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The Pop Culture Grimoire:A Pop Culture Magic AnthologyEdited by Taylor EllwoodStafford, EnglandThe Pop Culture GrimoireBy Taylor Ellwood 2008 First editionSmashwords edition 2010Smashwords Edition, License NotesThis ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to otherpeople. If you would like to share this book with anotherperson, please purchase an additional copy for each personyou share it with. If you’re reading this book and did notpurchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, thenyou should return to Smashwords.com and purchase yourown copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of thisauthor.All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce thisbook, or portions thereof, in any form.The right of Taylor Ellwood and the individual contributorsto be identified as the authors of this work has beenasserted by them in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act, 1988.Cover Art: Andy BigwoodEditor: Taylor EllwoodA Megalithica Books edition published throughSmashwordsMegalithica Books is the non-fiction imprint of anion-press.com8 Rowley Grove, Stafford ST17 9BJ UKContentsIntroduction, Taylor EllwoodPopular Music as Ritual, Lisa McSherryDeath and Captain Jack Harkness, Mary CaelstoBreak On through To the Other Side, Jackie SchmittThe Alchemy of Bollocks: Turning Pop Culture intoSomething Useful, Nick FarrellNeon Genesis Evangelion and the Psycho-ShamanicJourney, LupaPop Culture Goddess: The Worship of Marilyn MonroeLeni HesterOut of the Wardrobe:Ritual Design for Pop Culture Topics,Elizabeth BarretteA Revelation of Elvisinian Mysteries, Diana G. RicePokémon Magic: A Modern Guide to the Secret Elementaland Spirit System of Pokémon, Andrieh VitimusX-Box, Weed, and Magick, CameronCreative Visualization and Pop Culture, DavenThe Critical Value of Magical Thinking, Patrick DunnBuilding Your Pop Culture Toolkit, Vince Stevens,I.S.U.A.G.When Not Becomes Pop, Michael Szul
World of Willcraft: Sigilbringer’s Metaquest, Jeremy OwenTurnerPop Goes the Tarot: Experiments with Tarot and CulturalIcons, jaymi elfordThe Secret Chiefs Advertise on Late-Night TV, BillWhitcombDeharan Forgiveness and Banishment Ritual, TaylorEllwoodIntroductionWhen I wrote Pop Culture Magick in 2003, and had itpublished in 2004, there wasn’t a lot of available materialon the topic. There were some mentions of it in Phil Hine’sbooks and an article by Grant Morrison, but for the mostpart it really hadn’t been written about. Since then, popculture and magic have been discussed on podcasts, writtenabout in new books, and otherwise become an accepteddiscipline within magic. At the time I wrote Pop CultureMagick, I was told I was reinventing the wheel and metwith much skepticism over potential “fluffiness”, and likelytrying to put together an anthology would have been muchharder. But four or so years later, this anthology representsthe work others have done, which is thrilling to see.What is so essential about integrating pop culture intomagic is recognizing the very important concept that theculture we live in shapes us in ways that older culturescannot shape us, because we don’t live in them. While itcan be validly argued that much of pop culture is consumerdriven, what is often ignored within that argument is that itis also an expression of (and often commentary on) thevalues of contemporary culture. Pop culture magic allowsus to examine those values and work with them, instead oftaking the mentality of longing for a previous age orsimpler times. It shows us the diversity of ourcontemporary culture, even as it remakes the previous
cultures into a contemporary context.In this anthology, there is a broad variety of pop culturemagic, from working with Elvis as a god form, to differentpop culture tarot interpretations, to how to use pop culturemusic in ritual, and much more. The diversity of theseworkings from different magicians is inspiring to readbecause it represents a diversity of perspectives on whatpop culture can be as well as how it can be integrated intomagical practices. When we can take a character from arole playing game and adapt it to a belief system such asvoodoo, where new deities can be discovered, what we findis innovation as well as recognition of the relevance of popculture to spirituality and how we manifest that in everydaylife. Seeing the diversity of people’s practices, as thatdiversity applies to pop culture magic is encouragingbecause it shows that pop culture magic has the necessaryflexibility that all spiritual practices should have.So sit back, relax, and get inspired in your own practiceby seeing what others have done and learning what you cando.Taylor EllwoodPortland ORJune 2008Popular Music as RitualBy Lisa McSherryThe idea of music incorporated into ritual is ancient. Fromthe intricate rhythms played upon the body by theAborigines to the wild instrumentals of the Celts, modernpagans have borrowed many songs to use to enhance theirrituals. Music focuses the mind and accesses theunconscious in a medium it can more easily understandthan the textual symbols of spoken language, bringing theconscious and unconscious together to more easily direct
the will.What I propose is a new way to use music: not as anadjunct to ritual, but as the ritual itself. With moderntechnology it is very easy for anyone with a computer toput together a playlist, burn it to a CD, and have itautomatically play – freeing the practitioner from having topay attention to distracting details. An older technologyversion requires creating a tape and playing it on a machinethat automatically ‘turns the tape over’ at the midpoint, butthis is an easily ignored pause in the overall flow of theritual.I have created ritual music for years now (originally ontapes in the 1980s, now I use CDs) to express my deepestintentions and manifest new creations within my life. Someexamples include: celebrating Beltane, enhancingcreativity, and letting go of a romantic relationship gonebad. I will be using two examples of ritual music – BeltaneBeat and Catharsis to illustrate the process of creating aritual from music. One note: there is a growing body ofpagan-specific music within our community, some of itamazingly powerful. I have deliberately chosen to use thatmusic very little, finding the quirkiness of popular musicmore to my preference. For those who would prefer not touse popular music I propose a collection of pagan-specificmusic for ritual use at the end of this article.My personal preference is for outstanding music withexcellent lyrics, but I will settle for adequate music withperfect lyrics in some cases. My partner is nearly theopposite. He barely hears lyrics and for him the music is farmore important. Along those lines, there are several genresof music I simply do not like, and that limits some of mymusical choices (Broadway musicals, for example).Obviously each practitioner will be drawing upon a uniquecollection of music as well as a unique outlook of what isand isn’t enjoyed.Begin with Intent
As with every magickal endeavor, the creator mustspecify intent for the working. This is different fromdeciding on a theme, although song themes are the startingplace for deciding which are appropriate to use.I first created Beltane Beat in the late 1980s, and it’sbeen recreated from the original tape at least twice, withslight modifications to include more recent music and forchanges in the desired results. In the 80s I was in single, incollege, and interested in attracting healthy sex partnerswith or without an accompanying relationship. BeltaneBeat was originally created simply to celebrate the gloriousdiverse sexuality of my life and it’s sacredness in service tothe life-force of the God/dess and updated songs keep thatflavor. If I were to create this collection anew, the focuswould be more on the sacredness of sexuality within amonogamous partnership, or perhaps how fun it is to be inlove.Here’s the playlist:Soraidh Bhuam far chuan is beannachd, Maggie MacInnesThing Called Love, Bonnie RaittCathouse, Danielle DaxWrap it Up, Romeo VoidOde to Boy II, Alison MoyetStripped, Depeche ModeListen, Sophie B HawkinsI Want Your Hands On Me, Sinead O’ ConnorSins of the Flesh, Sister Machine Gun
I Need a Man, EurythmicsBecause the Night, Patti Smith GroupBring Me Some Water, Melissa EtheridgeYou Sexy Thing, Tom Tom ClubSleep Together, GarbageSexuality, kd langThe Sensual World, Kate BushAs we begin this ritual, imagine that you are looking for alittle spice, a spark of that divine, sexual, fire. This ritualcries out for movement; if shared with another that is anadded bit of spice. Shake your hips, fling your hair, dressup and go out to show off your beauty.We open with the incredible Maggie MacInnes and her“Soraidh Bhuam far chuan is beannachd”. Sung in ScottishGaelic, most listeners are going to find themselves carriedalong by the sounds rather than the lyrics. The beat isstrong, like a heartbeat and it carries us right into a sense ofsacred space. Right then, in a quick change of mood, thebass guitar comes in and is quickly joined by the steelguitar of Bonnie Raitt’s “Thing Called Love.” Witty andconfident, this is a woman we could become. When shesings “I ain’t no bar of soap/sent in to clean up yourreputation” we know exactly what she means and we laughalong with her.Danielle Dax’s “Cat-house” is another witty song, butmuch more blunt. With lyrics like: Baby, baby, gonnahunger for your leisure/ gonna polish up your chrome andshine your treasure/ silken bellies and downy thighs/ a littletrick with a big surprise/ so stay let me be your pleasure”how could you resist laughing out loud? Romeo Void’s
“Wrap it Up” continues the sexy theme (“I’m gonna treatyou like the queen you are” – yum!) and the up-beat tempo.As a counterpoint to these simplistic lyrics, however, Ifollowed it with Alison Moyet’s “Ode to Boy” – a muchmore complicated song of straightforward desire (“I watchhis lips caress the glass/ His fingers stroke its stem andpass/ To lift a cigarette at last”).At this point I feel like singing, and so I turn to DepecheMode and “Stripped.” I love to really let it out with “Letme see you/ stripped down to the bone” only to soften it for“Let me hear you speaking/ Just for me.” This song alsoserves as notice that it’s not just sex I want, it’s a lover,someone who will be worthy of my sacred sexuality. Theticking clock at the end of this song merges perfectly intoSophie B Hawkins’ “Listen.” This is a truly sexy song.From its quiet beginning, deliberately building like a BachCantata until she wails (literally) and you realize you’vegot a metaphorical orgasm going on in your ears.Interestingly, the beat and tempo started with “Stripped”links into another song, Sinead O’Connor’s “I Want YourHands on Me.” Bluntly: it’s here because it is perfectlyliteral. (In later years I would replace it with her “DaddyI’m Fine” for the stronger emphasis on the woman’sstrength.)I’m dancing now, and Sister Machine Gun’s “Sins of theFlesh” flows through my head and into my body. This isearly industrial rock with a hard bass line and drivingsyntho-drum machine. The lyrics are less important thanthe impact on my body. Annie Lennox steps in right onChris Randall’s heels with “Hey! Is this my turn? Do youwant me to sing now?” and I’m strutting around telling theworld that “there’s just one thing/ I’m looking for/ And hedon’t wear a dress.” One of the classic anthems of femaledesire, “I Need a Man” needs no further discussion, nordoes Patti Smith’s “Because the Night” (which I muchprefer to the Springsteen version, even though she wrote it
for him). In a kind of response to Ms. Smith is Melissa’sEtheridge’s “Bring Me Some Water.”Tom Tom Club’s “You Sexy Thing” is another stroke tothe self esteem, and a welcome break after all these womenhave shared their songs. But it’s back to the women in a bigway to hear Shirley Manson wonder if we’d be happier ifwe “Sleep Together.”With that, the ritual begins to shift focus from the wilderaspects of Beltane to its more sensual perspective. k.d. langsings “Sexuality” and the lyrics reveal that it isn’t aboutsex, but exploration and desire and sharing – all shared inthat gorgeous voice. Finally, with the incredibly obvioussong title we come to Kate Bush’s “The Sensual World.”The name may be obvious, but the lyrics are an exquisiteplay on Molly Bloom’s Soliloquy (from James Joyce’sUlysses):Mmh, yes,Then I’d taken the kiss of seedcake back from his mouthGoing deep South, go down, mmh, yes,Took six big wheels and rolled our bodiesOff of Howth Head and into the flesh, mmh, yes,He said I was a flower of the mountain, yes,But now I’ve powers o’er a woman’s body--yes.Stepping out of the page into the sensual world.Stepping out.To where the water and the earth caressAnd the down of a peach says mmh, yes,Do I look for those millionairesLike a Machiavellian girl wouldWhen I could wear a sunset? mmh, yes,And how we’d wished to live in the sensual worldYou don’t need words--just one kiss, then another.Stepping out of the page into the sensual worldStepping out, off the page, into the sensual world.And then our arrows of desire rewrite the speech, mmh,yes,
And then he whispered would I, mmh, yes,Be safe, mmh, yes, from mountain flowers?And at first with the charm around him, mmh, yes,He loosened it so if it slipped between my breastsHe’d rescue it, mmh, yes,And his spark took life in my hand and, mmh, yes,I said, mmh, yes,But not yet, mmh, yes,Mmh, yes.It’s hard to beat that for turning sexuality to sensualityand so I come to a close.Beltane Beat is a passionate creation with a single themeexpressed in a variety of easily-updated songs. Catharsis isanother ritual creation entirely. Created in 2003 as theresult of a passionate but ultimately not permanentrelationship, its purpose is to take me through the shadowback
In this anthology, there is a broad variety of pop culture magic, from working with Elvis as a god form, to different pop culture tarot interpretations, to how to use pop culture music in ritual, and much more. The diversity of these workings from different magicians is inspiring to read because it represents a diversity of perspectives on what pop culture can be as well as how it can be .
