Daniel Bran Griffith - The Chattering Magpie: August 2020

It is with great pride that I am able to confirm my inclusion in the next edition of PILLARS, to be published by ANATHEMA PUBLISHING LTD. The planned publication of this work is for the Autumn of 2020. Although with the current difficulties that we all face, I would not be surprised if there was to be a delay. The pandemic has already caused a delay for many other publishers.

PILLARS - VOL.2, ISSUE.2 - SEEDS OF ARES is an anthology in which twenty seven contributors explore the darker aspects of the socerous artes. My own modest contribution presents practical applications, a brief theoretical discussion and an analysis of the ethical dilemma that practitioners may face.

This is my second time of writing for ANATHEMA PUBLISHING LTD. I am honoured to be one of seven returning contributors to the stable and I look forward with anticipation to the release of this anthology. Having previously been a contributor to PILLARS IV – VOL.2, ISSUE.1 – CIRCLING THE COMPASS, I fully appreciate the importance of this publication and the prestige of inclusion.

PILLARS - VOL.2, ISSUE.2

- SEEDS OF ARES

At Anathema, we consciously try to avoid an aesthetic that has been wrongfully associated with the kind of books we publish; über-dark, pseudo-satanic, and of all things Lovecraftian are not our prerogative. Rather, we strive for intellectually rigorous material, genuine practical analysis, and serious, detailed articles from people dealing with these topics and spirits in a way that elevates their approach and the matter at hand. We aim to curate while giving the utmost respect to topics that many have invested effort and time untold into.

And so, with that in mind…

Here is the call to dwell on the so-called ‘negative,’ or martial, aspects of occult practice, and to explore how these may help to create a fuller and richer experience for practitioners of the Arte.

For some, the tenuous relationship between positive and negative forces, and this perceived duality, is a complex and evolving one. To find balance is one thing, but to embrace and work extensively within adversarial currents is to move boldly into stranger (and more extreme) territory.

This issue of PILLARS explores the ‘martian’ side of magickal practice, and analyze phenomena of psychic violence, what it means to engage in transgressive and subversive art, to dive deep into shadow-work, to embrace the unconventional and the radical, the vicious and immoral, perhaps even the damning, and the taboo. To understand one’s wrath and conditioning, and the fearlessness that inspires work with such currents.

What attracts some of us to these systems, and what benefits do they provide, if any?

The conversation is centred around how this work may lead to self-realization and actualization, and what kind of fulfilment one seeks. Or, if one plays the contrarian (which we also encouraged), are negative currents really all that 'negative,' or are we merely the product of modern life where so many people view the world in starkly black and white terms?

If anything, this particular issue of PILLARS is meant to be a thorough investigation of the human condition, what uneasiness or reassurance this thought may bring to the forefront of consciousness, and how one proceeds to harmonize these aspects of the Self through the usage of such polarizing angles.

Heed the Call!

O Filli et Filliae Sanguis!

We, the Seeds of Ares!

This edition of PILLARS represents the first time that our editor, Evan Davies, is tasked with overseeing the curation and completion of all texts – and we are very happy to open this door and welcome Evan to partake and share his thoughts and craftsmanship more directly here.

PS: Anathema, categorically, does not publish, condone, engage in, or encourage any form of political extremism, or violence against a specific group (self-harm, in a ritualistic setting, for example: bloodletting, is the practitioner's prerogative). We aim to explore purely on a spiritual plane.

-- EXPECTED TO BE RELEASED: MID-SEPTEMBER 2020--