It’s Friday, which means I’ve got some things!
Movie: WITCHHAMMER (Kladivo na carodejnice) (1970). Directed by Otakar Vávra, this film follows the emergence and culmination of a set of witch trials. The narrative is based on the Moravian witch trials of the 1670’s, but it was censored because of its perceived anticommunism (this is a much too simple characterization, but I’ve only got a few lines here!). The movie is chilling. And it has very little to do with witchcraft. I saw it on BluRay from Severin’s folk horror boxed set. Highly recommend!
Book: Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism, by Valentin Tomberg. This is an esoteric choice, and I mean that in multiple senses. The book itself is tragically obscure and it deals with obscure subject matter, but Meditations on the Tarot is one of the most profoundly insightful reads you can find at the intersection of Christian theology, occult spirituality, and philosophy. In fact, I chose it because I plan on writing a series on this blog commenting on the book. I return to it again and again, and it is a shame that so few people have engaged it!
Music: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. This group may be old news to some people, but they’re new to me, and I think I’m in love! Eclectic, heady, catchy, and virtuosic are some of the words that come to mind when I try to describe this contemporary (neo-?) psychedelic Australian rock group. I’ve only just scratched the surface of the 20 albums they’ve released since 2012. My favorite track so far? “Magenta Mountain” from 2022’s Omnium Gatherum.
Check out some of these things, or don’t; it’s your life. Until next week!
Jacob N. Given 