The Hermetic Library Anthology Album - Magick, Music and Ritual 7

The Hermetic Library Anthology Album

Magick, Music and Ritual 7

Spring 2013 / Album

Released May 5, 2013

For full artist profiles and more, please head to Magick, Music and Ritual 7 at the Hermetic Library site.

The seventh issue from the Hermetic Library Anthology Project is being released on Beltane in Spring 2013, at 15° Taurus. This is the next album in the second full year of releases, planned for all four quarters in 2013. Magic, Music and Ritual 7 brings together 10 tracks, from new and returning artists, with over an hour of music in this ongoing series.

The artwork and design of this issue was created by Mustafa al-Laylah. This is the second of a full series of covers which will span the entire year. The cover design of this issue is the lower right quadrant from the full set of covers this year which can be combined to make a larger image, a collectable poster that combines the elements of all four seasons. The lower right quadrant, in this case, being related to a position on the wheel of the year and the typical correspondences between this time of year, this Spring season, and various things associated such as magical weapon, element, zodiac, cherub and so on. Mustafa has done a great job in combining various correspondences into a compelling and interesting image for this cover, and we can all look forward to seeing the whole image revealed through the rest of the year.

Please join the Hermetic Library in promoting these artists who have contributed their work to this benefit anthology album project. Please also spread the word about these anthology albums to people you think may be interested in the work of artists who combine magick, music and ritual.

Release Notes

The Hermetic Library at Hermetic.com has an overall vision of Archiving, Engaging and Encouraging the living Esoteric Tradition. I started the benefit anthology project to help promote newer works in the Esoteric Tradition to the audience of the Hermetic Library and beyond. The anthology project also further raises awareness about the corpus and culture of magick and ritual.

This is the Spring 2013 anthology album project, the second in the second year, and the seventh in the ongoing series! Although, for some reason, I was behind my usual schedule in getting this issue done all the way up to the last few days, it all pulled together. The artwork and design of this album continue the advent calendar reveal of what will be a unified poster made from the four quarterly covers. The chance to work on this project with all the anthology artists has continued to be a fantastic experience, for which I am extremely grateful.

On a personal level, for me this time of year is full of quite a bit of unique energy. Not only does this release occur on astronomical Beltane, but there’s also the various celebrations around May Day, May the 4th Be With You, and more. Further, there are a number of personal celebrations that happen this week and in the next few weeks that always hold special meaning including a number of family birthdays. The next few weeks will also be the one year mark of my own father’s death, the experience of being in a hospital and having to make the decision to let him go, and then trying to settle his affairs. So, not only is this a particularly interesting period of time for me every year, there’s also a lot of unique thoughts and feelings for me this year specifically about death and birth and the “labour and heroism of incarnation” living “between a sleep and a sleep”. These are some of the thoughts that have been in my head while working on getting this issue of the anthology together along with my work on the library in general this quarter. It’s been good for me to have this important work to do, and I continue to be gratified and thankful for the chance to be of service to the community, for my small part.

I encourage you to check out the Hermetic Library at Hermetic.com, if you aren’t already familiar with it, as that’s the reason this project exists and may also offer inspiration to you. The site was started in 1996 and has ever since consistently been an extremely popular resource for students and researchers interested in the Esoteric Tradition. You may also wish to check out other posts at the Hermetic Library blog and the Twitter and Facebook reflections to see how the library engages people in a living Esoteric Tradition. 

— John Griogair Bell

Production by John Griogair Bell

Artwork and Design by Mustafa al-Laylah

All songs used with permission. All rights reserved.