Cults of the Shadow
by Kenneth Grant
(Volume III of the Typhonian Trilogies)
Cults of the Shadow explores obscure aspects of occultism that have been frequently, and mistakenly, associated with the negative and sensational phenomena of so-called ‘black magic’.
Much has been written about the doctrines and techniques of the Right Hand Path, but at the time of the initial publication of this book in 1975, this was the first time that a serious study of the equally valid and legitimate techniques of the Left Hand Path had been made generally available. As a Way of Spiritual Attainment, the Left Hand Path has a more ancient history than its better-known counterpart, for it stems from primeval phases of consciousness that manifested in historic times through the Ophidian Traditions of Africa, the Draconian Cults of ancient Egypt, and the Tantric Systems of India and the Far East. The evolution of these Mysteries is here traced through these, its earliest manifestations, right down to the present time.
The Left Hand Path has been shunned and kept out of sight because it involves a use of the sexual energies as a means of awakening the Serpent Power or Fire Snake, the key to cosmic consciousness, and also of controlling and directing the occult forces of the subconscious mind, the reservoir of infinite knowledge. The generally more enlightened approach to these matters in the present, post-Christian age has made possible the publication of these ‘occult secrets’, which for nearly 2,000 years have been anathematised on account of their psycho-sexual nature.
Present-day exponents of these Mysteries have formed their own cults for the revival and promulgation of this Secret Gnosis. Among them are Aleister Crowley, with his Cult of the Beast and the Scarlet Woman; Charles Stansfeld Jones, with his curious qabalistic researches; Austin Osman Spare, the artist who evolved his own system of sexual sorcery based upon ancient secrets of Witchcraft; and Michael Bertiaux, with his Cult of the Black Snake.
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Table of Contents
Introduction
1. The Psycho-Sexual Substance of the Shadow
2. The Afro-Tantric Tarot of the Kalas
3. The Draconian Cult of Ancient Khem
4. Left-Handed Tantra & the Cult of the Fire Snake - I
5. Left-Handed Tantra & the Cult of the Fire Snake - II
6. The Cult of the Beast (Aleister Crowley) - I
7. The Cult of the Beast (Aleister Crowley) - II
8. Frater Achad and the Cult of Ma-Ion
9. The Cult of the Black Snake (La Couleuvre Noire) - I
10. The Cult of the Black Snake (La Couleuvre Noire) - II
11. The Sorceries of Zos (Austin O. Spare)
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Afterword
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Cover artwork and design by Steffi Grant.
20-page centre section of colour and half-tone plates.
Hardcover Edition
264 pages. Black-cloth hardcover, sewn-bound, octavo format. Printed on high-quality paper, with illustrated endpapers. Full colour dustjacket, full colour frontispiece.
ISBN: 978-1-906073-18-3
Paperback Edition
264 pages. Printed on high-quality paper and sewn-bound in a full colour printed cover. Full colour frontispiece.
ISBN: 978-1-906073-46-6
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About the Typhonian Trilogies
The Typhonian Trilogies consist of nine volumes, spread across thirty years, from the first, The Magical Revival, in 1972, to the final, The Ninth Arch, published in 2002. Although each volume is complete in itself, taken in series they represent a developing body of work.
A beautifully-written and in-depth account of the development of the Trilogies, situated within the context of Kenneth Grant’s development as an occultist can be found here: The Typhonian Trilogies - Starfire Publishing Ltd. This account was written by Michael Staley, longtime friend and confidant of Kenneth and Steffi Grant, and the founder of Starfire Publishing. Through his publishing imprint, Michael is the custodian and continuation of the Grants’ legacy by making their irreplaceable work available to a contemporary audience.
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About the Author
The late Kenneth Grant (1924 – 2011) was an English occultist, poet, novelist, and writer. He was the head of several important Thelemic orders and the author of the influential Typhonian Trilogies series.
When Aleister Crowley died in 1947, Kenneth Grant became heir apparent of the esoteric magical order Ordo Templis Orientis (OTO). Alongside his artist wife Steffi, Grant was one of few to attend Crowley's funeral service, becoming the last living link with "the Beast", whose work he championed, nurtured and refined for over six decades. From his New Isis Lodge, established in London in 1955, through to his final organisational vehicle, the Typhonian Order, Grant's occult credentials are without parallel.
Grant’s own brand of occultism was a fusion of science, fantasy and metaphysics, through which he offered a radical decoding of Crowley, the artist Austin Osman Spare and the author H.P. Lovecraft, alongside healthy doses of astral projection. Grant's writings and teachings have proved a significant influence over other currents of occultism, including chaos magic, the Temple of Set, and the Dragon Rouge. They also attracted academic interest within the study of Western esotericism, particularly from Henrik Bogdan and Dave Evans.
