#70s occult

[thedepartmentofdiscoveries]

Front cover of Witchcraft: The Story of Man’s Search for Supernatural Power (1973)

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

[yourgalgremlin]

Effie Potter (checking on the kids @ night): …

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Witchcraft '70, ad, Boxoffice magazine, The National Film Weekly, 1970

[disease]

A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE TAROT EDEN GRAY | NYC: CROWN PUBLISHERS, 1970

[lithiumandsushi]

[tygerland]

Phantasm (1979)

[swanluvrr]

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Me and the Devil

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

(I miss these 2020 style collages)

[atomic-chronoscaph]

Jules de Grandin, Occult Detective - art by Vincent Di Fate (1976)

[robsheridan]

The November 1975 issue of SPECTAGORIA profiled the magazine’s own Samhain Gala, a lavish and mysterious party which editor Sera Clairmont held in various “sacred” locations at the beginning of each November. The event was said to be a decadent celebration of the end of the harvest season which Clairmont described as “a transference, from one state of being to another.” Guests included a melting pot of models, close friends, occult colleagues, and according to Clairmont “certain other visitors, who have to come from adjacent spaces to partake in the evening’s rituals.” Indeed, the food and drinks and phantasmagorical entertainment were followed late in the night by a series of ancient rituals to “open passageways,” to “return to their own realms the demons and spirits who danced with us in the mortal plane this Hallowe’en.” She implied that some guests would leave the night “transformed,” and some “might never return.”

Of course, as with many things in Spectagoria’s curious history, no one is entirely sure how much of Clairmont’s parties were real, and how much they were more of her elaborate photo shoots. And that was probably the point. In an interview with Playboy earlier that year, Clairmont was asked how “real” the imagery in Spectagoria was. “Maybe it’s all real,” she replied, “maybe it’s all staged. Who cares? If reality is what you’re caught up on when you read Spectagoria, you’re missing the point. Reality as a tangible objective truth is one of the most insidious lies we’re told. Spectagoria is a spinning mirrorball that catches the singular light of what you think is real and reflects it back as the true nature of the universe: Disinterested in form or logic, splintered into a thousand chaotic versions of itself, moving faster than you can comprehend, overlapping and intertwining across the topography of matter and time; confusing, illogical, terrifying, and beautiful. You can to try and make sense of each individual piece until you go mad, or you can step back, open your mind, and see the glistening tapestry it becomes when the tracers blend together… and you can dance in it.”

Clairmont took no further questions in the interview.

Previously:

Spectagoria: Vaporgoth, 1985 part 1 / part 2

Spectagoria: The Swimsuit Issue, 1978

Spectagoria: Apocalypse in Pink, 1983 part 1 / part 2

Spectagoria: Sisters of the Solstice, 1975 part 1 / part 2

Spectagoria: Phantasm Road, 1974 (Introduction)

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NOTE: Spectagoria is an ongoing work of fiction created by me. This alternate reality horror story is part of my NightmAIres narrative art series (visit that link for a lot more). NightmAIres are windows into other worlds and interconnected alternate histories, conceived/written by me and visualized with synthography and Photoshop.

If you enjoy my work, consider subscribing to my free newsletter to stay up to date on my projects, or supporting me on Patreon for frequent exclusive hi-res wallpaper packs, behind-the-scenes features, downloads, events, contests, and an awesome fan community. Direct fan support is what keeps me going as an independent creator, and it means the world to me.

[horror-aesthete]

The Mephisto Waltz, 1971, dir. Paul Wendkos

[videoreligion]

Sinthia The Devils Doll (1970)

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

[weirdlookindog]

Virgin Witch (1972)

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Graham Masterton - The Sphinx - Pinnacle - 1978 (flyleaf, illustration by Jose Reyes)

[femme-objet]

recently saw someone claim that "ancient aliens was promulgated by the nazis" and like. they were so caught up in debunking pseudohistory abt ancient civilizations that they fell for pseudohistory about the nazis