10 posts tagged “art”

Direct link to download .mp3 podcast file -- http://media.blubrry.com/occultofpersonality/www.occultofpersonality.net/wp-content/uploads/OoP_Podcast75_RobertPlace1.mp3

If the above link is not working, please try -- http://www.divshare.com/download/9070324-a2b

“Robert M. Place is an internationally known visionary artist and illustrator, whose award winning works, in painting, sculpture, and jewelry, have been displayed in galleries and museums in America, Europe, and Japan and graced the covers and pages of numerous books and publications. He is the designer, illustrator, and co-author, with Rosemary Ellen Guiley, of: The Alchemical Tarot and The Angels Tarot, which are both published by HarperCollins and have received international acclaim particularly for their skillful and illuminating graphics. He is the designer, illustrator, and author of The Tarot of the Saints, and The Buddha Tarot, which are published by Llewellyn. His fifth book, The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, is published by Tarcher/Penguin. He has also authored Astrology and Divination, Magic and Alchemy, and Shamanism. His latest Tarot deck and book set is The Vampire Tarot, published by St. Martins Press.”

"The Vampire Tarot" by Robert M. Place

To begin episode 75, Robert describes the prophetic and synchronistic manner that he was introduced to the Tarot. As an artist, he was able to intuitively grasp the symbolism and levels of meaning portrayed in the Tarot images, allowing him to create “The Alchemical Tarot“, a very highly-acclaimed and beautiful deck. Robert then describes his latest creation, “The Vampire Tarot“.

Jonathan the Fool

As a Tarot scholar, his research into the history and folklore of vampires and the Dracula legend led him to the realization that this story was like an inverse of the alchemical quest. The Great Work is analogous to the story told by the Major Arcana of the Tarot. In his analysis of the Dracula legend, Robert realized that this story was also a quest for immortality but in a far darker and different way, replacing the spiritual with the material.

IV. The Count

Robert tells us how the vampire legends invoke the Jungian concept of facing the shadow or the other. The resurrection of these legends in literature coincided with the scientific revolution and Romanticism. The original vampire stories, like the unrefined unconscious mind were dark and frightening, but when examined in the light, by writers and artists, these same stories can take on an alluring quality. Robert explains this evolution from a historical, psychological, and artistic perspective.

XVIII. The Moon

We finish off the conversation as Robert describes how he views the Dracula legend as analogous to the quest for the Holy Grail. Dracula can be seen as the dark knight and those trying to defeat him as the Knights of the Round Table. His perspective on this legend and his beautiful artwork in “The Vampire Tarot” can bring forth yet another version of the archetypal hero’s quest, there all along and just waiting for us to discover it.

XIX. The Sun

direct link to download .mp3 podcast file -- http://media.blubrry.com/occultofpersonality/www.occultofpersonality.net/wp-content/uploads/OoP_Podcast74_Orryelle.mp3

In podcast episode 74, we’re joined by Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule, “a prolific visual, sonic and textual artist-magickian. The instruments of his arts and magicks include, but are not limited to: Australia’s Metamorphic Ritual Theatre Co. which presents public rituals aiming to transform rather than merely entertain the audiences.” Orryelle explains how the act of creation is Magickal from an artist’s perspective.

Moonzoomorphs

Orryelle is responsible for the “ever-expanding digital archives and galleries of Mutation Parlour; a member of The HermAphroditic ChAOrder of the Silver Dusk, a global multicultural and multisubcultural blend of tradition and innovation, artist of “Conjunctio” (a Graphic Grimmoire), creator of the Book of Kaos Tarot, and author of A Brief HIRStory of TimEmiT. Orryelle has been extensively involved in the Horus-Maat Lodge, channeling several double-current Libers such as ‘Pennae-Ultim-Atum‘ and ‘The Book of Going Back by Night‘.”

Conjunctio by Orryelle Defenestrate-Basucle

Our conversation touches on the recently published graphic grimiore “Conjunctio” and presentation at the Esoteric Book Conference, the importance of working in the physical plane, aesthetics, art, beauty and transformation, including body modification. Orryelle also discusses the art of ritual performance, world wide travels to sacred sites, and even some thoughts about 2012.

Svadsabmand

Orryelle is extremely creative in many mediums, including poetry, art, music, theater, Magick, Alchemy, and self-transformation. Our conversation provides a bit of insight into Orryelle’s unique Work.

relevant links:

Mutation Parlour

“Conjunctio” by Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule, available via Fulger Ltd.

Esoteric Book Conference – performances (also discussed in episode 69 with William Keisel of Ouroboros Press)

Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule

Mutation EnCyclopsedia (tattoos and other body arts)

Metamorphic Ritual Theatre

Global Chakra Workings

Orryelle Defenestrate-Bascule’s publications (including Book of Kaos Tarot), EsoErotic artwork, and music

intro music by HipGnosis and Darkfold

outro music by Orryelle Defenstrate-Bascule – “Kalikaye”

Upcoming class: Occult of Personality presents “Meditation and the Western Esoteric Tradition” on Thursday, October 29th at 8 PM. Please see the link for specific details.

Coming Soon!

As mentioned last week, I’m pleased to announce that in addition to the regular free podcasts, Occult of Personality will soon offer extra recordings as part of a new members subscription section. In these additional interviews and conversations, featured guests will provide expertise in specific areas of esoteric study.

In addition to receiving extra audio recordings for most upcoming guests on the show, listeners will also have an option to sign up for Rising Phoenix Foundation’s “The Inner Fire Journal” by David Goddard (our guest in episodes 54 and 62). “The Inner Fire Journal” is dedicated to the practice of true Alchemy and the Hermetic Arts and is published each month. “The Inner Fire Journal” features high grade Western Mystery teachings, guided meditations, audio, video, and more.

Look for more details about how you can sign up for the Occult of Personality membership subscription later this month. There will be another update in the next podcast episode.
—————————————————————————————————————

One scheduling note: Part 2 of the interview with Christopher Knowles is not yet available, but will be posted soon.

—————————————————————————————————————

In podcast episode 69, we’re joined by William J. Kiesel, the publisher and editor of Ouroboros Press. “His long years in the antiquarian and esoteric book trade gave him access to rare books and manuscripts not generally available to the public. William has cultivated a lifelong care of books and has involved himself in every aspect of bookmaking, from bookbinding and typography to handset letterpress.” William has also organized the Esoteric Book Conference.

Ouroboros Press

We begin the interview with William describing how his interest in books and publishing developed. He talks about how he began collecting esoteric books at an early age and was inspired by a number of well-known esoteric authors and publishers. He highlights the tremendous amount of research and background work that goes into publishing antiquarian esoteric texts.

Picatrix 2

William describes how learning about aspects of publishing, such as bookbinding, paper selection, typesetting, and familiarity with various translations was crucial to his desire to publish new imprints of ancient esoteric books. We discuss some of the remarkable books that Ouroboros Press has released and some of his upcoming projects. We also talk about the Renaissance as a fruitful time for all knowledge, but especially in terms of esoteric books.

Turba Philosophorum Open

In this episode, we’re joined by Aepril Schaile. “Aepril is an astrologer, musician and composer, talented dancer and dance teacher, writer and storyteller, mythologist, animal rights advocate, and Witch.” She has been called “an American priestess of the Dark Goddess” and her performances are quite extraordinary. Our conversation begins as Aepril describes her early life and interest in the esoteric. From there we begin talking about her dancing, belly dance, and the combination of mythology, Magick, Astrology, theater, performance, and the creation of Beauty.

Aepril Schaile

Aepril talks about identifying with darker feminine archetypes and how this influences her Work. She provides her perspective on being a Witch, living in Salem, Massachusetts, and some of her teachers and influences.

The conversation turns to Astrology, correspondences, her experience with the insights it provides, and her connection with Plutonic energies. Aepril explains how all of these esoteric and theatrical disciplines fit together for her and, lastly, hopes for the future of that Work.

relevant links:

Aepril Schaile

about Aepril Schaile

“Aepril Schaile and Exquisite Corpse Dance Theater” Facebook page

“Belly dance (Origins)” Wikipedia entry

“The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling” by James Hillman

“Technicians of Ecstasy: Shamanism and the Modern Artist” by Mark Levy

“Mysteries of the Dark Moon: The Healing Power of the Dark Goddess” by Demetra George

“Life After Death: The Burden of Proof” by Deepak Chopra

intro music by HipGnosis (latest album)

outro music by Aepril Schaile and The Judgement - “A Gathering of Shades”

original link -- http://www.occultofpersonality.com/2009/06/22/podcast-65-aepril-schaile/

direct link to download .mp3 audio file -- http://www.occultofpersonality.com/podpress_trac/web/354/0/OoP_Podcast65_AeprilSchaile_it.mp3

Archeon, aka Timothy Lantz, is an incredible artist who recently created The Archeon Tarot. After checking out this amazing new interpretation of the ancient Tarot cards as well as his Stygian Darkness web site, I had to contact him to find out more. Below is the result. I hope you enjoy it, and Archeon's art as much as I do.

First Among Fallen by Timothy Lantz

How long have you been interested in the occult? Did your interest in art come first?

I guess you could say that my interest started in junior high. I remember checking out every book on witches, vampires, magic and what have you that could be found in the school library. I recall werewolves being a particular favorite at the time. This also coincided with my introduction to Dungeons & Dragons. (Which I almost hate to mention for fear of giving target groups more ammo, lol)

It should be mentioned though, that my interest is only on an allegorical level. Angels, demons, and all things that go bump in the night are merely just creative ways to examine facets of the human condition. It’s the symbolism that excites my imagination and I think there’s something very powerful about the way the wiring in our brains connects with these archetypes.

As for my interest in art, I suppose it comes from the same place within — the powerful allure of symbols and the desire to create my own metaphors for the world around me.

I think this is something you can definitely trace back to my love of comic books. I was a voracious reader as a child and one of the things I couldn’t get enough of was comics. The seamless blend of art and words, combined with all of the mythology, was a powerful influence on me. In particular, I had a subscription to Marvel Comic’s The Mighty Thor when I was in third grade. So, throw the Norse religion (skewed as it was through the Marvel interpretation) into the mix of everything above and I think it becomes clear how I was started down this path from an early age. Valkyries, winged horses, rainbow bridges… even now, that still gets me excited just thinking about it.

Urania by Timothy Lantz

The Archeon Tarot was much more of an artistic journey for me. I really learned so much about how and why I create the images I do. I think up until I began working on the cards, I was always trying to be more like this or that, never really feeling comfortable with my own vision.

At certain point though, it all just kind of clicked. I wasn’t going to be the next Jim Lee, and you know what? Maybe, that’s ok too. I just sort of let go and let the work stream and figured I’d see what happens. It was all very liberating.

The fact that so many people have really connected with the imagery has just been overwhelming.

I think my biggest insight into the tarot itself was in the perception of masculinity and femininity of the suits. Those familiar with the Archeon Tarot often wonder why I switched the interpretations of Pentacles and Wands from their more traditional gender associations.

The more I looked at what each suit represents, I just didn’t feel that the old standard applied in this day and age. Our society has changed a great deal from when these original interpretations were set down and I decided that the Archeon needed to reflect the changes as I see them, rather than just repeat what has gone before simply out of tradition.

Without going into a full essay on the subject, here’s a brief explanation of how I see the changes.

Pentacles, being associated so closely with money, just didn’t seem very feminine to me. The old stereotype of the woman who spends her man’s money just seems ridiculous in today’s society. These days, money is a powerful corrupter, controlled by corporations, governments, evil CEOs and the like. It’s brutal, savage and forceful the way it changes the world, in essence… masculine.

With Wands, let’s just say it… Wands are all about sex. It can be argued, because of their shape, they must be masculine, but when you really look at it closer, Wands are not forceful, brutish or aggressive. They are about comfort, magic, fertility, and passion and when you wrap your head around all of these ideas, you can see that it’s clearly a much more feminine perspective.

Keyheart by Timothy Lantz

Did you do any research on the Tarot before or during the project? If so, would you mind sharing your sources?

I relied heavily on the internet for the bulk of my research. The essential thing for me was keyword interpretations. I compiled a list of keywords for each card in the Rider Waite and Toth decks using input from many different sources. Once I had this list, I made note of where the various sources had similar interpretations and where they differed significantly. From this, I made a master list of keywords for the archeon, which I then examined on a card by card basis to determine if they fit my vision for the card. Where we were in agreement, I let the traditional view stand, but where I felt strongly that a card needed to go in a different direction, I deviated from the classic meaning.

Unveiling the Sorceress by Timothy Lantz

You list Raymond Chandler as a literary influence (I'm a fan of "The Big Sleep"), what is it about his books that you enjoy and has affected your work?

I think that Chandler’s work has a kind of no nonsense approach that I greatly admire. He has a way of telling you all you need to know without over exposition. For example, a lot of authors when describing a restaurant might spend page after page telling you every minute detail of the décor, the patrons, the size and color of the menus, etc. Chandler would tell you, “it’s the kind of place where you could buy a ten dollar steak.”

Can you describe how (and what, of course) music affects your creative process?

I love music… and I’m a total metal head. I’m almost always listening to something when I’m working… but the danger of that is that I sometimes just get caught up in the songs and end up sitting there listening and not actually working.

Holy Diver

Dio

I think heavy metal evokes all of the same kind of allegorical responses that the best symbolist painters used to convey their ideas. Lyricists like Ronnie James Dio and Blackie Lawless just fill my head with such amazing visions… it can’t help but spill out into the work I’m doing.

The Crimson Idol

W.A.S.P.

W.A.S.P. is my favorite and if you know what you’re looking for you’ll see their CD, The Crimson Idol, all over the Archeon Tarot.

In a previous interview, you mentioned that your moniker, Archeon, stems from 'archon'. I assume you're familiar with the Gnostic interpretation of the word (http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9009299/Archon)? What is your impression of this type of dualistic belief, and did it have anything to do with the choice?

This is a difficult question for me to answer because I don’t want to get on a soapbox. I’m really a secular humanist, and I can say that it didn’t have much of an influence on my decision. I came by the word through its use in ancient Greece, which is more of a magistrate or leader.

What I wanted was to create a new word, my word, a word that would, in essence, be a symbol of all the things that fascinate me and perhaps, define how I strived to live my life. I wanted “Archeon” to be a word that meant teacher, leader, artist, lover… all the things we should aspire to be, and could be if we tried.

(Thank you for noticing! lol) One of the foundations of my art that I’ve sort of clung to over the past few years, is that I am creating illustrations for stories that have yet to be written. I like the viewer to bring his or her own imagination and creativity into play when examining one of my works. However, I think that quality is more of a sign that I’ve finished with a particular piece. As the story begins to realize itself, that’s when I know I’m finished. As for what the story may be, well, that’s for you to decide on your own.

Typically I begin with a theme or loose concept, and start building images into a collage. From there I blend color and texture and begin shaping… it’s a very improvisational process, adding subtracting, shaping and often times it takes a startling different direction from what I had originally conceived.

Far From Home by Timothy Lantz

Have you ever considered doing a graphic novel or non-fiction book? If someone approached you to do it, and you had your choice of whatever you wanted, what type of book would you create?

I think I’m too much of a daydreamer to ever really do a non-fiction book. I’m not sure it would hold my interest very well. Still, if the right concept came along and I felt I could do it justice then sure.

I would love to do a graphic novel. Admittedly, the idea kind of intimidates me, which is, of course, exactly the best reason to do it. I expect before too long I’ll seriously start experimenting in that direction.

As for what type of book I’d create… you’ll just have to wait and see. :-)

Dryad by Timothy Lantz

A closer look at the incredible artwork and influences of artist Timothy Lantz.

Stygian Darkness by Timothy Lantz

Lantz has recently released The Archeon Tarot, an amazing new interpretation of the ancient cards.