Merrick (He-Who-Loves-Wisdom), AKA James L. Wilber
Scribe of the Order of Emergent Magi, Devotee of Djhuety (Thoth)
“Animists are people who recognize that the world is full of persons, only some of whom are human, and that life is always lived in relationship to others. Animism is lived out in various ways that are all about learning to act respectfully, carefully, and constructively towards and among other persons.”
Graham Harvey, Animism: Respecting the Living World
Best known to the esoteric community through my Youtube Channel, Scroll of Thoth, and my contributions to Emergent Magick. Co-author of Emergent Magick: Rebuilding Our Tribes Through Ritual and Meaning. I am also a frequent presenter, talking about various esoteric subjects at gatherings like the Starwood Festival in Pomeroy, Ohio.
I often feel like a stranger in a strange land, even in the esoteric community. While I studied the traditions of the English Magical Revival early in my magical career, they didn’t hold much appeal to me. You won’t find much Kabbalah, Thelema, or Golden Dawn here. Those things are fine, and if they’re your thing and it’s working for you, that’s great. I hope you can still learn something here.
I consider myself an animist. Though my practice seldom resembles what most people conceive of as animism. My own tradition includes a variety of spirits – spirits of the land, spirits of the dead, and the Others. Mostly, I work with the last, hard to describe category, which consists of gods, and other, stranger spirits often called demons. Though I don’t consider them inherently malevolent or benevolent. My own definition of demon is simply any spirit that primarily inhabits the underworld. Like many ancient sorcerers, my practice focuses on these chthonic entities.
My animist perspective is shot through the lens of Ancient Egyptian tradition. After being called to my patron, Djhuety (Thoth), I expanded my practice to include a deeper understanding of Ancient Egyptian Tradition as a whole. Once again, I don’t follow the usual focus of Egyptophile occultists, who often concentrate on the Hermetics and Gnostics of later Egypt. My practice follows the beliefs of the 3,000 years of Egyptian history before that. A much different spirit and religious based perspective. My practice hangs upon the Ancient Egyptian concepts of Ma’at and Heka. My guide, the copious amounts of Egyptian funerary literature, other magical texts, and the works of the Egyptian priesthood.
That all being said, I do not consider myself a Kemetic Pagan. (Though Kemetics will find much of interest here.) My guiding magical philosophy is strikingly more modern. The framework being the tenants of Emergent Magick, which I helped developed with my brother, Zentra El. Emergent Magick focuses on building communities, ancestor veneration, and building your own magical tradition through what you learn by doing the magic itself.
I have also written novels and short stories, some with esoteric themes. I have contributed to numerous books for roleplaying games from companies such as: Wizards of the Coast, Paizo Publishing, White Wolf Studios, Bastion Press, and Eden Studios. In the end, I consider myself a writer first and foremost. Although I’ve turned to Youtube as a way to reach a wider audience, every episode starts with a script.
I live in Indianapolis, a dreary place built by masons obsessed with circles, with my wife of over thirty years.