The New Equinox

The New Equinox was a British publication devoted to ceremonial magic and related occult subjects. It was founded in the mid-1970s by Peter J. Carroll and Ray Sherwin, at a time when both editors were particularly interested in the magical writings and practices associated with Aleister Crowley. The journal was based in East Morton in Yorkshire and appeared from 1976 through 1979. The publication occupied a specialist position within the postwar British occult press. Rather than functioning as a general-interest magazine, it provided a venue for essays, commentary, magical experimentation, and discussion of traditions connected with ceremonial magic, Crowleyan thought, and emerging forms of practical occultism. Carroll was a regular contributor, while Anthony Venables served as joint editor for several issues. The editorial and contributor network around the journal subsequently became significant in the history of chaos magic, although The New Equinox itself was primarily identified with ceremonial magic during its publication period. Its most historically notable contribution came in 1979, when Ray Sherwin used his final issue as editor to publish the first report of the system later known as English Qaballa, or EQ. Sherwin wrote that the order and value of the English alphabet had been discovered in November 1976 by the English magician James Lees. The report introduced a system that treated the English alphabet as the basis of a magical and numerological structure, distinguishing it from Hebrew-centered forms of Qabalah. After Sherwin's editorial tenure, James Lees assumed the role of publisher. Beginning in 1981, he issued further material on English Qaballa across five additional issues of the journal, with the sequence extending into 1982. These later issues broadened the publication's significance beyond its original 1976–1979 run and helped preserve and develop the EQ material for later occult readers. Peter J. Carroll and Ray Sherwin later became associated with the founding of the Illuminates of Thanateros, an organization central to the development of chaos magic. That later history has contributed to retrospective interest in The New Equinox, but the journal should be understood as a distinct publication rather than being conflated with the later organization. A modern edition, The New Equinox: The British Journal of Magick, was published by Hadean Press in 2018 under the editorship of Cath Thompson, reflecting continuing interest in the journal's historical material.

The New Equinox emerged in Britain during the mid-1970s as a specialist journal of ceremonial magic. Peter J. Carroll and Ray Sherwin founded it in the Yorkshire area, with the publication based in East Morton. Its intellectual setting was strongly influenced by renewed interest in Aleister Crowley's magical writings and by the broader revival of practical occult publishing in the period. The journal's original run lasted from 1976 to 1979. Carroll contributed regularly, and Anthony Venables served as joint editor for several issues. The publication presented occult discussion in a periodical format, making it a forum for magical theory and practice rather than a mass-market consumer product. Its readership was consequently limited and specialist, but its later historical importance exceeded its circulation because several people connected with it became influential in modern Western occultism. The key development associated with the journal occurred in 1979. In his final issue as editor, Ray Sherwin published the first report of English Qaballa, usually abbreviated EQ. Sherwin stated that James Lees had discovered the order and numerical value of the English alphabet in November 1976. The system became a distinctive contribution to modern occult literature because it placed the English alphabet, rather than the Hebrew alphabet, at the center of its interpretive framework. James Lees subsequently took on the publisher's role and resumed publication of related material beginning in 1981. Five issues carrying additional English Qaballa content appeared through 1982. This continuation extended the journal's documentary role beyond the initial 1976–1979 period and helped establish a published record for the EQ system. The New Equinox is also part of the background to the development of chaos magic. Carroll and Sherwin later helped found the Illuminates of Thanateros, but the journal itself remained a separate publication. Its legacy therefore rests on two related strands: its record of British ceremonial magic in the 1970s and its early publication of English Qaballa. A 2018 Hadean Press edition, edited by Cath Thompson, demonstrated that the publication retained historical interest for readers and researchers of modern occultism.

• 2018

  Historical edition published

  [1]The New Equinoxen.wikipedia.org

  Hadean Press publishes The New Equinox: The British Journal of Magick, edited by Cath Thompson.

• 1982

  Later EQ issue sequence concludes

  [1]The New Equinoxen.wikipedia.org

  The additional sequence of five issues containing English Qaballa material extends through 1982.

• 1981

  James Lees continues publication

  [1]The New Equinoxen.wikipedia.org

  James Lees assumes the publisher's role and begins issuing additional English Qaballa material in later issues.

• 1979

  First report of English Qaballa

  [1]The New Equinoxen.wikipedia.org

  Ray Sherwin's final issue as editor introduces the system later known as English Qaballa and attributes its discovery to James Lees.

• 1976

  The journal is founded

  [1]The New Equinoxen.wikipedia.org

  Peter J. Carroll and Ray Sherwin establish The New Equinox as a British ceremonial magic publication based in East Morton, Yorkshire.

A specialist British occult periodical focused on ceremonial magic, Crowleyan interests, practical magical theory, and later English Qaballa material.

• Ceremonial magic journal · 1976

  The New Equinox

  The primary publication was a specialist British journal devoted to ceremonial magic and related occult subjects. Its contributors included Peter J. Carroll, Ray Sherwin, and, for several issues, Anthony Venables. The original run appeared between 1976 and 1979 and is particularly noted for publishing the first report of English Qaballa in 1979.

• Collected occult publication · 2018

  The New Equinox: The British Journal of Magick

  This 2018 Hadean Press edition, edited by Cath Thompson, revisited and presented material associated with The New Equinox for a later audience. It reflects the continuing historical interest in the journal's contribution to ceremonial magic and English Qaballa literature.

• 1979

  Publish the first English Qaballa reportProduct launch

  Background

  Ray Sherwin used his final issue as editor to document James Lees's claimed discovery of an order and numerical value for the English alphabet.

  Action taken

  The journal published the initial report of the system that became known as English Qaballa.

  Aftermath

  The publication became an important early printed source for English Qaballa and was followed by further related issues under James Lees.

  Source

1. 1The New Equinoxen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The New Equinox: The British Journal of Magickhadeanpress.com