Andrew D. Chumbley (15 September 1967 – 15 September 2004) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
practitioner and theorist of
magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
, and a writer, poet and artist. He was Magister of the UK-based magical group Cultus Sabbati.
Career
Chumbley published several limited edition books through his private press Xoanon Publishing, and had many articles printed in occult magazines. Their subject was the doctrine and practice of a tradition of sorcery which he called '
Sabbatic Craft', a term which, according to Chumbley, "describes the way in which elements of witch-lore,
Sabbath
In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as G ...
mythology and imagery were being employed in the
cunning-craft tradition into which I was originally inducted".
["An Interview With Andrew D. Chumbley", ''The Cauldron'' no. 103, February 2002.] He claimed that this tradition was founded in two lineages of
traditional witchcraft
Traditional witchcraft is a term used by certain esotericists who regard their practices as forms of witchcraft. The unifying feature of these religious movements is the attempt to differentiate themselves from the modern Pagan new religious mov ...
, both pre-dating "those modern revivalist forms of witchcraft, which have become generically nominalised as 'wicca'".
[Chumbley, Andrew, "Hekas", ''The Cauldron'' no. 74, November 1994.] Chumbley's early articles were published in the
chaos magic
Chaos magic, also spelled chaos magick, is a modern tradition of magic. It initially emerged in England in the 1970s as part of the wider neo-pagan and magical subculture.
Drawing heavily from the occult beliefs of artist Austin Osman Spare, ...
journal ''Chaos International''; later articles appeared in ''Starfire'', journal of the
Typhonian OTO, and in the long-established British witchcraft journal ''The Cauldron''.
Daniel A. Schulke succeeded him as Magister of Cultus Sabbati.
Personality
In an obituary his close friend
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne (born Michael Hecht; 7 July 1941) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005. He previously held cabinet posi ...
, a well-known occult writer and publisher of ''The Cauldron'', described Chumbley as "a man of the land, rural in both birth and character. He fitted totally within the traditional archetypal parameters of the English (and specifically Essex)
cunning man
Cunning may refer to:
* Cunning (owarai), a Japanese comedy group
* Cunning folk, a type of folk magic user
* Cunning (surname), a list of people with Cunning as a surname
See also
* Cunningham
*
*
* Sneak (disambiguation)
* Sly (disambigu ...
." Howard recalled Chumbley’s kindness, generosity and sense of humour: "To outsiders Andrew could sometimes appear to be aloof, intense and serious to the point of obsession... However, if he met kindred spirits of sincerity and honour, who shared his interests and serious intent, he would willingly go out of his way to offer them help and guidance on the Path... In fact he was a natural teacher and, like all good occult teachers, acted as a catalyst in the lives of his students."
[Howard, M., 'Andrew D. Chumbley', ''The Cauldron'' no. 114, November 2004.]
Influences
Although Chumbley was mainly known for his involvement with English
traditional witchcraft
Traditional witchcraft is a term used by certain esotericists who regard their practices as forms of witchcraft. The unifying feature of these religious movements is the attempt to differentiate themselves from the modern Pagan new religious mov ...
,
[Hutton, Ronald, ''The Triumph of The Moon'', Oxford University Press 2001.] primarily that of
East Anglia
East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
,
[Chumbley, Andrew, "What is Traditional Craft?", ''The Cauldron'' no. 81, August 1996. Online text at .] his occult interests and influences were extremely diverse. According to Schulke, "Chumbley's magical work spanned many fields of sorcerous influence, including
Sufism
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
, left-hand
Tantra
Tantra (; sa, तन्त्र, lit=loom, weave, warp) are the esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards. The term ''tantra'', in the Indian ...
and Petro
Voodoo
Voodoo may refer to:
Religions
* African or West African Vodun, practiced by Gbe-speaking ethnic groups
* African diaspora religions, a list of related religions sometimes called Vodou/Voodoo
** Candomblé Jejé, also known as Brazilian Vodu ...
".
[Schulke, Daniel A. "Way and Waymark", ''The Cauldron'' no. 122, November 2006.] Other influences included the artist-occultist
Austin Osman Spare
Austin Osman Spare (30 December 1886 – 15 May 1956) was an English artist and occultism, occultist who worked as both a draughtsman and a painter. Influenced by Symbolism (arts), symbolism and art nouveau his art was known for its clear use o ...
and author-occultist
Kenneth Grant
Kenneth is an English given name and surname. The name is an Anglicised form of two entirely different Gaelic personal names: ''Cainnech'' and '' Cináed''. The modern Gaelic form of ''Cainnech'' is ''Coinneach''; the name was derived from a byna ...
. Chumbley was familiar with and respected Grant's work and was a member of Grant's
Ordo Templi Orientis
Ordo Templi Orientis (O.T.O.; ) is an occult initiatory organization founded at the beginning of the 20th century. The origins of the O.T.O. can be traced back to the German-speaking occultists Carl Kellner, Heinrich Klein, Franz Hartmann and T ...
from 1993 to 1999, operating an affiliated magical lodge.
[Chumbley, Andrew, 'Opening the Way for the Daemons of the Void', ''Starfire'' Vol. II, No. 2, 1998.] Spare's philosophy of the ''Kia'' almost certainly influenced the "non-dual gnosis" which is a key element in Chumbley's system, although the similar "doctrine of the void" (''Shunyavata''), a foundation concept of Tantrism, is also likely to have affected Chumbley's work through the ''
Uttara Kaula Sampradaya'', of which he claimed to be an initiate.
[Chumbley, Andrew, 'The Golden Chain and the Lonely Road: a typological study of Initiatory Transmissions within the Sabbatic Tradition', ''The Cauldron'' no. 94, November 1999.] In ''The Azoëtia'' Chumbley presents "Will, Desire, Belief" as a threefold unity operating in sorcery; this is ultimately derived from Spare's work, although the primary textual source is Grant.
[Grant, Kenneth, ''Images & Oracles of Austin Osman Spare'', Muller 1975, Fulgur Limited 2005.] The use of
sigil
A sigil () is a type of symbol used in magic. The term has usually referred to a pictorial signature of a deity or spirit. In modern usage, especially in the context of chaos magic, sigil refers to a symbolic representation of the practitioner ...
s and magical glyphs in Chumbley's work also suggests a derivation from Spare, though classical magical
grimoire
A grimoire ( ) (also known as a "book of spells" or a "spellbook") is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets, how to perform magical spells, charms and divination, and ...
s such as the ''
Key of Solomon
The ''Key of Solomon'' ( la, Clavicula Salomonis; he, מפתח שלמה []) (Also known as "The Greater Key of Solomon") is a pseudepigraphical grimoire (also known as a book of spells) attributed to Solomon, King Solomon. It probably dates ba ...
'' and the ''
Goëtia'' provide an earlier precedent.
''The Azoëtia'' and Chumbley's subsequent writings demonstrate his familiarity with a broad range of Western esoteric doctrines including
Qabalah
Hermetic Qabalah () is a Western esoteric tradition involving mysticism and the occult. It is the underlying philosophy and framework for magical societies such as the Golden Dawn, Thelemic orders, mystical-religious societies such as the Bu ...
,
Enochian Magic
Enochian magic is a system of ceremonial magic based on the 16th-century writings of John Dee and Edward Kelley, who wrote that their information, including the revealed Enochian language, was delivered to them directly by various angels. Dee's ...
, the magic of the
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn ( la, Ordo Hermeticus Aurorae Aureae), more commonly the Golden Dawn (), was a secret society devoted to the study and practice of occult Hermeticism and metaphysics during the late 19th and early 20th ce ...
and the Thelemic school of
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pro ...
. Another influence was the neo-
Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
author
Idries Shah
Idries Shah (; hi, इदरीस शाह, ps, ادريس شاه, ur, ; 16 June 1924 – 23 November 1996), also known as Idris Shah, né Sayed Idries el- Hashimi (Arabic: سيد إدريس هاشمي) and by the pen name Arko ...
, particularly his theories concerning possible connections between witchcraft and various near-eastern cults such as the
Yezidi
Yazidis or Yezidis (; ku, ئێزیدی, translit=Êzidî) are a Kurmanji-speaking endogamous minority group who are indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. The majo ...
,
Mandaeans
Mandaeans ( ar, المندائيون ), also known as Mandaean Sabians ( ) or simply as Sabians ( ), are an ethnoreligious group who are followers of Mandaeism. They believe that John the Baptist was the final and most important prophet. They ...
,
Sufis
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
and
Zoroastrians.
Chumbley addressed these themes, citing Shah's work, in his book ''Qutub: The Point'' (1995).
Regarding his sources, drawn from both literature and direct contact with practitioners of other occult and religious traditions, Chumbley stated: "In all contexts one may find pieces of magical lore and belief from many disparate times and places, but all are brought to function within the trans-historical arena of the sacred dimension, whether it be the magical circle of Witcherie or the Ninefold Plot of Sigaldry."
Schulke observed that "Chumbley's grimoire ''Azoëtia'', though wholly a reification of traditional British witchcraft, makes use of
Sumerian,
Egyptian
Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt.
Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to:
Nations and ethnic groups
* Egyptians, a national group in North Africa
** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...
,
Yezidi
Yazidis or Yezidis (; ku, ئێزیدی, translit=Êzidî) are a Kurmanji-speaking endogamous minority group who are indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey and Iran. The majo ...
,
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
, and
Aztec
The Aztecs () were a Mesoamerican culture that flourished in central Mexico in the post-classic period from 1300 to 1521. The Aztec people included different Indigenous peoples of Mexico, ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those g ...
iconography, among others."
Doctrine and method
Chumbley's work promotes a doctrine of 'Transcendental Sorcery', founded on his belief that all forms of magic arise from a single source, which he termed the 'Magical Quintessence': "Magick is the transmutability of the Quintessence of all nature ... Sorcery is the knowledge of the universal points of transmutation. Its Art is to cultivate the ability to manipulate these foci of power in accordance with Will, Desire and Belief."
Chumbley considered the practice of willed dreaming essential as a means of interacting directly and consciously with the spiritual dimensions he called 'the High Sabbat'; according to him "Every word, deed and thought can empower, magnetise, and establish points of receptivity for a magical dream, likewise any of these means can do the opposite—fixating perception in a manner that is not receptive—that seals the soul in the body instead of enabling it to go forth at will."
In conjunction with dreaming and trance experience Chumbley used
automatic writing
Automatic writing, also called psychography, is a claimed psychic ability allowing a person to produce written words without consciously writing. Practitioners engage in automatic writing by holding a writing instrument and allowing alleged spir ...
and
drawing
Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayons, ...
to manifest the knowledge drawn from ritual magic; these procedures, in which the magician offers her or himself as a vehicle for the forces summoned instead of using another as
medium
Medium may refer to:
Science and technology
Aviation
*Medium bomber, a class of war plane
*Tecma Medium, a French hang glider design
Communication
* Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or data
* Medium of ...
, is uncommon in the Western occult tradition - one modern exemplar being Austin Osman Spare. The results of Chumbley's practices can be seen in his drawings and sigillisations. Chumbley believed that the natural manifestation of magical
gnosis
Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge ( γνῶσις, ''gnōsis'', f.). The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. It is best known for its implication within Gnosticism, where it ...
and power occurs through creative activity: "Dreaming and the mutual translation of dreamt ritual and ritual-as-dreamt form the basic rationale and context for our work. The active discourse between initiates and our spirit-patrons inspires and motivates this dreaming. This is demonstrably manifest in the magical artistry of individual initiates, whether through text, ritual performance, song, tapestry, craftsmanship, or image."
[Occult Art Gallery website, see link below.]
Written and illustrated works
''The Azoëtia''
Chumbley's first book ''The Azoëtia'' was published privately by the author in 1992 as a softcover volume under the Xoanon imprint. The work received positive reviews from other contemporary practitioners including Jan Fries
[Review by Fries published in ''The Nuit-Isis Reader'', ]Mandrake of Oxford
Mandrake of Oxford is a specialist independent publisher based in Oxford, England, primarily known for the publication of "hands-on" books for occult practitioners.Evans (2007), p. 39 The company was started in 1986 under the name Golden Dawn Pu ...
, 1993. and
Phil Hine
Philip M. Hine is a British occultist and writer. He became known internationally through his written works ''Condensed Chaos'', ''Prime Chaos'', and ''Pseudonomicon'', as well as several essays on the topics of chaos magic and Cthulhu Mythos ...
.
[Review by Phil Hine published in ''Pagan News'', London, June 1992.]
Described as "...a complete recension of Sabbatic theory and praxis, relating the Three Great Rites of Ingress, Congress, and Egress, together with a detailed exposition of the 22 Letters of the Sorcerer's Alphabet",
the book forms a résumé of Chumbley's system and is the core text for practitioners wishing to study and practise the Sabbatic path of magic. A tenth anniversary edition, revised to include further textual and illustrative material was issued by Xoanon Publishing on October 31, 2002, as ''Azoëtia (Sethos Edition)''. Part of the book's significance in modern occult literature lies in its conscious reinvention of the format of the "grimoire", or sorcerer's instruction book.
Gavin Semple hailed ''The Azoëtia'' as "a very different type of book; a genuine Grimoire, likely the only one to be published in modern times;
..''The Azoëtia'' is a work of breathtaking power and passion, in whose pages magic is restored to its position as the Sacred Art, the Sabbatic Craft is revealed as a living and very vital tradition."
[Semple, Gavin (1994) 'The Azoëtia - reviewed by Gavin Semple', ''Starfire'' Vol. I, No. 2, 1994, p. 194.]
''Qutub: The Point''
''Qutub: The Point'' followed in 1995, published for Xoanon by Fulgur Limited, in which Chumbley combined illustrations and poetry with the intent of creating a telesmatic volume. The illustrations demonstrated that Chumbley's skills as a draughtsman were advancing quickly. The book was described as follows: "This work treats of the Arcanum of the Opposer, a
magical formula
In ceremonial magic, a magical formula or a word of power is a word that is believed to have specific supernatural effects. They are words whose meaning illustrates principles and degrees of understanding that are often difficult to relay using ...
of the Crooked Path concerning the Powers of Self-overcoming. The book consists of an arcane poetic text in 72 verses, a detailed commentary in critical prose, and a substantial glossary of esoteric terms and names. The whole is illustrated throughout with
calligraphic
Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as ...
and sigillic depictions of the Opposer's composite mysteries."
Issued in several different hard bindings as standard, deluxe and private editions, copies of ''Qutub'' included unique additions such as hand-drawn
talisman
A talisman is any object ascribed with religious or magical powers intended to protect, heal, or harm individuals for whom they are made. Talismans are often portable objects carried on someone in a variety of ways, but can also be installed perm ...
s or
sigillised inscriptions.
A second printing of ''Qutub'', in two editions, was issued by Xoanon in March 2009. The standard edition is limited to 700 hardbound copies. The deluxe hardbound, slipcased edition is limited to 72 copies.
Michael Staley, a senior member of the Typhonian OTO and editor of Starfire Magazine, described the
Qabalistic concept of the book as follows: "Qutub is the Point. Its root, QTB, enumerates as 111. We have immediately the essence of the matter, since 'The Point' suggests Kether and 111 suggests Aleph, the Fool, Atu 0, etc. 'The Point' is the deliciously-sharp point of insight into the reality beyond and underlying its expression in terms of duality. The idea called forth by the correspondence with Atu 0 is that of the illumined adept who has experienced this Point, realised its imminence in everything and at all times, and who is thereby liberated whilst yet living. It is this delicious insight which is conveyed by the very best of 'mystical poetry'." Staley credited Chumbley's poetry as "accomplished", but found it sometimes too long-winded.
[Staley, Michael (1996) 'Qutub - reviewed by Michael Staley', ''Starfire'' Vol. II, No. 1, 1996, p. 143.]
''ONE: The Grimoire of the Golden Toad''
Numerous articles by Chumbley followed, published in British and American occult journals, but no further books appeared until ''ONE: The Grimoire of the Golden Toad'' in 2000, described by Xoanon as: "...the first full grimoire-text to treat specifically and from personal account of the Traditional
East Anglia
East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
n ritual called 'The Waters of the Moon': the solitary initiation of the so-called 'Toad-witch'." The purpose of this traditional folk-magical rite is to obtain a specific bone from the flensed corpse of a toad; the bone is believed to bestow certain powers upon its owner, primarily control of animals. Chumbley's ''ONE'', however, presents a thoroughly antinomian re-visioning of the ritual procedure and its results, combining ritual practice with a series of dramatic visions recounted in prose-poetry. In Chumbley's recension it becomes clear that the "animal" over which power is sought is the practitioner's own human self. Seventy-seven hand-bound copies of the book were offered for sale, each copy accompanied by a hand-written page of a sigillic "inner grimoire", signed by the author, and an envelope containing a hand-painted talisman made from antique toadskin leather and a single
blackthorn
''Prunus spinosa'', called blackthorn or sloe, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family Rosaceae. The species is native to Europe, western Asia, and regionally in northwest Africa. It is locally naturalized in New Zealand, Tasmania, ...
. A further three copies were retained "for internal distribution"; these were bound in leather with an actual toad's head set into the front cover, with toadskin leather panelling on the rear.
[Xoanon website, see link below.]
''The Dragon Book of Essex''
In the autumn of 2013 Publishers Xoanon announced that ''The Dragon Book of Essex'' will be published in Midwinter 2013. However, for undisclosed reasons publication date was pushed back to summer 2014.
''The Dragon-Book of Essex'' was the intended second volume of a trilogy of Sabbatic grimoires, following ''Azoetia''; it appears to be a very substantial work, described as "...a Compleat Grimoire of Crooked Path Sorcery, distilled from the many years of practice... Being the fruit of a decade of concentrated praxis in the Cultus' inner circle, this work is intended as an entire resumé of the ancestral and
ophidia
__FORCETOC__
Ophidia (also known as Pan-Serpentes) is a group of squamate reptiles including modern snakes and reptiles more closely related to snakes than to other living groups of lizards.
Ophidia was defined as the "most recent common ancest ...
n components of Traditional Sorcery and Sabbatic Gnosis." Ten copies were published circa 1998 as a private "initiatic" edition in three volumes totalling 1,200 pages.
Private and unpublished works
Other works by Chumbley are known to exist, but have not been issued; they were either unpublished at his death, or had been produced solely for private distribution.
''The Auraeon'' was referred to by Chumbley as a forthcoming volume concerning solitary initiation, of which he said:
In the Sabbatic Craft, solitary initiation or 'The Lonely Road' is recognised as a vital aspect of every practitioner’s path and the understanding of ‘solitude’ is subject to many levels of interpretation. Autonomy is the key virtue, irrespective of whether one practices in human convocation or 'alone' – in the ever-present company of spirits."
Another volume titled ''The Greene Gospel'' is referred to in a footnote to Michael Howard's ''The Book of Fallen Angels'' (Capell Bann, 2004) where it is identified as being privately distributed.
Chumbley also created a series of singular artworks known as the 'Unique Transmission Series'. These were books which were individually hand-written and illustrated; according to the Xoanon website: "Each book is executed on hand-made paper, presented in a carved wooden box with accompanying telesmata and sealed letter to owner. Each text embodies a unique recension of a specific arcanum of the Crooked Path."
The full number of works in the series was not disclosed, however one example, ''The Red Grimoire'', is known to have been purchased by Jack Macbeth (Orlando Britts), and was referenced by him in his privately published book ''The Totemic Invocation of the Shadow Selves'', one of several recent books styled as "grimoires" that have followed in the wake of ''The Azoëtia''.
Chumbley's work is cited in several journals and books on the occult including ''
The Journal for the Academic Study of Magic'', a juried academic journal,
Ronald Hutton
Ronald Edmund Hutton (born 19 December 1953) is an English historian who specialises in Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and Contemporary Paganism. He is a professor at the University of Bristol, has written 14 bo ...
's ''The Triumph of the Moon'',
Laurence Galian's ''The Sun at Midnight'', Phil Hine's ''Oven Ready Chaos'', ''The Pomegranate'' journal and ''The Cauldron'' magazine.
Death
Chumbley died on his 37th birthday following a severe
asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...
attack. After his death, "his book values at second hand resale, which were already quite high, increased in an exponential and quite insane fashion within hours of his death becoming known."
[Evans (2007), p. 71.] At the time of his death Chumbley was working on his doctorate in the history of religion.
References
;Notes
;Footnotes
;Bibliography
External links
*. Article by Andrew D. Chumbley (2001), published in ''The Cauldron''. Retrieved 23 November 2006.
Occult Art GalleryXoanon PublishingThree Hands Press
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chumbley, Andrew
1967 births
2004 deaths
English occult writers
Deaths from asthma