The Western Gate

The Art of Conjuration
Oscar Tusk
Troy Books.

Mr Tusk belongs to a fraternity known as The Coven of the Black Sun. The imagery of which coupled with the associate runes that pop up in the book would for some, poss’ many, raise a red flag such that this imagery used by neo-nazi, supremacist and other such ego maniacs. As always with an open mind however we step into the scene painted by the book to see what it offers and pity those that use such imagery for their own testosterone fuelled inadequacies.

I know little of The Coven/Order of the Black Sun and likewise Oscar Tusk.
A little way into the book and we are told that never before held knowledge would be revealed, that under discussion, the elders of the Coven/Order/Circle of the Black Coven agreed to allow this material to be published, this reminds me of the oft’ forewords in late 70’s early 80’s output from Finbarr books et al, which also promised to reveal the long forgotten held and previously only ‘oral’ held knowledge, but, with open mind we continue and… &c
A little farther and we are told that certain information/secrets are withheld? The lollipop is given and yet we cannot suck…. and this reminds me of the give an inch and take a yard approach by late 70’s/ early 80’s Finbarr etc….. &c

The methods employed by the Coven/ Circle/Order/Fraternity of the Black Sun (and also of the shining sun) seem to suggest they are the only method for penetrating the veil and the ‘astral’ or in Tusks words, the ‘lunar astral’. I emphasise- suggest, perhaps I’ve not read it correctly perhaps my red flags and raised eyebrows have lead me down the passageway of prejudice.
Now, and, Of course, any practitioner, dabbler or ‘elaborate wizard’ given enough focus and direction will achieve the same results, anyone venturing into the unknown, esp. for the first time, given the added bonus of adrenaline and fear will undoubtedly touch the threshold of the veil and perhaps thereon manifest into the physical that which transpires in the ‘astral’.
The Coven/Order etc use a method of 32 steps, which will undoubtedly draw parallels with qabalah, however, keys are given to open those doors of each , Not Hebrew letters of the flame of course, but Runes. (ahem)
I decide at this point to investigate online The secret world of the Order of the Black Sun but found only links to neo-nazi organizations and roleplaying games so loved by sociopathic fantasists. I also find a Facebook account of some Order of the Black sun, but all its posts seem to be memes poking fun at Christianity and what not. So, I guess, maybe they must be secret, not on social media and return to the book.

We are given a list of ‘magical weapons’ regalia etc to use in our rituals. Its the usual array of athame/boline etc.
Let’s be clear, from the point of view of hereditary path;
We had upon our table (altar) a plate (pantacle), knife (athame), fork (stang/wand) and cup (chalice). In the hearth was our cooking pot (cauldron), our little cobb hut was kept clean by our broom (besom) and basically, in the past, these were all our possessions, all that we had, maybe the chair was a throne, maybe oil lamps were our focus upon which to imagine and craft tales and legends. All these things are obvious, and simple, there is no need to elaborate fanciful rituals or condemn them to wonderful mystical regalia. They were our humble belongings which were loved and honoured and certainly in an age of nothing coveted and never taken in vain, we named them, we gave each an element, each symbolised a function. These were our magical tools both in the physical, and as we dreamt they became tools of our craft.
Oscar doesn’t really explain these humble beginnings, his altar is pretty much adorned with skull cap offering dishes and ornate daggers etc, but that’s not a dig at him, most if not all authors of the ‘path’ pretty much sidestep the humble beginnings and leap straight into Harry Potter vestments and ritual artillery.

There are a few rituals at the end, describing whether things are ethical or not and whether there would be any collateral damage ? etc. Oscar told us, in as many words, that no-one should manipulate the free will of others? Really ?
Wearing perfume is manipulation, make up is manipulation, wearing a suit and tie inherently condemns us to the image of slavery, every advert and logo, corporate brand and subtle hookline is manipulation. Every sad eye plea to mum and dad for pocket money, every lie and every truth and honour held aloft is manipulation and the collateral damage will always be to sway someone’s free will. That’s not manipulation, but nature. Its dynamism, it’s reciprocity, perhaps along the way there’s equilibrium.

It’s a lovely looking book, did I mention that, with a bronzed gilded stamp on the front and The Art of conjuration on the spine. Its from Troy Books, who I’ll always give a nod to. But, Oscar here, alike his namesake in that other fantasy world of Sesame Street has delivered some garbage from his own fantasy world, and yes, again, in that experience the manifest can come forward.
You don’t need to parrot fashion remember every rune for every door. You don’t need to learn passwords for each step, these are given in your journey be it visualisation or dream wandering, these are symbolic to the self’s own gnosis and the self’s own peculiarity or familiarity. Each step upon the wanderers journey is known and the unknown will open when the wayfarer takes their leap of faith. There is no guide book or short circuit or as the crow flies to this wisdom, and it is not for the elect few, the privileged or the elite, and certainly not for any would be ascended masters from some secret school.
The only secret is that it stares you straight in the face each time you look, it roars at you with every sound you hear.
There are some errors in the book, words that the reader immediately replaces with the correct word, one glaring error describes the Sorcerers apprentice, “Mickey Mouse”, as being “from Anastasia” ? as opposed to Fantasia. Its almost poetic and the trickster has set afoot the truth that sets us free.

Anastasia ~ a story of Evil Wizard, Corrupt overlords, and the innocent are the prey. The truth here, really is Fantasia.

I give it 1 and a half stars and that’s mainly for the books appearance (which I’d give five if I were only to judge it by appearance), and well, if you know, …you know,…. it still an amusing little read.