Apophis (review)

The student of contemporary esoteric primary texts frequently runs the risk of reading works that are often fairly bald repetitions (read: regurgitation) of early twentieth-century authors—or else liberally borrowed (read: plagiarized) from older sources that have yet to be translated into English—or worse yet, creative (read: problematic) adaptations of medieval or antique systems such as kabbalah or tantra, which attempt to mix and match cultural traditions into something original, yet lose the spirit of the original traditions in the process. Rather than educating the reader, this type of book tends rather to give a list of books that one ought to have read in place of the contemporary text—and, of course, the original sources were likely better written and often made clearer what the contemporary author has instead managed to obscure or obfuscate in the hopes of creating some sort of literary cachet.

Thus it is a refreshing change to read Michael Kelly’s 2010 work Apophis, which is a genuinely inspired read. Kelly himself is a Manx author, and his other works deal with Celtic folklore and fantasy. It is made clear in the introduction to Apophis that his own early initiatory training comes from the American-based Temple of Set (where he achieved the grade of Magister), which identifies itself as an school of Left-Hand Path spirituality, and is well-known in the field of esoteric studies. Since then, Kelly has resigned from the Temple of Set and founded a new initiatory society (the Order of Apep), which uses Apophis as one of its core texts.

Apophis is a challenging book, and not for the faint of heart or the student searching for an easy read. Yet for the intrepid reader of esoterica, Michael Kelly has accomplished three important goals. First, he has undertaken a fresh new examination of the dragon in myth and folklore, as a symbol of empowerment and endurance. Here, “myth” must be understood in the original Greek sense of “sacred truth,” as opposed to the modern meaning of “pure fiction.” The author also reflects on other divine figures (e.g., Tiamat, Typhon) relevant to personal evolution, which are commonly associated with the dragon in ancient religious tradition. Kelly observes astutely that in the legends of the past, the wise reader will perceive truths that are both timeless and relevant today—this is clearly the case in Apophis. Kelly positions his paradigm (and the Order of Apep) as a Left-Hand Path system, but this is not overly stressed in the work, and orthodox religious systems are not so much decried as they are considered inconsequential to the student of the draconic tradition.

Second, Kelly has reflected on the possible results of initiation in the draconic model of Kenneth Grant, and suggests a picture of apotheosis for the reader. This has both internal and external evidences that he describes in detail. Especially interesting is the author’s reinterpretation of Celtic and Indo-European conceptions of the mind–spirit–soul complex, which Kelly uses to suggest a new model of life after death. Likewise, his discussion of the mechanics of subjective versus objective worlds will please readers familiar with the works of such authors as Kenneth Grant, Don Webb, Peter Carroll, and Austin Spare. Here, in contrast to other contemporary works that simply borrow heavily from other authors with little synthesis, Kelly incorporates the earlier authors into his work in such a way that the student who is unfamiliar with them is not hampered, while the seasoned reader will find his interpretation of their paradigms to be creatively syncretic. Instead of simply repeating lengthy quotations, Kelly describes how certain techniques of early modern authors can be used as guidelines or helpful suggestions, rather than rigid rules that must be followed with any dogmatic rigor. Equally important, Kelly gives some history from the early twentieth century, so that the student who is unfamiliar with the literary texts that emerge from that genre will also understand the connections between Crowley, Grant, and Spare. In terms of the overall spiritual...