The House of Hidden Light

Magick is for ALL

Gary Dickinson

Gary Dickinson is a practitioner of I Ching divination with over thirty years expertise. A Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, he worked in the field of Chinese art for over twenty years, lecturing throughout the world on Chinese ritual and symbolism. He is co-author of ‘Imperial Wardrobe’, widely regarded as a source-work on the court dress of the Qing period (1644-1911). He was also an historical consultant for the Oscar-winning costumes in Bertolucci’s ‘The Last Emperor’. 

#Gary Dickinson # I Ching #Thelema #TAO TE CHING #Aleister Crowley

#Gary Dickinson # I Ching #Thelema #TAO TE CHING #Aleister Crowley

GARY DICKINSON’S MASTERPIECES

GARY DICKINSON’S MASTERPIECES

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces 8. Terrae Deo Dedit Acrylic on canvas 30cm x 30cm x 2.0cm The Latin phrase inscribed on the Memorial Pillar literally translates as ‘The Earth God Gives’. The closest equivalent phrase in the Old Testament appears in a proclaimation by the Persian King Cyrus who declares that God had ‘given him all the kingdoms of the earth’ and charged him to restore the Temple at Jerusalem and release the Hebrews from their captivity in Babylon. Crowley may have been making reference to his attempts to establish the Law of Thelema and free mankind in a post-Christian era.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces

8. Terrae Deo Dedit

Acrylic on canvas

30cm x 30cm x 2.0cm

The Latin phrase inscribed on the Memorial Pillar literally translates as ‘The Earth God Gives’. The closest equivalent phrase in the Old Testament appears in a proclaimation by the Persian King Cyrus who declares that God had ‘given him all the kingdoms of the earth’ and charged him to restore the Temple at Jerusalem and release the Hebrews from their captivity in Babylon. Crowley may have been making reference to his attempts to establish the Law of Thelema and free mankind in a post-Christian era.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces 7. Fallen Idol - The Seal of Bael. Acrylic on canvas 20cm x 20cm x 3.5cm The Prophet Jeremiah raged against the Hebrews for creating a Tophet and placing ‘abominations’ in the Temple at Jerusalem. ‘Abomination of Desolation’ was term used throughout the Old & New Testaments to describe forbidden cult objects. The Book of the Law says that the Stele of Revealing would also be called by the same title. We know that Crowley had knowledge of the Carthaginian ritual figure and Mathers’ theories concerning its similarity with the Secret Seal of Solomon. He would also, given his fundamentalist upbringing, have been aware of the association in the Old Testament between a Tophet and the ‘Abomination of Desolation’. Reports of the recent discovery of carved stelae at a Tophet on Sicily may have inspired him to give the Memorial Pillar at Cefalu its intriguing shape.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces

7. Fallen Idol - The Seal of Bael.

Acrylic on canvas

20cm x 20cm x 3.5cm

The Prophet Jeremiah raged against the Hebrews for creating a Tophet and placing ‘abominations’ in the Temple at Jerusalem. ‘Abomination of Desolation’ was term used throughout the Old & New Testaments to describe forbidden cult objects. The Book of the Law says that the Stele of Revealing would also be called by the same title.

We know that Crowley had knowledge of the Carthaginian ritual figure and Mathers’ theories concerning its similarity with the Secret Seal of Solomon. He would also, given his fundamentalist upbringing, have been aware of the association in the Old Testament between a Tophet and the ‘Abomination of Desolation’. Reports of the recent discovery of carved stelae at a Tophet on Sicily may have inspired him to give the Memorial Pillar at Cefalu its intriguing shape.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces 6. The Secret Seal of Solomon Acrylic on canvas 20cm x 20cm x 3.5cm According to legend, King Solomon used the Secret Seal to imprison 72 spirits in a vessel of brass which was thrown into a lake near Babylon. The legend gave rise to the story of a fisherman releasing a genie from a bottle he found on the shore.  In 1904, Crowley published Mathers’ notes and drawings in his Goetia, the first part of a grimoire called The Lemegeton. An old if not ancient magical work, the Goetia deals with the ceremonial evocation of 72 so-called ‘evil spirits’. In fact many of these spirits bear the names of ancient Gods, ‘fallen idols’ condemned to ‘hell’ by the church.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces

6. The Secret Seal of Solomon

Acrylic on canvas

20cm x 20cm x 3.5cm

According to legend, King Solomon used the Secret Seal to imprison 72 spirits in a vessel of brass which was thrown into a lake near Babylon. The legend gave rise to the story of a fisherman releasing a genie from a bottle he found on the shore. 

In 1904, Crowley published Mathers’ notes and drawings in his Goetia, the first part of a grimoire called The Lemegeton. An old if not ancient magical work, the Goetia deals with the ceremonial evocation of 72 so-called ‘evil spirits’. In fact many of these spirits bear the names of ancient Gods, ‘fallen idols’ condemned to ‘hell’ by the church.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces 5. The Equinox of the Gods Acrylic on papyrus 58cm x 47.5cm framed The shape of the Memorial Pillar at Cefalu may be derived from ancient symbols representing rudimentary human forms with upraised arms.  In 1921, amataeur archaeologist Joseph Whitaker published a report on his discovery of a Phoenician/Cathaginian sacred enclosure or Tophet on the Western coast of Sicily. Crowley may have seen local reports of the discovery.  The burials in the Tophet were marked by stone stelae decorated with simple human figures shown with upraised arms. Macgregor Mathers noted similarities between examples of these Carthaginian figures in the Louvre and the central motif of the Secret Seal of Solomon.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces

5. The Equinox of the Gods

Acrylic on papyrus

58cm x 47.5cm framed

The shape of the Memorial Pillar at Cefalu may be derived from ancient symbols representing rudimentary human forms with upraised arms.

 In 1921, amataeur archaeologist Joseph Whitaker published a report on his discovery of a Phoenician/Cathaginian sacred enclosure or Tophet on the Western coast of Sicily. Crowley may have seen local reports of the discovery.

 The burials in the Tophet were marked by stone stelae decorated with simple human figures shown with upraised arms. Macgregor Mathers noted similarities between examples of these Carthaginian figures in the Louvre and the central motif of the Secret Seal of Solomon.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces A copy of a 1970’s period Stele of Revealing.  Acrylic on hard plaster 25.5cm x 15cm Since the original 1904 Abstruction, each generation of Thelemites have created their own versions of the Stele of Revealing. These vary, of course, in style and quality according to the information and materials available at the time and the skill of those who created them.  The 1970s was a period of growing interest in the occult in general and Crowley in particular. Many of Crowley’s works began to be re-published and commercial reproductions of the Stele of Revealing became available for the first time. The copy of a 1970s Stele offered here was cast in hard plaster from a mould taken directly off an original example. Showing only the face or obverse side of the Stele, the familiar figures and hieroglyphs are raised in low relief. The colours and naive painting style have been very carefully copied to capture the essence of the original work

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces

A copy of a 1970’s period Stele of Revealing. 

Acrylic on hard plaster

25.5cm x 15cm

Since the original 1904 Abstruction, each generation of Thelemites have created their own versions of the Stele of Revealing. These vary, of course, in style and quality according to the information and materials available at the time and the skill of those who created them. 

The 1970s was a period of growing interest in the occult in general and Crowley in particular. Many of Crowley’s works began to be re-published and commercial reproductions of the Stele of Revealing became available for the first time.

The copy of a 1970s Stele offered here was cast in hard plaster from a mould taken directly off an original example. Showing only the face or obverse side of the Stele, the familiar figures and hieroglyphs are raised in low relief. The colours and naive painting style have been very carefully copied to capture the essence of the original work

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces A reconstruction of the Stele of Revealing as it may have looked in antiquity. Acrylic on gessoed fibre-board with detatcheable ornamental finial of gessoed balsa wood. 62cm total height x 52cm x 2cm

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces

A reconstruction of the Stele of Revealing as it may have looked in antiquity.

Acrylic on gessoed fibre-board with detatcheable ornamental finial of gessoed balsa wood.

62cm total height x 52cm x 2cm

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces 15. The Chinese Universe Watercolour & gouache on paper, after Lady Frieda Harris 54.5cm x 44cm x 1.0cm framed Crowley considered his attribution of the 8 trigrams of the I Ching to the Qabbalistic Tree of Life as one of his greatest achievements but much of his work on the I Ching remains incomplete. Frieda Harris was initially a student of Crowley’s I Ching and he encouraged her to pursue her studies as the ‘key to the art after which she was seeking’. However, she is best remembered for painting Crowley’s Thoth Tarot deck. 

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces

15. The Chinese Universe

Watercolour & gouache on paper, after Lady Frieda Harris

54.5cm x 44cm x 1.0cm framed

Crowley considered his attribution of the 8 trigrams of the I Ching to the Qabbalistic Tree of Life as one of his greatest achievements but much of his work on the I Ching remains incomplete. Frieda Harris was initially a student of Crowley’s I Ching and he encouraged her to pursue her studies as the ‘key to the art after which she was seeking’. However, she is best remembered for painting Crowley’s Thoth Tarot deck. 

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces 14. Unchanging Wisdom - Changing Life:  A Work in Progress Acrylic on canvas 50cm x 40cm x 1.5cm It was on the advice of the I Ching that Crowley went to Cefalu. He wrote a paraphrase of the text whilst there and considered his attribution of the 8 Trigrams to the Qabbalistic Tree of Life as one of his greatest achievements. He continued to consult and study the ancient oracle throughout the rest of his life. However, he died before he could complete and publish his work which remains a ‘work in progress’ for his heirs.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces

14. Unchanging Wisdom - Changing Life: 

A Work in Progress

Acrylic on canvas

50cm x 40cm x 1.5cm

It was on the advice of the I Ching that Crowley went to Cefalu. He wrote a paraphrase of the text whilst there and considered his attribution of the 8 Trigrams to the Qabbalistic Tree of Life as one of his greatest achievements. He continued to consult and study the ancient oracle throughout the rest of his life. However, he died before he could complete and publish his work which remains a ‘work in progress’ for his heirs.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces 13. Hell’s MouthAcrylic on canvas50cm x 40cm x 1.5cm As a symbol that affirms the basic tenets of Thelema the Memorial Pillar should be the foundation stone of any Thelemic temple or shrine.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces

13. Hell’s Mouth
Acrylic on canvas
50cm x 40cm x 1.5cm

As a symbol that affirms the basic tenets of Thelema the Memorial Pillar should be the foundation stone of any Thelemic temple or shrine.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces 12. The Eternal Idol Acrylic on canvas 50cm x 40cm x 1.5cm As a design from the hand of its founding father, for purely historical reasons the Memorial Pillar from the Heaven mural at Cefalu should be treasured as an icon of Thelema alongside other better known images from the Chamber of Nightmares such as the ‘Eternal Idol’.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces

12. The Eternal Idol

Acrylic on canvas

50cm x 40cm x 1.5cm

As a design from the hand of its founding father, for purely historical reasons the Memorial Pillar from the Heaven mural at Cefalu should be treasured as an icon of Thelema alongside other better known images from the Chamber of Nightmares such as the ‘Eternal Idol’.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces 11. Star Ruby Acrylic on canvas  50cm x 40cm x 1.5cm  In Magick Without Tears, Crowley describes a lamen as a ‘sort of Coat of Arms’, a ‘harmony of symbols’ that expresses in a single design the character and powers of the wearer. He also said of the Memorial Pillar at Cefalu that it was ‘inscribed with various symbols descriptive of the Work of bringing the new Message of the Masters of Wisdom to Mankind’. As a ‘harmony of symbols’ in a ‘single design’, the Memorial Pillar functions as a type of lamen.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces

11. Star Ruby

Acrylic on canvas 

50cm x 40cm x 1.5cm

 In Magick Without Tears, Crowley describes a lamen as a ‘sort of Coat of Arms’, a ‘harmony of symbols’ that expresses in a single design the character and powers of the wearer. He also said of the Memorial Pillar at Cefalu that it was ‘inscribed with various symbols descriptive of the Work of bringing the new Message of the Masters of Wisdom to Mankind’. As a ‘harmony of symbols’ in a ‘single design’, the Memorial Pillar functions as a type of lamen.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces 9. The Lamen of the Master Therion Acrylic on canvas 76cm x 51cm x 1.5cm At first sight, the Memorial Pillar would appear to be unique in the body of work Crowley has bequeathed us. However, its form can be discerned in the geometry of the Lamen of the Master Therion. The Lamen’s circular head and its triangular body with the projecting points of the hexagram clearly follow the outline of the Memorial Pillar.The Lamen was first published in 1929 in Crowley’s magnum opus Magick in Theory & Practice. Its design incorporates Crowley’s unicursal hexagram, the seven-pointed star of Babalon and a version of the Rose-Cross that he developed from the three-armed Hierophantic Cross.

GARY DICKINSON’S Masterpieces

9. The Lamen of the Master Therion

Acrylic on canvas

76cm x 51cm x 1.5cm

At first sight, the Memorial Pillar would appear to be unique in the body of work Crowley has bequeathed us. However, its form can be discerned in the geometry of the Lamen of the Master Therion. The Lamen’s circular head and its triangular body with the projecting points of the hexagram clearly follow the outline of the Memorial Pillar.

The Lamen was first published in 1929 in Crowley’s magnum opus Magick in Theory & Practice. Its design incorporates Crowley’s unicursal hexagram, the seven-pointed star of Babalon and a version of the Rose-Cross that he developed from the three-armed Hierophantic Cross.