Leviathan, trickster, predator, hermit, explorer, lock-picker, maze-negotiator, playmate, escape artist, clown, hunter, glutton, sex-pest – the octopus is many things.  Squishy as infinity itself, mercurial through cracks and openings, rippling out into manifest portal-crossing; they are slippery customers indeed.

In this illustrated lecture, Dr Alexander Cummins – historian of magic, poet, and keen amateur teuthologist (someone who studies cephalopods) – considers the creature as a living mandala. We will trace kraken sightings upon the ocean, into museums, and across fiction, as well as charting the totemic power of the octopus in Western Magical Traditions, Hawaiian creation myths and healing magic, Japanese spirit-work, and explore accounts of cephalopod escape artists from Seattle aquariums all the way back to the early first century CE. And yes, we’ll even talk about Cthulhu.

So if you are a fan of these tentacled wonders, and want to know which Major Arcana of the Thoth Tarot displays their Mysteries in plain sight, please join us for an evening of eight-handed marine occultism.   

About the Presenter:

Dr Alexander Cummins is a professional diviner and consultant sorcerer as well as a historian of magic and - yes - octopus enthusiast. He can be found at www.alexandercummins.com, where he collects together many of his lectures, interviews, and recordings as a veritable sea-bedded garden of his very own. He also curates a storehouse of scans of pre-modern magical texts at grimoiresontape.tumblr.com 

THIS CLASS IS ONLINE ONLY! If you are unable to make the live  streaming of this class, don't worry - the recorded class will be  available for you. The live streaming and class link will be available  through a Zoom invite. For access please purchase this class.   

By purchasing this class you agree to the following Non Disclosure: 

This Agreement is between The Cauldron Black (“OWNER”); and the  Purchaser (“RECIPIENT”). WHEREAS, OWNER has developed through  substantial effort, research, time, and expense certain inventions,  design concepts, methodologies, technical know-how, copyrightable  material and trade secrets directed and related to this class.  (“INFORMATION”); WHEREAS, OWNER desires to disclose the INFORMATION on a  confidential basis to RECIPIENT.  The OWNER wishes to maintain the  confidentiality of the INFORMATION and the protection of OWNER'S  intellectual property rights. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the  mutual promises, covenants, and conditions contained herein, the  sufficiency of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties agree as  follows:  I. CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION A. OWNER agrees to disclose  INFORMATION to RECIPIENT for the purposes of an online class.  B.  RECIPIENT agrees to receive such INFORMATION and to refrain from  copying, disclosing, using, selling, or offering for sale any and all of  said INFORMATION. RECIPIENT agrees to keep confidential and refrain  from disclosing any and all of the INFORMATION, and to take all  necessary and reasonable steps to prevent unauthorized disclosure or use  of any and all of the INFORMATION.  Failure to uphold this NDA may  result in legal action.