The Mystical Function

Is it a Dunce wearing a devil mask, or the Devil in a fool's cap?

“The living mythological symbol is an “affect image.” It is an image that hits where it counts. It is not addressed first to the brain, to be there interpreted and appreciated. On the contrary, if that is where it has to be read, the symbol is already dead. An “affect image” talks directly to the feeling system and immediately elicits a response after which the brain may come along with its interesting comments. There is some kind of throb of resonance within, responding to the image shown without, like the answer of a musical string to another equally tuned. And so it is that when the vital symbols of any given social group evoke in all its members responses of this kind, a sort of magical accord unites them as one spiritual organism, functioning through members who, though separate in space, are yet one in being and belief.”

~ Joseph Campbell, Myths to Live By

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Does the thing look magickal? If the answer is yes, then it is. This is sympathetic magick, correspondence, sigil, talisman. Images speak to us in their own visual language and words cannot do justice to what they express. It’s really that simple. The cavemen had it down and I think we can get back there if we try.

Every image I make follows this formula. I can’t predict how a picture will function out in the world, I only know how it affects me in the process of making it. If it inspires me, if it lights me up, then I know I’m moving in the right direction. I’ve become very attuned to this internal compass in my work and practice.

I wanted to create an image that encompassed the Ritual Tarot world, an affect image that says “enter, dear Seeker, if you dare…” Not in an ominous way but in a playful, mysterious and slightly disconcerting way —because to venture into the realm of the Tarot is a journey into the unconscious, and that leap into the unknown is always just a little bit scary. But then that’s the point of it all, isn’t it?

Below is the new cover art for the box and the book. This is a rough draft for the vibes, so don’t get fussy about it. Now, I can’t explain to you why I chose every single piece of paper in this collage but I can tell you that their combination made me feel playful, mysterious and vaguely unsettled. Together, they hit where it counts.