I have some new classes up ahead! Check them out:
Introduction to Occulture (Feb 21 and onwards):
The Origins of the Nordic Magical Runes (April 4 and onwards):
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We often hear the term “Occulture”—but what does it truly mean? More than just references to magic in popular media, occulture describes the merging of occult thought and broader cultural currents, forming a dynamic scene in which underground forces unmistakably rise to shape the mainstream, as they have throughout history and likely always will. What drives this recurring phenomenon, and why do we find ourselves increasingly immersed in occult themes today?
Join Carl Abrahamsson—the scholar behind Occulture: The Unseen Forces That Drive Culture Forward and Introduction to Occulture, who famously presented himself as an “occultural entrepreneur” on his 1989 business card—as he guides us through a survey of magnetic magical themes and the visionary individuals who have shaped culture. The course encompasses contemporary perspectives, including dynamic collectives like Thee Temple Ov Psychick Youth, and explores the broader process of “occulturation,” in which ideas and concepts migrate from hidden spheres into everyday life, touching every dimension of human society. Today, occulture is even studied within academia, a definitive marker of mainstream integration.
In this unique and illuminating class, you’ll learn directly from Abrahamsson, an author and magician who has spent over four decades observing and manifesting ocultural movements. Discover the stories, ideas, and cultural mechanics that have made the occult an enduring and deeply influential force.
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Using the groundbreaking theories of Swedish runologist Sigurd Agrell, we will trace the runes back to the second century CE and explore how the fertile cultural soil of the Roman Empire shaped Germanic peoples—including their adoption of a specific written alphabet used primarily for magical purposes. Agrell showed that by rearranging the established rune row, the magical kinship with Greco-Roman and even earlier letter-magical systems becomes strikingly clear.
Over four weeks, we will study the magical inscriptions on Swedish rune stones (many still standing in the landscape today) and examine theories about how the mythic figure of Wotan became the Scandinavian Odin through these early runic pioneers active in and around the Roman Empire. We will also ask whether some of this influence may have flowed from further north in Scandinavia through the Sámi people. Join Carl Abrahamsson, author of Sigurd Agrell and the Origins of Nordic Rune Magic and editor of the occultural journal The Fenris Wolf, as he guides us on a magical mystery tour of ancient, secret, and dark magics.
#runes #runemagic #odin #wotan #occulture #magic #morbidanatomy #carlabrahamsson
