Occult book boss nicked my sigils

NOTED Golden Dawn scholar Olen Rush has accused Kerubim Press chief Dean Wilson [AKA  Frater Yechidah] of stealing his research on tarot sigils and trying to pass it off as his own mystical revelation.

Rush, author of A Short Treatise on the Sigils of the Scales, claims Wilson half inched his documented work on how Golden Dawn “King” and “Queen” court cards combine to form “Prince Sigils”. Rush insists the material, first published in 2010, was later dressed up by Wilson as if it had been spiritually revealed to him.

Rush says the proof lies in old blog posts and emails from 2012 where Wilson not only praised his book but asked permission to link to it. He accuses Wilson of now denying ever having read the work while presenting its core ideas as his own. “He had the audacity to suggest we compare findings when he had already borrowed mine,” Rush said.

The sigils are an obscure part of the Golden Dawn tradition, and Rush is the expert. Golden Dawn insiders note that Rush’s A Short Treatise on the Sigils of the Scales had been circulating in forums and groups for years, often with Wilson present. They argue it is impossible he was unaware of it. 

But Wilson has hit back, issuing a lengthy statement rejecting the accusations outright.

I am astounded and greatly insulted that you would accuse me of plagiarism, especially when you do not provide proof of the material I allegedly stole from your work. All of this could have been resolved with a simple message, but since you have made very serious accusations publicly, I am forced to respond equally publicly and defend my honour.

Wilson denies ever owning or reading Rush’s book, though he admits he might have read Rush’s blog over a decade ago. He insists his work came through meditation and skrying rather than from Rush’s research, and argues that multiple people can independently arrive at the same conclusions. While this is correct, it is always useful that someone else had done the writing first and that does not explain why Wilson had linked to Rush's book all those years ago.

Wilson added that Rush had not provided direct comparisons between the two works:

I can assure you that everything in my blog was written by me, and absolutely nothing was lifted from your book, blog, or anywhere else. They are all my own words, thoughts, and findings. It is honestly despicable that you are falsely accusing me of posting sections from your book as my own.

Wilson says he intends to obtain a copy of Rush’s book to compare against his own writings, claiming he is “quietly confident” such a comparison will vindicate him, at least in his own mind.

Rush said that all he wanted was a citation, but it seems that Wilson cannot do that because it means undermining his own brilliance and originality.  Watchers has had dealings with Wilson before after he expelled a member of his now defunct GD group for following his doctors advice. 

The spat has left Kerubim Press facing uncomfortable questions over the origins of its material, while raising a wider issue in occult publishing, where the line between scholarship and supposed mystical reception often blurs.