For most of the publishing world, New Falcon probably isn’t even a blip on the radar. Even within the world of Mind-Body-Spirit books, the small independent press has seemed somewhat obscure in comparison to its peers, perhaps because of its relentless refusal to cater to the “fluffy bunny” school of contemporary neo-paganism. Instead, the company dedicated itself to books that used occult ritual as a framework for “extreme individualism,” as typified by the writings of its longtime president, “Dr. Christopher S. Hyatt.” In books like Undoing Yourself with Energised Meditation, “Hyatt” (left; real name: Alan Miller) synthesized Aleister Crowley‘s occultism (by way of Israel Regardie) and Wilhelm Reich‘s psychology to, in the words of his obituary at the O.T.O. website, challenge readers “to overcome their inhibitions and give expression to their inner potential.” As such, the obituary continues, “he was deliberately provocative at times,” in the user-unfriendly style of many old-school occult writers; he not only conceded that others might see aggressive self-interest as toxic behavior, he embraced the image. He also published several works of both fiction and nonfiction by the philosopher Robert Anton Wilson and played a significant role in bringing greater awareness among American readers to British chaos magicians like Peter Carroll and Phil Hine.
Miller died two months ago after a series of strokes, his body already weakened by cancer. In an email distributed to New Falcon‘s customers, ” co-founder Nick Tharcher recalls the friendship that spanned more than three decades and warns of a scrambling among others to claim Hyatt’s legacy for their own. “There will be ‘pretenders to the throne’ …as if there ever was a throne to begin with,” he writes. “There will be those who declare, ‘I am his one true student,’ ‘I am his true intellectual heir,’ ‘I will provide instruction,” etc., etc. It’s all so nauseatingly predictable.” Tharcher has chosen for personal reasons to resign his position, which leaves some fans of the press wondering what’s going to happen. (“I also wonder what will happen to all the authors [like myself] that New Falcon owes royalties to,” writes Antero Alli.) The sense of confusion is compounded by the recent technical failure of the company’s website. The books, however, presumably remain available from online booksellers and any independent bookstores and New Age paraphenalia shops which choose to carry them.