Some verses from Vāmanadatta's Svabodhodayamañjarī - 'The Little Bunch of Flowers of the Rising of One's Intimate Awareness' as translated by Raffaele Torella. (1) "In the past, the Masters have taught the means to dissolve [the mind]. Being afraid that this authoritative teaching should decay, I will illustrate it." (2)

Found my way to Aleksandra Wenta's page on academia.dot.edu. Currently reading "Between Fear and Heroism. The Tantric Path to Liberation"
academia.edu/14613574/2015_… This is also a chapter in "Emotions in Indian Thought-Systems" which Aleksandra Wenta co-edited with Purushottama Bilimoria (Routledge, 2015).

Re: The call to read non-occult books. I've done threads before on various non-occult texts which have directly impacted my occult ideas and practices over the years. I thought I'd revisit that, with a bit more context. 1. Some of the formative texts on my occult ideas were those I encountered during my Behavioral Sciences Degree at Huddersfield Polytechnic. 2.

@liminal_warmth Yeah, I could never make my mind up whether Pete was just edgelording or being incredibly cynical in some of the stuff in Liber Null, circulating the clearly batshit stuff you find in a lot of occult books written prior to the late 70s just for a laugh. @liminal_warmth It's very tempting to do that when you write stuff though. Circulate something you absolutely know to be bollocks and see how people respond to it.

Another Sunday in the Horniman Gardens...
Yellow Roses. Sheep relaxing.

Once again, more readings from Dion Fortune's popular work, "Psychic Self Defence." First though, some general observations. DF generally seems to be regarded as one of the great feminist occultists of the 20th century. I confess, from re-reading PSD, I can see little sign of this feminist sensibility being present. #1

Onwards with yet more reading of Dion Fortune's "Psychic Self-Defence". I could give it up at any time you know.

Chapter XI: "The Psychic Element in Mental Disturbance" #1 This is all about the part played by psychic attack in nervous and mental disorders. After the revelations about the "Black Lodges" in the previous chapter, it's very much a change of pace. #2

Here's part two (see thread of 26 August) of my interrogative reading of Dion Fortune's classic "Psychic Self Defence" a work for which the phrase "paranoid reading" seems somehow appropriate (with apologies to Eve Sedgwick). #1 C7: "The pathology of non-human contacts"

DF is now going to explain those forms of life other than ours, which is to say fairies and suchlike, becoz well folklore. No smoke without fire. Must be something in it. #2

Yesterday I did some explorations of Theosophical anxieties around psychic hygiene. Today I'm going to embark on a reading of Dion Fortune's classic "Psychic Self Defence." Brace yourselves... #1 In her Preface, Dion states:

"I am of the opinion that psychic attacks are far commoner than is generally realised, even by occultists themselves. #2

I remember watching The Naked Civil Servant in 1975. I was 15. My parents had gone to bed and I watched it trembling, one hand on the off switch, should they suddenly come in and discover my fascination. So yesterday, I flippantly remarked on my approach to psychic hygiene being the same as Quentin Crisp's attitude to dusting, I knew it would merit further reflection. #1

I've taken the same approach to "psychic hygiene" that Quentin Crisp used for doing the dusting.

https://twitter.com/wintersong/status/1429992977947009095

I think it's safe to say that over the course of the last 25 years or so I have not detected any psychic entity human or otherwise so much as looking at me in a funny way, much less "attacking".

When I worked for Psychic News in the early 90s I found in the archives an interview with Austin Osman Spare from a 1932 issue in which he describes one of his methods for obtaining "results". #1 I did an online search of the University of Manitoba's digital collection of Psychic News and found the article - November 26, 1932: "Artist faces Starvation for Inspired Drawings". A selection from the interview follows. #2

Some thoughts on mantra from the Kulārṇavatantra:

"2. Listen, O Goddess, I shall tell you what you ask me. By merely hearing this [speech] the real nature of a mantra becomes manifest." (this and all following translations by Gudrun Bühnemann). 1. "4. Leaving all [other] recitations aside, one should practice the recitation of a mantra. From care[ful practice] comes success, from carelessness an unfavourable result."

Lands inhabited solely by women are a recurring theme in Indian folklore. In one tale, the Sage Matsyendrānath is cursed by the goddess Pārvartī so that he forgets his asceticism and is enchanted and deluded by the wiles of the women of Kadalī. #FolkloreThursday Some versions of this tale have Matsyendrā voluntarily entering the land of women and becoming the lover of Queen Mainākinī and her 1600 courtesans. Orders come from the Queen and Matsyendra that no men – and particularly no yogis - be allowed into the kingdom.