To Talk A Different Way
The written word within occult practice in an interesting phenomenon. In a field that is so infused with abstraction, words can have a tendency to anchor down and weigh heavy on an idea and in turn fix it in such a way as to be dogmatic if the author is not careful with their craft.
Arcanum was born partly out of a desire to bring a variety of occult concepts into the light in a wordless way. The book is first and foremost a visual journey with the body of the text serving to explain why text is not the path this book will take. The book asks you to look into the mirror and not tell you what the mirror might show before you do.
Some images convey their meaning in a direct way, with stories and layers hidden within their construction. Other images, whilst still displaying part of the story, are infused with a numen that relates to the images concept in a more subtle or indirect way. The best way to demonstrate the former is to let an image tell its story.
The Triune Aspects
A common element within many traditions is the idea of the feminine within a triple aspect. In Neo-paganism we see this exemplified in the concept of Maiden, Mother and Crone but other paths also recognise this triune aspect in various ways. This image was labelled ‘The Triune Aspect’ as the plant, sourcing from a singular stem, was demonstrating its whole life cycle in one instance. The flowering on the left, the bearing of fruit in the middle and the road to death on the right. That this all occured together upon the same stem was fascinating and demonstrable of the triple within the feminine but the image then also held an even deeper and wider meaning - one that I will leave for the viewer to contemplate over time.
There is no right or wrong, no getting it or not getting it. There is just the image and your own understanding of it, whatever that may be. It doesn’t have to be the same as what it means to me, in fact I have really enjoyed speaking with people and hearing all about what they have been getting from some of the photographs in Arcanum. Each persons different take on the images and the subsequent conversation has expanded both their understanding and my own. It has been a pleasure that I hope continues as more people explore the book. If ever you want to start that conversation then you can reach me on social media and through my website here.
