The Work of the Hierophant

McCarthy, Josephine. The Work of the Hierophant. 2009. Golem Media.

Josphine McCarthy’s piece, now out of print, The Work of the Hierophant, is reminiscent of the term “hierophant” itself, where the work – endorsed and introduced by Alan Richardson speaks volumes to the reader being initiated into a world whereby there is something holy. The practitioner is allowed to think for more than a minute that the sacred and the mundane may co-mingle and that the work of the magical practitioner is well on his way in introducing magic to some other folks.

Written as an introductory piece to group work, the practitioner is advised on certain courses of action, and against others, though no real hard and fast rule is set in stone as mistakes are made and that is the way of the universe – I’ve found irony to be hard case evidence that the universe has (some sort of )a sense of humor. This last remark is, I believe, a hallmark remark of Lovecraft.

As with most works of initiatic wisdom there is a great deal of information in regards to inner efforts. Should the novice/Apprentice not be entirely privy to what this is just yet, then I will reserve the illumination for the piece of work that best suits them on the topic of initiation.

There is a lot here.

With regards to McCarthy’s work we see a continuation of the topics of deities not being divinity, but divinity flowing through deities. Similar topics such as mindfulness toward polarities and respective encounters with entities that are polarized (one way or the other), should at least be kept in mind, regardless of what one chooses to do.

As might be expected with this sort of book review, and with regards to other aspects or facets that might be noticed here, this website encourages work in regards to magic or magick but does not seek to distill everything for the reader. Experimentation and fun of the subjective type is encouraged.

It is work, but I can’t imagine being any more happy or having more fun doing anything else.

As usual, McCarthy’s work is (usually) quite serious with some tongue-in-cheek remarks that can catch the reader unexpectedly. Almost austere in practice, the practice can be quite enjoyable, however there are some serious considerations to be kept in mind, which Josephine goes into detail quite extensively.

The book continues a lot of McCarthy’s other works, including Magical Healing, Magical Knowledge Trilogy, The Magic of the North Gate, and last and certainly not least Quareia.

I am hopeful to approach a time before too long where I can speak to my own personal experience as a practitioner of Quareia. I’m almost at the Initiate level after 8 years, and have no small amount of excitement, respect, courtesy, and humility towards such teachers as Frater Acher, Josphine McCarthy, et. al.

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