throughout the US and the UK.  The book can also be ordered on Amazon, on Barnes & Noble, and on other online sites throughout the country and overseas.  

I have two upcoming events scheduled for September.

[1] Pages Bookshop
19560 Grand River Avenue
Detroit, MI 48223
313-473-7342

Book Signing Event- Saturday, September 26, 2015
Time:  2:00-3:30 PM

The Pages Bookshop is located in a central area of the city of Detroit on Grand River between Outer Drive and Evergreen near North Rosedale Park.  The hours are Mon- Sat 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. & Thursday evening until 8:00 PM.  Contact  Info: pagesbkshop.com  susan@pagesbkshop.com

Pages frequently hosts leading writers in all genres for author visits.

Susan Murphy, the owner and operator of the bookshop, explains succinctly on the store’s website her rationale for operating a bookstore : “I want to share my passion for reading as a way to connect, both to stories and to each other. Even though reading seems to be a solitary activity, it can lead to great conversations between people. My book store will provide a gathering space to share the stories within books.  

[2] The Night Fright Show with Brent Holland

Radio Interview- Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Time: 8:00 – 9:00 PM Eastern Time

The Night Fright Show with host Brent Holland is the voice in the dark for paranormal & conspiracy broadcasting. Night Fright is the number #1 Canadian based radio show of its genre. Contact Info: http://nightfrighshow.blogspot.ca   
https://www.youtube.com/user/nightfrightshow

Brent Holland is a multi award winning music composer for feature films and television having composed for NASA, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, PBS, CBC, SRC, CTV, TVA, TQS, Global, etc. and also in Vietnam, France, Turkey, Great Britain and Europe. His score for the Canadian feature film 21 Brothers, about Canadians in the trenches of World War I, is in the Guinness World Book of Records. Holland has BFA in Music and BFA in Theatre Design (lighting) having worked extensively in this area with Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Rod Stewart, Yes, and many, many more. Holland is currently producing the feature length documentary "Ted Sorensen: The Man Who Saved The World...Really!"

Tuesday, August 11, 2015



H. P. LOVECRAFT &THE BLACK MAGICKAL TRADITION can be PRE-ORDERED now on AMAZON or at BARNES & NOBLE.

AMAZON 
BARNES & NOBLE.

A full description of the book, along with other pertinent information, can be found on my website: www.johnlsteadman.com.

I have six book signing events coming up throughout the Michigan area and in Wisconsin.  All of these are scheduled in October.  I also have a radio interview in September.  These events are listed below in chronological sequence.

The Church of Mabus 
Radio Interview- Friday, September 4, 2015
Time: 7:00 PM Eastern Time

Mabus is an online multimedia conglomerate which focuses on researching and reporting on supernatural, paranormal, and unexplained phenomenon. Operating since 2001, Mabus has evolved from a simple web-community of paranormal and UFO enthusiasts into a multi-site and multi-medium news network.

19560 Grand River Avenue
Detroit, MI 48223
P: 313-473-7342

Book Signing Event- Saturday, September 26, 2015
Time:  2:00-4:00 PM

The Pages Bookshop is located in a central area of the city of Detroit on Grand River between Outer Drive and Evergreen near North Rosedale Park.  The hours are Monday - Saturday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM. & Thursday evening until 8:00 PM.

Pages frequently hosts leading writers in all genres for author visits.

Susan Murphy, the owner and operator of the bookshop, explains succinctly on the store’s website her rationale for operating a bookstore : “I want to share my passion for reading as a way to connect, both to stories and to each other. Even though reading seems to be a solitary activity, it can lead to great conversations between people. My book store will provide a gathering space to share the stories within books.  
 
114 S. Main St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
P: 734-665-2757

Book Signing Event- Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Time:  7:00-8:30 PM

The Crazy Wisdom  Bookstore & Tea Room is located on 114 South Main Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan between Washington & Huron. The store is one of the largest and well-known bookstores in Michigan, established in March, 1982. 

Crazy Wisdom offers 200 book categories, from Acupuncture to Zen, Affirmations to Yoga. They also carry gifts, cards, jewelry, crafts, art, music, incense, ritual Items, candles, aromatherapy, body tools & yoga supplies, reflecting the best selection of merchandise available to nurture Body, Mind and Spirit.In addition, the bookstore also hosts the Crazy Wisdom Tea Room,  a great place to dine, relax, unstress and enjoy a great cup of tea; the Tea Room serves over 100 varieties of tea, coffee and coffee specialty drinks, appetizers, entrees, dips, delectable desserts and treats.

Madison WI 53703
P: (608) 257-7888

Book Signing Event:  Thursday, October 8, 2015
Time: 6:00 -7:30 PM

A Room of One's Own is located in the beautiful city of Madison, Wisconsin near the University of Wisconsin campus.  The Room is an independent, local bookstore that offers a wide selection of current and classic fiction, nonfiction, periodicals, graphic novels, local interest titles, gifts, greeting cards, and t-shirts. The store also has strong children's and young adult, women's studies and LGBT fiction and nonfiction sections. The Room is also proud to be a central part of Madison's women's community and it provides an attractive meeting place, event forum, and safe space for members of this community as well as for visiting authors.

Barnes and Noble Bookstores

Established in 1873 and still thriving, this mainstream bookseller chain boasts almost 600 locations across the US and does brisk online business as well. Ubiquitous and well organized, Barnes & Noble arranges its huge book selection in 22 user-friendly categories, from Art and Architecture to Romance and Travel. The individual stores host seasonal book signings and family-friendly "Storytimes." Most  locations also offer free, complimentary Wi-fi; music; movies; and cafes that serve Starbucks coffee.

Lansing Mall
5132 W. Saginaw Hwy
Lansing MI 48917
P: 517-327-0437
F: 517-327-3989

Book Signing Event- Saturday, October 10, 2015
Time: 1:00 -3:00PM

396 John R Road
Troy, MI 48083
o: (248) 577-5073
f:  (248) 577-5064

Book Signing Event- Saturday, October 17, 2015
Time: 1:00 -3:00PM

4370 Miller Rd.
Flint
, Mi. 48507
o: (810)732-0937
m: (810)732-0704
f: (810)732-1063

Book Signing Event- Saturday, October 24, 2015
Time: 1:00-3:00 PM

(4) Barnes and Noble
DePaul University Loop
DePaul Center
1 E. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604
P: (312) 362-8792

Book Signing Event-Friday, November 13, 2015
Time: 6:00-7:00 PM

JLS

Saturday, July 18, 2015



H. P. LOVECRAFT &THE BLACK MAGICKAL TRADITION can be PRE-ORDERED now on AMAZON or at BARNES &NOBLE.

AMAZON 
BARNES & NOBLE.

A full description of the book, along with other pertinent information, can be found on my website:

www.johnlsteadman.com.

I have some events coming in the autumn which might be of interest.

The Church of Mabus 
Radio Interview- Friday, 9/4/15 7:00 PM Eastern Time

Mabus is an online multimedia conglomerate which focuses on researching and reporting on supernatural, paranormal, and unexplained phenomenon. Operating since 2001, Mabus has evolved from a simple web-community of paranormal and UFO enthusiasts into a multi-site and multi-medium news network. Mabus consists of the Church of Mabus radio show on the Paranormal UFO Radio Network, the quarterly CONTINUUM Magazine, and the Mabus Incarnate online forum.Mabus was conceptualized by Jeffery Pritchett, host of the Church of Mabus radio show and CEO of Mabus.The Mabus goal is threefold: to disseminate quality information regarding unexplained phenomenon by attracting professional and credible ufologists and paranormal researchers; to create a multimedia exchange and archive in the forms of podcasts, print-on-demand magazine, member blogs, vlogs, live interviews, discussion boards, original articles, and syndicated feeds; and to build a web-based community of enlightened individuals who support full disclosure of sightings and experiences.

The Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tea Room.
Book Signing Event- Tuesday, 10/6/15, 7:00-8:30 PM

The Crazy Wisdom  Bookstore & Tea Room is located on 114 South Main Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan between Washington & Huron. The store is one of the largest and well-known bookstores in Michigan, established in March, 1982. Crazy Wisdom offers 200 book categories, from Acupuncture to Zen, Affirmations to Yoga. They also carry gifts, cards, jewelry, crafts, art, music, incense, ritual Items, candles, aromatherapy, body tools & yoga supplies, reflecting the best selection of merchandise available to nurture Body, Mind and Spirit. In addition, the bookstore also hosts the Crazy Wisdom Tea Room,  a great place to dine, relax, unstress and enjoy a great cup of tea; the Tea Room serves over 100 varieties of tea, coffee and coffee specialty drinks, appetizers, entrees, dips, delectable desserts and treats.

A Room of One's Own Bookstore
315 W. Gorham St Madison WI 53703
P: (608) 257-7888

Book Signing Event:  Thursday, October 8, 2015, 6:00 -7:30 PM

A Room of One's Own is located in the beautiful city of Madison, Wisconsin near the University of Wisconsin campus. The Room is an independent, local bookstore that offers a wide selection of current and classic fiction, nonfiction, periodicals, graphic novels, local interest titles, gifts, greeting cards, and t-shirts. The store also has strong children's and young adult, women's studies and LGBT fiction and nonfiction sections.The Room is also proud to be a central part of Madison's women's community and it provides an attractive meeting place, event forum, and safe space for members of this community as well as for visiting authors.

JLS

Tuesday, July 7, 2015



H. P. LOVECRAFT &THE BLACK MAGICKAL TRADITION can be PRE-ORDERED now on AMAZON or at BARNES &NOBLE.
AMAZON 
BARNES & NOBLE.

A full description of the book, along with other pertinent information, can be found on my website:
www.johnlsteadman.com.

I have some events coming in the autumn which might be of interest.

The Church of Mabus 
Radio Interview- Friday, 9/4/15 7:00 PM Eastern Time
The Crazy Wisdom Bookstore & Tea Room.
Book Signing Event- Tuesday, 10/6/15, 7:00-8:30 PM

Continuing my exploration of different issues associated with H. P. Lovecraft, many fans of horror and fantasy fiction find it rather odd that Lovecraft was a self-professed materialist and an atheist.  These readers often wonder why Lovecraft felt inclined to create a pantheon of gods and goddesses since a “real” atheist wouldn’t commonly do such a thing.  After all, atheists are not supposed to believe in gods or goddesses.

It is true, of course, that Lovecraft identified himself as a “mechanistic materialist”, by which he meant that he was a believer in the doctrine that nothing exists apart from matter and that all the facts of existence and experience can be explained in reference to the laws of material substances.  Since spiritual beings such as gods or goddesses are immaterial, Lovecraft denied their existence.  In this sense, he was, at least philosophically, an atheist.  But Lovecraft also acknowledged that humans have an incomplete and limited knowledge of reality and thus, he tended to keep an open mind on the issue of spirituality, accepting the premise that there might be alternate levels of being that “supplement” rather than contradict the laws of material substances. Consequently, Lovecraft was closer in his thinking to agnosticism rather than to pure atheism.

There are two other things that should be considered in this context.  First, Lovecraft’s mechanistic, materialist side represented only one aspect of his complex psyche; another, more important aspect to Lovecraft was his deep, abiding respect for dreams and the dreamscape.  Lovecraft was an avid dreamer all of this life and he was both fascinated and frightened by what he encountered in his dreams. Secondly, Lovecraft had always been drawn to weird themes and weird literature since his earliest childhood days and his fascination with the weird ultimately led him to creative composition. And when he created, elements of both the materialistic and the dreaming aspects of Lovecraft’s psyche were invariably represented in his work.

Thus, Lovecraft didn’t deliberately go about constructing gods and goddesses; his pantheon of entities naturally arose as his writing and dream life intensified.  And, interestingly enough, his extra-terrestrial entities reflect his scientific approach to the cosmos.  In many of the stories and poems, the Great Old Ones are depicted as actual extra-terrestrial entities and not really gods or goddesses at all; they are demythologized, as S. T. Joshi refers to it.  In other stories and poems, when the Great Old Ones are presented as Gods and Goddesses, Lovecraft gives us very sophisticated entities, entities that conform, as much as possible, to descriptions of the Quantum Universe. 

JLS

Friday, June 26, 2015

H. P. LOVECRAFT &THE BLACK MAGICKAL TRADITION can be PRE-ORDERED now on AMAZON or at BARNES &NOBLE.
AMAZON 
BARNES & NOBLE.
A full description of the book, along with other pertinent information, can be found on my website: www.johnlsteadman.com.

I have some events coming in the autumn which might be of interest.

Radio Interview- Friday, 9/4/15 7:00 PM Eastern Time

Mabus is an online multimedia conglomerate which focuses on researching and reporting on supernatural, paranormal, and unexplained phenomenon. Operating since 2001, Mabus has evolved from a simple web-community of paranormal and UFO enthusiasts into a multi-site and multi-medium news network. Mabus consists of the Church of Mabus radio show on the Paranormal UFO Radio Network, the quarterly CONTINUUM Magazine, and the Mabus Incarnate online forum.Mabus was conceptualized by Jeffery Pritchett, host of the Church of Mabus radio show and CEO of Mabus.The Mabus goal is threefold: to disseminate quality information regarding unexplained phenomenon by attracting professional and credible ufologists and paranormal researchers; to create a multimedia exchange and archive in the forms of podcasts, print-on-demand magazine, member blogs, vlogs, live interviews, discussion boards, original articles, and syndicated feeds; and to build a web-based community of enlightened individuals who support full disclosure of sightings and experiences.

Book Signing Event- Tuesday, 10/6/15, 7:00-8:30 PM

The Crazy Wisdom  Bookstore & Tea Room is located on 114 South Main Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan between Washington & Huron.The store is one of the largest and well-known bookstores in Michigan, established in March, 1982.Crazy Wisdom offers 200 book categories, from Acupuncture to Zen, Affirmations to Yoga. They also carry gifts, cards, jewelry, crafts, art, music, incense, ritual Items, candles, aromatherapy, body tools & yoga supplies, reflecting the best selection of merchandise available to nurture Body, Mind and Spirit.In addition, the bookstore also hosts the Crazy Wisdom Tea Room,  a great place to dine, relax, unstress and enjoy a great cup of tea; the Tea Room serves over 100 varieties of tea, coffee and coffee specialty drinks, appetizers, entrees, dips, delectable desserts and treats.
    
JLS

Monday, June 22, 2015


H. P. LOVECRAFT &THE BLACK MAGICKAL TRADITION can be PRE-ORDERED now on AMAZON or at BARNES &NOBLE.
AMAZON 
BARNES & NOBLE.
A full description of the book, along with other pertinent information, can be found on my website: www.johnlsteadman.com.   
JLS

Sunday, June 7, 2015


WELCOME TO MY BLOG!

My first book, H. P. Lovecraft and the Black Magickal Tradition, is to be published on September 1, 2015 by Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC.  A full description of the book, along with other pertinent information, can be found on my website: www.johnlsteadman.com.  

The primary purpose of this blog is to promote my book and to keep potential readers and interested parties aware of my activities in this regard. My publishers and I are in the process of setting up interviews and book reviews; I will post the actual dates of these events, as well as all information about them, as soon as it becomes available. Also, as the publication date draws closer, I am planning an extensive series of author visits at various bookstores throughout Michigan, all of which will likely take place during the autumn months of 2015.The dates of these events will be given here, as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

I have a secondary purpose in writing this blog which is, in many ways, as equally important as the first. I want to indulge myself freely in discussing, elaborating on and clarifying key issues and topics associated with the subject matter in my book. By doing this, I suppose I will be promoting my book as well  in terms of generating discussion and interest (hopefully, at least), but my intent will mainly be to articulate my views, my thoughts, and my insights about H. P. Lovecraft, Lovecraft scholarship and western occultism in general.

Initially, one very important issue is the difference between white magick and black magick. In H. P. Lovecraft and the Black Magickal Tradition, Lovecraft is associated specifically with the practice of black magick, as opposed to white magick.  The term “black magick” has unpleasant connotations in the minds of some readers, who perceive this type of magick as being evil, or at least, morally reprehensible.  Conversely, many readers assume that “white magick” is good magick.  But there isn’t any viable reason why mere colors should be associated with such concepts as good or evil.  Similarly, there isn’t any justification for associating light or darkness with good or evil. Such dichotomies as light and darkness, or white and black, are free from moral imperatives; they can, if the magickal practitioner so desires, represent different routes taken to achieve spiritual or psychological results. Indeed, determining whether or not a person or an action is “evil” depends solely on the person or the action itself when judged in terms of behavior or effects.  Certainly, a black magickian can be described as good if he or she acts ethically, while a white magickian can be considered evil if his or hers actions are harmful to others.  In Chapter 1 of my book, black magick is defined simply as magic performed for the purposes of gaining knowledge and/ or power, as opposed to white magick, which is centered on the goal of spiritual attainment.  In Lovecraft’s works, his view of the magickian is definitely black, but not necessarily evil.  Lovecraft’s magickal practitioners perform their craft either to gain knowledge or power; the fact that some of these practitioners end up becoming evil is largely beside the point.  For example, Joseph Curwen, in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward (1927), performs necromancy to raise the spirits of dead persons; this activity is not inherently evil.  However, Curwen also commits wholesale murder; this, of course, classifies him as an evil man. 

Two prominent magickal practitioners have elaborated on the black/white dichotomy in magick and tried to widen the traditional views of magick by arguing that magickal practice should embrace the whole spectrum of colors.  The late Isaac Bonewits, founder of Ar nDraiocht Fein, the largest neopagain Druid organization in the world, in Real Magic (1993), Chapter Five, “Black Magic, White Magic, and Living Color,” argues that magickal practice can be defined to correspond to the psychic energies fields , or so-called auras, that are presumed to surround the human body. Bonewits’ system of correspondences introduces a variety of different “types” of magick: red magic, orange magic, yellow magic, green magic, blue magic, indigo magic, purple magic, ultraviolet magic (which he further identifies with traditional black magick), and brown magic.  But Bonewits himself rightly admits that magick, in itself, has no color and that his system is merely a series of associational devices.  As we examine the different types, it becomes apparent that such a classification is an unnecessary complication and elaboration, since each type of magick can be placed into the two categories that I identified in the previous paragraph.  Red magic, for example, involves blessings and curses; this is, obviously, magick performed for knowledge or power.  Indigo magic, on the other hand, is performed to control the weather, or to astral travel; again, this is magick performed for knowledge or power.  Blue magic, unlike the others, focuses on religion and spirituality in part, and thus, this type of magick could be interpreted as white magick.  After perusing all of the different types of magic articulated by Bonewits, it quickly becomes clear that such an elaboration is not necessary at all; the black/white dichotomy, as defined previously, is sufficient.

Peter J. Carroll, author of Liber Null & Psychonaut (1987) and Liber Kaos (1992), and Chancellor of Arcanorium College and Past Grandmaster of IOT Pact, posits a similar system in Liber Kaos, Part 2: The Psychonomicon, Chapter 4: Eight Magics.  Here, Carroll raises the issue of auric energy fields, just as Bonewits did, but then he sensibly drops this issue, seeing that auric fields are largely irrelevant to magickal practice, and argues instead that there are eight different types of “magics”, as he calls them, which can be attributed to the seven classical planets, plus Uranus, and which signify emotional states.  Carroll’s list is certainly creative: he gives us octarine magic (an instinctive drive toward magic); black magic (destruction and entropy), blue magic (material wealth); red magic (combat and aggression); yellow magic (changes to the ego or personality; illumination); green magic (love magic); orange magic (wit and intellect); and purple magic (sex magic).  All of these categories, however, can be placed into either the white or black categories and thus, Carroll’s system is, like Bonewits’ system, an unnecessary elaboration.  Yellow magick is clearly white magick, while the other seven colors are focused on black magick, i.e. on power, knowledge, or a combination of the two.

JLS