[Laurelei Black writes: It was a privilege to get the chance to talk with Bill Duvendack (a prolific author of magical guidebooks that include Astrology in Theory and Practice, The Metaphysics of Magick, and several contributions to the Become a Living God series)about his magical philosophy, practice, and evolution. Check out Bill’s website to learn more about his books, blog/vlog, classes, and services.]
ev0ke (Laurelei Black): How do you define your magical practice? What terms do you use to identify yourself as a practitioner or your work?
Bill Duvendack: Generally I consider myself an occultist, because I explore as much of occultism as possible, and am open to pursuing the unknown in general. More specifically though, I consider myself a Thelemite and ceremonial magician. However, to some people I am a witch, a Spiritualist, or one of a number of other terms, and I am fine with those terms, too. My magical practice is one of daily rituals, reading, writing, and basically doing everything I can to live my path.
ev0ke: Is your magic connected to any religious beliefs or spiritual practices? If so, do you have separate or different ways of naming those beliefs/practices?
BD: My daily practice is centered around ceremonial magick, specifically stemming from the Golden Dawn tradition and Thelema.
ev0ke: If you work with multiple styles or paradigms of magic and/or spirituality, do you keep these styles separate — or do you blend them? Tell us about this process.
BD: It is contextual. For example, when I am celebrating the wheel of the year, I will blend ceremonial magick with witchcraft, but if I am celebrating one of the Thelemic holy days, then I may blend Thelema and ceremonial magick. But, if I am performing ritual for a group, I will align what I do with the group’s spiritual tapestry.
ev0ke: How did you first get involved with this/these?
BD: Curiosity in my early teen years. From there it has grown over time.
ev0ke: What advice would you give to folks just embarking on a similar journey? (Or, what advice do you wish you’d been given?)
BD: “To thine own self be true” is the first thought that comes to mind, but additionally, the more confidence you have in yourself, the faster your success will be, but while maturing, also stay humble and look to help others when you can.
ev0ke: Tell us about any twists, turns, or surprises in your path/practice that a younger you might be shocked to know you’ve experienced.
BD: Oh shit, well, there have been a LOT! My younger you would have definitely been surprised to see me go the route of New Age Metaphysician, as well as Spiritualist, and those are just my spiritual shifts, leaving out events and experiences I’ve had.
ev0ke: You are the most talented astrologer I’ve had the privilege to know, and I am always recommending your books and your services to people who want to dig deeper. What is one thing about astrology that you wish everyone in the magical community knew or understood (but that doesn’t seem to be common knowledge yet)?
BD: First, aww, thank you! Secondly, once you learn the basics of astrology, you can achieve greater success because you are beyond aligning your energy with that of the planet, you are now aligned with the cosmos, which is bigger. And third, even though astrology looks daunting because of the sheer amount of data available, it can be broken down to base components, so it is easier to learn than it looks.
ev0ke: Who are the Sonick Templars, and what do you do? Tell us about that practice.
BD: The Sonick Templars is a bleeding-edge multimedia twenty-first century magical project, spearheaded by Vovin Lonshin, and including myself, that explores the use of sound as sigils in magical practices.
ev0ke: What are you currently studying or exploring?
BD: I just finished a multi-year in-depth study of the Left Hand Path, and am now shifting my attention to research projects for next year’s book releases. These subjects include the higher self, ascended self, holy guardian angel, esoteric astrology, and metaphysics in general.
ev0ke: What projects are you currently working on?
BD: Recently I’ve been focusing a lot on digital professional development, so I’ve been expanding and ruling out new projects, such as The Bishop’s Library, that are video or multi-media in nature.
ev0ke: What finished projects of yours would you like to recommend our readers check out?
BD: Actually, this surprisingly requires a bit of a conversation. I have worked with and written about a lot of occult topics, ranging all over the spectrum from extreme lightwork to the Left Hand Path, and because of this, you can find something of interest that resonates with your path, almost no matter what it is. But, also because of this, if you only explore one facet of my work, then you might miss what else is out there that you can embrace. If you want to get to know my astrology work, I encourage you to check out my book “Astrology in Theory & Practice.” If you want to get a general introduction to me, “The Metaphysics of Magick” might be a good choice. For more mainstream thoughts, my series of books with Immanion Press may be good choices. If you are interested in the tarot, then you may want to check out the tarot deck and books set I did with Asenath Mason, titled “Oraculum Leviathan.”
ev0ke: We’d love for you to share the name of an author, book, podcast, YouTube channel, etc that you’re into.
BD: Well, Blade and Broom, of course! But also, Nina the Mystic’s podcast. For authors and books, Taylor Ellwood, Laurelei Black, Stephanie Connolly, Edgar Kerval, Judith Page, Naomi Ozaniec, and Diane Narraway all come to mind. There are many more, though.
(Laurelei responds: I’m blushing and honored to be on a list of such fantastic authors! Thank you, Bill.)
ev0ke: If you had a magical motto or mission statement, what would it be?
BD: Oh, a tough one! Hmm, probably “Know yourself and express it to the multiverse in the best way possible. This includes the invisible realm. Let the stars be your map, and your life the territory.”
ev0ke: Thank you, again, for taking the time to share with us about your work and magic!
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