Witch-hunting

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On March 12, 2022

In Magicking

Everybody’s gangster ’til they can’t find their car-keys.

Unless they know how to dowse.

Successful dowsing requires a tool such as a forked stick or a pendulum to translate knowledge directly from the unconscious mind and into the physical body. This takes advantage of a what is called the ideomotor response. This essentially means that small muscle movements are allowed to be controlled without direction from the conscious mind.

Usually this is done by an individual rather than by the group effort required for such things as Ouija boards or table-tipping.

Traditional dowsing, (which is sometimes called water-witching) was done for the purpose of finding hidden resources under the ground. Most commonly water but anything may be targeted. Dowsing can be used to locate oil, minerals, buried pipes or unmarked gravesites. Since this a function of the mind rather than some magnetic or electrical phenomena, the composition of the target doesn’t matter.

Like with the development of any other talent, practice is the key. Most old-time descriptions of this art speak of the use of a forked stick taken from a hazel tree or some other thin, flexible wood. One hand holds each of the two forks with the stem pointed away from the practitioner. I myself have never tried this method as I have had great success using a weighted pendulum instead.

A pendulum can also be used as a general divination tool that can not only point in a direction but also to answer simple questions of the “yes” and “no” variety.

You can obtain a fancy purpose-made pendulum from a New-Age shop but a machine-nut tied to a piece of string will suffice. Hold the string with the weighted end hanging freely. You can use one hand or both at the same time. Try to hold it as still as you can until the weight stops swinging. Now you are going to basically interrogate the pendulum to find out how it will work. Address it as if it has a spirit of it’s own and ask it how it will indicate a “Yes” when responding to a question. This step is important because pendulums behave differently with different people. So a “Yes” answer could be swinging to and fro or it could be a side-to-side movement. It may also swing in a clockwise or counterclockwise circle. In this same way, find out what a “No” looks like. Now ask it to indicate a particular direction such as “North” or “To the front door”. The size of the swinging arc can also be an indicator of the strength or confidence of the response. It is also important to vary the length of the string as you will find it works best at a certain length which varies person to person.

Once you understand your pendulums “language”, it’s time to get in some practice. Essentially, you have to try to find something that you don’t know the location of. One way to accomplish this is to have a friend hide or bury a small object within a delineated area such a yard or a small field while you are not around. Then you go to that place afterwards and see if you can find the object. It is important that you do this without having that friend with you at the time lest their body-language or reactions give you clues even if only subconsciously. Another way to practice this which I sometimes do for fun is to use the Geocaching app to get your self to the general area of a geocache and then use the pendulum to narrow the search until you find it.

Don’t get discouraged if success is elusive. No archer hits the bullseye the first time she picks up a bow. Try different things. Try different states of mind. Try switching hands. Look for clues around you. Keep your mind open to other avenues of information. Sometimes a blowing leaf or the path of a bird in flight can give you direction.

As you get better at it, you will notice that you can predict what the pendulum will do next before it begins to move or change direction. This is because the information is coming from you, not the pendulum. As you begin to master this, you will find over time that you don’t actually need the pendulum at all and can find things without it.

Always remember that the magick comes from the magician. Not the tool.

It’s Elementary

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On March 6, 2022

In Magicking

The foundation of ceremonial magic is symbolized by the four alchemical elements of the Western Tradition. Those being Earth, Water, Air and Fire as proclaimed by Hermes Trismegistus in the Kore Kosmou. Aristotle later added a fifth element, Aether which was not adopted by many traditions because it’s nature was too nebulous and easily confused with Fire.

Each element contains dual qualities. Earth is cold and dry while Water is cold and wet. Air is hot and wet while fire is hot and dry.

Each alchemical element was given a symbol that was based on the equilateral triangle. Fire was a triangle with one point at the top. Water had the point on the bottom. Fire and water together made the Seal of Solomon that we see on today’s flag of Israel. I represents the combining of fire and water as the achievement of the impossible. It represents the paradox that is the attainment of Enlightenment also called the Great Work. Air was represented as an upright triangle with a horizontal line across the center while Earth was an inverted triangle with the same line across it.

Each element was also symbolized by a different magical implement. For Fire, there was the Sword. For Air, the Wand. Water was represented by the Cup and Earth by the Pentacle. Each of these has a corresponding suit in the Tarot. They are also utilized in the Wiccan tradition as well as other more formal types of ceremonial Magick.

These elements do not consist of only the physical manifestations they are named for but rather are seen to be the basic constituent components of the world much as we see in the atoms and molecules of today.

Hippocrates (according to Galen) assigned each of the elements to one of the four humours of the human body. Those being Black Bile (for Earth), Phlegm (for Water), Blood (for Air) and Yellow Bile (for Fire). Medicine at the time was considered helping a person to balance their own personal blend of humours in the body.

Tradition holds that the Elements have a hierarchical order with Earth at the bottom as being the most base and impure and moving up through water, then air, and topped by fire which is the most pure. Many modern practitioners tend to see the elements as more balanced and complementary.

We still see the descendent of these ideas in modern science’s four states of matter. Those being solids, liquids, gases and plasmas which correspond to their energy states or rates of vibration.

For symbolic purposes, we can see Earth as being solid, foundational and stable. Likewise, Water is relaxed and flowing. Air is free and expansive while Fire is energetic and purifying.

In Occult philosophy, everything consists of a different blend of elements.

In astrology, each Birth Sign belongs to one of the four elements to confer both positive and negative personality traits. Earth signs can be sturdy, logical and hard-working but also stubborn, lazy and materialistic. Water signs can be healing, peaceful and trusting but also erratic, indifferent and indecisive. Air signs may be joyful, communicative and imaginative but also dishonest and self-centered. Fire signs may be compassionate and courageous but they may also be obsessive, jealous and angry.

The rich symbolism of the four elements originated in Tibet and India and from there it was adopted by the ancient Egyptians and the Greek philosophers. And all these years later, we still find them useful symbols and models to help us shape our own minds. And as all magicians know, to shape our minds is to shape the our reality.

Astral Projection

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On February 27, 2022

In Magicking

Astral projection; lucid dreaming; out-of-body experiences; near-death experiences and even sleep-paralysis. These are some common descriptions of phenomena that hold one thing in common. The person experiencing these things seems to be detached from their normal everyday body while retaining full conscious awareness.

It is my own experience that leads me to think that all these things are one and the same. When I first learned how to “astral travel”, I would leave my body to lie in it’s place while I adventured around my neighborhood. It did not take me long to realize that I could fly in this state so that became my preferred way of exploring the world. As the rest of the world slept, I would be swooping through the night skies above. If you haven’t done this yourself, I can barely describe how delightful and real the experience is. At that time, I believed that my soul was actually separated from my body and flying around in the real world.

I would do the visualization exercises required while I lay in bed. Many times I would drift off to sleep but once or twice a week, I would successfully get “out and about”. After a short time, I began to notice glitches in the world around me. Sometimes something small, like a brass latch on a door that I knew to have a wooden knob. Or sometimes something larger, like a building in a place that there shouldn’t be one. I soon learned that if I gave these things attention, my astral foray would transform into a lucid dream. In other words, what I had thought to be the real world in my astral travels turned out to be a imperfect simulation of the so-called, “real world”.

Also, because both astral travelling and lucid dreams occurred on that knife-edge between sleep and wakefulness, I discovered that both of these alternate worlds existed in my own imagination.

“Aha!”, I hear you say. “If it’s just your imagination, then it’s not even real.”

The problem with this line of thinking is revealed by the use of the word, “Just”. It shows a sort of arrogance brought about by the assumption that you know what “Real” is.

Anyway, philosophy aside, I will tell you the technique that works for me to achieve this out-of-body experience.

First of all, I find it works best after a good night’s sleep. If you try it upon first going to bed, chances are you will fall into regular sleep because you are tired. So pick a time when you can awaken naturally but still lay in bed.

Lay flat on your back, close your eyes and begin to relax all of your muscles. Start with your toes and gradually work your way “up” through your feet; your ankles; calves; thighs and buttocks’. Tell yourself that you no longer exist below the waist. Withdraw your consciousness from your legs until they feel like senseless blocks of wood. Now relax your fingers; hands; wrists; arms, first lower then upper, followed by your shoulders. Like with your legs, withdraw your awareness of them and consider them lifeless. You now consist only of your torso and your head. Now put your attention down to your waist and do the same with the muscles in your belly and chest and pay special attention to your back. Feel the vertebrae fall loosely to the mattress below. Withdraw your consciousness out of your body until it too is no more than a block of wood. You now consist of only your head. Now relax your neck muscles. Continue to the back of the head and then around the ears. Now relax all the muscles in your face paying special attention to those around your eyes. Now withdraw your consciousness from your head. It too is now just a senseless block of wood. You now consist of only a mathematical point of awareness floating in the void.

The next step is harder to master but is very powerful once you do. In your minds eye, picture the ceiling above you. Do not open your eyes! Just imagine it. Now, in your imagination, spin around your horizontal axis. The direction doesn’t matter. Feel and see yourself turning to face the edge of the ceiling and then the wall to your side followed by the floor beneath your bed and continuing around to the opposite wall and then back to the ceiling. Practice this as many times as you can slowly until you can really feel like you are actually doing it. It may take several sessions to make the experience feel real to you. When it does, speed things up! Spin in place as fast as you can imagine and then through an act of deliberate will, float up toward the ceiling. Once you sense that the ceiling is close to you. Stop spinning.

You’re out!

The first few times you accomplish this, you may see your body laying on the bed below and you will fix your attention on it. After all, it’s a novel experience. However there is a powerful pull for you to return to that body and giving it attention strengthens that pull. You will then “snap” back into it. The sensation of this is exactly like waking up from a lucid dream. You may feel like you failed at that point but it’s okay. The most serious roadblock is now gone. Now you know that it is possible to do and you know you can do it again.

Whatever label we give to this experience, it is your individual awareness being separated from your physical body. It is you visiting another world. It is a world where your rational mind is diminished but where your true spirit shines. It is the underworld. A place where seeds can be planted that will sprout and grow into this reality. It is both a playground and a school. Once you have access to this underworld, you may find it useful to plan your excursions ahead of time and set up experiments such as remote viewing a real place in this world or communicating with different types of entities. You imagination really is the limit.

The Dumb Supper

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On February 20, 2022

In Magicking

When we lose someone we love to death without the understanding of what death is, we become victim to emotional grief. This is normal and the pain should gradually fade with the passage of time.

We never get over our loss but we do eventually get used to it. But there are times when we wish we could visit with those who are gone just one more time…

As it so happens, there’s an app for that! Well not literally an application but a set of procedures that we can use to communicate with the dearly departed. It exists in different forms in different cultures and has existed since time immemorial.

Necromancy.

You see, death is not a real thing. The “spirit” for lack of a better word is outside of this world and also exists outside of time itself (which is also an illusion). You can know this for certain by attaining Enlightenment or by simply dying yourself. But you don’t have to have a sure knowledge of this in order to successfully commune with the dead. The belief that you can do this will suffice. And the stronger that belief, the higher will be your level of success.

Which brings us to a ritual that exists in different cultures in different forms. It’s origins and history are murky at best. Which makes it perfect for our purpose. It’s called The Dumb Supper. Just a word of advice, keep it solemn, keep it respectful and ground yourself in your love for the one you are summoning. If you get scared, that fear may open the door for something frightful to manifest instead.

It is traditionally performed at midnight on Samhain or Halloween night when it is believed that the veil between the worlds is thinnest. However you can perform it anytime you wish. It may help to pick a day that was special to the person you wish to summon such as a birthday or an anniversary. What we are looking for here is symbolism that not only applies to the desired spirit but also to death itself. We want to thin the Veil, not open it.

The Ritual

Do try to perform it at midnight. Not only for the symbolism but also that is a time when you are least likely to be disturbed. Seven days before the night you intend to hold the ritual, take some time each day to think about the person you want to visit you. Remember them and the times you shared when they were alive. Reach out to them in your mind and talk to them. Tell them that you are inviting them dinner and tell them the night and time you will be expecting them.

When the night for the ritual arrives, set out a table with settings for two people. You must make the tablecloth and as much of the tableware as possible black. Place a black candle on the chair opposite the one you will be sitting in.

Consecrate the area in whatever way you like. Cast a circle, burn some sage, say a prayer of protection. Whatever makes you comfortable.

You will prepare a meal of the food and drink that was loved by the person when they were alive. Make sure it is something you like as well. Have it prepared ahead of time.

When the time comes, dress yourself completely in black and sit down at the table at least half an hour before midnight. It’s called The Dumb Supper because you must conduct the entire ritual in complete silence. Spend the time thinking about the spirit who will visit and believe as strongly as you can that they will be there. When midnight arrives, light the candle (which should be the only light in the room), serve the food and pour the drinks at both place settings.

In your mind and heart, welcome your guest but do not say a word. Just keep yourself open to anything that might happen. After you are done eating and drinking, you may converse with you guest in your thoughts. Do not actually speak aloud or the spell will be broken. The spirit’s response can come in many different ways. It may be immediate or it may arrive soon after. It may be conscious or unconscious depending on your level of sensitivity.

When you feel that the visit has ended, silently remind the spirit that it no longer lives in this world and cannot stay. Bid the spirit goodbye and close the ritual with some form of “Amen” or “So Mote It Be”. Turn on the lights and clean up. Try to restore a sense of normalcy.

Pay close attention to your dreams and synchronicities for the next few days. Otherwise you might miss some messages. Be sure to write down any experiences because, like dreams, they may swiftly fade from memory.

Scaring the Bogeyman

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On January 21, 2022

In Philosphing

Aliens and angels. Gods and daemons. The Fey and the Djinn.

Call them what you like. There are entities that we don’t want to know about for the most part. Our refusal to look for them makes them appear to be hiding in the shadows. They are as plain as day to some of us but for most, they are mysterious ghost-like figures that interact with us as if from a different dimension.

There is nothing wrong with this. It is the natural order of all Creation.

Throughout time, mankind had looked up to these Powers in our bid to rise to higher levels of consciousness through prayers and magic as well as through invention and mastery over our physical environment. They in turn, have been ready to uplift some individuals as a way to gradually bring the entire population both in spirit and in body up to their own levels of understanding and ability.

And there are the other ones. The ones who will happily lure you down to their level. Since they have little of real value to offer, they will make great promises to appeal to your weakest nature. Your ego. Do you want money? Power? Fame?

Are they evil? Not ultimately. They don’t understand humans. We are a shadowy presence to them. Only when they can draw us down to their own level can they comprehend our motives and desires.

It has often been said that they feed on our fear but this is not literally the case. They enjoy frightening us for the same reason we find it funny to induce a jump-scare upon friends or family. They find it deeply funny.

What they do not enjoy is if you can turn the tables by laughing at them. Drowning them in gales of laughter is the surest way to rid yourself of so-called evil entities.

Govern-mental

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On November 20, 2021

In Scraps

Imagine a small island upon which are 100 castaways. They are strangers to each other and were all shipwrecked at the same time. They can each scrounge enough food and water to live on but not much more.

How might their societal structure develop?

The initial situation is anarchy. Not necessarily a bad thing. There is simply no authority. Each person on the island is equal to the others and nobody is in charge. Alas, utopias cannot last. Sooner or later the more physically powerful and selfish will begin to take resources from their weaker and less assertive companions.

Now we have criminals.

The victims will soon learn to form into groups for mutual defense.

Now we have police.

These groups will sort themselves into hierarchies according to their intelligence and the drive for status of their members.

Now we have government.

The government will create projects to make life easier for the inhabitants (or at least for themselves). This will require a portion of the inhabitants resources.

Now we have taxes.

Et cetera…

I am writing this in response to a friend of mine who is an enthusiastic advocate of anarchy as being the ultimate form of government. Idealism can be a good thing but if it is not tempered by experience and observation, it can lead to large-scale disasters. Communism for example, sounds good in theory and would be a great way to govern a society of angels. As we have seen however, humans are incapable of wielding power without falling into the temptation to accumulate wealth and to manipulate the system for their own ends.

I can imagine a society where children are taught from the very beginning the value of love and kindness to others. Where friendship and compassion and service to others is instilled at an early age as the very foundation of a just and happy society. Where the sharing of resources is…

Ah, never mind.

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