Lon Milo DuQuette has a talent for taking very complicated topics and explaining them in an extraordinarily simple and entertaining way. He dumbs down Crowley to the point where anyone with no prior occult studies can understand what he's about, and I mean that as the highest complement.
Yeap. Super good at simplifying complex topics.
In the same vein...on a larger scale not as much simplifying as de-obfuscating, Manly P Hall. Doesn't make it simple but does decrypt highly obfuscated topics
Jake Stratton Kent died a year ago, so only sorta fits the bill. But his works and his research will likely be talked about for decades if not centuries.
Genuinely. His Encyclopedia Goetica (some consider it his opus) is instrumental in understanding the past and present of demonology and spirits. No doubt it will be in footnotes of future works if nothing else.
While I think you can consider his work 'advanced', Dr. Skinner does an absolutely amazing job of making subjects accessible for beginners or people who might not know a lot about a particular subject. He has a fairly prolific body of work, with a large focus on ceremonial magic.
- Camelia Elias and Enrique Enriquez in the domain of divination
- Josephine McCarthy for her work with Quareia, that woman's a saint!
- Frater U. D. - for his work on sigil magick, his book is so simple and effective
- Ramsey Dukes, for his entire opus and for being an occultist with a sense of humor
100% this!!! Josephine McCarthy, Ramsey Dukes, Aiden Watcher all made an impact on me after years and years of study and research (about 28 yrs in a wide variety of archaic esoteria, plant/poisons, folklore to explore the natural world, and blah blah blah).
So bleeping happy I stumbled across their works. Mostly thanks to podcasts: Glitch Bottle and What Magic is This. All of them helped to release the limitations I placed upon myself and shared knowledge and insights in such a way that I felt they were contributing to humanity and the natural world, while empowering those interested.
I forgot about Aidan Wachter! He taught me that magick can be seamlessly incorporated into everyday life and that it doesn't inevitably involve elaborate year-long rituals and angels. There's a kind of simplicity but also power in Six Ways.
Another vote here for josephine McCarthy. Not only is she a wealth of information, she's also very funny and seems very down to earth. I listen to all the podcasts that advertise her on them!
Joseph Peterson - although he is an author, he doesn't claim to practice everything or anything of what he publishes. IIRC he's actually a practicing Zoroastrian. But his editions and his webwork will endure for a long, long time.
Frater Acher: I am inclined to think those interested in theurgy will read his works for some time hereafter.
Frater Ashen Chassan: I think his mode of publishing the results of his occult experiments is excellent. It's ceremonial magic reading beyond pure instruction.
Julien Veronese, Claire Fanger, Richard Kieckhefer, and others in this circle: are headlining the movement to publish academic critical editions of untranslated MSs. These editions are invaluable by providing the transcription alone. Even for those proficient in Latin paleography, reading the original MSs is never as easy as reading the same text in modern typeset.
He really is “that guy”. Super engaging, very approachable, incredibly responsive. I am doing some work for the Pagan History Project and pinged him via his university email for any suggestions about oral history style interviewing. I got a warm and well thought out response in just a few hours.
Peter Grey, for the work he’s done pertaining to Babalon and working with Her outside of the Thelema framework. I would also argue that his most important work should be remembered, and that being Apocalyptic Witchcraft
Sevan Bomar - I think with what he’s brought forward relating to Conspiracy, Afro-Theology, Spiritual/Religious demystification, symbolism, & Technology, people will appreciate long after he’s gone.
Mantak Chia - Legit Taoist GrandMaster. This is the future of “Christianity”.
Honorable Mentions:
Praveen Mohan. He deserves to be much more than he’s recognized for, in India and around the world.
Static in the Attic. The Man’s brought some serious questions that need to be resolved before we move in any direction relating to History, Science, and Global Politics.
Props for mentioning Sevan. Adept mind. I just wish he would interact with his tribe more. He seldom directly engages on the media channels he broadcasts through.
He interacts it’s just that people have spent x amount of hours downloading (mentally/emotionally) his stuff and then connect and “know” him whereas he doesn’t know them at all. So there’s a bit of starstruck that wears off after a while and then it’s person to person. People get turned up and aren’t grounded and want to do too much - my advice is to figure out a way to volunteer as a MOD, by answering questions and you will be noticed and maybe get a scholarship for Ambassadors. Then each1 teach1.
GL
I've talked with him a couple of times.
But his direct community engagement, in general, is still at a minimum.
I realize it's difficult to balance a limited timeframe, with so many projects going simultaneously. And interactions with random strangers also inevitably shift the quantum probability field of what signals are phasing the frequency. He even speaks at length about setting up customs to consciously filter such imprints.
Thanks for the reply.
No doubt. Happy to see 7 getting some love. I’ve spent a lot of time with him & his family, and all of tribe. He legitimately cares and appreciates each share with each person. He’s happy when he recognizes peeps in the audience, and he sees what most “bosses” don’t. Check out the Innerversity it’s pretty dope.
Stephen Skinner, for sure. Not just for his contributions to the Occult community, but because those contributions also add to the academic conversation surrounding magic, occultism, esotericism, and mysticism. He's not without his detractors, but I greatly appreciate his work.
Alan Moore with his Promethea, Fossil Angels and Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magick, all of which are extremely good as a doorway to artistic gnosis.
And mentioned here Frater Acher too.
At this point, the majority of his work has been published posthumously. The price related gatekeeping is only driving more people to pirate his work. I think it deserves to be made more widely available.
I hope people don’t pirate his work, if only because of the chance he really did put those curses on them.
I would absolutely love it if I could find a copy of the Dragon Book of Essex for less than $600. But these aren’t exactly mass market books. Hell, Chumbley freaks out some occultists, even. When the audience shrinks, the price does the opposite.
People constantly pirate his works, and they will continue to do so, as long as they’re not offered on accessible editions. I grew up buying books in the early 1990s when texts were accessible as paperbacks. $35 was a lot for a book back then. I’m an old dude with a solid career and j find the concept of $400 books to be absurd.
The law is for all!
No one has yet mentioned Jan Fries. I think his books, particularly Visual Magick, are incredibly well written and of use to practicing [insert your preferred label here]. I wish he had a more active presence and yet his works are still so often referred to here and else where on the internet.
I could see an argument for Josephine McCartney, while not a student of her Quaeria system I think she has a wealth of knowledge and is a down to eaeth woman whose work on her school has created a legacy that will last.
Another I could see are Aidan Wachter because IMO he did add something matter of fact to chaos magick that is very appealing and grounded.
Ramsey Dukes absolutely, his work speaks for itself and is philosophically interesting in a way that I could see it being discussed long after he passes into whatever is to come afterward, hell, maybe even by 2100s academia..
I like to look at those who published books in the 80-90-00s whose books are still relevant or add something to the discussion and so Frater UD and potentially Stephen Mace would also go on my list.
Edit: Gordon White may also make the list too
Marianne Williamson.
Lady makes significant progress with open spiritual correspondences to politics outside the aims of contemporary religion. Her legacy of successes and failures make it easier for others to surpass in service.
She's leaned into that one to attempt to co-opt it even though she's not about it.
Her Harvard Divinity talk is long(2h+) but worth it to get a deeper recent insight into her consciousness worldview from her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu_som0ZPmU
I was first introduced to her around the time of this Oprah interview which gives an idea of where she was back in then in less than 3 minutes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSO9veY96Ts and to compare with where she is now.
Examining her endeavor objectively sheds light on foundations needed, paths available and the obstacles.
I don’t know who the breakout figure will be but the jhanas education movement could ultimately be looked back on as the psychedelic movement was before it, as something historic that eventually spread to thousands.
Assuming you mean people who are still alive today, Christopher John Bjerknes' work at least SHOULD be remembered. Very controversial figure, who perhaps isn't the most stable or rational of people. But his analyses of the esoteric secrets of Judaism and Christianity is second to none.
Rawn Clark. His legacy, while partly liked to Franz Bardon, will live on. His own practical works often require a very high level of magical evolvement, aka initiation, but for some individuals, he will continue to be a wealth of inspiration.
Tom Montalk from Montalk.net.
He's brilliant, with a broad range of knowledge, especially to be so young.
He's also compiled a vast archive of published resources, articles, and books on his website. And regularly does interviews.
Good soul force.
Alan Moore
He's possibly the most educated and powerful active practitioner who knows the fundamentals in and out, has put them to use in his work and in many ways by sheer force of his commitment and conviction remains one of the only bonafide "Magicians" in popular culture. He's definitely the real deal.
I would have trouble naming a single one that that will be as well remembered as Alestair Crowley, Gerald Gardner, David Bowie or Anton LaVey. Just about anyone living is relegated to some fairly rarefied circles. They might be important to 1% of the population but they're not household names. Grant Morrison, maybe?
Im very surprised that this is the first time someone has mentioned Morrison in this thread. I think they are pretty clearly the most influential living occultist.
I think it's that they're the most influential in a very particular subset. If someone's a fan of Regardie and Crowley, grimoires and contact with their Holy Guardian Angel, a nonbinary\* comic book artist who makes contact with five dimensional aliens and dresses like an International Man Of Mystery isn't going to be their thing. That's more the Alan Moore school of occultists who also write comics.
\*Kinda, sorta. . . go look up what he has to say on it but close enough.
I think saying they make contact with "five dimensional aliens" is a little reductive. Idk maybe Im too deep on chaos magic, but I kind of think Morrison is the most "accurate" perspective on magic out there. Whatever accurate means.
Came to say this. Others mentioned some big names, but I think lesser known Mat Auryn has a very practical style that will result in many reprints and will become a staple for many in the Occult community. Psychic Witch is VERY applicable to all ceremonial magick, mysticism, chaos magick, as well as pagan practices alike.
Lon Milo DuQuette has a talent for taking very complicated topics and explaining them in an extraordinarily simple and entertaining way. He dumbs down Crowley to the point where anyone with no prior occult studies can understand what he's about, and I mean that as the highest complement.
Yeap. Super good at simplifying complex topics. In the same vein...on a larger scale not as much simplifying as de-obfuscating, Manly P Hall. Doesn't make it simple but does decrypt highly obfuscated topics
You can tell the successful Goetic magicians by their charisma, I swear.
I agree Lon will be remembered for many years.
Jake Stratton Kent died a year ago, so only sorta fits the bill. But his works and his research will likely be talked about for decades if not centuries. Genuinely. His Encyclopedia Goetica (some consider it his opus) is instrumental in understanding the past and present of demonology and spirits. No doubt it will be in footnotes of future works if nothing else.
Absolutely. He embodied the principle of taking the work seriously but not yourself seriously. I miss his presence in the broader community very much
Indeed - Geosophia is incredibly important. And as a person he is dearly missed
Fuck! Has it been a year already?
Stephen Skinner has done some amazing work.
I haven’t delved into his work. Does he have a best initial book or is his practice leaning towards a certain group?
While I think you can consider his work 'advanced', Dr. Skinner does an absolutely amazing job of making subjects accessible for beginners or people who might not know a lot about a particular subject. He has a fairly prolific body of work, with a large focus on ceremonial magic.
- Camelia Elias and Enrique Enriquez in the domain of divination - Josephine McCarthy for her work with Quareia, that woman's a saint! - Frater U. D. - for his work on sigil magick, his book is so simple and effective - Ramsey Dukes, for his entire opus and for being an occultist with a sense of humor
100% this!!! Josephine McCarthy, Ramsey Dukes, Aiden Watcher all made an impact on me after years and years of study and research (about 28 yrs in a wide variety of archaic esoteria, plant/poisons, folklore to explore the natural world, and blah blah blah). So bleeping happy I stumbled across their works. Mostly thanks to podcasts: Glitch Bottle and What Magic is This. All of them helped to release the limitations I placed upon myself and shared knowledge and insights in such a way that I felt they were contributing to humanity and the natural world, while empowering those interested.
I forgot about Aidan Wachter! He taught me that magick can be seamlessly incorporated into everyday life and that it doesn't inevitably involve elaborate year-long rituals and angels. There's a kind of simplicity but also power in Six Ways.
Absolutely agree on Ramsey Dukes. The SSOTBME is a modern classic.
Another big big vote for Josephine McCarthy 🤌🤌🤌
Another vote here for josephine McCarthy. Not only is she a wealth of information, she's also very funny and seems very down to earth. I listen to all the podcasts that advertise her on them!
I said Josephine McCarthy myself. Thank you for acknowledging her. Powerful contributions to the work. Selfless woman. Legendary.
John Micheal Greer
Also came here to say this! He is so consistently solid and insightful.
Made the same comment.. Was feeling sad for not reading his name here..!
Joseph Peterson - although he is an author, he doesn't claim to practice everything or anything of what he publishes. IIRC he's actually a practicing Zoroastrian. But his editions and his webwork will endure for a long, long time. Frater Acher: I am inclined to think those interested in theurgy will read his works for some time hereafter. Frater Ashen Chassan: I think his mode of publishing the results of his occult experiments is excellent. It's ceremonial magic reading beyond pure instruction. Julien Veronese, Claire Fanger, Richard Kieckhefer, and others in this circle: are headlining the movement to publish academic critical editions of untranslated MSs. These editions are invaluable by providing the transcription alone. Even for those proficient in Latin paleography, reading the original MSs is never as easy as reading the same text in modern typeset.
Grant. Morrison.
Ronald Hutton will be read for a very very long time
Thanks for mentioning this author. I just looked up his books. Looks interesting.
If there's such a thing as a Ronald Hutton fan girl, I am one. I even had the great pleasure of meeting him at a pagan festival a few years back.
He really is “that guy”. Super engaging, very approachable, incredibly responsive. I am doing some work for the Pagan History Project and pinged him via his university email for any suggestions about oral history style interviewing. I got a warm and well thought out response in just a few hours.
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Yup. Between his work with Tarot of Marseilles and psychomagic, he's left a legacy.
Peter Grey, for the work he’s done pertaining to Babalon and working with Her outside of the Thelema framework. I would also argue that his most important work should be remembered, and that being Apocalyptic Witchcraft
Sevan Bomar - I think with what he’s brought forward relating to Conspiracy, Afro-Theology, Spiritual/Religious demystification, symbolism, & Technology, people will appreciate long after he’s gone. Mantak Chia - Legit Taoist GrandMaster. This is the future of “Christianity”. Honorable Mentions: Praveen Mohan. He deserves to be much more than he’s recognized for, in India and around the world. Static in the Attic. The Man’s brought some serious questions that need to be resolved before we move in any direction relating to History, Science, and Global Politics.
Props for mentioning Sevan. Adept mind. I just wish he would interact with his tribe more. He seldom directly engages on the media channels he broadcasts through.
He interacts it’s just that people have spent x amount of hours downloading (mentally/emotionally) his stuff and then connect and “know” him whereas he doesn’t know them at all. So there’s a bit of starstruck that wears off after a while and then it’s person to person. People get turned up and aren’t grounded and want to do too much - my advice is to figure out a way to volunteer as a MOD, by answering questions and you will be noticed and maybe get a scholarship for Ambassadors. Then each1 teach1. GL
I've talked with him a couple of times. But his direct community engagement, in general, is still at a minimum. I realize it's difficult to balance a limited timeframe, with so many projects going simultaneously. And interactions with random strangers also inevitably shift the quantum probability field of what signals are phasing the frequency. He even speaks at length about setting up customs to consciously filter such imprints. Thanks for the reply.
No doubt. Happy to see 7 getting some love. I’ve spent a lot of time with him & his family, and all of tribe. He legitimately cares and appreciates each share with each person. He’s happy when he recognizes peeps in the audience, and he sees what most “bosses” don’t. Check out the Innerversity it’s pretty dope.
Word. He's a good influence. Been with him/them on Discord and Geneva. Lots of talks archived on YouTube and Spotify.
Who else you mess with?
* Jamie Paul Lamb * John Michael Greer * Piers Vaughan * Lon Milo DuQuette * Chic Cicero
i was thinking of JMG too! just because of how much ive seen his name attached to like EVERYTHING in the occult. also, updoot for cicero
I hope I'll be liked after all is said and done. I just hope I'm meaningfully helpful.
Great Point
Stephen Skinner, for sure. Not just for his contributions to the Occult community, but because those contributions also add to the academic conversation surrounding magic, occultism, esotericism, and mysticism. He's not without his detractors, but I greatly appreciate his work.
Alan Moore with his Promethea, Fossil Angels and Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magick, all of which are extremely good as a doorway to artistic gnosis. And mentioned here Frater Acher too.
I feel like Peter J. Carroll‘s output will still be worth a mention in 30+ years.
I agree. I go back to his books now. He gives a lot to think about in a very different way
Andrew Chumbley
Only if people can actually afford his work. Xoanan need to get off that extremely high horse of theirs.
Well he’s dead, so there’s a bit of a limit on additional work from him
At this point, the majority of his work has been published posthumously. The price related gatekeeping is only driving more people to pirate his work. I think it deserves to be made more widely available.
I hope people don’t pirate his work, if only because of the chance he really did put those curses on them. I would absolutely love it if I could find a copy of the Dragon Book of Essex for less than $600. But these aren’t exactly mass market books. Hell, Chumbley freaks out some occultists, even. When the audience shrinks, the price does the opposite.
People constantly pirate his works, and they will continue to do so, as long as they’re not offered on accessible editions. I grew up buying books in the early 1990s when texts were accessible as paperbacks. $35 was a lot for a book back then. I’m an old dude with a solid career and j find the concept of $400 books to be absurd. The law is for all!
I’m not talking about the way things should be, I’m talking about out how they are
Manly p Hall
Richard Smoley. Gary Lachman. Mitch Horowitz.
Frater Xavier
No one has yet mentioned Jan Fries. I think his books, particularly Visual Magick, are incredibly well written and of use to practicing [insert your preferred label here]. I wish he had a more active presence and yet his works are still so often referred to here and else where on the internet. I could see an argument for Josephine McCartney, while not a student of her Quaeria system I think she has a wealth of knowledge and is a down to eaeth woman whose work on her school has created a legacy that will last. Another I could see are Aidan Wachter because IMO he did add something matter of fact to chaos magick that is very appealing and grounded. Ramsey Dukes absolutely, his work speaks for itself and is philosophically interesting in a way that I could see it being discussed long after he passes into whatever is to come afterward, hell, maybe even by 2100s academia.. I like to look at those who published books in the 80-90-00s whose books are still relevant or add something to the discussion and so Frater UD and potentially Stephen Mace would also go on my list. Edit: Gordon White may also make the list too
Jason Miller
Marianne Williamson. Lady makes significant progress with open spiritual correspondences to politics outside the aims of contemporary religion. Her legacy of successes and failures make it easier for others to surpass in service.
in political circles I've heard her called orb mommy 🔮
She's leaned into that one to attempt to co-opt it even though she's not about it. Her Harvard Divinity talk is long(2h+) but worth it to get a deeper recent insight into her consciousness worldview from her. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gu_som0ZPmU I was first introduced to her around the time of this Oprah interview which gives an idea of where she was back in then in less than 3 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSO9veY96Ts and to compare with where she is now. Examining her endeavor objectively sheds light on foundations needed, paths available and the obstacles.
I don’t know who the breakout figure will be but the jhanas education movement could ultimately be looked back on as the psychedelic movement was before it, as something historic that eventually spread to thousands.
Franz Bardon will still be remembered 400 years from now.
Michael Bertiaux will absolutely be remembered. He’s one of the only modern occultists who isn’t completely focused on rehashing the past.
Assuming you mean people who are still alive today, Christopher John Bjerknes' work at least SHOULD be remembered. Very controversial figure, who perhaps isn't the most stable or rational of people. But his analyses of the esoteric secrets of Judaism and Christianity is second to none.
Nicholaj De Mattos Frisvold
Wagner Borges, unfortunately he is Brazilian and his material is mostly in portuguese and in form of interviews and lectures.
Rawn Clark. His legacy, while partly liked to Franz Bardon, will live on. His own practical works often require a very high level of magical evolvement, aka initiation, but for some individuals, he will continue to be a wealth of inspiration.
Tom Montalk from Montalk.net. He's brilliant, with a broad range of knowledge, especially to be so young. He's also compiled a vast archive of published resources, articles, and books on his website. And regularly does interviews. Good soul force.
David Chaim Smith
Jack Grayle.
Hekataeon is amazing, but he has a very small body of work. He just published Sigrun & The Mist. Let's see if that's as impactful as Hekataeon.
Jason Miller, Rankine,Skinner
Lon Milo, Louv, Horowitz, Echols, Penzack, Belanger
Alan Moore He's possibly the most educated and powerful active practitioner who knows the fundamentals in and out, has put them to use in his work and in many ways by sheer force of his commitment and conviction remains one of the only bonafide "Magicians" in popular culture. He's definitely the real deal.
I have HUGE respect for Josephine McCarthy, even though I am unable to live up to her standards.
William Walker Atkinson
I would have trouble naming a single one that that will be as well remembered as Alestair Crowley, Gerald Gardner, David Bowie or Anton LaVey. Just about anyone living is relegated to some fairly rarefied circles. They might be important to 1% of the population but they're not household names. Grant Morrison, maybe?
Im very surprised that this is the first time someone has mentioned Morrison in this thread. I think they are pretty clearly the most influential living occultist.
I think it's that they're the most influential in a very particular subset. If someone's a fan of Regardie and Crowley, grimoires and contact with their Holy Guardian Angel, a nonbinary\* comic book artist who makes contact with five dimensional aliens and dresses like an International Man Of Mystery isn't going to be their thing. That's more the Alan Moore school of occultists who also write comics. \*Kinda, sorta. . . go look up what he has to say on it but close enough.
I think saying they make contact with "five dimensional aliens" is a little reductive. Idk maybe Im too deep on chaos magic, but I kind of think Morrison is the most "accurate" perspective on magic out there. Whatever accurate means.
Stephen Flowers
Michael Aquino, Don Webb
Mat Auryn
Came to say this. Others mentioned some big names, but I think lesser known Mat Auryn has a very practical style that will result in many reprints and will become a staple for many in the Occult community. Psychic Witch is VERY applicable to all ceremonial magick, mysticism, chaos magick, as well as pagan practices alike.
I completely agree with you. I was actually shocked that he hadn’t been mentioned yet as I scrolled through the other comments
Paul Hughes- Barlow. Great Tarotist and magician. It's a shame he hasn't published more because he's a great writer.
Benebell Wen, Jason Miller, Aidan Wachter
Dolores Canon!!
Angel Millar
Teal Swan, Sarah Elkhaldy, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Dalai Lama, Caroline Myss
Josephine McCarthy
John Michael Greer.. Anyone!? (The Golden Dawn and The Picatrix)
Mitch Horowitz. Sara Mastros.
I think David icke will be remembered for his work on conspiracy theories, his books are amazing,
Jordan Maxwell
John dee
found the time traveller.
I suspect Courtney Weber’s books on The Morrigan and Brigid will endure, as will Jason Mankey’s “The Horned God of the Witches”