Expelling the Nephesch or The Extreme Sports of Magick

Well now, isn't this interesting...

Last night, I had a dream...holy mother of all things great and small, what a dream! I am not going to bore you with the details. I am going to hit you with the highlights...

• Five of "us", by that I mean five parts of me drown.
• I saw our bones disperse within an underground river.
• I came to in the lobby of a modern building. There I was met by a black man that helped me up. He ushered me through a door. OH WHAT A DOOR!
• There was a community of sorts. Everything was very natural. The "rooms" where things were done were half open to the elements. They were more like shelters. This community was laid out like it existed within canyon walls but there were no walls. 
• As I walked I merged with Hermes. The stars were GLORIOUS. 
• I was totally lucid.
• We where attached by something centipede like. As far as I know, no one was hurt but it was the topic of much calm discussion.
• I then found myself talking with Constance DuQuette and telling her about the dream. She made an exclamation and then said, "I would pay the necessary people to do the initiation".
• I was then in a car with Lon. He was driving. I put something in an envelope for him. Then stuck a label on it. As I handed it to him I noticed how it was addressed. I told him that I didn't think that was my address and he tossed it out the window.

I woke up immediately and realized that this had to do with the Hanged Man card.

Later in the day, I did my meditation and asked my soul what the meaning of the dream was. The answer was that I arleady had the answer. Earlier I had though that the wrong address thing meant that one part of my soul wasn't buying into this.

 Oddly, I am teaching the Hanged Man card in next Wednesday's class. I just looked it up in Crowley's Thoth Tarot.

This card, attributed to the letter Mem, represents the element of Water. It
would perhaps be better to say that it represents the spiritual function of
water in the economy of initiation; it is a baptism which is also a death. In the
Aeon of Osiris, this card represented the supreme formula of adeptship; for the
figure of the drowned or hanged man has its own special meaning. The legs are
crossed so that the right leg forms a right angle with the left leg, and the arms
are stretched out at an angle of 60° so as to form an equilateral triangle; this
gives the symbol of the Triangle surmounted by the Cross, which represents the
descent of the light into the darkness in order to re deem it. For this reason
there are green disks-green, the colour of Venus, signifies Grace-at the
terminations of the limbs and of the head. The air above the surface of the
water is also green, infiltrated by rays of the white light of Kether. The whole
figure is suspended from the Ankh, another way of figuring the formula of the
Rose and Cross, while around the left foot is the Serpent, creator and
destroyer, who operates all change. (This will be seen in the card which next
follows.)
It is notable that there is an apparent increase of darkness and solidity in
proportion as the redeeming element manifests itself; but the colour of green
is the colour of Venus, of the hope that lies in love. That depends upon the
formulation of the Rose and Cross, of the annihilation of the self in the
Beloved, the condition of progress. In this inferior darkness of death, the
serpent of new life begins to stir.

So, I do my meditation again in the context of this knowledge. I was told to do a ritual to expel my nephesch and follow that up by the Rose Cross rite. This sounds like the extreme sports of magick to me.

Stay tuned.

Different Something

I had a bit of a chat with my soul last night. It seems the problem isn't the focus of others. Instead, I am told, I am contracting. But but but....look at all this I am doing. Yes, your actions are expanding but you are contracting. Big Bang.

Okay, so here comes a transformative experience....stay tuned.

Something is Happening

Of late, I have felt a tremendous amount of pressure. It has built upon itself so slowly that I failed to notice.

Some of this is explained mundanely. I am going through life coaching school which creates activities three days a week. In that process I am not only learning but coaching and being coached. I am on two teams so that means I am getting coached on different topics twice a week. That is a lot. Also, my car has been in and out of the shop since an accident in January. Soul Sangha (my local MM group) and my tarot classes have both grown to twice-monthly activities. On top of that I teach some sort of other local class about every six weeks. The MM class is now participatory takes three hours. I also lectured for four classes this week at Fresno State University on the Golden Dawn and will do the same next week regarding the MM. Oh and I also have coaching clients I work with. All of that hasn't been the main source of pressure. Though, it may be the reason I feel it so much. I haven't had much R&R.

The pressure comes from a couple of areas. The first is being a focus of a lot of people's spiritual lives. Fifteen to twenty people does not sound like much but it is when their spiritual selves are very aware of you. Then there is my own spiritual work. I can feel pressure building up towards some change but I don't know what it is.

I know all is perfect. Yet, very uncharacteristic of myself for two years now, I feel trepidation bordering on fear.

Pagans and Occultists Do Have Representation in D.C.

I met a man by the name of Thomas Caldwell at Pantheacon. He is a former corporate lobbyist turned "educator". He educates politicians about Paganism. You can find his website here: Esoteric Education and Action League.

Thomas changed my mind about politics in about five minutes. I told him that it seemed that as average citizens we have about as much representation as money can by. He said that was totally wrong. He asked, "What do politicians buy with the money given to them?" Votes. So, it stands to reason that if you have the votes you don't need the money. All you have to do is organize your votes in blocks. This made sense to me.

He then goes on to tell me that since Pagans are making such in roads into the military that any elected official that bashes Pagans can be asked one simple question. "What do you have against our military?" Apparently, the armed forces are so sacrosanct that such a question shuts them down cold.

He then argued that the numbers of Pagans at high levels in our government already would astound the average Pagan/Occultist.

Thomas told me that if he had 5,000 Pagans donate $10 a month, he could do a lot of damage on the hill. In speaking with him, I totally believe him. Go to his web page, sign up for his email alerts and then set up your bank account to automatically send him $10 a month. I have.

Robert's Review of Pantheacon 2014!

Please forgive me for making this short. Items two and three may explain my lack of time at the moment. Forgive me also for sharing my "Best Presentation Award" with myself. While my presentation was not at all public, I am co-awarding it this year because this is my blog and I can!

Best Presentations

The winner of best presentation this year is Sam Webster announcing his Pantheon Foundation. I cannot do it justice here in a limited time frame. In a nutshell, Sam and his cohorts have created a legally recognized Pagan Education and Social Foundation that will do the following:

• Provide legal assistance to Pagan groups when it comes to obtaining 501C status.
• Support small Pagan groups so that they have access to that which is generally available to other religious groups. 
• Support and provide Master of Divinity scholarships for Pagans
• Social welfare programs for Pagans
• A host of other stuff

The Pantheon foundation is building the Pagan infrastructure so desperately needed as this movement comes of age. I can also testify that Sam will never get caught with his hand in the cookie jar. I encourage you to support this worthy endeavor both in spirit and financially. If you have a group in need of their services in any capacity, please let them know. 

The Manifestation Meditation Becomes Available!

Two things happened during side meetings this weekend that I am very pleased to announce! 

• I made a deal with an international Pagan web-educator to present the Manifestation Meditation classes world-wide. More details will be emerging soon. I can share that it will be emerging under a different name. 
• Llewellyn Publications has asked me for a formal proposal for the book on the Manifestation Meditation.

Honorable Mentions

Jason Mankey delivered two presentations worthy of mention.

The first was on the Horned God. Jason has the rare ability to present factual information while being funny and managing not to step on what he is saying. The facts never take a back seat to his humor. If you ever have a chance to see him, I encourage you to attend.

The second was a recreation of a ritual that you may have seen in 1899. He and his crew did an excellent job. It was fun to see elements that I would associate with modern British Traditional Wicca, Masonry, the Golden Dawn, along with the pompous air of Victorians. I have some questions for Jason that I was too busy to ask this weekend. Overall it was a cracking good show!

The final honorable mentions have to go the the venerable Lon Milo DuQuette. Lon didn't do his normal presentations this year. However, he did speak of his upcoming book Homemade Magick, due out at summer's end in Llewellyn's hospitality suite for maybe five or six of us. The tidbits of wisdom and spiritual truths he dropped in such off-handed way were totally cool. During that class, he was labeled The 20th Century's Rumi by one of his admirers. 

He also performed his music in Club Max Sunday night. He was funny, irreverent, kind and every bit the Gentle Heretic. He earned a standing ovation from myself and many others. Buy his books, buy his music but if you can, see him live. You will not regret it.

(P.S. I quickly found these images on the web. If I stepped on anyone's copyright, please let me know. I will remove them immediately.)

The One Year Anniversary of My Awakening

Today marks the one year anniversary of my awakening as recorded here.

That day seems quite long ago. In fact, I have a very hard time understanding old Robert. It isn't like those who knew me then wouldn't recognize me now. The change is not that drastic in form. My puns are just as bad as they have ever been but I enjoy them even more.

If I had to narrow it down, I would say that the main change is two-fold.

• Personal Perception
• Personal Creation

As most of you know, my perception has moved to the view that all souls are in the continual process of unfolding. That process is perfect and each moment is whole unto itself. Nothing is fractured. I think I have shared that enough in the past. I see no point in boring you with more on that.

Old Robert had a lot of anger issues. Over the last month or so, I have come to understand why that issue has passed. When I was angry, I was using my fiery creative energy trying to force others  to see the world as I saw it. Or, I was trying to create in places where there was universal resistance, such as work. Or, I was trying to create where there was no hope of having any influence, such as arguing about politics. What I could not help to create, I burned down. I was also quite easily baited. 

New Robert creates easily. 

• My lecturing, teaching, life and coaching business, those are not one thing but three interlocking things, is starting off quite well. 
• Soul Sangha, which is the local Manifestation Meditation group, is now growing to bimonthly meetings instead of monthly. Those are free. 
• The MM book is finally coming along, thanks to some coaching I have received from classmates.
• My home life is superb.
• My friendships are blossoming.
• Two MM people have experienced the ALL in the past month. One credits the MM. The other does not. The jury is out on weather they will hold it.
• I am starting to accept the spiritual teacher label. 
• I have lost fifteen pounds and easily eat better.
• Adjustments to my approach to things come easily.
• My teaching has been described as "spiritual morphine" because for the length of time I am lecturing "all is right with the world and nothing can be wrong," life's pains depart for many in the audience.
• Forgiveness comes easily.
• I have no insecurities.
• I know exactly what my True Will is and I am doing it. Nothing whatsoever has stood in my way.
• I laugh a lot.

I could continue but there would be little point. 

The most fundamental thing I have learned is how close all of us are to G-d, Goddess, the Great Universal IT or whatever you call That Which Creates. We are just as close to enjoying singularity of thought with the All. Everyone is just half a step away.

I have also learned that our so-called faults and difficult portions are really the virtues of our souls just slightly misapplied. There are few, if any, major changes that need to occur. A few tiny, and by that I mean tiny, adjustments need to be made. That is all. 

I know that every person reading this is perfect. I know that you are all worthy of G-d. I know you can all get to your personal version of where I am right now. Have hope. Be persistent. You can do this.

Habits of Spiritual Living: Being Connected

To be connected, one must be all. To be all, one must accept all. To accept all, one must receive all.

To receive all, one must see life as a continuum. To see life as a continuum, one must aware that subjective judgments of good and bad are born of finite notions.

To see unfolding beyond the finite, one must rise from the body that gives the finite importance.

It is the misapplication of the virtues of the lower bodies that impede our understanding and awareness of our connection.