Globe-trotting author, scholar, speaker, statistician, prog rock keyboardist, pumpkin carver & research scientist.https://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mv6tlncsfk2eWhen your HGA rolls up and says, “Get in, loser. We’re having a Conversation.”10 Sep 2026 19:58 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv6tlncsfk2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mv2ep77pwk2tThe palpable disappointment of a fledgling bluebird when its parent flies off without feeding it: a tragedy in four photos.09 Sep 2026 01:21 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mv2ep77pwk2thttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3muwrf4a5g22fFresh from framing. Travis Simpkins’ work hangs in museums and has appeared in hundreds of books and magazines. I’m beyond honored and humbled that he chose me as the subject of one of his signature portraits.07 Sep 2026 14:57 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3muwrf4a5g22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mut576j7i225@maeviuslynn.bsky.social & I had a great time among the 50 attendees at the Fate & Folklore/Montwood Café “Practical Magic” party Friday night. We made bath salts & cinnamon brooms; had tarot readings & henna; & enjoyed punch & lattes (no midnight margaritas). The countdown to the sequel continues!06 Sep 2026 04:18 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mut576j7i225https://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mumwhnzpok2kTo prep for his role in upcoming grindhouse film Onslaught protecting his daughter from genetically engineered super soldiers, actor Drew Starkey “read a bunch of Aleister Crowley books and…volunteered to fully shave his eyebrows” for reasons that are unclear to me. Maybe we’ll find out (?) tomorrow https://www.gq.com/story/drew-starkey-outer-banks-gq-hype03 Sep 2026 17:01 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumwhnzpok2khttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mumpf5w3d22bHere’s a nice, thorough article on the history, reception and controversy surrounding Oscar Wilde’s tomb at Pere la Chaise, including Aleister Crowley’s dramatic protests against censorship of Epstein’s magnificent sphinx statue that was commissioned for the tomb. https://www.thecollector.com/oscar-wilde-tomb/03 Sep 2026 14:55 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mumpf5w3d22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3muiq6iffhs2vMe enjoying the J. C. Raulston Arboretum on Saturday, about to bring home a camellia. 📷: @maeviuslynn.bsky.social02 Sep 2026 00:58 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3muiq6iffhs2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mu6xkxxdrk2vCongratulations to curator Amy Hale and all the artists participating in “Holding a Bright Untroubled Sky: Visioning a Better World through Magic” on a successful exhibition, reception, and panel discussion about how art and magic can help us to imagine and manifest a positive future.29 Aug 2026 03:44 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu6xkxxdrk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mu6buhep4k2dGot that Aleister Crowley haircut.28 Aug 2026 21:15 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu6buhep4k2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mu3hldxxoc25A mural I passed walking around NoDa (Charlotte) #DollyParton27 Aug 2026 18:20 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu3hldxxoc25https://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mu3fwsytbc25A spot of tea (hibiscus & peach) and lunch ahead of “Holding a Bright Untroubled Sky: Visioning a Better World through Magic” at UNCC.27 Aug 2026 17:50 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu3fwsytbc25https://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mtyto4svjc2iJake Arnott—an accomplished writer who many here may remember from his fifth novel, “The Devil’s Paintbrush” (2009)—has just released the folk horror novel “Netherwood,” returning, in part, to the subject of Aleister Crowley.26 Aug 2026 17:18 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtyto4svjc2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mtrmokj3dk2yPokémon donuts! Because @maeviuslynn.bsky.social loves Pokémon, and I’m a sucker for a) fun food, b) gimmicks, and c) anything that makes Lynn happy ☺️23 Aug 2026 20:24 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtrmokj3dk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mtjoxudcgc2dAsked “If I could own one painting it would be…” musician Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream, The Wake, Jesus and Mary Chain) answered, “‘May Morn’ by Aleister Crowley.” He wanted to use it for the cover of “Beautiful Future” (2008), and ponders using it on the record’s 20th anniversary release. https://www.thetimes.com/culture/music/article/bobby-gillespie-interview-my-culture-fix-wfcvg9rks20 Aug 2026 16:44 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjoxudcgc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mthadjzwcc24Holy Topographjc Oceans! It’s an animatronic undead Rick Wakeman/Jordan Rudess playing a keytar! 🧟‍♂️🎹 **fights urge to install this in my keyboard room** [Lest anyone worry, I’m happy to report that both Wakeman and Rudess are alive and well.]19 Aug 2026 17:17 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mthadjzwcc24https://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mt26zjja2c27Sounds like a typical day on OccultSky. https://www.thetimes.com/uk/history/article/druids-occultist-row-anglesey-rituals-vwsb0kk8x14 Aug 2026 12:49 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt26zjja2c27https://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mswdg5tue22fNot only does MacGregor’s Bar in Inverness honor Scottish icons with signature cocktails like The Beast for Aleister Crowley (which I tried this past May); they are finalists for Burger Restaurant of the Year in the Scottish Restaurant Awards. Their “icon” burgers include The Beast, described as /1 https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/inverness-burger-restaurants-shortlisted-in-scottish-restaur-442248/12 Aug 2026 23:57 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mswdg5tue22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3msvon4pnh22nEleusyve Productions has posted its rock opera adaptations of Aleister Crowley’s “Rites of Eleusis” to YouTube, making my 2014 pre-show talk “Breaking Down the Temple Door” for the Rite of Mars also available. Check it out! https://youtu.be/arB8A85BpRw12 Aug 2026 17:45 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3msvon4pnh22nhttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mssurxgzws27“A Confluence of Magical Arseholes” is a musical comedy in the vein of Monty Python about W. B. Yeats, Aleister Crowley, and the Golden Dawn (or, I’d wager, the silly urban legends around the Battle of Blythe Road). It’s part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival, and showing on August 12, 15 and 16. https://www.twincities.com/2026/08/10/fringe-review-a-confluence-of-magical-arseholes-leans-into-its-energetic-chaos/11 Aug 2026 14:57 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mssurxgzws27https://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3msriatgr2k2eDiscovered this amazing mural while running work errands today. For a moment there I actually thought the figure on the ground was a live person touching up the mural. It’s that good (or my glasses are that bad 😂).11 Aug 2026 01:40 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3msriatgr2k2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3msq577fam22uWe found the viral glass measuring cup decorated with spiders, bats, and snakes eating their own tail. I wouldn’t trust it with hot liquids, though, because it doesn’t say it’s made with oroborosilicate.10 Aug 2026 12:49 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3msq577fam22uhttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3msbgof3n5k27Folks in the Niskayuna vicinity (near Albany) may want to check out the show “I Feared the Usual Life: Jeanne Robert Foster in Her Own Words” at the Kelly Adirondack Center. I don’t know if the show references Foster’s time as Soror Hilarion, but her life story is notable with or without Crowley. https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/2026/08/jeanne-robert-foster-her-own-words/04 Aug 2026 16:29 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3msbgof3n5k27https://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mrylezkgrk2nThe Yes Album and Fragile in Dolby Atmos released as stand-alone Blu Rays today. I expect this will be the last time I re-re-re-purchase these records. 😄 (As I already have the 5.1 mixes, I ordinarily wouldn’t bother with the Atmos upgrade…but Yes is the exception.)01 Aug 2026 03:59 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrylezkgrk2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mrykabhpas2tWe watched Pleasantville tonight and holy 💩 I was unprepared for how loudly this 1998 film would speak to life in 2026. Plus ça change… Also, this film is a great metaphor for how escaping your social programming & discovering your true nature transforms not only yourself but the world around you.01 Aug 2026 03:39 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrykabhpas2thttps://bsky.app/profile/richardkaczynski.bsky.social/post/3mrvuwn6wgs2rNew arrivals: “Lodges of Sorrow,” the Scottish Rite Research Society bonus book on funerary rites. “The Devil in the 19th Century,” vol 2 of Leo Taxil’s legendary hoax in translation. “Tarot: Modern Visions,” exhibition book for the Morgan Library’s show, in case I can’t swing a trip to NY.31 Jul 2026 02:12 +0000at://did:plc:2dnomk7wldf7smchrydxirjn/app.bsky.feed.post/3mrvuwn6wgs2r