The Devil’s Noctuary: Being a Prophetic Fragment of the First Song of Qayin, is the latest offering by author and artist Gavin Semple, contributing an intriguing and fascinating addition to the Sabbatic Witchcraft current. The latest addition of Semple to the stable of writers at Atramentous Press, founded by husband and wife team of Peter and Carolyn Hamilton-Giles, is a welcome one and injects with this piece another work of spellbinding brilliance. We spoke with Peter Hamilton-Giles previously and it is evident that at least some of the output of Atramentous Press is from the school of Sabbatic Witchcraft and Crooked Path Sorcery made popular by the late Andrew D. Chumbley (1967 – 2004) and his cohort within the Cultus Sabbati. The term Crooked Path has been widely applied to a broad spectrum of Traditional Witchcraft practices, but it originates and, perhaps, properly belongs within the realm of Sabbatic Witchcraft in particular, purtaining to a certain approach.
The Old One pressed a finger to his lips, as in my hands he placed a small and antique book…
The Devil’s Noctuary, G. Semple, 2020
As with all of Atramentous Press publications, the format and presentation of The Devil’s Noctuary is exquisitely executed. Although it is a short work, the care and attention to the actual book detail clearly demonstrates a similar level as with works such as The Book of the Black Dragon. The cover work is designed by Semple and Carolyn Hamilton-Giles, who is a powerful artist in her own right, and is a welcome return to the thematic depiction of Cain the Bone Father. Indeed, the popularity of Traditional Witchcraft has diluted the presence of figures such as Cain/Qayin and Tubal-Cain, who receive scant regard as they once did in favour of Norse and other deific forces and pantheons. As a traditional and legendary patron of Traditional Craft, it is refreshing to feel His return in The Devil’s Noctuary, being simultaneously poetic, mythic and, most importantly, leaving a trail of tantalising breadcrumbs toward ritual application.
With the above in mind, the release of The Devil’s Noctuary is well received in bringing fresh light upon the mythic backstory of the witch cult in modern times. From the seminal 1970 book Mastering Witchcraft by Paul Huson, the Masonic Temple Legend as espoused by Rudolph Steiner, to the tireless work of Mike Howard, the origin of the witch cult in general, and Traditional Craft in particular, has harkened to Fallen Angels, or else Fairy folk, whose transgressions awakened the witch-blood in mankind and was the first heresy.
So, to The Devil’s Noctuary, we return once more to these stirring notions of the forging of will and the tricks of the Devil to upset the cart of Dame Fate. Semple has masterfully worked the legend of the Bone Father, a carefully worded rhapsody that peels away each passing leaf as you dive in. From the depths emerge a rite of becoming, a path of approaching this very mastery which is poetically alluded to. This is a book that may simply be read as charming prose which pleasingly narrates a poetic journey of exploration and birthing of magics and yet, more fully embraced, becomes a biting need to soil our hands and demanding the lived experience to bring it to life.
With the publishing of the first volume in The Book of the Black Dragon, Atramentous Press gave the first glimpse into the Sabbatic work of Crooked Path Sorcery from those who were there and that doesn’t come immediately under the aegis of the Cultus Sabbati. With The Devil’s Noctuary, the experienced and initiate hand of Semple guides the reader upon a journey of discovery and becoming, caressed by the flowing lyrical narrative as it dances upon the page. Uncovering the ritual hidden within the text, one can foresee that this work affords the committed sorcerer the opportunity to undertake the first steps with Father Qayin upon the Sabbatic path and tread the ground both ancient and new.
Limited to 333 standard, and 33 deluxe editions, The Devil’s Noctuary : Being the First Song of Qayin was published by Atramentous Press at the Summer Solstice 2020. More information can be found at the website atramentouspress.com. Future works from this publisher are eagerly anticipated and I am sure that they will contribute further to the Sabbatic current of traditional Witchcraft, its philosophy and practice. The second in The Book of the Black Dragon series, by Peter Hamilton-Giles, Codex Althaeban Malik, is expected to be announced soon.
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