The Occult Observer

A "who's-who" of London's esoteric voices. Occult Observer was edited by Michael Houghton, the founder of the Atlantis Book Shop, "set up by magicians, for magicians". A poet and occultist, Houghton was a devoted Crowleyite whose shop was a haven for the magical milieux. He hosted a variety of exhibitions, esoteric talks, occult meetings, and mystic workshops attended by a wide range of practitioners, including the influential wiccan Gerald Gardner and the popular druid writer Ross Nichols, the latter of whom contributed to Occult Observer. This short-lived periodical offers a rich insight into London's occult scene just prior to the popularization of witchcraft and magic in the 1960s.