Robert C. Carey passed away in hospice Sunday morning, September 20, 2020, the Autumn Equinox & new moon, something that would have pleased him. He was born in New York City on April 5th, 1957 and though a Seattleite for decades he was always at heart a NYer. He was my brother for over 45 years and I will miss him terribly. He had been quite ill for several years and in a way his release is a blessing, though those of us who loved him are deeply saddened.
He grew up in Brooklyn Heights, New York City and had a very esoteric life that mirrored his deep interests in hermetic and arcane studies of all kinds so it is no surprise that he worked at the infamous Magickal Childe store in NYC, was involved in pretty much every esoteric and occult field and became known as an expert on everything occult, arcane at a precocious age as everyone who knew him can tell you. He was a deep intellectual, gentle, witty and quiet man with a wicked and pervasive sense of humor and wisdom as well as an occasional very sharp tongue! He seemed to have been born with a deep love of reading and of books and he had the largest and best library of esoteric books and so many other genres of anyone I know as well as a room full of comics. If he didn’t have it, he could get it and if he hadn’t read something, it was likely not worth reading and he’d tell you why. By the age I met him, we were both 14, he already knew more about occultism than most adults. He was born a wise old sage. He received a degree from Amherst University in Anthropology and belonged to numerous esoteric groups and orders that included Pagan Way, Welsh Trad Wicca (3*), The Grove of the Star & Snake, the Typhonian OTO, the OTO, The Church of the Eternal Source, Church of All Worlds, The Ring of Troth (Asatru), The Ravens of Ravenna coven, and was an initiate of Nath Tantra and that is only a short list. He had many occult ‘pen names’: Fr. Hades, Shade Oroboros, Caelus, Minanath and Shade Vedhrfolnir. He was also one of the founders of the Horus Maat Lodge in 1979 and until his passing was an Elder contributor, officer and luminary in the HML. He published many articles in a wide variety of occult and esoteric magazines and online journals, contributed deeply to the horus Maat Lodge website and recent book and has a number of writing projects that have not yet been published yet. His astounding intellect, love of books, comics, and cats and dogs, his delight in the macabre and weird and his patient kindness and Adams-family humor was well known. He took on his dream job as an Esoteric Bookstore owner in the late 80s by buying and running Mandala Books in Seattle with a partner. It was not the largest bookstore, but one of the deepest in terms of esoteric, occult, tantric and mystical books ranging from the great to the obscure. Mandala also carried an amazing selection of arcane art, tools and other items, always offered Tarot and other readings, had a small gallery and organized a number of important and amazing events there and at other venues with famous presenters like Terrance McKenna and Ulchi Siberian Shamans and so many more luminaries. It had a wide following and created a wonderful community and was always a place to drop by, meet others, discuss everything esoteric, get some higher wisdom and humor and then find and buy something amazing. If it was obscure or he didn’t have it. Robert would find it or tell you how to get it. He left a deep legacy of kindness, mentoring and good will. On a personal note, Robert was the kindest and most loyal friend one could have. He helped me almost every weekend for decades as ‘uncle Robert’ to my severely autistic son, even during the very worst of times. No words can express his caring and kindness and loyalty in such situations. I will miss him until my passing and am sure our friendship is not finished for there is change but no ending. He is survived by his Sister Merrill, many friends on both coasts and a few abroad who knew and loved him and his small loyal Wolf Pack friends who have been with him to the end.