Free Will vs True Will vs Predestination

More clarifications.

Frater BH made a post that Lavanah summarised wonderfully as "Free will doesn't exist until you exercise it. And, it is work"

There is a bit of confusion here. Will is a loaded term in the world of magick, especially to Thelemites and even those just familar with Thelemic thinking. 

When we are talking about Free Will vs predesination, we are talking about the freedom from a script written by an external being that is orchestrating everything for whatever reason (boredom probably).  It is inherent. It does not requite excercise any more than gravity does. Free Will is simply the lack of predestination. Period. 

True Will on the other hand is distinguished from want and whim and is the freedom from ones own mechanical nature and habitual patterns. When Gurdjieff says that you arent human because you need to develop a self rather than be imprisoned by your own mechanical nature, this is what he means. Its a different thing entirely. 

Everyone has Free Will all the time. Few exercise True Will even once a day. 

As occultists we must remember that just because we tack on additional meaning to certain words, doesnt mean that they apply every time that word is used. 

A separate and additional point. Our language is fine for discussing this. Frater RO and I disagree and I'll let you in on a little secret: we are both loving the fact that we are. 

Some people seem to be rushing to our sides to assure us that we really believe the same thing: I assure you we don't. One of us is right (me) and one of us is wrong (him :-) and we are both really ok with that. I havent even spoken with him about it, but I know that it is the case. There is no need to find a compromise on everything. There is nothing noble about needing to come to the same page on everything. Homogonization is boring. 

Actions are the seed of fate

“Actions are the seed of fate deeds grow into destiny.”

-Harry S Truman- 

Wow. Yesterdays post was really supposed to just be a throw away. I zipped it off just because I have'nt made a post in a few days and wanted to keep the ball rolling. Not only did it generate 11 responses so far here, and two on the LiveJournal simulcast, but generated response posts on 

http://eighthsermon.blogspot.com/2009/01/predestination-and-free-will.html

http://doingmagick.blogspot.com/2009/01/everything-happens-for-reasonif-you-so.html

http://headforred.blogspot.com/2009/01/everything-happens-for-reason-really.html

I am not going to make any additional arguments. I agree with what some have said, and as far as Frater R.O., we are so far apart on this one that we will have to just agree to disagree. Since RO is both a wise and powerful magus I am sure he will realize that he is wrong sone day :-)

I do however want to clarify a few points that I didnt take the time to go into in detail on yesterday. 

ON HARMONIOUS MACHINERY: I have had a similar vision to what RO describes. My interpretation however is different. From the perspective of eternity it has all already happened. Just as the 2-6 square in flatland could only percieve cross-sections of the 3-d cube, we can only percieve cross sections of time and probability. When we have "the vision" we get a glimpse at the whole of time and perhaps probability. Each being appears complete from birth to death and extended into infinite probability. But again, this is simply something that has happened, and is eternally happening, not something orchestrated by an outside designer. 

ON GOD: Though I reject the kind of calvinist pre-destination that rejects the concept of free-will, I DO believe that consiousness is a fundamental building block of reality and that the whole itself may be called GOD. I also believe that God has a general direction that the universe is guided in. The best explanation of this view is actually given by a phsyicist in the book "The Cosmic Jackpot, Why The Universe is Just Right for Life. " 

Essentially, consiousness evolves to a point where it can effect the big bang so that it can evolve to a point where it can effect the big bang. Now I would add to this a lot that Dr Davies does not, such as certain beings that are born with advanced potential and so on, but this in no way should be equated with an outside being flipping switches and pulling strings to cause you to get a ticket so that you can meet someone in court that introduces you to the person who teaches you about webdesign.... 

ON THE OATH OF THE ABYSS: In 2001 I took the oath of the abyss: "I will interpret every phenomenon as a particular dealing of God with my soul". This may seem to be an endorsement of pre-destination but it is not. It is a recognition of the inseparability between consiousness and manifestation, between emptiness and form, and between cause and effect. In essence anyone that has a genuine understanding of Karma can take this oath with no problem at all. 

ON CAUSALITY AND KARMA: To be clear, when people generally say "everything happens for a reason" they are usually refering to there being some grand design that incorporates them loosing and uncle, getting fired, being a slacker, and so on. I do understand that the reason my car starts in the morning is that I put my ket in the ignition and turned it. I also realize the inetrplay of karmic traces that follow from event to event, and life to life. My statement should not be a rejection of cause and effect. See any text on the Interdependant Stages of Origination for my general beliefs on this, save on the first stage. I don't buy the "universe created out of ignorance" idea.

ON SPIRITUAL OR DIVINE INTERVENTION: Yes I do think that spirits, angels, and the divine itself can intervene in events. If everything was predestined than they wouldnt need to intervene in events. However, whether your best friend or your guardian angel, or both, pulls you out of a burning wreck, its just an action. 

In closing I would say that to me the very value in being human is the honing and development of Will. There is a Jewish story that tells of God asking the angels to bow before man. The Angels, unimpressed by the little bags of protoplasm that we appear to me, ask what is so great about man? God points to a few animals and plants and asks the angels to name them. The angels respond " you have not told us their names yet". God asks man to name them and man says "OK, Let's call this a Deer. Lets call this an Oak.." 

The angels are Awed by mans power to exercise Free Will and name the things in Gods creation, and rightly bow down. 

We are not rules by pre-destination like puppets on strings, nor are we ruled by the push and pull of cause and effect that generate the endless stream of attachments and aversions, wants and whims, that animals are a slave to. We are human. Thats the whole point 

Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

Recently someone wrote to me the words "you know things happen for a reason"...

Now, before I launch into my rant I want to point out that this is not a rant against the writer of that statement. Nor is it against the hundreds of people that have told me something similar. It is sometimes aimed at comforting someone in pain, and thats never a bad thing. At other times its an attempt to highlight the good that comes out of the bad or the stupid. My wife often uses it this way: "if I had done X, than we might not have met, so I guess it all happened for a reason". 

So, don't take this personally but... POPPYCOCK!

Everything does not happen for a reason! At least not in my estimation. 

I have never even understood the attraction of this neo-Calvinist thinking. Personally I find the idea of a God or Gods micromanaging things to the level that this statement implies to be deeply disturbing. Want to say that certain Avatars are born for a reason, for good or ill? Ok. Want to even say that some major events and historical personas occur for a reason? Eh. I disagree, but I can role along with it. But are you seriously thinking that you dropped out of college so that you could meet your future husband in the city that you were waitressing in? Ummmm no. You were just friggin lazy and dropped out. 

By all means, be thankful that events turned out the way they did because you are so happy now. But do not view your life as a series of events that "were meant to happen". Its a cop out. It gives you the freedom to wallow in your neurosis and lower nature. It also gives you the liscence to do stupid things because "if I am meant to die/get hurt/go bankrupt today, than nothing I do is gonna change that".

It seems magickal to say shit like that but its the total opposite. 

Always remember religion in its outer form is there to provide certainty to the masses that need answers on why people die, why bad things happen, and how to be a good person. Magick and Mystecism is there to shake up your certainty.  

Religion provides translation, Mystecism provides transcendence, Magick provides transformation. 

I think the worst manifestation of "things happen for a reason" is when survivers of a tragedy talk about how blessed they are because God chose them to survive. No one ever asks what God had against all the other people who died in the plane crash. 

If you wind up marrying the paramedic that pulls you from the burning wreck after you crash into a tree on the Parkway, that doesnt mean that it was meant to happen. It just means you should slow the fuck down. 

7 planets are for everything

Some folks take their correspondences a bit to seriously. 

Someone asking about the Finance hands noted that I am consecrating them seven times over two weeks and put together that I am using all 7 planets in the working. 

The exact wording of their question was a bit dense, but it can be summed up by: "If its money, shouldnt you just use Jupiter?"

This is a common misapprehension. For beginners and non-sorcerers that are just looking to use a one time spell its perfectly ok to think that way: Jupiter=Money, Venus=Love, Saturn=death or ending, Mars=war or protection and so on. 

This is not however any way for a Sorcerer to think. All issues great and small have elements that can be worked on under each of the 7 planetary powers. Lets take the instance of one of the 4000 people about to loose their job at the Home Depot when they do their lay-offs that were announced today. 

Jupiter is obvious. Its the planet of increase, riches, and wealth. 

Mercury should come second. As Jupiter is the accumulation of wealth, Mercury is its movement. The fact that most of the world money exists only as data that is passed from one computer to another should givge a clue as to Mercury's importance. 

Think of Jupiter as your savings account and Mercury as your checking account. Without the flow of the latter, the former would be stagnant and eventually dissipate. Jupiter and Mercury are both equally vital for any financial work. So much so that in "The Sorcerer's Secrets" I put in a dual invocation that calls them both at once. 

Think of Jupiter as your Savings account and Mercury as your checking account. Without the flow of the latter, the former would be stagnant and eventually dissipate. 

Now lets take a look at the others. 

Sol comes instantly to mind. A burst of positive energy, divine guidance, and inspiration for new activities - extremely important when looking for work and possibly re-training 

Venus is important because nothing gets accomplished without interpersonal relations. Often its a venus working you need before the job interview, not a Jupitarian rite. 

Luna is often misunderstood as being only about deep instinct, female mysteries, dreams and the like. It is also about TIME. Want to "get right with time? Summon the archangel or intelligence of Luna and ask for an adjustment. This will help you be in the right place at the right time. Extremely important for our job seekers, no?

Mars - lets face it, there is competiton out there and mars will help you get through it in a number of ways. You may just need the martial air of command about you to stand out. You may do a mars invocation to exorcise and banish any bad luck or crossed conditions. You may also, if you are not bothered by the ethics of it, use Mars to knock off the competition. Hey: Its a dog eat dog world out there and sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do. 

Lastly Saturn is your end game. Just as you exorcised your condition with mars, you can kill your poverty with Saturn. Saturn also helps get things finished the way you want them to. Alternatively, you can banish Saturn if you feel its powers weighing down your life. Sometimes its better to get rid of an influence rather than invoke it. Very skilled Sorcerers who have the ability to directly perceive and manipulate the flow of a power can do both, banishing aspects of a force and keeping others, but its not the kind of thing that is easily taught. 

Anyway. If you have something big on your plate., you can take INOMINANDUM'S TWO WEEK CHALLENGE. Start on a Monday and invoke every other day for two weeks to cover all your bases. Every problem can be worked on by every planet. 

*If you are very clever you can start adding Uranus and Neptune to the mix, but that is a post for another day...

Tax Magick

Thanks to Anteres 93 for pointing this out. 

Tax Magick 

Financial Hand Update

I just wanted to let folks know that the 10 Free ones are all accounted for. Four were actually accounted for before I even made the post. 

There are still several available for sale but are going fast. 

Finance Hands

I am making a set of 30 “Finance Hands”. These are charms designed to not only draw money towards you, but to hold on that money and increase it. You can either carry them or place them near where you keep you financial information. 

I will be selling 20 of these hands and giving away 10 to people that need the help and cannot afford them.

I don’t have a picture yet, but the charm is a green bag tied into the palm of a gator hand. The bag itself will have traditional items like High John Root and Loadstone, as well as 7 seals, one for each of the planetary powers invoked into the bag. They will be consecrated seven times over the course of two weeks starting on Monday Jan 26^th and ending on Saturday the Feb 7^th. I am making them available to readers of this blog before I advertise them elsewhere.

If you would like to purchase a hand, cost is $30.

If you are in need and would like one of the 10 free hands, let me know. There is no difference between the purchased and free hands.

Contact me at inominandum@gmail.com for details. 

I'm just saying

Just thought that I would point out that saying altered states and forgetting what you have done are necessary for magick is like saying that training wheels are necessary for riding a bike. 

That is all. 

Strategic Sorcery in Action!

Strategic Sorcery in Action!

A friend/student of mine wrote me that she was having a big meeting with someone that had been causing her many problems. She managed to get the meeting held on her turf knowing that she would have home court advantage. She wrote for advice and than followed that advice and reported back with her success. It is a fairly good example by what I mean by Strategic Sorcery so I will break it down for those that are interested in such things.

First I asked if he was bringing anyone to the meeting. He was bringing an assistant, so I suggested that she bring her own assistant as your numbers should always match or outnumber your opponents. I told her to arrange it so that her chair was the highest in the room and had something like a window or door behind it. Her opponents were to be on the other side of the table from her, as was her assistant so that they would feel like their side was “infiltrated” and they could be hit from multiple sides. Her assistants chair should be not quite as high as hers, but higher than the ones her opponents were in. If possible there should be a blank wall behind her opponents so that she can read their auras and see the philotic lines clearly.

She should than banish the room with an LBRP and dust the seats with appropriate powders: Confusion or Domination powder on her opponent’s chairs, commanding powder on hers. If she wanted to powder some documents, that would work too, as long as there is no visible residue left.

The night before the meeting she should do some kind of binding spell in her temple upon them: she chose to take the object-links that she had for them (she is a link hoarder, just like me) and ritually place them in the freezer, a slightly less yucky version of the old spell where you put the link in a beef tongue and freeze it.

Just before the meeting I suggested that she pore breath fire element and than cast the ever popular “confusion shield” that I wrote about in my first book upon herself.

When she meets them she can blast them with the fire element that she loaded up on through breath, hand shake, or will. Than encapsulate them in shields that are dark on the inside and contracted close to their body. This has the effect of infringing on someone’s personal space without actually being near them. They feel small and stifled.

In the meeting she knows to use conversational hypno-sorcery like embedded commands, yes-ladders, and anchors coupled with energy body yoga. All that stuff is covered in the upcoming book, but she has already read the pertinent chapter.

After the meeting she can take new links back to her temple and either do a commanding spell or summon a spirit to re-enforce the message that she got across to them at the meeting.

In short, rather than settle for a spell, you weave a strategy. The strategy should incorporate elements that are both magickal and mundane and combine temple magick with field magick. In this case you prepare the battle field with traps and triggers both magickal and psychological. You perform temple spells ahead of time, than do energy work just before the event. During the event you toss out more field magick while skillfully using NLP tricks. After the event you follow it up with more temple magick.

There was a lot more that could be done, but its best not to overdo something.

Dancing with the Loa

I had a very productive weekend in New Orleans . Made a new contact over at Esoterica that could lead to a potential class or two down there. When I told Mimi, the owner, I wrote Protection and Reversal Magick she got very excited. "That book flies off the shelves every time we get it in!". I bought an awsome "Leviathan Goat Pentagram" from her. This is the image from Oswald Wirth that LaVey used for the Church of Satan. It doesnt mean the same for me as it did for him of course, but its a powerful image for me. The pendant is all red, and is a good quality cast. 

The big score for the weekend was a Drapo for Papa Legba. The one pictured here is not mine, my digital camera is out of comision for the moment. Mine is actually quite a but nicer than this one. 

After getting the flag, I took it to Congo Square and found a secluded spot to draw a veve on the gound with some cascarilla, offer some Rum and call Papa with the song he made me memorize. I placed the flag over the veve and did the rest of the ritual in the astral so I didnt draw much attention to myself. I asked him to enter the flag and make it a gate to the Loa. Its now like a vortex sitting on my desk. 

I don't talk much about Voodoo here because I am not a formal practitioner. However Papa Legba has been an ever present friend since I first invoked him with a two city block long veve in the snow at 6th and pine and asked him to help me gather a tribe of magicians to work with. Thelesis was born shortly thereafter. Since then all I need do is draw his veve and ask for his help and he never fails me. Other Loa have also been kind to me. Ghede helped a friend who was deathly ill recover miraculously and another to pass swiftly. Marie Laveau and Dr John each have a bottle on my altar and help me in my sorcery business. Grand Zombie helped me tap into the current because he is the current. Most importantly, it was Erzuli Freda who got me together with my wife after leaving her veve with an offering on the corner of 6th and pine two years after I called Legba there. My wife and I honor her by hanging an ironwork Veve from haiti over our bed. So, yeah, I don't talk much about the Loa but they have been really helpful beings to know. I was going to take a Lave-tet at one point and it was actually Legba who stopped me. 

I also stopped by Our Lady of Guadalupe and left a note and offering for St Expedite. That however will remain between him and I. 

I wanted to stop by and get a reading from Alobar, but I couldnt find him on Sunday and was on the run when I saw him on Sat and only had time to pass on a hello that I promised Cliff I would deliver. 

AGO, AGO YEA PAPA LEGBA KO BA NI JO!

70's Magick

Ok I wasnt doing magick in the 70's, but I was doing it in the mid-eighties which means I had lots of exposure to 70's magick books. I found an LJ today from several years ago called "That 70's Magick" and it really sent me back. Back to the days of Chant-o-matics, the Modern Witchces Spellbook and all those wonderful Parker press books, where every spell was followed up by cheesy testimonials. I still have my hardcover "Magic Power of Witchcraft" from the Frosts, with headings like "LEAVE YOU BODY AS WITCHES DO" "ANDY DISSOLVES A GALLSTONE" and "WITH MAGICK WITCHCRAFT POWER YOU CAN BE A PAGAN AND WIN". 

Of course the king of Parker press was Al G Manning, otherwise known as "Astral Al". If you were reading a book that was titled "Helping yourself with..." chances are it was Al. I had Helping yourself with White Witchcraft, Helping yourself with ESP, and my personal favorite Helping Yourself with Psycho Cosmic Power. I remember Don and I laughing our asses off in the library at the table of contents which abreviated Psycho Cosmic Power, so chapters read as "Win new friends with PCP", "Visit other worlds with PCP" and so on. 

I loved those books. Why? Because for all their cheesyness they gave easy exercises that would generate results without using a lot of equiptment and without being inexorably tied to a philosophical or religious system, nor are they overly weighed down with ethical absurdities that became so predominant in the late 80's and early 90's. In other words, at the age 15 they were doable. I was doing LBRP's, BRH's, and Middle Pillars every day at 16, but if I needed to get something done with magick, there is a good chance that I opened one of these books. 

I recently grabbed Modern Witches Spellbook to read on the toilet with me one day, and you know what? It's still good. Some of it is lame for sure, but I would bet that you could get more done with it than most ofthe pagan books on the shelf today. 

If you have any of these laying around, grab one and take a walk down memory lane. Maybe even take one of them for a test drive, just for fun...

On Criticism

I recieved a letter a few days ago from a reader who is a member of the SOL. He complimented me immensly on my writing but added that he had a few points that he disagreed with me on. Near the end of the letter he thought that I probably thought things like Servants of the Light is for sissies. 

I thanked him for his compliment. Congradulated him on his disagreements, explaining that I have never met any teacher that I have no differences of opinion with and hope for the same out of all my readers and students. I aksed why he would think that I wouldnt like SOL, given that I am a member of the Sangreal Sodality and William Gray did a bit of training there. He noted that I have been critical of groups like the OTO and the GD in the past. 

I want to be clear about something. If I take the time to criticize someone or something, than there is something there that I think is of value. Generally speaking, I let things that I absolutely have no interest in or think are total crap pass without comment. There is the rare exception, but in general I criticize only those things that I find vakue in. 

Therefore I thought it might be a good excercise to go through some of the people and things that I am often critical of and extoll what I see as their virtue. 

Aleister Crowley: I think he has made immense contributiuons to the field of practical magick. My friend Charles said it well at a talk this summer: Crowley looked at the GD and said: "Magick should be a little less arts and crafts, and hey look at the really profound work that these indian and chinese doods are doing...". Seriously meditation is the cornerstone of his system, and it is the cornerstone of mine as well. 

OTO: Now that I am no longer on the inside I criticize it less vociferously, and then only when asked. I think that they do wonderful work preserving AC's works and I think that they end up leading a lot of people to their true will. Indeed I measure the success of the OTO at this not only by the people that have worked their way through the system from 0* to 9* (exactly one person BTW) but in the people that have quit and schismed off to bigger and better things more in line with their nature. 

Lon DuQuette: I think Lon is brilliant. He is a fantastic writer and has excellent reasoning for everthing he teaches. He just happens to be wrong on the nature of spirits and the focus of magick :-)

GD: The contribution of Mathers and Wescott is immesurable. Greater than that of Crowley IMO. If it was not for the rituals that came out of the GD I would not be the magician I am today. I still use some of them from time to time. 

Wicca: Wonderful stuff that clearly speaks to a lot of people. Three of my closest magickal bretheren in the world are Gardnerians and they do some amazing shit. I pulled a lot of value out of my early explorations into Wicca, it gave me a good understanding of natural magick and helped me see the use of nudity, ecstatcy, and bondage in ritual. Nothing wrong with that. 

Tibetan Buddhism: More than any other system, my training as a Tantrika informs my magick and my life in general. If I didnt have the burning need to teach and innovate, or if I was not born a white dood in the USA, I would be perfectly happy working in this field alone. But I do and I was, so I branch out. I am still upkeeping my commitments and consider Dzogchen to be the highest most profound set of teachings I have ever encountered. If you havent heard me be critical of Tibetan Buddhism, its because I usually save that for Tibetan Buddhist lists and groups. 

Chaos Magick: I actually like a lot of what has come out of Chaos magick. I just dont think it works the way they think it works and actually see them limited by their own assumptions. That said, they attempted to streamline ceremonial magick, place a strong emphasis on measurable results, get rid of magickal hierarchy, and use reality itself as a symbol set. It succeeded at some of this and failed at some of this overall, but I am most thankful for the exposure to it and for working with some of the tech that Carroll, UD, and Hine put out there. Its easy to forget how revolutionary it was at the time.

Left Hand Path: To clarify I am talking western LHP here, not Vama Marga. Knowing what I know now if it was 16 years ago and I was hanging out at the Equinox again with our little cabal of occultists looking to join the OTO, I would have taken Lee up on his offer to join the TOS instead. I am deeply impressed with a lot of their tech. I am even more impressed at they way the are able surpass their founder and former heads. Aquino is no more a magus than Flowers or Webb, each of whom declaired their own "word". I like their emphasis on results and their insistance on the blending of magickal and mundane efforts. Very much like my own system.The Gurdjieffian attitude towards spiritual growth also goes a long way with me.  If I didnt think that the LHP/RHP dichotomy was completely bogus, the "isolate intelligence" schtick to be silly, and that they are a little to caught up in being "dark" I would join up today.

Thats it for now. If I forgot anybody let me know. 

If I am into something that you havent heard me criticize, trust me, I'll get around to it.

Best phrase of the day

Best phrase of the day:

"convert your spurt into a lightening bolt of love."

From "The Way of the Superior Man" - David Deida

Magick Sucks.

It is no secret that I am bothered by a particular approach to magick that is best encapsulated by a quote from Lon DuQuette. In fact, its one that he put on the front page of his website:

"I can only change one thing with magick - myself."

This bugs the shit out of me, and every now and than I go on a rant about how real event-changing magick exists and how this inner-psychological approach cheats the art of magick. Indeed the whole purpose behind me writing "The Sorcerer's Secrets" is to support those that actually want to get their hands dirty by changing themselves and the events and people around them. 

But I am going to go one step further now. 

If all you want from magick is inner change, than you are wasting your time in the wrong discipline. Thats right. If you are really just looking for inner change, magick is inefficient. 

If you are looking for spiritual enlightenment, unity with god, non-dual awareness, or whathaveyou than meditation will get you there faster and better than magick will. Magick is like driving from NYC to San Fran. Meditation and mystecism are like taking a plane. If all you want is to get to San Fran, take the goddamn plane. If for some reason you need to know every inch of the terrain in order to play around with it than you need to drive it, or even walk. 

If you are looking to improve your inner happiness and become a better lover, salesman, psychologist, chef or whatever, than walk away from the occult and new age section and get over t0 the self-help section. You will largely find more effective strategies for accomplishing all these things than you will out of magick. 

If you are just looking to be mysterious and get involved in a cool subculture that has lots of intricate and exotic jewlery, books, wall hangings, and other associated knick nacks than you are probably in the right place but I really wish you would go elsewhere...

Magick is for those that want to not only find enlightenment, liberation, and get that gnostic look behind the curtain of reality to see what the backstage is like, but for those that want to use that knowlege and power to effect the world around them. 

If you only want to change yourself than magick is a waste of time. If you only want to make outer change, magick is also a waste of time.  Its the union of both of these that makes a magician. 

Credo

Working through the last bit of my formation process with my ordaining Bishop. After looking through several liturgies that we were considering, including JSM Wards Liturgy for his Orthodox Catholic Chuch, also known as the Abbey of Christ the King, which hasnt been performed in decades to my knowlege. I mentioned to him that we would need to replace the Nicene creed with something else. At first this seemed to be a deal breaker and the last few years of study would be wasted. I walked away from proceeding with the OTO over Liber Oz, and was prepared to walk away from this as well. 

Thankfully we have come to an agreement. He would sing the Nicene creed in Latin as part of his performance of the eucharist, and when it came time for my ordination we would say a crede of my choosing. I am looking at the one from the Harard Mass or the +Hoellers Crede as possibilities. 

Sources for further study

Put together a very short appendix for the new book on Sources for Further Study. Thought it might be of interest to some of my readers:

The following list are just a few books that I think will compliment the material in The Sorcerer’s Secrets. The list does not represent what I think the best books on magick are in general, and certainly makes no attempt at being even close to comprehensive. There are only one or two books for each topic because it is possible for people to spend their lives reading rather than doing.

 

Protection & Reversal Magick: A Witch's Defense Manual

by Jason Miller

My book on magickal defense. When doing real magick, you need real protection. If I didn’t think it was the best one out there, I wouldn’t have written it.

 

Hoodoo Herb and Root Magic: A Materia Magica of African-American Conjure

by Catherine Yronwode 

Easily my favorite book on magickal herbalism by the proprietor of Lucky Mojo. Thousands of spells. Lots of history. You could do yourself a favor and sign up for her Hoodoo course at LuckyMojo.com

 

Magical Techniques

by Draja Mickaharic 

One of the most under-rated occult authors out there. Draja is the real deal. Get everything he ever wrote, but start with this one.

 

Meditation in a New York Minute: Super Calm for the Super Busy

by Mark Thornton 

Written specifically for busy people who live in the real world, not a monestary or spiritual utopia. This book has changed peoples lives.

 

Your Money or Your Life: 9 Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence: Revised and Updated for the 21st Century

by Vicki Robin , Joe Dominguez 

One of the sacred scriptures of personal finance. Read the book and actually DO the exercises.

 

You're Broke Because You Want to Be: How to Stop Getting By and Start Getting Ahead

by Larry Winget 

This book is great if you are flat broke. Larry will reach out from the page and kick your ass in gear.

 

The Art of Worldly Wisdom

by Baltasar Gracian (Author), Christopher Maurer (Translator)

It may have been penned in the 17^th century, but every aphorism in this book is as relative today as it was then. Though it was authored by a Jesuit Priest, this book is 100% down to earth in its advice on dealing with others. Almost Machiavellian at times.

 

A Modern Angelic Grimoire

By Frater Rufus Opus

Sadly, this is only available on-line so far. If you want to start summoning spirits, this book will get you started. Find it at http://www.rufusopus.com/

 

Modern Magick: Eleven Lessons in the High Magickal Arts

by Donald Michael Kraig

This was the book that I worked through as a teenager. While the author lays out a few to many lame platitudes at times, and offers some misleading advice at other times, it is still a classic in the field and one that did me a lot of good.

 

Initiation into Hermetics

by Franz Bardon

One of the best programs of magickal and psychic training that I have ever read.

 

Mastering Witchcraft: A Practical Guide for Witches, Warlocks, and Covens

by Paul Huson

This book is NOT about Wicca. It is about Witchcraft. Think of “Sorcery for Pagans”. It has been condemned as immoral by some for its chapters on Vengeance and Attack, but it has been in print consistently for 30 years for a reason.

 

Mystical Origins of the Tarot: From Ancient Roots to Modern Usage

by Paul Huson

The only book on Tarot you will ever need. That’s all I really need to say about it.

 

Uncle Setnakt's Essential Guide to the Left Hand Path

by Don Webb 

I am not Left Hand Path in my philosophy, but this book makes the list anyway. Disregard the Setian/Satanic stuff if you life, and you will still be left witth an excellent quide towards using magick in the real world to improve your life and the lives of those around you.

 

Vodou Love Magic: A Practical Guide to Love, Sex, and Relationships

by Kenaz Filan 

Kenaz is a master of translating the world of Haitian Vodou into methods that can be worked by those outside of that community. A great source of Love magick.

 

The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists

by Neil Strauss 

Wonderful and entertaining book on the art of Picking up Girls. You will get more out of this novel than you will out of the “how to” books on the same subject.

 

The Art of Seduction

by Robert Greene

Great book on seduction for both Men and Women. Draws upon the wisdom of maters throughout the centuries.

 

The 48 Laws of Power

by Robert Greene

Timeless wisdom on getting ahead in life.

 

NLP: The New Technology of Achievement

by NLP Comprehensive, Steve Andreas , Charles Faulkner 

A great book to take you further into the world of Neuro Linguistic Programming.

 

First and Last Freedom, The

by Jiddu Krishnamurti 

Krishnamurti is the Guru that tells you that you need NO GURU. Truth is a pathless land. This book offers great advice for anyone navigating the world of magick, spirituality, and the occult. 

Article about my Spirit Feast ritual

Of all the rituals I have written over the years, the one I keep getting the most feedback on is the Spirit Feast. 

I was surfing the web this evening and found an article that came out last year in a magazine called lion and serpent, by a Frater Theopraxis. I think I know who this is but am not sure, since I know more than a few people that have made their way to Austin. 

Anyway, you can find the article in here:

http://www.sekhetmaat.com/wiki/images/Vol12no2web.pdf

Dimensions

I just had a short discussion over on the Omnimancy Forums about trans-dimensional magicks. One of their new guests was asking for a good resource, so of course I pointed him to the 10 Dimensions video. A good video, but really just a starter. Both physics and magick goes way beyond what is presented there, albeit in different directions.

Working with manipulating the dimensions of space/time/probability is a huge part of what I do, but falls under the category of things that I might be able to show you if you can see, but can’t quite explain in words. Some of the tech that I use to screw around with the dimensions I discovered intuitively by reverse-engineering spontaneous mystical experiences. Some of it I learned by watching other people do it. Some of it I learned from watching spirits do it.

Here’s an experiment for all you Solomonicaly inclined people out there: Summon a demon, angel, or nature spirit and ask it to do something for you, but ask to watch how they do it. The first time I did this, I saw the spirit open up windows into various probable futures and literally steer the present moment towards the desired outcome. Using this technique I was able to figure out a technique where I invoke the cube of space, expand that into a tesseract, focus on a specific “event thread” and than will the cube that I occupied to fold into that probably future. This works great for sorcery that needs to be accomplished in the next day or two, but not as well for long term issues.

My “Rending of Space” technique that will appear “The Sorcerer’s Secrets” is basically a 3-d version of the GD Rending of the Veil gesture. It was taught to me by a meditation teacher that worked with a strange group called “the Foundation”. I have found a thousand and one uses for it, from creating a space in a room that is easier for spirits to appear in, to actually passing unnoticed in front of people who are looking for me, to opening up the space around myself enough to project glamours onto. When I projected the same technique into working with the flow of time I was able to do some really screwy things that I am still not sure how happened.

Among the projects that I am rolling out this year, I am working on a PDF of “Advanced Sorcery” that I will sell from my website. Most of the stuff in it will be stuff that only some people will be able to understand and work with because it’s a bit fringe and because it requires the ability to see energy and astral formations directly, as well as other forms of subtle perception. Stuff like the above will be in there as will a write up called “Beyond shields, Armor”. Persephone will be happy to see a section on both “Cutting and Pasting” and “Philotic Lines”. In fact she gets a thank you in the PDF when it comes out for teaching me the term “Philotic Lines”.  I will post a preview as soon as I get more of it finished.

2009 has filled me with an almost crazed zeal to work. 

I got the ways and means to New Orleans

Headed to New Orleans next weekend. 

Alobar, I will look for ye on the square and nab a reading from you if you are around. I will be visiting some other folks I know down there, including someone that I just got back in touch with through facebook and havent seen since high school. 

I also will be gathering supplies for an upcoming project. I need gator hands. Lots and lots of gator hands, so on Sunday morning you can find me in the French Market. 

Classes at the Cauldron

Jason Miller. Teaching at the Cauldron in Pt Pleasant NJ

Hoodoo 1 & 2 -
Jan 29 & Feb 26

Hoodoo is a distinctly American form of Sorcery combining African, European, and Native American practices. In this two part class Jason Miller (Inominandum), a professional Rootworker, will teach the history, theory, and practice of this potent tradition of magick. Be sure to bring a notebook as DOZENS of spells, tricks, and roots will be covered.


How Magick Works 1 & 2 -
March 26 & April 30

Anyone can follow a recipe or instruction in a spell kit, but only those who know how magick works can deal with any situation instantly for themselves or others. In this class Jason Miller will teach the underlying principals of practical magick and show how these work in various spells and rituals. If you have been wondering why maybe your spells haven't been as successful as would like, or if you are just looking to take yourself to the next level, this class is for YOU!

Angels and Demons 1& 2
May 28th and June 25th

Most of the classical spellbooks of medieval and renaissance Europe dealt the with summoning of Angels and Demons. First you summon the angels to empower and bless yourself, than the demons to put them to work for you instead of against you. In this class Jason will teach very simple and straightforward methods for summoning both Angels and Demons for the greater good of all. Attendees will receive a short Grimoire written by Jason specially for this class to get you started.

Jason Miller (Inominandum) has been studying and practicing magick for over 17 years. His studies have brought him all over the world: from the American South, to Europe, to the Himalayas. He is a member of several magickal orders and craft traditions as well as being an initiate of the Nyingma and Bon lineages of Tibet. He is the author of Protection and Reversal Magick, a Defense Guide for Witches and the upcoming book "The Sorcerers Secrets, Strategies in Practical Magick".

Ascension Magick Sucks

Ascension Magick Sucks. I dont actually mean the magick of Ascending, but the book by Christopher Penczack.

I can say this without ever having read the book.

I was googling info on Platonic solids in an attempt to write up my 3-dimensional spirit trap, (think a goetic triangle or Kilaya triangle extended into a tetrahedron..) and I came accross an Amazon sample page from the book (105). My eyes immediately went to the following quote:

"Plato studied with Aristotle who was a student of Pythagoras."

ummmmmmm. Ok, I am not the smartest guy in the world but even I know this is completely wrong. Aristotle studied in Plato's Academy and was still in it when Plato died. Neither of them knew Pythagoras who died 75 years before Plato was even born. If you cant get basic shit like that right, than I just dont even want to bother with you...

Financial hope for Iceland?

I am writing an essay for this blog on material tolerance in magick and was thus thinking of all the spells and rituals with extreme material requirements. The essay should be ready soon, but it got me to thinking:

Given the collapse of Icelands economy do you think we will see a revival of the NECROPANTS spell?

It's not quite the most disturbing ritual that I know, but its definitely up there. 

The Necropants were made with the intact skin of corpse dug up from a churchyard and worn as pants. You than place the stave (sigil) in the scrotum along with a coin stolen from a poor widow.  The scrotum than acts as a magickal coin attracting purse.

The photo is from the Sorcery and witchcraft museum of Iceland.

Tibetan Amulets

Thanks to Xanthias for point this site out.

Largest collection of Trungwa that I have seen for sale anywhere.

http://www.mahasiddha.org/store/Amulets.html

20 C+M+B 09

Today is Epiphany, also called Theophany and the Adoration of the Magi. Traditionally it is today we celebrate the extension of grace through Christ to the gentiles represented by the three Persian Magi that traveled great distance to honor the Son of Man. Of course being the holiday of the Magi, this all has special meaning for those of us that are sorcerously inclined.

For instance it is the traditional day to bless your house by consecrating chalk and writing the year and the initials C+M+B above the door. Of course the CMB stand for Caspar Melchior and Balthazar but also has the meaning of "Christus Mansionem Benedictat" (Christ bless this home).

It is normally done in this pattern: 20 C+M+B 09

Take today and reflect upon the inner Star and pray that it leads you to the Logos.