Some Growth

I have been feeling uncomfortable with a post I had written. I rewrote it a bit. I added some disclaimers and clarifications. I still felt troubled.

In the past, I would have posted it. Only later would I figure out what was wrong with the post via public response or personal insight. This time I stopped and simply asked my soul. I learned that I was revealing too much of my personal work that has not fully solidified.

The odd part is that I never mentioned my own experience with topic. That did not matter. I felt an unusual and sudden relief of tension when I stopped. I have come to understand that my soul knows much more than I do. I have come to not only listen but act on what I am told. I reserve the right to decline the advice but this did not seem an appropriate time to file an objection. The paperwork alone is a bitch!

To some of you this may not sound like a big deal. All that happened was that I did not hit the 'publish' button. The big deal was listening, acting on what I heard, and knowing listening was the right course of action.

Possible Scam Alert - Magical Items

I received an email this morning from someone asking about something she found of her grandmother's. She asked me to find out what it may mean. I suspected it is was a fraternal medallion of some sort. I asked a friend.

He identified it as Scottish Rite medallion or some semi-Masonic offshoot and took the time to translate both the hex marks and the ancient text. He said it was about 20 years old.

I sent this information to the person that asked. There was no appreciation for the effort I or my friend expended at her request. Instead, she replied was that she had many such items for sale. Had I gone all agog over the item, I assume I would have been sold a worthless bauble for a high price.

Here is a picture of the item and the email address. She goes by the name Samanta Faucher.

Do your research people.

evilchechirecat33@gmail.com

The Greatest Secret

The greatest secrets are often revealed in plain sight.

The Qabala means 'to receive'. Expressing ourselves through qabalistic magick is possible and is not a negative.

The deep value in the Qabala is receiving the divine.

There Are Only Two Forms of Thought

There are only two forms of thought.

The first is expressive. This occurs regardless of whether the thought held internally or presented to the world. These thoughts reveal what you value, at least in the moment. If you are a considering a loved one, you are expressing your value of love. If you are arguing, you are expressing your value for anger.

The second is of learning. While it can be said that inquiry is expressing one's value of knowledge, this is more subtle. Learning is ascertaining what is valued. Someone may attend a beginning art class to determine if the skills of artistry are valued enough to express through study of the field. Learning is the passive receiving wisdom from the Universe.

Fewer Thoughts Stronger Magick

I used to drink Diet Pepsi. I drank a lot of that and little water. Now, I drink mostly water. I consume less liquids. I am less thirsty. The physical reasons for this are obvious.

Less obvious is that this same principle applies to thoughts. When your thoughts are of value to spirit, mind and heart you need less of them. The mind does not restlessly seek satisfaction. The mind is calm.

A calm satisfied mind does stronger magick.

The Oath of the Abyss Part III

This is a clean-up of a couple of points from the first two posts on the series.

My friend Jason Walton pointed out that he always felt that the oath was “to the divinity contained within”. This I cannot argue with. At the time I took it, I would have had no idea what he meant by that. Frankly, I am not sure that I do now. It would take a single subject post. I am not sure that I have the language skills that would communicate clearly on that topic. Here is a short version.

There is a macrocosmic all god that I would call Aaoz. There is my immortal soul. The first created the second but in such a manner each part of one is part of the other. This is also true of my immortal soul and the rest of me. Aaoz helps to unfold all souls. My immortal soul seeks to unfold myself so that it may unfold into full manifestation. These things are so intertwined that they are very difficult to differentiate.

But wait! How can I be such a hard core Pagan and think so monotheistically? The same way that I can curse while holding a second current of love that allows the target to open up to what they really want. Cynically, giving them what they thought they deserved to get from me distracts them away from me but it really is love to help them get what they need. These things are not either/or mutually exclusive options. They coexist.

Note: That used to be the only way I would curse someone.

Too Early

When I say that I took the Oath of the Abyss too early I meant the following.

As I said in Part II, this is an adept level post meaning that you at least have to have your HGA. When I took the oath no one would mistake me for an adept.

The catch for me was the line, "that I will interpret every phenomenon as a particular dealing of God with my soul." I was capable of seeing that communication frequently. I was capable of wanting to see it all the time. I was not able to see it all the time. Further, seeing your own ‘reality’ broken apart and reflected back to you in such a manner that you are constantly being corrected is hard. One feels under perpetual attack by the entire universe. The upside is that you are! The downside is that when those attacks come in human form it is very difficult not to resent the people doing exactly what you asked the universe to do.

There is also a contradiction akin to the one above. Just because you asked the universe to be instructive and people are unknowingly responding to the call does not mean that they are not being jerks. Herein comes the love thy enemy advice. The addendum for a theurgic magician is, “Love they enemy for they serve you as an angel serves God.” Perhaps this is why Crowley meant by “the slaves shall serve”? I have no idea but I can see a link.

I will be the first to admit that I cannot do this all the time. On the other hand, the Universe no longer sends me enemies.

It gets harder because time really does not exist. So, some “enemies” appeared before I took the oath. I can forgive myself for not recognizing them at the time of their appearance and not being wise enough to be aware of the fictional nature of time after I took the oath. Had I been, I may have reacted differently.

The fact is that I was as I was and did what I did.

And so I leave you with one last contradiction. In the long term view, my oath taking was not too early. Nothing is. However, in the mundane day-to-day, it was way too early.

The First Skill of the Magician

So you want to be a mage? Many people will tell you to start performing something called the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. Those people have been exposed to ceremonial magick. The practice of that ritual is foundational to that style of magick. In doing that ritual, you will learn many skills that will serve you well.That said, it is only one style of magick. I am not expert on anything other than what I do. However, I think there is a more foundational skill that cuts across all or many types of magick.

Step one in becoming a magician is knowing your thoughts and emotions. Why is that important? Because being a magician means that you will deal with unseen spirits and energies and if you do not know the difference between yourself and them, you can wind up in quite a bit of trouble. Even if you choose never to do magick, knowing your own thoughts is valuable and will lead you to a better life.

So, how do we learn our thoughts?

1. Pay attention. Pay attention to the phrases you use internally. Do you say to yourself, “This guy is a jerk” or “That guy is an asshole.” Do you say, “Awww, that is so cute” or “How adorable!” Are your thoughts, “I need to make more money” or “I need to find a way to get these bills paid.”

These pairs of thoughts mean essentially the same thing but they do not express those meanings the same way.

2. When you start to realize how you speak internally, make a written record. This not only reinforces the memory of the exercise but it gives you a way to check back later. We all forget things.

3. Quantify the types of thoughts you have. You may come up with a list that looks like this

Thoughts on Sex -- A lot

Thoughts on work when I am not there – Nightly

Thoughts on that guy that pissed me off in the ninth grade, once a week

Or this:

Thoughts on sex: 60%

Thoughts on work when I am not there – 10%

Thoughts on that guy that pissed me off in the ninth grade, 1%

The first type of list is more practical to me but do what works for you.

What does this do for you?

First and foremost it makes you start paying attention to yourself. Most people pay attention to other people and project their thoughts onto them. The more you know your thoughts the quicker you will realize how often you project your attitudes onto the other rather than seeing them as they are. The realizations about yourself, the other and the peculiar way that influences your view of the universe will be worth the effort.

Secondly, you will realize how much time you waste on that guy that pissed you off in the ninth grade. Seriously, why are you still thinking about that? There may be something you are working out or it may be a total waste of energy. You have to decide.

Thirdly, this leaves you with a map of where your uncontrolled mind goes. If you want to guide it to a particular point, you now have a tool to use to help you. You can begin to interrupt yourself when start thinking about work when you should be learning how to do something else.

Fourth, it lets you see your general default mindset.

Fifth, you eventually learn to pay attention to others. For example, a new in-law asked me what tarot ‘was supposed to be’. To my mind, that phrasing was insulting as in “That is not real. How do you sell it to your clients?” I gave him a short, non-committal answer. As I paid attention to him, he asked the same question about medication and a movie. It is just his phrasing. No insult was intended at all and he likely had no idea his phrase could have been taken that way. Had I not learned to pay attention, I may have come to resent this fellow.

Magickally speaking, it gives you a tool to recognize undue influence. Let’s say you normally use “This guy is a jerk,” or “That guy is an asshole,” when you are displeased with someone. When you are in a meeting at work and suddenly you thoughts are “What a dill weed!”* You should be on high alert. That may not be your thought! This may be that dangerous fire spirit you conjured last night exercising its influence. You may start to become unnecessarily angry or your verbal words may cause you more of a problem in this meeting.

On a more positive note, as someone that does a lot of spirit work, I have found it very helpful to recognize phrases that I do not use when speaking with spirits. Here are some examples.

The other day, I skried the spirit of asafetida. I heard the phrase, “astral acid…hydrochloric acid.” I do not think I have ever thought of anything on the astral as acidic. Chances are I am dealing with a spirit and not talking to myself. Self-delusion is a common problem for magicians. It can strike no matter how experienced you are. If I heard “Astral Windex”, I would be listening to my own head, not a spirit. Not knowing the difference can get you in trouble. Some days, I just do not have 'it'. I know my internal markers and that keeps me from becoming self-deluded.

If I were working with a spirit and heard, “That is colossally wrong.” I may recognize that I do not use that word internally or externally. I may also associate that with my father who used “colossally” during my teenage years. Maybe I am dealing with a spirit that sees itself as paternal in nature.

Some spirits impart totally new information. Others are only capable of putting things together in your head in new ways. So, the spirit may have used ‘colossally’ or my mind interpreted the vibe as that. Either way, the same message comes across.

I verbally use the phrase, “well, that would smack of effort” to indicate something that may be good or fun to do but that I am never really going to do. Most likely, the item in question is just not high on my priority list. Should I ask a spirit, “Can I learn to skry common household items to learn if pens or toasters have an egregore?” I may hear, “Well, that would smack of effort.” The conclusion should be obvious there.

Knowing your thought patterns is essential for personal growth and for being a magician.

The same thing applies to emotions.

Write down your most common emotions, even better if you can add your thoughts to them. Find a way to quantify them just like the thoughts above. Add to it what circumstances aids in creating emotions or what you do before, during or after them. All of the same ideas apply as above.

Doing this sort of thing takes a measure of discipline. It is well worth the effort.

Let's go back to the LBRP. You are evoking angels. Eventually, you will speak to them. Doing the exercise outlined above is critical to that process. Solid evocation and skrying skills require strong internal skills.


*I had a friend use that in high school. I have no idea why that phrase is a pejorative.

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The Oath of the Abyss Part II

This post continues my thoughts on the Oath of the Abyss. The next part reads:

6. that I will continue in the Knowledge and Conversation of my Holy Guardian Angel

This pretty clearly states that this oath is meant for adept level people because those that have contacted their HGA are generally considered adepts. Frankly, I took this before anyone would even think of me as possibly being an adept. This was a mistake and an error and I wouldn’t recommend doing that, except that I do. Sometimes, maybe you should do it. Maybe not.

Different people have different views of the The Holy Guardian Angel (HGA). All I can share is my experience and understanding. I think of the spirit and the process like this.

First you are a totally unenlightened being but you work really hard using the Tree of Life as a model for attainment. Once you clear out enough of your shit, the HGA appears. This is a spirit external to you. I view it as an enlightened spirit whose job it is to help you continue. This spirit has a grand perspective. It sees who you are now and the very nature of your soul and can communicate with both. The HGA guides you to knowledge of your soul.

Very often the process starts with a student teacher relationship. The teacher helps you to your HGA. After that, a good teacher will still be there but fade out a bit and let the HGA take over further instruction. Then, you learn to have contact with your highest soul and the HGA hangs around but leaves the rest up to you and your soul.

This oath is saying you will stay with that process to the end. Even if you haven’t achieved knowledge and conversation with your HGA, you are committing to a given process.

7. that I will work without attachment

This is more of a guideline really. Show me a person that claims to work without attachment and I will show you one heck of an enlightened being, the rare person that can do it, or a person that needs to know him or herself much better. The point here is that you will do the Work without guiding where it will take you.

8. that I will work in truth:

Here we have a certified mess. Is it my truth your truth? How do you know what your truth is? It is a nice sentiment. This may be about piety to your knowledge of the moment. I don’t know.

9. that I will rely only upon myself:

This is important. You can gain information and input from anyone. There is always someone smarter, more experienced or a stronger expert on a given topic. However, you have to rely on yourself. Jason Miller is the bomb but, you may learn that your magick isn’t his magick. His methods may not work for you. You have to figure it out for yourself. Secondarily, you cannot put people up on a pedestal and rely on their judgement of you as a spiritual person or magician. You can learn from their praise or criticism but not rely on it.

10. that I will interpret every phenomenon as a particular dealing of God with my soul. And if I fail herein, may my pyramid be profaned, and the Eye closed to me

that I will interpret every phenomenon as a particular dealing of God with my soul.

This is my favorite line in the oath. This puts a target on your back, filters your vision and colors your entire life perspective. It has a huge impact. This line brings with it pain, discomfort and a host of other unpleasant side effects. However, seeing the universe like that is by far the greatest teacher I have ever had. To say that I am pleased with the long term outcome would be an understatement.

And if I fail herein, may my pyramid be profaned, and the Eye closed to me

Don’t take this oath unless you mean it. Do not take it unless the core of your being is telling you that you are a theurgic magician for life. Do not take this unless you think about this stuff more often than everything else combined. The exception to that may be family. You should think of your family a lot.

There is no going back.

The Oath of the Abyss Part I

This is my take on the famous Oath of the Abyss. I have no doubt someone out there will read it and think ‘that is not what Crowley meant’. Good! That means you’ve read the original and thought about it. As for me, I am working my own path and interpreting my own life and understanding of the process. Feel free to comment with your interpretation.

Aleister Crowley wrote the Oath of the Abyss.

1. I, ___________, a member of the Body of God, hereby bind myself on behalf of the Whole Universe, even as we are now physically bound unto the cross of suffering:

2. that I will lead a pure life, as a devoted servant of the Order:

3. that I will understand all things:

4. that I will love all things:

5. that I will perform all things and endure all things:

6. that I will continue in the Knowledge and Conversation of my Holy Guardian Angel

7. that I will work without attachment

8. that I will work in truth:

9. that I will rely only upon myself:

10. that I will interpret every phenomenon as a particular dealing of God with my soul. And if I fail herein, may my pyramid be profaned, and the Eye closed to me

This is an oath that you should not take. Unless, of course, you should. I took it way too early in my occult career. More on that later. Let’s go through this one line at a time.

I, ___________, a member of the Body of God, hereby bind myself on behalf of the Whole Universe, even as we are now physically bound unto the cross of suffering:

Just say your name here. Dump the whole artifice of a magickal name.  A magickal name or motto may be of a minor help. In retrospect, in may even be enlightening to see how your path was influenced by your name. For the most part it is an exercise is self-importance. I am not He Who Gloriously Wanders in the Light. I am Robert. I will use my full name as a symbol of my whole being. I, Robert Alan Hager…etc.

a member of the Body of God

A member…God’s phallus? Damn right you are. You are the creative force in your universe. Congratulations, you are a dick! Rise up and be proud! No, I am not kidding. You have every right to create your universe. Own that right.

a member of the Body of God

Yes, you are part of the Body of God.* I am going to skip a long treatise on theology which would be too boring to write, worse to read and reveal my lack of philosophical education. I will simply say that “God” created everything as one big thing. Since you are part of it, you are part of the body of God. What is bigger than God? Nothing!** There is nothing bigger than you. Own that too.

hereby bind myself on behalf of the Whole Universe

Anyone who binds himself is an idiot. This means your freedom of choice will be limited from the moment you take this oath. By definition binding is restriction. But here, we are binding oneself on behalf of that sounds dangerously close to in the service of. Isn’t that why we are here?

even as we are now physically bound unto the cross of suffering

I understood this when I took this oath. Now, I think this was written by a fellow that hasn’t seen what I have seen. There is no cross of suffering. We create that and we can discard it as well. I am in physical pain most of the time due to a very bad back. I do not suffer in the least. Sometimes I feel severe pain. Sometimes I feel less pain. That is all.

That said, until you see your version of what I have seen, it is pretty easy to think we are bound to a cross of suffering. This oath does not bind you to that cross but uses it as an indicator that the binding you are performing is an all-compassing permanent state. You damn well better be sure you are ready for what you are doing. As Donald Michael Kraig said, “There is no such thing as magickal white out.”

that I will lead a pure life, as a devoted servant of the Order:

Pure life? Pure means freedom from contamination. We are not talking about Flint drinking water. We are talking about what you are and what you are not. Purity is living a life true to yourself. Impurity is doing things that are not you. The holiest man on earth should not hold open the door for a little old lady, if doing so is against his nature. A nun should get laid if not doing so is against her nature. How do you know what is against your nature? Do everything. That stuff that makes you sick is not you. The stuff that makes you feel bad long term is not you. The stuff that brings you long term joy is. The rest is more subtle but you will figure it out. Once you figure out some part of this, live by it.

Purity is also piousness. Pious means, having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for God or an earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations. In my world, I would change that like this: having or showing a dutiful spirit of reverence for Aaoz , one’s spirit or deity of choice or an earnest wish to fulfill spiritual purposes.

Regardless, living like this is a perpetual act of theurgy. I cannot imagine claiming to be a theurgist and not being pious or at least striving to be.

as a devoted servant of the Order:

I do not know exactly which order he is speaking of here. His religion, Thelema, the OTO, the general college of adepts, pious men or something else. I am sure it is there in his writings, if I cared to look it up. What Order is this referring to for you? Well, if you have your HGA***, ask it! If you don’t, you may want to assume that you are being (or will be) a loyal servant of a group of holy people.

Is that arrogant? Maybe but if you succeed in living within the confines of this oath, you are a holy person. Doubt it not.

3. that I will understand all things:

This line is brought to you by the Master of Arrogance himself. No one can understand all things using the conventional meaning of understanding. Perhaps he means this qabalistically as in living in Binah, the third sephira of the Tree of Life. Perhaps the meaning here is that you will seek to understand all things or that there is a belief that a moment of enlightenment will occur in which you understand.

4. that I will love all things:

Ain’t that a bitch? Anyone that thinks it is easy to love all things has not tried to love an enemy. Have you ever stubbed your toe and screamed, “I love stubbing my toe!” and really meant it?

Here is the trick.

Lon DuQuette once said, “Yes, it is symbolic of sex but what is sex symbolic of?” Same here. Love is another word for the desire for unity and the ability to unify. Reject nothing from your greater universe. See the role of the jerk and the saint in your life. Unify with how they serve you in your journey and how you serve them. Warning: When you first do think these thoughts you will be very prone to deceiving yourself.

When it comes to stubbing your toe, feel the pain. Do not reject it. Love the fact that your nerves work. They keep you safe. Love that you have a toe to stub in the first place.

5. that I will perform all things and endure all things:

I might change this to “that I will fulfill all my tasks and endure all things.” I cannot say that I will perform all things as that would eventually obligate me to perform a gynecological exam on a rhino. That just isn’t happening! However, we all have tasks and duties on the road to enlightenment, shirk them not.

Enduring all things means a couple of things. One is that you will not foist your pain on someone else. You will not allow another to suffer for you.**** You will also persistently work through every challenge upon the road. Every challenge.

Part II of this post will be up Monday or Tuesday.

*Lon Milo DuQuette said that.

** Aaoz is a term I use to replace the word God. Aaoz is made up of the first and last letter of the English alphabet with the first and last of the Greek sandwiched between them. This means basically the beginning and ending of all things. It removes any connotation that may come with the word God.

***If you do not know what your HGA is, see the post that deals with line six of this oath.

****Yes, that has implications for members of a certain popular religion.

The Definition of Magick

Crowley defined magick and the art and science of causing change according the will. He then makes a beautiful analogy on how writing a book is an act of magick. His will is to write a book. He uses tools (pen and paper), conjures spirits (editors, publishers distributors etc.) and eventually manifests a book.

Donald Michael Kraig thought this inadequate because it means that any mundane act can be defined as magick. Kraig missed the greater point. Every act is magick! Regardless, he added the phrase, “using means not currently understood by Western science.” This neatly says we do weird things but I like Crowley’s definition better.

My definition of magick would mirror my definition of spirituality. Magick is the willed act of unfolding the soul. I can also be a bit more detailed. Magick is the willed act of unfolding the soul by creating meaningful change both within and without, using all means at one’s disposal.

My unverifiable personal gnosis is that the entire universe conspires to unfold our souls. While given events may take place on the continuum of painful to joyful, all of them are capable of allowing us to open up to the sun, if we willfully use them to do so. If we don’t, over lifetimes the process will work on its own. Spiritual people just speed up the process a little…or think we do.

This definition is obviously wrong. People use magick to do all sorts of things that does not unfold the soul, such as petty curses, meaningless sex, hiding from consequences, and the like. That said it is pretty hard to do real magick and not change yourself. It is pretty hard not to see the soul-restricting results of petty magicks. That eventually leads to growth a bit faster than the average human. The only people that successfully do magick that do not grow are the mentally ill and the willfully selfish. The latter group is pretty miserable from what I understand. They may look all happy and satisfied on the outside but inside, they know what they are. Observing the great lengths they go to in order to hide who they really are from others reveals their pain.

So, even though my definition is wrong, I feel it is also right. It is the best definition that I have. Allow me to repeat it.

Magick is the willed act of unfolding the soul by creating meaningful change both within and without, using all means at one’s disposal.

By ‘all means at one’s disposal,’ I mean those things that we consider magick; ritual, spirits, herbs, candle work, etc. I also mean the mundane. See everything you do and encounter as a spiritual experience and you will quickly learn what I mean. You will change.

Future posts will provide suggestions for creating change using everything at your disposal.

Next Topic: The Oath of the Abyss

Suggestions on future topics are welcomed.

The Tool of Your Astrological Sign and How to Use it

The Golden Dawn current teaches how various things correspond to each other. In a list of tarot cards, they will show you how the tarot card, Hebrew letter, Path on the Tree of Life, astrological sign and tool align with each other.

So, here is a list of tools for each sign and my take on them. Frankly, this is the first time I have ever considered them. So, bear with me. This list reflect how I would start considering these tools, not a definitive answer.

Aries (Emperor; Horns, Burin) – Using horns may imply being bullish and not taking no for answer. Using the burin, a device used to etch metal, may refer to the idea of making talismans or other magickal tools. Making something this permanent may counter the tendency of Aries people to start projects but never finish.

Taurus (Hierophant; Preparations) – Taurus folks do not ‘wing it’ very well. Having everything in place before commencing work may be a priority. Think of a Catholic priest. Everything they need is in its exact place before the ceremony begins. Their priest craft is above reproach during mass. This would be true of a Taurus doing magickal ritual and likely any other activity.

Gemini (Lovers; Tripod) Gemini’s tend to switch like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The tripod may symbolize a third touch point creating stability. Oddly, that stability would keep someone moving forward instead of oscillating between two points of view and their associated actions. Maybe that third point is a mental thing as they are air signs. That mental thing may be an interrupting thought that occurs before every action that asked, “What is the spiritual thing to do?” “What is the higher level perspective here?” “What is the long term view?” Any of those or something else may create that third point.

Cancer (Chariot; Furnace) Cancers have a tendency to stay in enclosed spaces -- within their head and heart. They stay put in these watery (emotional) states and move from one emotion to another very slowly. The furnace is of fire and it may mean they have to use their will to overcome their sedentary emotional inertia.

Leo (Strength/Lust, Discipline) Most Leo’s that I know are angry. There are a few notable exceptions. All I have known lack a certain discipline that winds up being quite a negative in their lives. Many also have the tendency to have a scorch the earth mentality. Deciding the right way to live (for yourself) and having the discipline to follow through is critical to keeping the negative aspects of Leo in check and letting the positive come through.

Virgo (Hermit; Lamp and Wand, Bread) Virgo’s are family people. The bread as symbolic of the family meal may relate to this. I would say it more likely refers to the sacrament. These people should say their version of grace (no matter the religion) before they eat and my literally need to eat their spirituality. There is plenty of magick that can be done with food. This idea of is further emphasized by the lamp, a symbol of spiritual guidance and light, and the wand, a symbol of the Will.

Libra (Justice; Cross of equilibrium)

Libra’s seek balance but often seeing the need to balance the external other. If you picture a giant equal-armed cross resting on the point of a stick and imagine a Libra running to the ends of each line and adjusting the weights (people), you can see an average Libra. The image I have is of a plate twirler but the twirler is on the plate. If this is done by controlling enough people to stand just where you want them to, that cross remains nicely balanced. The problem is that people have a will of their own and rarely stay where they are put. Those that use this symbol actively will realize that standing in the center makes their lives much easier. Balanced is achieved by keeping one’s self in the center and as many people close to that center as possible. Few if any people belong on the edges.

Scorpio (Death; Obligation, Pain)

This is the hardest one of all for me to fathom. A balanced Scorpio is rare. Achieving balance is difficult for this power house of a sign. The stages found here indicated how death, obligation and pain enter into the picture. http://www.scorpioq uotes.com/2014/11/scorpio-stages.html

Sagittarius (Temperance; Arrow)

Perhaps a Sagittarius needs to focus intensely on a goal (target) for that arrow to strike. Meandering is a pointless, pun intended, waste of their time in big picture.

Capricorn (Devil; The Secret force, the lamp)

The secret force is sexuality. The lamp, symbol of spiritual light, tells us how to direct it. Promiscuity is unlikely to be a direct path to enlightenment. Perhaps a discipline like tantra is the way to go here.

Aquarius (Star; Censer, Aspergillum)

The Star is the act of receiving the gifts of the Universe and passing them on to others without your own agenda or personality tainting the gift. It is the most beautiful of card of the major arcana. Aquarians often feel misunderstood and get hurt when they feel that way. That hurt is the agenda of personality not being met. By consecrating one’s actions with fire (censor) and water (aspergillum) to the divine, perhaps that agenda melts away and the Aquarius can be the gift to the world they are capable of being.

Pisces (Moon; Magic Mirror)

Pisces see themselves through the eyes of others. They always seek to please and pleased people will look upon them in a better light. External validation is almost never the path to enlightenment. The magick mirror sees and reflects all. The Pisces can use the mirror to see the self more clearly and eschew the need for external validation.

There are just my ideas on these tools. As always your well considered ideas are better. To learn how to use your tool, meditate on them. Extend the metaphor as far as you can. Then active use what you have learned.

My Goals for the Next 30 Days

At some point very recently, I realized that every time I wondered off the path the root cause was a lack of discipline. I knew the tool of the Leo* is discipline. I simply did not understand the depth of meaning behind the word. So, this month’s goals all have to do with exercising discipline. I am not doing this under oath but as a practice.

Thinking

I will endeavor to think thoughts only in the following categories:

Spirituality/Magick, my wife, love of friends/family, compassion, work tasks, entertainment that is not grossly sexual or grossly violent

Speaking

I will not speak at work about anything that is negative, frustrating or needs fixing unless directly asked and, if so, we speak very quietly.

I will speak only the truth about myself. From time to time I will use humor and say things like, “I am not known for speaking my mind.” These are meant as jokes and taken that way. Nonetheless I will endeavor to refrain from them. (I broke this one in 15 minutes. Humor is a big part of my interactions with people.) I will keep trying.
Doing
While I cannot engage in many occult business activities at this time, I will do tasks that will prepare for the resumption of those activities.

*I will post tomorrow about tools for the various signs

My Personal Blind Force

I am a major proponent of applying macrocosmic ideas and processes to the microcosm.

I first learned of blind forces as part of planetary magick. Each planet has a hierarchy of powers, if you will. There is an angel, intelligence and spirit. The spirit is the blind force. While some may quarrel with me over this, my view of an angel is that which originates the really big idea. He, she or it has the big plan. The angel understands the nature of what it works to manifest. For example, the angel of Venus understands Desire and Victory (capitalization intended) on the profoundest of levels. The intelligence is the guide for that energy. The intelligence is like proper electrical wiring. There is a positive, negative, neutral and ground. The spirit is the power. So, in keeping with the electoral analogy, the spirit (or blind force) just wants to get to ground. It has no concept of what it is doing, what is being turned on, why, who or what may benefit or be negatively impacted. In fact, such concepts are beyond its capability.

Safe magick requires that the entire hierarchy be called so that force can be guided. When this does not happen a blind force is resonates through the body in what feels very much like an electric current. Someone that does not recognize the blind force may think they feel nervously or neurotically energetic to an extreme level. If you saw them, you would not offer them a cup of coffee. You may give them a sedative. The sensation is usually quite unpleasant.

My Blind Force

Over the years, I have pissed off a lot of members of the occult community. I am an antagonist. Many people really do deserved to be challenged and riled up. They need to hear themselves. I make no apology for trying to do that. No one owes me one for trying to do that with me. On the other hand, sometimes, my methods of having normal conversations have left something to be desired. In short, I pissed off people for no reason other than really poor communication skills and a lack of understanding as to how my words were perceived and processed.

So last night, I posted something on my Facebook page that was not intended to rile anyone up. It was my opinion. I think it is a valid one from a given point of view. That opinion is controversial and I understand that. When I woke up this morning and saw comments to that post, I recognized the feeling of a blind force! I must respond (I had no idea what the comments were). I was almost physically shaking with anticipation. Recognizing this, I stopped and ignored the conversation for hours. When I went back, someone had called me an idiot. Had I read that under the sway of my blind force things would have went badly.

Now that I recognize the blind force, I traced it back mentally. What is that the energy of? An argument? No…

The result was the realization is that I see a lot of things differently than traditional people. I certainly see spiritual matters differently. Even most occultists do not agree with a lot of my conclusions. Oddly, a lot of mystics do.

If I were to use the structure above, I would say that I manifest the power of change, that I need to work that through the intelligence of gentle communication and proper audience and let the force of that energy foster gentle dialogue for those that can hear what I have to say.

I may make a fresh start with a different blog. I may just restart consistent blogging here for those that have continued to hang around over the years. We will see how corralling that blind force works out. Frankly, I took so much time off, I am not sure if there is an audience left here.

Forget the Rapist, Curse the Happy

In recent days, I have seen articles proposing cursing the currently famous light-sentences rapist. If you want to curse him, be my guest. To me, it is a waste of time and resources. He is already miserable. He was caught, publicly outed quite famously, and is on the sex offenders list for life. Over time, his friends will fade away or grow in maturity and recognize what he did. Worse, he can deny it all he wants, he knows what he did. That sort of crime sticks with you, unless you are a complete sociopath. He is miserable as it is.

Secondly, at least this guy is caught. If want to help the cause, do magick to get the tens of thousands of untested rape kits processed. How about conjuring and attending to a spirit who has been charged with outing rapists? Sometimes karma wears a blue uniform with a badge.

Let’s go back to this guy. He already is miserable. Why bother? The people you should be cursing are the happy. These are people are jerks but no one has told them. Educate them about what jerks they are and some of them will change.

Here is an example.

Over the years, I have been treated quite poorly by someone in authority at work. That caused poor reactions on my part. Which caused more bad treatment on the part of the other person. Even after I calmed down, I still get the same treatment. Frankly, I got tired of having every single thing I said, good idea or bad, discounted merely because it was my idea.

Recently, I decided I had enough. I immediately after another case of poor treatment and dismissal, I let this person have it! Within minutes this person was unhappy. The next day, s/he called in sick. The following day, s/he appeared defeated.

What made this curse work was a secondary intent to let him/her know where the bad feelings originated. That somehow it was linked to how this person treated me. I would love to know how that idea made it into this person’s head and the form it took.

Since then, I have been treated well. My ideas in meetings have been met with acceptance and praise. I have gone so far as to thank this person for treating me well.

That was worth my time.

Now, if you want to change the world and curse strangers doing bad things, be my guest. Curse those that think they are entitled and make sure the spell has a lesson behind rather than just petty revenge. There is value in that sort of curse, if you can pull it off.

Successful Goetia Work - Bune

I am in the process of selling my house. I spent a great deal of money on upgrades to get the best price and was assured that I would get more than my money back, if I did certain things. I did those things. The weekend before last, I signed the papers to sell. This Friday, the house was officially listed.

I had two major concerns that I would get my price. The first was that the next door neighbor is a ‘cat lady’. She has seven cats that all use my front porch and planter under the front window as a litter box. I am always amazed that outdoor cat owners are stunned when they realize their cats poop and spray other people’s houses and those owners are burdened with the clean up. This problem is so bad that after two days away, I came home to 10 to 15 piles of poop in my planters. I cleaned it up as best I could at 5 PM on a Saturday and by 9 AM Sunday there were four more piles. The front of the house reeked! All that poop attracted a battalion of flies.

Please do not comment with suggestions for how to handle this in the future. I have spent thousands of dollars over the years on every conceivable product and home remedy. They may work on one cat. They are not effective against seven.

My second concern came out of left field. When I arrived Sunday morning, a homeless man moved in across the street. He lived in a beat-up old Mitsubishi pick-up. I think he had friends in the mental health group home a few doors down. I am not sure. At any rate, an obviously homeless man living across the street in his broken down truck with the flat tire seemed like a buyer’s negative to me.

Thirdly, the inside of the house felt creepy. My house never feels like that. I had taken down my wards. So maybe something attracted to the residuals of my magick moved in. I do not know.

At my wits end after dealing with the rude cat people for fifteen years, I was not going to let them cost me thousands as my house undersold.

Without tools, I went into my back yard and pulled up Bune’s seal on my i-phone. I stared at it and called him forth. He didn’t seem to want to appear but after a few minutes he appeared before my mind’s eye. I told him that if he sold the house with an offer at or above the asking price from someone, “with the capacity to pay”, within 72 hours, I would thank him here and on Facebook.

**Normally I do not make deals like that.**

He was less than enthusiastic. I then mentioned the King Beleth. Suddenly, he was ready to cooperate. I gave him the standard line about harming no one and left. When I went back inside, the creepy feeling was gone. When I went to the garage less than 10 minutes after dismissing Bune, I heard the homeless man drive away. When I left, I found that he had simply drove around the corner.

That same Sunday afternoon. My agent received a bid on the house. I was unaware of that. Monday morning, I felt a hit from Bune. He said I would have made more by renting it (true) but that it was sold. A half our later my realtor called and said that I had a very solid bid from someone. He had spent the morning making sure it was solid before calling me. The papers were signed Monday afternoon. The offered price was very slightly over what we asked.

So here I am keeping my word and publicly thanking Bune for his good work. He came through in less than 24 hours. Though, for some reason, on Facebook I calculated as less than 48. On of those figures is correct.

Warning: I do not endorse people calling upon the Lesser Key spirits without a net like I do, unless they have a very profound understanding of their circle.

Offerings to Local Spirits

Years ago, I took head of Jason Miller’s teaching on making offerings to the local spirits. He made the argument that doing this is simply nice. It is the spirit world equivalent of bringing cookies to a new neighbor. Most people will be friendlier toward you if you do this. Even if you give cookies to a jerk, there is a chance he will be slightly less of a jerk to you after you bring him cookies. The worst thing that happens is your cookies have no impact on his disposition.

I followed his advice for a while. No one can accuse me of being arm chair magician. I do a lot of magick. I can be accused of being a technique whore. I hear about something I want to try it and do. I do lack consistent follow through on a lot of practices. I have with a few but if I followed up on every lead to the nth degree, I would not have time to eat!

So too did my life go with spirit offerings. I stopped after a while. After coming up with my own idiosyncratic evocation technique, I evoked some of those spirits in my back yard that way. Again, this faded out.

I have now moved out of that house. In doing so, I sat down in the back yard and thanked the spirits that had come to my call or the call of others that have lived there. I thanked them for talking with us. My emotions were of gratitude and respect. I was then overwhelmed with the same coming back to me. It was one of the most intense spirit induced sensations that I have ever felt.

A little contact with the local spirits had gone a long way.

I took some dirt from the old place, a few leaves, plant parts and water and brought them to the new place. Last night, I did a simple offering to the old spirits and those of this land. I asked them to get along with each other if they could.

I will be making daily offering to the local spirits as a matter of spiritual discipline from this point forward.

The Technique:

I create a flame and say, “The energy of the fire is freely given to all spirits that wish to partake.”

I use the flame to light incense, “This gift of air is freely given to all spirits that wish to partake.”

I pour out some blessed water, “This gift of water is freely given to all spirits that wish to partake.”

That is all. The words I say are not that repetitive. This is just want I intend. Natural words that are conversational but sincere seem to work best.