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To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.magick.tantra,alt.magick,alt.religion.sexuality,alt.pagan From: catherine yronwodeSubject: Re: CYronwode: Phallism and Crowley's Ignorance Date: Mon, 07 May 2001 20:25:09 GMT Satyr wrote: > Jenning's treatment of the subject [of Phallism] is interesting as > it helps explain certain late 19th c. trends in the development of > modern occultism. As an exhaustive or authoritative treatment of > the subject, however, he stinks. Why do you say that? Have you read his books on the subject? I think he was both exhaustive AND authoritative, the latter subject to the caveat that he did not read Sanskrit and thus relied on British military personnale stationed in India for translations of Indian material -- but considering the time when he was writing, he did okay with that, too. I don't believe that you and i have ever met or that you live near where i do, but i note with dismay that you echo the feelings of certain SF Bay Area OTO members who always make it a point to sneer at Jennings's scholarship in the most disrespectful terms. One such man told me recently that Jennings "probably should not be in the list of Gnostic Saints" because "his scholarship sucks." This seems to be a current OTO "in" opinion to have. It was not shared by Crowley, however -- and if unfamiliarity with certain cultures led one to be discounted as a scholar of the occult or of sex-magic in those cultures, then Crowley "probably should not be in the list of Gnostic Saints" either, as anyone familar with the Egyptology can testify :-) For the record, here is a list of the books Hargrave Jennings wrote on the subject of Phallic worship, all of which were publishied in London and were in print and available during Crowley's adulthood: This information is taken from two of my web sites: Lucky Mojo Sacred Landscape Bibliography http://www.luckymojo.com/bibliocontents.html Lucky Mojo Sacred Sex Bibliography http://www.luckymojo.com/tkbibliocontents.html And if after looking this over, Jennings does not seem "exhaustive" and "scholarly" enough for you, then you are one hard-to-please fellah --- Jennings, Hargrave Phallicism, Celestial and Terrestrial, Heathen and Christian George Redway, 1884; reprinted by Health Research, 1982 Keywords: natural sacred sites, megaliths, mounds, houses of worship, funerary-cemetery-burial sites, vernacular architecture, archaeoastronomical observatories, astro-calendrical devices, labyrinths, symbolic landscaping, religion, myth, folklore, cosmology, religious iconography, freemasonic symbolism, prehistoric, ancient, medieval, Asia, Crete, Egypt, Europe, Greece, Middle East, Rome Comment: An important work in its time; a survey of sex worship and its impact on sacred architecture around the world. For companion volumes of the same era see Clifford Howard and Sha Rocco -- and see also the several books on Phallism, Phallicism, Nature Worship, Temple Architecture, and Sex Worship by "Anonymous" which were privately printed in London from 1880-1891 and which some bibliographers have attributed to Jennings. For a modern book with a similar premise, see George T. Meaden. CY ---- Rocco, Sha [pseudonym for Abisha S. Hudson / Hargrave Jennings, q.v.] The Masculine Cross and Ancient Sex Worship Asa K.Butts, 1874. viii+65 pp. Reprinted circa 1890 as part of the "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" by "Anonymous" (q.v.) Reprinted by Commonwealth Co., 1904 (iv+65 pp. pp.) Reprinted by Sun Publishing, 199- (65 pp., 20 b&w illustrations) Comment: I have not seen any of these editions, but an excerpt i read reveals that it is about phallic symbolism in various cultures, including "The Phallus in California," an early look at phallic charmstones of the California Indians. For companion volumes of the same era see Clifford Howard and Hargrave Jennings -- and see also under the letter "A" the anonymous nine-volume "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" on Phallism, Phallicism, Nature Worship, Serpent Worship, Temple Architecture, and Sex Worship privately printed in London from 1889-1891 and which bibliographers have attributed to Jennings and/or Rocco/Hudson. CY --- [Anonymous] (attributed to Hargrave Jennings, q.v.) Phallic Worship Privately Printed, 1880, London Comment: A fine tome on phallic worship. PR Comment: I have not seen this volume, but for reasons that will become obvious, it is worth mentioning that it is not listed in the series advertisements for the anonymous "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" titles listed below. CY --- Note: the following nine anonymous works, published under the series heading "Nature Worship and Mystical Series," are listed in chronological order of publication rather than alphabetical order, for ease of understanding their relationship to one another. Although no author is given, they were all issued in matching cream vellum bindings with red stamping and bevelled edges, limited to 500 copies. For similar works of the same era, see also entries under the authors Clifford Howard, Hargrave Jennings, and Sha Rocco. For guesses about the true identity of the author, see "Byways in Bibliography" at the end of this section. --- [Anonymous] (attributed to Hargrave Jennings, q.v.) Phallism: A Description of the Worship of Lingam-Yoni in Various Parts of the World, and in Different Ages, with an Account of Ancient and Modern Crosses, Particularly the Crux Ansata (or Handled Cross) and Other Symbols Connected with the Mysteries of Sex Worship "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" [#1] Privately Printed, 1889, London. Reprinted as "Phallicism"; Privately Printed, circa 1890-91, London viii + 107 pp., with a bibliography Comment: Red cover stamping: the word "Phallism." A later edition -- with different interior typesetting but matching binding -- is cover-stamped "Crux Ansata" and bears an image of an ankh. The reprint was offered for sale in later series advertisements under the title "Phallicism." CY --- [Anonymous] (attributed to Hargrave Jennings, q.v.; attributed by the bibliographer Gershon Legman to the otherwise unknown Abisha S. Hudson, who is equated with the pseudonymous Sha Rocco, q.v.) Ophiolatreia: An Account of the Rites and Mysteries Connected with the Origin, Rise, and Development of Serpent Worship in Various Parts of the Word, Enriched with Interesting Traditions, and a Full Description of the Celebrated Serpent Mounds and Temples, the Whole Forming an Exposition of One of the Phases of Phallic, or Sex Worship "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" [#2] Privately printed, 1889, London viii + 103 pp. Comment: Red cover stamping: a caduceus. There are knotty problems associated with Legman's attribution of this title to Hudson rather than to Jennings. For details, see "Byways in Bibliography" at the end of this section. CY --- [Anonymous] (attributed to Hargrave Jennings, q.v.) Phallic Objects, Monuments, and Remains: Illustrations of the Rise and Development of the Phallic Idea (Sex Worship) and Its Embodiment in Works of Nature and Art "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" [#3] Privately Printed, 1889, London. viii + 76 pp. Comment: Red cover stamping: a phallic-shaped tower. In the preface, the author refers to "our volumes, 'Phallism,' and 'Ophiolatreia," thus reinformcing the idea that one person wrote all the titles in this series. This volume is largely devoted to the round towers of Ireland, a subject that provides a definite thematic link between the anonymous author and Hargrave Jennings, whose book "Phallicism, Celestial and Terrestrial" also addresses the same topic. In addition, a chapter here covers Neolithic "holed stones" of Ireland. CY --- [Anonymous] (attributed to Hargrave Jennings, q.v.) Cultus Arborum: A Descriptive Account of Phallic Tree Worship with Illustrative Legends, Superstitions, ec.; Exhibiting Its Origin and Development Amongst the Eastern and Western Nations of the World, from the Earliest to Modern Times "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" [#4] Privately printed, [1890?], London. ??? pp. Comment: I do not have a copy of this one (YET!) but it is listed in the series ads as "in preparation" immediately after "Phallic Objects, Monuments, and Remains." A note in the advertisement states that "This work has a valuable bibliography which will be of the greatest use and value to the student of Ancient Faiths. It contains references to nearly five hundred works on Phallism and kindred subjects." CY --- [Anonymous] (attributed to Hargrave Jennings, q.v.) Fishes, Flowers, and Fire as Elements and Deities in the Phallic Faiths and Worship of the Ancient Religions of Greece, Babylon, Rome, India, etc., with Illustrative Myths and Legends "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" [#5] Privately printed, [1890?], London. ??? pp. Comment: I do not have a copy of this one (YET!) but it is listed in the series ads as "in preparation" immediately after "Cultus Arborum." CY --- [Anonymous] (attributed to Hargrave Jennings, q.v.) Archaic Rock Inscriptions: an Account of the Cup and Ring Marking on the Sculptural Stones of the Old and New Worlds "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" [#6] Privately printed, [1890?], London. ??? pp. Comment: I do not have a copy of this one (YET!) but it is listed in the series ads as "in preparation" immediately after "Fishes, Flowers, and Fire." CY --- [Anonymous] (attributed to Hargrave Jennings, q.v.) Nature Worship: An Account of Phallic Faiths and Practices, Ancient and Modern, Including the Adoration of the Male and Female Powers in Various Nations and the Sacti Puja of Indian Gnosticism "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" [#7] Privately printed, 1891, London. 105 pp. Comment: Red cover stamping: an Indian lingam-argha and the words "Nature Worship." The preface mentions the "exhaustion of the first edition of Phallicism [sic]" and implies that it will be reprinted. The text also refers to the author's previous books on "the Worship of Serpents, of Trees, Fishes, Flowers, Fire, etc." -- again reinforcing the claim that all titles in the series are by the same writer. CY --- [Anonymous] (attributed to Hargrave Jennings, q.v.) Phallic Miscellanies: Facts and Phases of Ancient and Modern Sex Worship, as Explained Chiefly in the Religions of India: an Appendix of Additional and Explanatory matter to the volumes Phallism, and Nature Worship "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" [#8] Privately printed, 1891, London viii + 104 pp. Comment: Red cover stamping: the words "Phallic Miscellanies." A series advertisement notes that this is "by the author of Phallism." CY --- [Anonymous] (attributed to Hargrave Jennings, q.v.) Mysteries of the Rosie Cross, or the History of that Curious Sect of the Middle Ages, known as the Rosicrucians, with Examples of their Pretensions and Claims "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" [#9] Privately printed, [1891?], London. ??? pp. Comment: I do not have a copy of this one (YET!) but it is listed in the series ads immediately after "Phallic Miscellanies." This title, which seems off the topic of "Sex Worship," however provides a definite thematic link between the anonymous author and Hargrave Jennings, whose book "Phallicism, Celestial and Terrestrial, Heathen and Christian, Its Connexion with the Rosicrucians and the Gnostics and its Foundation in Buddhism" attempts to document the sex-worship practices of the Rosicrucians. CY --- Byways in Bibliography: About the Authorship of the "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" Advertisements and text in these books make it clear that the entire series is the work of one person. Most bibliographers attribute all nine volumes to Hargrave Jennings (q.v.), and i concur with this. The one bibliographer who believed othewrwise is Gershon Legman. He stated that "Ophiolatreia," the second volume in the set, was written by Abisha S. Hudson. Legman did not publish this theory, merely noting it on a piece of paper he slipped into his personal copy of the book in question. However, Legman’s stature being what it is, his little note has entered several bibliographical databases and been published in numerous bookdealers’ catalogues. To understand why Legman reached this conclusion, it is necessary to know that the name Sha Rocco (q.v.) appears as the author of two books similar to those listed above, namely "The Masculine Cross" and "Sexual Mythology," and that Sha Rocco -- an obvious pseudonym -- is said by some bibliographers to have been the pen-name of one Abisha S. Hudson. However, no biographical data on Abisha S. Hudson has ever come to light, and it is highly likely that this was yet another pseudonym for the author of "The Masculine Cross." Legman probably drew the conclusion that "Ophiolatreia" was written by Rocco/Hudson because (1) the writing style is the same, (2) in one edition of "Phallism" there is an advertisement for a "cream vellum binding" edition of Sha Rocco's "The Masculine Cross" which places it before "Phallism," indicating its earlier publication date, and (3) circa 1890 edition of "The Masculine Cross" is a reprint of the 1874 Sha Rocco book bound to match the "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" titles [making it #0 in the series]. Here is what the bookdealer Peter Cockrell (antiques@cockrell.co.uk) says of this reprint: [In] reference [to] your web page describing "Nature Worship & Mystical Series" and to your comments on the inclusion of "The Masculine Cross" in the series: We have a copy of "Masculine Cross" which matches your description of having cream vellum bindings with red stamping and which lists, in the back, "Nature Worship & Mystical Series" -- "only a very limited number - privately printed" -- and which then lists the following titles: NATURE WORSHIP OPHIOLATREIA PHALLIC OBJECTS FISHES, FLOWERS & FIRE CULTUS ARBORUM PHALLIC MISCELLANIES ARCHAIC ROCK INSCRIPTIONS MYSTERIES OF THE ROSIE CROSS. This information would seem to place our book, very clearly, in the series. So there are two problems with Legman's theory: (1) "Ophiolatreia" is part of the "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" and in ads and text it is made clear that this series is the work of a single author. Thus, if the otherwse unknown Abisha S. Hudson wrote "Ophiolatreia," he would have had to have written the entire series, which Legman does not claim for him. (2) Most bibliographers attribute the nine volume "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" set (minus “The Mascuine Cross”) to Hargrave Jennings, but in fact the writing style and subject matter of all ten volumes in the series (including “The Mascuine Cross” by Sha Rocco) are virtually identical to those found in Jennings' "Phallisicm, Celestial and Terrestrial," to which he affixed his real name. Fitting this data together, it is clear that three contradictory suppositions arise: (A) Inclusion of "The Masculine Cross" by Sha Rocco in the "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" by Jennings is an unexplained anomoly and the other nine books in the series (including "Ophiolatreia") were written by Hargrave Jennings, as most bibliographers state; (B) Inclusion of "The Masculine Cross" by Sha Rocco in the "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" implies that Rocco/Hudson -- not Hargrave Jennings -- wrote the entire series. This theory has not been published by any bibliographers, inlcuding Legman, who merely attributed "Ophiolatreia" to Hudson; (C) Inclusion of "The Masculine Cross" by Sha Rocco in the "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" by Jennings is a tacit admission by the author himself that the pseudonymous "Sha Rocco" who wrote "The Masculine Cross" in 1874 is none other than Hargrave Jennings, who wrote "Phallicism, Celestial and Terrestrial" in 1884 and is widely believed to have written the entire "Nature Worship and Mystical Series" of 1889-1891. I have favoured theory (C) since first taking up this problem, but have hesitated to go up against so respected an authority as Gershon Legman. When and if further information on this one-hundred-year-old literary mystery is forthcoming, i shall present it here. --- cat yronwode Karezza and Sacred Sex ------ http://www.luckymojo.com/sacredsex.html The Sacred Landscape ------- http://www.luckymojo.com/sacredland.html No personal e-mail, please; just catch me in usenet; i read it daily. Lucky Mojo Curio Co. http://www.luckymojo.com/luckymojocatalogue.html Send e-mail with your street address to catalogue@luckymojo.com and receive our free 32 page catalogue of hoodoo supplies and amulets Copyright (c) 2001 catherine yronwode. All rights reserved.
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