My Books
Things That Go Thud on the Table
Infernal Geometry and the Left-Hand Path (Inner Traditions, 2019) provides an in-depth look at the history and practice of angular magic in the early Church of Satan (1966-1975) and the Temple of Set (1975-present). While the roots of angular magic are deeply embedded in the human perceptual apparatus, the overt appearance of this form of magic can be traced to Anton LaVey’s magical principle called the Law of the Trapezoid.
The Law formed the basis of several rituals in LaVey’s The Satanic Rituals (1972): “Die Elektrischen Vorspiele”, “The Ceremony of the Nine Angles”, and “The Call to Cthulhu”. The latter two were contributed by Michael A. Aquino, who at the time was the second most senior official in the Church after LaVey and who later went on to found the Temple of Set in 1975.
The book Infernal Geometry and the Left-Hand Path explores the historical antecedents and influences on LaVey and Aquino, explains the different aspects of William Mortensen’s Command to Look formula which are central to the Law of the Trapezoid, examines the work of H.P. Lovecraft and related writers and their influence on the Left Hand Path and angular magic in particular, and proposes a theory of magic based on the latest anthropological ideas about the meaning and uses of magic. The three rites from The Satanic Rituals are then analyzed in detail, and the basis for personal work with angular magic is put forth through a variety of rituals and ritual techniques that the reader should then use to create their own personal synthesis.
Forthcoming Books
I am currently in the research stage of a book on magical uses of obscure technology. While groups like the Order of the Trapezoid (within the Temple of Set) and the Fraternitas Saturni are notorious for the uses of technology in their magical and initiatory practices, they are far from the only groups (both well-known and obscure) to have done so. This upcoming book will provide historical overview and analysis of different groups and individuals who have exploited electrical technology in their pursuit of the unknown and the Self.