Terry Taylor's life after Thee Satanic Church

I've posted a few times before regarding local figure Terry Taylor, who was behind the local Satanic organization Thee Satanic Church during the 1970s (also known as The Orthodox Satanic Church, and Thee Orthodox Satanic Church of the Nethilim Rite).  Taylor also ran the esoteric bookstore House of the Occult.  After splitting with his partner in the church, Dr. Evelyn Paglini, Taylor seemed to have disappeared. 

I'd searched for information on Taylor regularly and never had any luck until finding his obituary this week.  It looks as though Taylor passed away in 2009.  He turned from Satanism in the late 1970s and moved on to hypnosis, spiritual psychology and past life regression.

Terry Taylor of Schaumburg A memorial service for Terry Taylor, 64, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, at Willow Creek Community Church, 67 E. Algonquin Road, Barrington. Cremation was private for the family at the Countryside Crematory. Born Oct. 3, 1944, the son of Walter and Hazel (nee Dennis), he died Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009, in Schaumburg. Terry owned Spiritual Awakening Center, where he helped to change many lives. Survivors include his former wife, Janice; children, Suzie (Andrew) Hofer, Myles and Brittany; grandchildren, Jessie and Justin; sister, Pamela; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailyherald/obituary.aspx?n=terry-taylor&pid=132908914#sthash.5V9TM3LL.dpuf

Terry Taylor of Schaumburg A memorial service for Terry Taylor, 64, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, at Willow Creek Community Church, 67 E. Algonquin Road, Barrington. Cremation was private for the family at the Countryside Crematory. Born Oct. 3, 1944, the son of Walter and Hazel (nee Dennis), he died Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009, in Schaumburg. Terry owned Spiritual Awakening Center, where he helped to change many lives. Survivors include his former wife, Janice; children, Suzie (Andrew) Hofer, Myles and Brittany; grandchildren, Jessie and Justin; sister, Pamela; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. For information, 630-529-5751 or www.countrysidefuneralhomes.com. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailyherald/obituary.aspx?n=terry-taylor&pid=132908914#sthash.5V9TM3LL.dpuf

Terry Taylor of Schaumburg A memorial service for Terry Taylor, 64, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, at Willow Creek Community Church, 67 E. Algonquin Road, Barrington. Cremation was private for the family at the Countryside Crematory. Born Oct. 3, 1944, the son of Walter and Hazel (nee Dennis), he died Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009, in Schaumburg. Terry owned Spiritual Awakening Center, where he helped to change many lives. Survivors include his former wife, Janice; children, Suzie (Andrew) Hofer, Myles and Brittany; grandchildren, Jessie and Justin; sister, Pamela; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. For information, 630-529-5751 or www.countrysidefuneralhomes.com. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailyherald/obituary.aspx?n=terry-taylor&pid=132908914#sthash.5V9TM3LL.dpuf

Terry Taylor's Obituary

Terry Taylor, 64, of Schaumburg died Sunday, August 30, 2009 in Schaumburg. Born October 3, 1944. He was the son of Walter and Hazel, nee Dennis. Terry owned Spiritual Awakening Center where he helped to change many lives.

Survivors include former wife Janice; children Suzie (Andrew) Hofer, Myles and Brittany; grandchildren Jessie and Justin; sister Pamela and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

A memorial service will be Friday, September 18, 2009 at 11 a.m. at Willow Creek, 67 E Algonquin Rd, Barrington. Cremation was private for the family at the Countryside Crematory.

erry Taylor of Schaumburg A memorial service for Terry Taylor, 64, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, at Willow Creek Community Church, 67 E. Algonquin Road, Barrington. Cremation was private for the family at the Countryside Crematory. Born Oct. 3, 1944, the son of Walter and Hazel (nee Dennis), he died Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009, in Schaumburg. Terry owned Spiritual Awakening Center, where he helped to change many lives. Survivors include his former wife, Janice; children, Suzie (Andrew) Hofer, Myles and Brittany; grandchildren, Jessie and Justin; sister, Pamela; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailyherald/obituary.aspx?n=terry-taylor&pid=132908914#sthash.ZxptxWhD.dpuf

After learning this, it was much easier to learn of Taylor's activities over the years.  Some of his writing can be found online, including an essay on the Spirit of Ma'at website:  What is Ascension? The Pathway To Your Next Consciousness

Terry Taylor of Schaumburg A memorial service for Terry Taylor, 64, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, at Willow Creek Community Church, 67 E. Algonquin Road, Barrington. Cremation was private for the family at the Countryside Crematory. Born Oct. 3, 1944, the son of Walter and Hazel (nee Dennis), he died Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009, in Schaumburg. Terry owned Spiritual Awakening Center, where he helped to change many lives. Survivors include his former wife, Janice; children, Suzie (Andrew) Hofer, Myles and Brittany; grandchildren, Jessie and Justin; sister, Pamela; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. For information, 630-529-5751 or www.countrysidefuneralhomes.com. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailyherald/obituary.aspx?n=terry-taylor&pid=132908914#sthash.5V9TM3LL.dpuf

Terry Taylor of Schaumburg A memorial service for Terry Taylor, 64, will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, at Willow Creek Community Church, 67 E. Algonquin Road, Barrington. Cremation was private for the family at the Countryside Crematory. Born Oct. 3, 1944, the son of Walter and Hazel (nee Dennis), he died Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009, in Schaumburg. Terry owned Spiritual Awakening Center, where he helped to change many lives. Survivors include his former wife, Janice; children, Suzie (Andrew) Hofer, Myles and Brittany; grandchildren, Jessie and Justin; sister, Pamela; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents. For information, 630-529-5751 or www.countrysidefuneralhomes.com. - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailyherald/obituary.aspx?n=terry-taylor&pid=132908914#sthash.5V9TM3LL.dpuf

Terry Taylor's biograpy read:
Terry has worked in the Spiritual Community for 35 years, owning two metaphysical Bookstores and the School of Advanced Esoteric Studies. Degreed in Clinical Psychology, he has operated within a private and group practice since 1975. His residencies consist of Madden Mental Health Center, Phobicare Group Practice, Garret's Wellness Center, Mel Doerr's Health and Holistic Center and now the Spiritual Awakening Center. Terry Taylor's practice is an integration of psychotherapy, clinical hypnosis and spiritual psychology leading towards your ascension into your next level of consciousness. He can be reached at: TerryTaylor@Ameritech.net, www.SpiritualAwakeningCenter.com.

While the Spiritual Awakening Center website is no longer active, it is archived on the archive.org site.  Many PDFs of his writing can be found in the archive of the Spiritual Awakening Center's "Archives" page: 

https://web.archive.org/web/20080702223438/http://www.spiritualawakeningcenter.com/archives.html

While Taylor publicly moved away from Satanism during his later years, that doesn't mean that he avoided controversy.  One exposé on CBS2, as archived on the website "Cult Education Institute" is particularly damning. 


Critics also worry that Taylor's technique could result in false memories being implanted in the minds of his clients -- like those who now believe they had relatives in a past life who sexually abused them.
"The danger is that they believe these things and they may carry some of these feelings into the current life," says Stephen Kahn.
Taylor says he's qualified to handle possible dangers telling potential clients, "You have to make sure you are with a hypnotist who knows how to work with that. Remember I am also a psychologist too."
But he's not. Taylor only has a Master's degree in psychology -- but no Doctorate degree and no state license. Both are required for Taylor to legally call himself a psychologist.
"I'm told you can't say that," Zekman says.
"No probably not," he replies.
In brochures, Taylor calls himself a transformational psychotherapist.
"Is that a name you made up?" asks Zekman.
"Yes, yes. That's the name I put out there to show what I'm doing," says Taylor.

Like many other Chicago occultists (such as L.W. de Laurence) Terry Taylor seems to have walked the line between being an influential leader and shameless huckster.  As always, I would love to have more information about Terry Taylor, to learn more of his work.

Pagan Time Relived, 1985

Local Psychotherapist / Astrotherapist Alan Salmi ( website / Facebook ) recently posted this image to the Chicago Pagans group on Facebook. 

 

Alan says:

"For those of you who think Pagans are recent in Chicago: this is from Feb. of 1985. My teacher, Althea had been initiated more than ten years before that in Chicago. She's left of center and is now coming on 40 years of magickal practice. Before that occult revival, there were Theosophists, new thought practitioners, magickal lodges, masonic groups, spiritualists and groups with contacts to inner plane masters. Chicago has been a center for the esoteric community for years and years!"

Chicago Pagan Pride 2014

Chicago Pagan Pride 2014 is this Sunday, September 14th, from 11:00 am - 6:00 pm at

Pleasant Home, 217 Home Ave, Oak Park IL.

The event will include two public rituals, a variety of workshops, entertainers and vendors.

For more information, including schedules, visit:

http://www.chicagopaganpride.org

Tetragrammaton and falafel

Found amidst the graffiti in the restroom at Sultan's Market in Wicker Park.

Another location related to the Process

In going through previous posts, it occurred to me that I had accidentally omitted one location that had previously been home to the Process.  The previous post regarding the presence of the Process in Chicago is located here.

Located just down the block from the other locations associated with the Process and related groups, this Deming street home (associated with the Process in 1976) is yet another beautiful home in another affluent area.

Historical locations related to L.W. de Laurence - Edited!

On Halloween I decided to stop by some locations of interest regarding L.W. de Laurence. De Laurence was a local publisher, hypnotist, mail order innovator, swindler and the head of at least two local magical orders. For more information, follow this link to previous posts regarding de Laurence.

Due to a typo on my part, I originally visited an incorrect location.  Many thanks to David Metcalfe for pointing this out to me.  The post and accompanying photographs have now been corrected.

The first location, at 3340 S. Michigan Ave., was listed in 1915 as being the home of de Laurence's Order of the Black Rose.  That same year the Order's address was also listed as being on Wabash.  Whether the Order moved, or whether the local press confused de Laurence's organization with his publishing headquarters is unclear.  Unfortunately the original building no longer stands, and this location is now occupied by a generic building on the Illinois Institute of Technology campus.

Also in 1915, this location on E. 47th St. is listed as his home address. 

Satanism in the Suburbs: Exploring previous locations of Thee Satanic Church

Terry Taylor's Thee Satanic Church operated in and around Chicago in between 1971 and 1974, under a variety of incarnations including The Orthodox Satanic Church, and Thee Orthodox Satanic Church of the Nethilim Rite.  Previously I've posted an introduction with newspaper articles (including the involvement of Dr. Evelyn Paglini), and a magazine advertisement for the organization.  Thee Satanic Church was operated in conjunction with Taylor's bookstore, House of Occult (not to be confused with the Occult Bookstore, as many books and websites erroneously report).

I was curious as to the locations that these entities inhabited, and made a trek to the various houses and storefronts that used to house this local Satanic group.  One of the more interesting aspects was the incredibly quaint suburban surroundings where Taylor, Paglini & company continued to place their diabolical organizations.

This Edgewater building was listed as the home of Terry Taylor's bookstore, House of the Occult, in 1972.  Advertisements for the bookstore featured a design that included the logo of Taylor's

 This Oak Park residence was home to Thee Satanic Church, according to various advertisements and other sources around 1974.

This western Chicago ice cream shop sits on the 1974 location of Taylor's House of Occult bookshop.

This is the location in Melrose Park, listed in various sources as late as 1976 as being home to both Thee Satanic Church and the International Psychic Center (the organization which Paglini directed Thee Satanic Church into after the split with Taylor - some sources make this sound like an offshoot, some consider Thee Satanic Church to be a rival organization to Taylor's).

Dr. Evelyn Paglini, just a few years after her split from Taylor, on television advising regarding the "Curse of the Evil Devil Stone."


Dr. Evelyn Paglini has remained in the public eye, but I can find no trace of Taylor.  If anyone has any further information, it would be greatly appreciated!

Local independent Ouija-themed experimental art film

Uzi's Party is a film being produced by local filmmaker and Brain Frame creator Lyra Hill.  As of right now there are 3 days remaining to reach the goal on Kickstarter, and it's not very far from actually happening.

From the Kickstarter page:

Uzi's Party is a film about a sleepover, a séance, and the singular aesthetic capabilities of 16mm film.

Five girls gather to hang out and commune with a Ouija board. The host, Uzi (short for Fairuza) tries to keep things in order while her party goes awry. After a short session with the Ouija board, one of the girls is no longer herself - or is she?

The girls in Uzi's Party will all be played by the same actress. And the footage will be shot in-camera, via matting, multiple exposure, and body doubles. What will begin as a stylized, strange (and funny) teen drama will eventually become a disturbing, complex inquiry into possession, identity, and the psychology of young women. As the story progresses, the visual logic will slowly fall apart until you, like the girls in the film, are no longer sure what's real and what's not.

Of particular interest to those of you following Occult Chicago, the $200 pledge gift:

$200: Sacred objects made by Pagan priestesses

I am blessed to have grown up in a tradition that worships the Earth and the Divine Feminine, and even luckier to have this community donate artwork to Uzi's Party, my own mystical project. 

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1877334389/uzis-party-an-experimental-teen-drama-on-16mm-film

Call for Summer Solstice events

Please send public Summer Solstice event listings to:  occultchicago@gmail.com

Sabaen Order photograph

Without a doubt, the most popular subject here on Occult Chicago is the Sabean Religious Order. 

I've recently come across some more information about Odun Arechaga and the Sabaens, and a few people have emailed me with their personal involvement with the group.  I'll share some of this once I have a chance, but for now enjoy this photograph.

Advertisement for Thee Satanic Chuch, 1974

I recently came across this 1974 advertisement for Thee Satanic Church.

Not to be confused with the Church of Satan, Thee Satanic Church (at various times / incarnations known as Thee Satanic Orthodox Church of Nethilim Rite, among other things) was run locally by Terry Taylor.

For more information, see the previous post about Terry Taylor and Satanism in Chicago.

Does anyone know if Terry Taylor is still around? 

Dr. Bronner, public crucifixion and Chicago

In honor of Easter, a Chicago story related to a crucifixion.

I'd always assumed that Dr. Bronner's religious essays on the side of soap bottles was somehow related to an extremely right-wing Christian sect.  To be honest, I'd never thought much of it.

Image courtesy Wikipedia.

Recently we have been moving toward more natural products in our home, and Jane purchased a gigantic bottle of Bronner's 18-in-1 soap.  I started reading the bottle and noticed an interestingly singular amalgamation of various belief systems - Christianity, Judaism and references to authors such as Rudyard Kipling.

Bronner it seems has a much more fascinating background than one might anticipate. 

Not surprisingly, a bit of research brings Bronner's antics directly through Chicago.

Three are Sought in Crucifixion of Chicago Man - The Evening Independent, March 10, 1945

An escape from a mental institution in Elgin immediately followed this incident.

Choronzon Club on Facebook?

Interestingly enough, the Choronzon Club appears to now be represented on Facebook.

Tau Choronzon I (1897-1987), from Choronzon Club on Facebook

Chicago-based Tarot art Kickstarter

A new collaborative Tarot themed project just announced.

From the Kickstarter page:

The Major Arcana are the most emotionally evocative cards in a tarot deck.  How would an artist and a tarot reader explore these archetypes through the photographic medium?

Lara Dorsett is a photographer and artist who employs intuition and mythology in her personal work.  Jeffrey Kramer is a tarot reader with a background in medieval traditions and lore.

This project will involve the first nine cards in the Major Arcana:  The Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot and Strength. 

Lara and Jeffrey will each shoot in black and white film and be challenged to create all of these images in the Chicagoland area.  They will only use props and materials created or found with volunteer models (when used.)

The resulting work will be shown in a local space with free admission for guests.
The successful completion of this project will result in further exploration of the remaining Major Arcana.

For more information, visit:

Kickstarter page

Lara Elizabeth Dorsett's photography website

Walking to work

 When weather permits, I like to walk rather than take public transportation.  Here are some things I found while walking down North Avenue the other day.

"Mage" tag

 Catalog card for John Zorn's Arcana IV.  This book came out in 2009, so honestly I'm not sure why there would be a catalog card for it.

Another seal of Amon.  Is this someone's tag?  It was found down the block from the place where I found the last one.

supplemental materials for a recent lecture

I was kindly asked to speak yesterday at DePaul University.  I gave a presentation for Jason Winslade's class, regarding the history of the occult in Chicago.  I discussed personalities, publications and organizations.  After my lecture, the students went on a brief walking tour to spot some locations of interest.  When they returned, I had a few publications sitting on the table to spark a bit of conversation.

Chicago Pagan Pride today

Don't forget that today is Chicago Pagan Pride. 

http://chicagopaganpride.org

Unfortunately I can't make it today.  I hope to hear all about it from everyone.  Have fun!

New website - Occult Guide

Hello, everyone!

I recently got back into town from our honeymoon in Vienna, which was completely amazing.  Upon arrival back home, my wife and I are now launching a new website dedicated to mapping locations of occult significance worldwide.

I have received quite a few messages from people outside of Chicago telling me that they wished a resource like this blog existed for their own city.  Likewise, we have traveled and wished that such things existed so that we would know of good places to visit.

So now we present to you, OCCULT GUIDE

http://www.occultguide.com

Occult Guide is a site powered by member submissions:  add locations in your own hometown to be added to the worldwide maps.  Occult Guide is also a fully functional social media website, complete with forums, member profiles, user groups and more.

We are incredibly proud of our new creation, and hope that you find it interesting enough to join in.  Help us to map the unseen hiding in plain view!

Chicago, Satan's Sanctum

Unfortunately this 1899 book is about local crime.  Still, the cover is charming enough. 
The entire book is available to download as PDF from archive.orghttp://archive.org/details/chicagosatanssan00curo

The Nature of Ghosts and the Human Spirit

Speaking of Leadbeater, he's mentioned in this offer to make some cash in exchange for proving that ghosts exist.  Take a look at this wonderful artwork!

Chicago Examiner, 1908

And for even more amazing artwork...  "After You Are Dead."

Also from the Chicago Examiner, 1908.