Whilst browsing in one of London’s occult book shops recently, I was nicely surprised to discover reissued editions of Ramsey Dukes’ (pictured left) classic (and wonderfully titled) Chaos magick manuals: Blast Your Way to Megabucks Using My Secret Sex Power Formula: And Other Reflections on the Spiritual Path and Sex Secrets of the Black Magicians Exposed (perhaps better known as SSOTBME). In addition to which, one cannot fail to remember Duke's classic book (and a personal favourite of mine) What I Did In My Holidays: Essays on Black Magic,Satanism and Devil Worship.
I do hope readers of this blog will excuse the name dropping on this occasion, but the encounter with said books evoked a sudden and unexpected reminiscence of an experience about which I had almost entirely forgotten: a Summer’s afternoon in the late 1990s spent - as part of my doctoral research - in the company of Ramsey Dukes (aka Lionel Snell) discussing the finer points of Chaotist demonology and generally having a wonderful time being shown the sites of rural Oxfordshire from the back of Dukes' motorbike. Not only was Dukes a consumate conversationalist on that occasion, but a gentleman to boot. Ahh, Happy days.
Something a bit more substantive (not to say less self-indulgent) should make it's way onto the blog within the next week or so.
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