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I haven't had much time for adventure lately. My present day job keeps me busy 6 days a week, generally from fairly early in the day to quite late at night. But I do have some free time, and recently I've begun using that free time to go on adventures.
One recurring adventure has been simply to go for walks in the local park, along Holmes Run, late at night. On some of these walks I've left behind the Ellis sigil that I've posted about so much recently. On others, I've been gifted with interesting objects by the local spirits of place - one of which has become a new technomagical tool for me, and two others of which have now been passed along to someone who can do more with them than I.
Tonight, I neither took tokens nor left them - I simply walked the park with an awareness of the thinness of the veil, the presence of the local spirits, and the Potential of the place. That was enough. And then the park gifted me with something extraordinary.
At the exact entrance of the park, as I was leaving it to come back home, I saw a black shape moving under the light of the street lamps. At first, I thought it was a rat. So I turned my flashlight on and took a closer look. Green eyes glowed back at me in the LED light, and I revised my opinion - clearly it must be a cat. Then it turned and I saw its full profile in the light before it bounded into the woods - it was a young "black" (dark greyish-brownish-red) fox.
It might not seem like much, until you put it together with the fact that a fox of that exact description is currently hanging out in the metaphysical space of someone close to me. A black fox with green eyes.
Magic happens. Get out there and see it.
Don't be afraid to have adventures.
One recurring adventure has been simply to go for walks in the local park, along Holmes Run, late at night. On some of these walks I've left behind the Ellis sigil that I've posted about so much recently. On others, I've been gifted with interesting objects by the local spirits of place - one of which has become a new technomagical tool for me, and two others of which have now been passed along to someone who can do more with them than I.
Tonight, I neither took tokens nor left them - I simply walked the park with an awareness of the thinness of the veil, the presence of the local spirits, and the Potential of the place. That was enough. And then the park gifted me with something extraordinary.
At the exact entrance of the park, as I was leaving it to come back home, I saw a black shape moving under the light of the street lamps. At first, I thought it was a rat. So I turned my flashlight on and took a closer look. Green eyes glowed back at me in the LED light, and I revised my opinion - clearly it must be a cat. Then it turned and I saw its full profile in the light before it bounded into the woods - it was a young "black" (dark greyish-brownish-red) fox.
It might not seem like much, until you put it together with the fact that a fox of that exact description is currently hanging out in the metaphysical space of someone close to me. A black fox with green eyes.
Magic happens. Get out there and see it.
Don't be afraid to have adventures.
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For anyone who was a fan of The Relic Hound on Etsy, the owner has moved to a new shop, Cynanthropy Crafts:
This crafter does great work in both a physical and metaphysical sense, and I highly recommend checking the new shop out.
Cynanthropy Crafts is a small online shop providing a select number of craft pieces made with specific intent, for connecting with one's animal nature. The shop itself has a specific canine focus, based on the craftsman's personal experience. Craft pieces tend to be made from animal remains and natural history objects and remnants.
Cynanthropy Crafts does not support sport hunters, fur farms or other sources based in the torture or unnatural living of a wild animal, and you will not find the products of such items in my shop. Most of the items presented are secondhand items, cast offs, antique shop finds, or related. I do not wish to create a demand on "cast off" animal remains and put further environmental pressure on a species. All items that are products of animal remains will only be sold as "worked" or "finished" into completed craft pieces, made with intent and with an animistic focus.
The owner of Cynanthropy Crafts does not run this site for profit as its sole intention. Profit destroys species. Just because you did not pull the trigger or set the trap does not mean you are rendered blameless. "Recycled" does not always mean "ethical". Educate yourselves, and know your sources.
Cynanthropy Crafts does not support sport hunters, fur farms or other sources based in the torture or unnatural living of a wild animal, and you will not find the products of such items in my shop. Most of the items presented are secondhand items, cast offs, antique shop finds, or related. I do not wish to create a demand on "cast off" animal remains and put further environmental pressure on a species. All items that are products of animal remains will only be sold as "worked" or "finished" into completed craft pieces, made with intent and with an animistic focus.
The owner of Cynanthropy Crafts does not run this site for profit as its sole intention. Profit destroys species. Just because you did not pull the trigger or set the trap does not mean you are rendered blameless. "Recycled" does not always mean "ethical". Educate yourselves, and know your sources.
This crafter does great work in both a physical and metaphysical sense, and I highly recommend checking the new shop out.
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Interesting discussion on Liminal Nation about actually blending permaculture and the occult: http://liminalnation.org/discuss/discussion/364/hypersigils-and-permaculture/
Goes more into practical discussion of how to do this than I've seen elsewhere. Apparently the concepts can be englished.
Goes more into practical discussion of how to do this than I've seen elsewhere. Apparently the concepts can be englished.
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I'm writing an essay on thoughtforms, as the final piece in my four-part series on Energywork. In my opinion, 99% of magic revolves around the use of thoughtforms, so this is at least potentially the longest and most complex essay in the series. As such, I'm doing a lot of research into thoughtforms of different types: constructs, servitors, egregores, tulpas, etc. And there's a lot of material out there, believe me.
The other day, though, I came across a very interesting essay on a form of egregore I don't believe I've heard about before: The Historical Egregore. I think I can safely say this is the first source I've ever seen present a clear and well-reasoned argument for the use of false histories by the occult, new-age, and pagan communities. Is anyone else aware of other sources which further develop this idea? So far, the best I've been able to find was this, which really doesn't treat the concept as seriously. It's a difficult subject to determine the correct keywords to search for effectively, though, and I probably haven't found much of what has been said on the subject.
All of this said, while I find the argument far more compelling than other's I've seen on this subject, I still don't necessarily agree with it. There are at least two things I can think of which would make me very hesitant to employ this technique.
1) This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, the only way to connect with and work with these thoughtforms. As one concrete example, chaos magicians don't need to spread false histories of the world to connect with and work with egregores from the Lovecraft mythos. They don't need to spread the idea that Lovecraft was secretly an occultist recording an accurate metaphysical history of the world and disguising it as fiction, or even that he somehow unknowingly channeled the truth about the Elder Gods. They can enjoy the Mythos purely as fiction and still work very effectively with the entities therein. That's not to say that there aren't individual chaos magicians and other occultists such as Kenneth Grant who have chosen to work with the Mythos as a literal or semi-literal history, but simply that one does not have to in order to connect with its egregores. Nor with any of the other egregores in the field of Pop Culture magic.
2) One of the more universal rules of magic is the law of similarity: like affects like. This law, in turn, is the basis for several other occult concepts. Among them, the law of knowledge (understanding brings control) and the idea that the microcosm is capable of affecting the macrocosm. If these concepts are true, then one's ability to control the real world (the macrocosm) is predicated on both one's ability to understand that aspect of it one wishes to control, and also on the similarity of one's microcosmic mental representation of it to external reality. In an occult sense, the map IS the territory. If you muddy your map with false information, if you dilute your understanding of the actual world, it becomes that much harder to work to make it the world you wish it to be.
The other day, though, I came across a very interesting essay on a form of egregore I don't believe I've heard about before: The Historical Egregore. I think I can safely say this is the first source I've ever seen present a clear and well-reasoned argument for the use of false histories by the occult, new-age, and pagan communities. Is anyone else aware of other sources which further develop this idea? So far, the best I've been able to find was this, which really doesn't treat the concept as seriously. It's a difficult subject to determine the correct keywords to search for effectively, though, and I probably haven't found much of what has been said on the subject.
All of this said, while I find the argument far more compelling than other's I've seen on this subject, I still don't necessarily agree with it. There are at least two things I can think of which would make me very hesitant to employ this technique.
1) This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, the only way to connect with and work with these thoughtforms. As one concrete example, chaos magicians don't need to spread false histories of the world to connect with and work with egregores from the Lovecraft mythos. They don't need to spread the idea that Lovecraft was secretly an occultist recording an accurate metaphysical history of the world and disguising it as fiction, or even that he somehow unknowingly channeled the truth about the Elder Gods. They can enjoy the Mythos purely as fiction and still work very effectively with the entities therein. That's not to say that there aren't individual chaos magicians and other occultists such as Kenneth Grant who have chosen to work with the Mythos as a literal or semi-literal history, but simply that one does not have to in order to connect with its egregores. Nor with any of the other egregores in the field of Pop Culture magic.
2) One of the more universal rules of magic is the law of similarity: like affects like. This law, in turn, is the basis for several other occult concepts. Among them, the law of knowledge (understanding brings control) and the idea that the microcosm is capable of affecting the macrocosm. If these concepts are true, then one's ability to control the real world (the macrocosm) is predicated on both one's ability to understand that aspect of it one wishes to control, and also on the similarity of one's microcosmic mental representation of it to external reality. In an occult sense, the map IS the territory. If you muddy your map with false information, if you dilute your understanding of the actual world, it becomes that much harder to work to make it the world you wish it to be.
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Does anyone know of good forums online for reasonably "advanced" (ie, not just 101 and 102 type introductions to stuff), in-depth and knowledgeable discussions of metaphysical subjects? As an example, I would have considered the old Barbelith Temple to be one such place, though these days it seems largely defunct. I've stumbled across Liminal Nation which looks like it has promise but the application process makes me somewhat hesitant. Mostly because they want a bio, and I've always hated writing bios of myself. I never know what to put, how to sum myself up, particularly as it pertains to my metaphysical practices.
I'd prefer not to have to wade through much fluff. I'd like a high signal to noise ratio. I'd like critical thinking to be the rule rather than the exception. Basically, I want to find places that are already like what I have always wanted the WanderingPaths list to become.
Anyone know of such a place?
I'd prefer not to have to wade through much fluff. I'd like a high signal to noise ratio. I'd like critical thinking to be the rule rather than the exception. Basically, I want to find places that are already like what I have always wanted the WanderingPaths list to become.
Anyone know of such a place?
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I'm doing a bit of comparative study right now, of concepts that appear throughout different magical traditions across the world. The two main ones I'm interested in at present are items which attract and house spirits ("yoshiro" in shinto tradition, of which kamidana and magatama are examples) and items which serve as a magical link for spellwork such as photographs, something they owned, hair, blood, and other examples ("witnesses" in radionic tradition, "personal concerns" in hoodoo).
Does anyone know of other terms for or examples of these things, from other traditions?
I'd also be interested in knowing any specialized terms used in various magical systems for physical offerings made to spirits/deities (food, water, liquor, etc). As of yet, I'm not familiar with any specific terms for this practice other than "offering", "libation", "sacrifice" and other english-language synonyms.
Knowing additional terms for all of these things will assist me in researching these concepts in other traditions with which I am less familiar. After all, it is said that the beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.
Does anyone know of other terms for or examples of these things, from other traditions?
I'd also be interested in knowing any specialized terms used in various magical systems for physical offerings made to spirits/deities (food, water, liquor, etc). As of yet, I'm not familiar with any specific terms for this practice other than "offering", "libation", "sacrifice" and other english-language synonyms.
Knowing additional terms for all of these things will assist me in researching these concepts in other traditions with which I am less familiar. After all, it is said that the beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.
I love it when I can go to Unique looking for magical tools and come home with a bag full. A set of four triangular wooden plates that fit together to form a circle. Four ceramic jars (formerly containing wispride cold pack cheese foods, judging by the label that remains on one of them) with locking lids and a fairly airtight seal. A medium brass cauldron. A pot, handmade in greece, with what I believe is a reproduction of minoan art: bulls & warriors on horses. A plate with a tree in the center, topped by a heart and surrounded by a slightly offkilter five-pointed star. On the rim of the plate, a vine and the words "Friends", "Family", and "Faith". And a small jar labelled "Top Secret Secrets".
The four wooden plates I'll be using as offering plates. They're one of the things I was most interested in getting from Unique when I went there. The four ceramic jars I'll probably use as spirit vessels or, alternately, to hold some alchemical work when I get started on that in a month or two. The greek & top secret jars probably for liquid offerings (water, alcohol, blood, etc). The plate with the tree I'll probably use to hold a votive candle. And the cauldron I'll primarily use for fire-related rituals (possibly even some forms of alchemy, if the brass content won't be a problem).
All in all, not bad for an hour's worth of time and 16 dollars. Scavenging thrift shops is always fun. :)
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A common concept in metaphysical circles is the ley line: lines of energy running over and through the earth roughly analogous to the energy meridians believed to run through the human body.
Yet, I am not presently familiar with anyone taking this concept further into the macroscopic. If both the human body and the earth itself have such lines of energy, what about larger structures? The solar system, for instance? The Milky Way? The Universe? Are there similar lines of force? If so, where are they, how large are they (mere meters or light years?), and how would we recognize our planet passing through one of them? Have we passed through them before during human history?
Just thinking out loud...
Yet, I am not presently familiar with anyone taking this concept further into the macroscopic. If both the human body and the earth itself have such lines of energy, what about larger structures? The solar system, for instance? The Milky Way? The Universe? Are there similar lines of force? If so, where are they, how large are they (mere meters or light years?), and how would we recognize our planet passing through one of them? Have we passed through them before during human history?
Just thinking out loud...
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I was doing some more research into the writing of Daniel Schulke, and I came across an interesting thread on Berbalith Underground that referenced Schulke's work in making an argument against Pop-Culture Magic:
I have to say, I agree very much with this statement. I'm going to be thinking a lot about some of its potential implications, and the presence or absence of such deep praxis in various magical or spiritual traditions.
I think there is a certain approach to deity work within chaos magic that positions it as a souped-up version of working a sigil or launching a servitor. You do a one-off ritual that you think might be fun, maybe invoking Thoth or Baphomet, maybe invoking Yoda or Buffy. You may or may not utilise "a boatload of drugs" in order to accomplish some sort of communication, and if you get a sense of something a bit weird happening you have had a success. If you ask the deity to do something for you, and you get the results you are looking for, this is even more of a success. I'm not and have never been disputing that you can get results of this nature from working with fictional characters. I know you can, as I have been there and done that.
However, experiences like that are really just the first bars of the opening refrain of what you can actually get out of deity work, as I've encountered it in the context of Voodoo and other traditions of spirit work. As an example, at the moment I'm reading a book called "Ars Philtron" (I know, it sounds a bit like "Arse Filter") by Daniel Schulke. It's about potion making. Going into the woods, building relationships with the spirits, gathering ingredients and making potions for various magical uses. I've never seen anything quite like it in print, and the depth of practice that sings off every page is nothing short of vertiginous. It's obvious that this is someone's life's work and labour of love.
It's not very often that I find myself feeling a bit awed by a book on magic, but it's clear that this is a treatise written by a master of this particular field of operation. I thought I knew a bit about working with the spirits of the woods and making up my own gear - but the first fifty pages of Schulke's book reveal how superficial my own explorations in this area have actually been to date.
The principle deities of his witchcraft tradition are Cain (who is presented as an Eshu-esque crossroads figure) and Lilith (who in this context is Goddess of the Moon), along with various undines, land spirits, and the intelligences of plants, trees and herbs. The spirit work aspect of it is essential to his craft of potion making, and its apparent that his account of this work has arisen out of and been largely informed by direct relationships and communication with nature spirits and the deities of his tradition.
What I'm trying to get at here is how developing relationships with spirits and deities, such as what Schulke describes, can open the door to such richness and depth that you could easily spend a lifetime exploring it and still feel you have barely scraped the surface. That's really what I get out of my Voodoo practice. I've been working with Ghede for ten years, but I feel as if I've hardly even begun to get my head around the politics of the boneyard or the complexities of boneyard sorcery. It's a life's work, and every hour you put in just takes you deeper.
If I came across a book that expressed the same depth of practice as "Ars Philtron" but in the context of pop culture magic, I would instantly revise my opinions of working with fictional icons. So far I haven't really come across anyone who has taken a relationship with Buffy or Yoda and been able to run with it to those sorts of places. Perhaps more tellingly, I've never come across anyone working pop culture magic who has been able to grasp from their practice that such possibilities might exist. The accounts I've seen are invariably more in the mode of "take a boatload of drugs one night and have a funny experience", which is not really what I'm talking about at all. Magic, and spirit work, is far richer and stranger than the rather tedious and pedestrian model of it that your posts suggest you are confined by.
I have to say, I agree very much with this statement. I'm going to be thinking a lot about some of its potential implications, and the presence or absence of such deep praxis in various magical or spiritual traditions.
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So, I haven't had a lot of time to do magical stuff recently what with jobhunting. But I find that from time to time I need to do something else to keep from driving myself insane looking at classified ads online. Mostly I've been reading webcomics and playing some old computer games and watching some tv on hulu.com to help de-stress. But last night I couldn't seem to fall asleep, and I felt drawn to do things a bit more metaphysical.
Magically, I do a lot of what I term "relational magic". It's magic that involves links, bonds, and connections. I base a lot of it on Huna's aka theory, though I also find concepts like the laws of similarity and contagion and name-magic to be quite useful. I'm still working on blending these and other elements into a more coherent whole.
One of my side projects for the past year has been gateworking. Having reverse engineered the Orgone Crystal Matrix, popularly known as the Reiki Matrix or Babalon Matrix, I've been curious about how it can be used for gateworking. I've come to find out that it is primarily used for a form of gateworking that I would variously term shamanic journeying, pathworking, or spiritwalking depending on the context.
I'm exploring other ways to work with it for gateworking. Presently, I am attempting to use it to strengthen the connection between this world and Alorya, an elven world I have memories of, by cycling energy back and forth through the aka cord that connects the two worlds. Another way of looking at it would be that I am attempting to broaden the portal between the two worlds. I'm not entirely sure if it will work or not, though the theory seems sound. It is somewhat like exercises used in Huna and other traditions to strengthen the connection between the three aspects of the human soul. Only the cord stretches out into a road... one which spans worlds.
Just an experiment for now. Don't know if it will go anywhere or not. But it's improved my mood from jobhunting somewhat, and that's magical enough for me.
Magically, I do a lot of what I term "relational magic". It's magic that involves links, bonds, and connections. I base a lot of it on Huna's aka theory, though I also find concepts like the laws of similarity and contagion and name-magic to be quite useful. I'm still working on blending these and other elements into a more coherent whole.
One of my side projects for the past year has been gateworking. Having reverse engineered the Orgone Crystal Matrix, popularly known as the Reiki Matrix or Babalon Matrix, I've been curious about how it can be used for gateworking. I've come to find out that it is primarily used for a form of gateworking that I would variously term shamanic journeying, pathworking, or spiritwalking depending on the context.
I'm exploring other ways to work with it for gateworking. Presently, I am attempting to use it to strengthen the connection between this world and Alorya, an elven world I have memories of, by cycling energy back and forth through the aka cord that connects the two worlds. Another way of looking at it would be that I am attempting to broaden the portal between the two worlds. I'm not entirely sure if it will work or not, though the theory seems sound. It is somewhat like exercises used in Huna and other traditions to strengthen the connection between the three aspects of the human soul. Only the cord stretches out into a road... one which spans worlds.
Just an experiment for now. Don't know if it will go anywhere or not. But it's improved my mood from jobhunting somewhat, and that's magical enough for me.
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Am I nuts for seriously contemplating the use of a "genuine Louisville slugger pro cluebat" that was gifted to me upon my entry into IT as a potential physical base for the construction of a Blasting Rod? I am toying with some theoretically sound metaphysical concepts I have not worked with before, and the Blasting Rod is one of the ones I want to examine firsthand.
I also cannot help but laugh at the fact that it has "powerized" and a lightning bolt symbol on the side of it....
I also cannot help but laugh at the fact that it has "powerized" and a lightning bolt symbol on the side of it....
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If one wanted to learn about elemental magics, especially "the little fire magics", what would be the best sources to look at for more information?
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I went back to the forest I found before. Took a different path this time, taking the long way around the tents and leanto, to an area below them by a stream. Very beautiful back there. I followed the path by the stream for a while, slowly coming to an area with more and more signs of human presence, though I didn't see any more structures and I still haven't actually seen any people back there. It's possible my imagination was playing tricks on me, but at a certain point along the path I started feeling distinctly unwelcome, so I turned and headed back out again. Took a lot of photos (46, total) but due to the lighting it was difficult to get them to turn out well... sometimes flash was needed, and sometimes it created far too much bounceback off the surrounding vegetation. Other times it very much was not needed, and tended to make the photo both too dark and have elements too washed out by the flash. And even when I realized not to use the flash, sometimes the fading light made it a bit difficult to focus properly. Only 11 turned out well enough that I decided they were keepers.
I may go back there at some point, but now other areas are calling. For the moment I'm going to avoid the more managed parks and try to find more places like this. After walking back there for a while, when I came back out onto the paved path and proceeded up it for a bit to where it came to a well-manicured lawn calling itself a park, the difference in feel was almost palpable. Let me have the wild places. And may the forest watch over whoever lives there now... there might be quite a bit of litter in some areas, but for the most part it has a more truly natural feel than the park down the road ever will. And not all of that is necessarily the fault of the people who live there. I'm fairly certain there's a sewer pipe draining into that stream (I kept my distance from the water), and I wouldn't be surprised if a good portion of the litter comes from storm drains and other similar mechanisms. The area around the camp sites is FAR cleaner.
I may go back there at some point, but now other areas are calling. For the moment I'm going to avoid the more managed parks and try to find more places like this. After walking back there for a while, when I came back out onto the paved path and proceeded up it for a bit to where it came to a well-manicured lawn calling itself a park, the difference in feel was almost palpable. Let me have the wild places. And may the forest watch over whoever lives there now... there might be quite a bit of litter in some areas, but for the most part it has a more truly natural feel than the park down the road ever will. And not all of that is necessarily the fault of the people who live there. I'm fairly certain there's a sewer pipe draining into that stream (I kept my distance from the water), and I wouldn't be surprised if a good portion of the litter comes from storm drains and other similar mechanisms. The area around the camp sites is FAR cleaner.
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I elfed today. Found the forest hidden in the city. Went walking in it. Some people look like they've made it their home. Don't blame them, it makes sense. I stayed away from their domiciles, turned back whenever a trail started looking like it would take me to their tents and lean-tos. Had the weirdest feeling of being deeper in untamed nature there, where the rush of road noise never left me and where evidence of man's habitation was all around and in some cases inter-strewn, than I felt at Four Quarters last Thresholds. Perhaps it's because Four Quarters has become deeply familiar, while this place was new and wild and untamed by me. This wasn't urban exploration, I didn't go anywhere that established paths and trails did not take me, but yet at the same time it was. When I stepped off the paved path and onto the foot trails where a new forest people have made their home... it was.
Edited 9/4/07 - something was missing in that last line.
Edited 9/4/07 - something was missing in that last line.
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I've got a lot of metaphysical projects on my plate right now. The big one, obviously, is the research into the Babalon Matrix, but I've got a few other subjects simmering on the back burners as well. And today I found aspects of my orgone research connecting up with them in very interesting ways. Which led me to the following thought: it may be time to expand my website again.
Right now, I have a Reiki Annex up there with a lot (though not nearly all) of the material I have found about Reiki. I really like where I've been able to go with that portion of the website. And I've been thinking for some time now about adding in other parts, like a section on Huna, detailing how those systems can add to Reiki.
Now, though, I'm kind of leaning away from adding those aspects under the Reiki Annex. They're unique systems, and while they can definitely be used well together, they deserve a better and more thorough individual analysis than simply what they can do in the light of reiki practice. So I'm thinking it might be time to move the Reiki Annex into a larger section on magical/energetic systems which could contain my research into a variety of magical systems and healing methods. Then I could put all my research into Huna, Orgone, Faery, Alchemy, Qi Gong, Shamanism, and anything else relevant up there.
What do you all think? Would that be a useful change for the site?
Right now, I have a Reiki Annex up there with a lot (though not nearly all) of the material I have found about Reiki. I really like where I've been able to go with that portion of the website. And I've been thinking for some time now about adding in other parts, like a section on Huna, detailing how those systems can add to Reiki.
Now, though, I'm kind of leaning away from adding those aspects under the Reiki Annex. They're unique systems, and while they can definitely be used well together, they deserve a better and more thorough individual analysis than simply what they can do in the light of reiki practice. So I'm thinking it might be time to move the Reiki Annex into a larger section on magical/energetic systems which could contain my research into a variety of magical systems and healing methods. Then I could put all my research into Huna, Orgone, Faery, Alchemy, Qi Gong, Shamanism, and anything else relevant up there.
What do you all think? Would that be a useful change for the site?
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I'm currently digesting a bit of material from a workshop on fire magic that I attended over the weekend, and I was wondering if anyone here would happen to have a working knowledge of southern conjure magic and a technique known as "seizing the serpent" (possibly "seizing the sun serpant" or "seizing the sky serpent") from that tradition? I may end up contacting the presenter directly with some questions about it, but I'd really like to get some outside perspectives and also verify that the information I was already given by this presenter is correct. (I like the guy a lot, I really enjoy his work, but I try to verify what I can independently as a matter of course. Trust but verify works in magic too.)
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