Peter Lamborn Wilson – författare

An examination of the beliefs and history of the secretive Yezidi sect• Explains how the Yezidis worship Melek Ta’us, the Peacock Angel, an enigmatic figure often identified as “the devil” or Satan, yet who has been redeemed by God to rule a world of beauty and spiritual realization • Examines Yezidi antinomian doctrines of opposition, their cosmogony, their magical lore and taboos, the role of angels, ritual, and symbology, and how the Yezidi faith relates to other occult traditions such as alchemy • Presents the first English translation of the poetry of Caliph Yazid ibn Muawiya, venerated by the Yezidis as Sultan Ezi The Yezidis are an ancient people who live in the mountainous regions on the borders of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. This secretive culture worships Melek Ta’us, the Peacock Angel, an enigmatic figure often identified as “the devil” or Satan, hence the sect is known as devil-worshippers and has long been persecuted. Presenting a study of the interior, esoteric dimensions of Yezidism, Peter Lamborn Wilson examines the sect’s antinomian doctrines of opposition, its magical lore and taboos, and its relation to other occult traditions such as alchemy. He explains how the historical founder of this sect was a Sufi of Ummayad descent, Sheik Adi ibn Musafir, who settled in this remote region around 1111 AD and found a pre-Islamic sect already settled there. Sheik Adi was so influenced by the original sect that he departed from orthodox Islam, and by the 15th century the sect was known to worship the Peacock Angel, Melek Ta’us, with all its “Satanic” connotations. Revealing the spiritual flowering that occurs in an oral culture, the author examines Yezidi cosmogony, how they are descended from the androgynous Adam--before Eve was created--as well as the role of angels, ritual, alchemy, symbology, and color in Yezidi religion. He also presents the first English translation of the poetry of Caliph Yazid ibn Muawiya, venerated by the Yezidis as Sultan Ezi.Showing the Yezidi sect to be a syncretic faith of pre-Islamic, Zoroastrian, Christian, Pagan, Sufi, and other influences, Wilson reveals how these worshippers of the Peacock Angel do indeed worship “the Devil”--but the devil is not “evil.” God has redeemed him, and he rules a world of beauty and spiritual realization.

• Explains how the Yezidis worship Melek Ta’us, the Peacock Angel, an enigmatic figure often identified as “the devil” or Satan, yet who has been redeemed by God to rule a world of beauty and spiritual realization • Examines Yezidi antinomian doctrines of opposition, their cosmogony, their magical lore and taboos, the role of angels, ritual, and symbology, and how the Yezidi faith relates to other occult traditions such as alchemy • Presents the first English translation of the poetry of Caliph Yazid ibn Muawiya, venerated by the Yezidis as Sultan Ezi The Yezidis are an ancient people who live in the mountainous regions on the borders of Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran. This secretive culture worships Melek Ta’us, the Peacock Angel, an enigmatic figure often identified as “the devil” or Satan, hence the sect is known as devil-worshippers and has long been persecuted. Presenting a study of the interior, esoteric dimensions of Yezidism, Peter Lamborn Wilson examines the sect’s antinomian doctrines of opposition, its magical lore and taboos, and its relation to other occult traditions such as alchemy. He explains how the historical founder of this sect was a Sufi of Ummayad descent, Sheik Adi ibn Musafir, who settled in this remote region around 1111 AD and found a pre-Islamic sect already settled there. Sheik Adi was so influenced by the original sect that he departed from orthodox Islam, and by the 15th century the sect was known to worship the Peacock Angel, Melek Ta’us, with all its “Satanic” connotations. Revealing the spiritual flowering that occurs in an oral culture, the author examines Yezidi cosmogony, how they are descended from the androgynous Adam--before Eve was created--as well as the role of angels, ritual, alchemy, symbology, and color in Yezidi religion. He also presents the first English translation of the poetry of Caliph Yazid ibn Muawiya, venerated by the Yezidis as Sultan Ezi.Showing the Yezidi sect to be a syncretic faith of pre-Islamic, Zoroastrian, Christian, Pagan, Sufi, and other influences, Wilson reveals how these worshippers of the Peacock Angel do indeed worship “the Devil”--but the devil is not “evil.” God has redeemed him, and he rules a world of beauty and spiritual realization.

Francesco Clemente's wide-eyed portraits and bold manipulations of images from art and popular culture have established him as one of today's foremost artists. Clemente continues to draw inspiration from a wide range of cultural sources in this, his most recent series, Nostalgia, Utopia, currently on display at the Mary Boone Gallery in New York.

Piraternas utopi av Peter Lamborn Wilson i översättning av John-Henri Holmberg. "De rika stjäl från de fattiga i skydd av lagen. Vi plundrar de rika skyddade bara av vårt eget mod." Under första hälften av 1600-talet hade piraterna från nordafrikanska kusten för vana att kapa europeiska fartyg i Medelhavet och längs Atlantkusten ända upp till England och Irland. De plundrade fartygen eller övertog dem helt och de tog fångar som de kunde sälja som slavar eller begära lösen för. Under vinterhalvåret levde de ett bekymmerslöst liv i sina hemmahamnar, främst i Salé i nuvarande Marocko. Piraternas hemmahamnar blev på sina håll en unik samhällsform, ett utopiskt piratsamhälle som i radikalitet både föregick och vida överträffade revolutionerna som senare skulle komma i England, Amerika och Frankrike. Wilson berättar om hur de råbarkade och handlingskraftiga sjörövarna levde och hur de tänkte – vana som de var vid att ta lagen i egna händer. Boken skildrar främst sjöröveriet på 1600-talet, men gör också utblickar mot senare tider – ända fram till dagens piratanfall mot olje­tankers. Utförligast blir Wilson när det handlar om den ohejdbare Murad Reis (som föddes som Jan Jansz i kristna Holland, konverterade till islam och blev muslimsk pirat med Salé som bas) och går även – hastigt – igenom många andra berömda pirater – Svartskägg, John Ward, Barbarossa, de kvinnliga piraterna Mary Reade, Ann Bonney med flera. Här finns också vår svenske pirat Lars "Lasse i gatan" Gathenhielm som hade fribrev från Karl XII och uppdrag att plundra danska skepp men inte svenska. Wilson beskriver pärlbandet av piratstödjande städer på barbareskkusten i Nordafrika, med marockanska Salé som främsta exempel, och även de piratgrundade städerna, som till exempel Nassau på Bahamas och (det kanske enbart mytiska) Libertatia på Madagaskar. Alla barbareskkustens pirater var muslimer. De europeer som slog sig samman med dem (det rörde sig om tusentals) gjorde så för att slippa undan den då mycket hårda feodala ofriheten i Europa. De var tvungna att konvertera till islam för att välkomnas och kallades därför avfällingar, renegater, och fördömdes hårt i sina hemländer. Allt tyder på att de konverterade frivilligt, att de mycket beslutsamt anslöt sig till piraternas heliga krig, till piraternas utopi. Peter Lamborn Wilson är upphovsman till mer än 30 böcker i skilda ämnen. Känd bland annat för det omdiskuterade begreppet TAZ – Temporary Autonomous Zone – som är Wilsons iakttagelse av hur nutida små enklaver av "fria" samhällen ofta uppstår spontant, som visionära projekt, till exempel som frisinnade festivaler med början i väldiga lössläppta fester. TAZ är något okontrollerat som går på tvärs med kapitalismens strukturer och fungerar fritt och i hög utsträckning oberoende av det omgivande samhället.