Path: Supernews!supernews.com!news.gv.tsc.tdk.com!newsfeed.wli.net!news-spur1.maxwell.syr.edu!news.maxwell.syr.edu!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!howland.erols.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uwm.edu!msunews!netnews.upenn.edu!ts3-14.upenn.edu!user From: eballard@sas.upenn.edu (Eoghan Craig Ballard) Newsgroups: alt.magick,alt.pagan.magick,alt.lucky.w,alt.religion.orisha,alt.wiccan,alt.magick.tyagi,alt.magick.folk Subject: Re: African American lodge-oriented magic Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 09:55:21 -0500 Organization: University of Pennsylvania Lines: 44 Message-ID: References: <336F6035.72A0@ix.netcom.com> <5li9t5$j5l@kudo20.kudonet.com> <199705162110.OAA25866@kudo20.kudonet.com> <337FC138.7BB3@luckymojo.com> <5lv8sh$27m@nntp4.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: ts3-14.upenn.edu Xref: Supernews alt.magick:102604 alt.pagan.magick:4055 alt.lucky.w:1458 alt.religion.orisha:470 alt.magick.tyagi:12348 alt.magick.folk:712 In article , wehmeyer@ucla.edu (Stephen C. Wehmeyer) wrote: > Of course, anything by or about P.B. Randolph and the Hermetic Brotherhood of > Luxor (mid 19th century -- Chicago[?]), is relevant to this discussion. In > fact, a recently published encyclopedic work dealing with the history of the > HBL seems to sew up most of the loose ends vis a vis the order's relationship > to the modern American Spiritualist movement. Unfortunately... the title and > authors are not at the moment on the tip of my tongue. I'll post full > bibliographic data soon... > > Ache omo Osanyin, > > Stephen C. Wehmeyer, M.A. > UCLA Folklore and Mythology Program On a related note, I would point out (as I'm sure you're aware) references to Freemasonry in David Cosentino's book on Rhe Art of Haitian Voudou, and moving slightly further afield, Houk's book on Shango in Trinidad and Tobago deals somewhat with the presense of Kabbalistic ceremonial magic there. This latter most likely has been influenced by North American Black Freemasonry. Not having been overly concerned with that aspect of the text, I can only observe that among the members of the Shango religion (which in keeping with various contemporary political ideologies has by some been renamed Orisha religion) Kabbalism seems to occupy the same subaltern position that Palo Moyombe occupies in Cuba. If you will forgive my beating an all-too-familiar drum at this point, this underscores my point that none of these traditions are "pure" anything. Their strengths lie in the creative adaptation of resources and technologies from spiritual traditions of every origin and hue. Purity of spirit should be an ideal to seek, "purity" of a tradition is a distraction, not to mention an abstraction. By the way Stephen, I haven't been here all that long, but I haven't seen you post here before. If you're new, welcome aboard, if not, forgive the relatively 'new kid on the block' for his ignorance. Eoghan C. Ballard, M.A. Dept. of Folklore & Folklife University of Pennsylvania -- Trickster can throw a rock tomorrow and hit the chicken yesterday!