~ JANUARY 16th-31st, 2008 ~

(the latest entries are always added to the top)

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. - AL I:40

Thursday January 31st 2008 – 8:45am I just added the new picture of me in the upper left hand corner of this blog. My brother sent it [and others] to me. It's from around 1971. Of course I had long hair. I also use to wear that old black hat everywhere, along with that dungaree jacket, scarf and hip-hugger bell-bottoms with boots. Yes, I thought I looked good!

6:30am For the history buffs: Dr. John ‘Cunningham’ Fian, an alleged leader of the North Berwick Witches, was arrested on the 26th and tortured for days, but he refused to confess to the twenty counts charged against him, such crimes as: “Conspiracy with Satan to wreck the ship carrying King James to Norway, on a visit to his future queen, by throwing a dead cat into the sea.” He was finally found guilty and executed in Scotland on this day. As was the general custom, he was first strangled and then “immediately put into a great fire, being ready provided for that purpose, and there burned in the Castle Hill of Edinburgh, on a Saturday in the end of January last past.” Historically, the date of his death has been listed as either being on the 30th or 31st, 1591. ……. Also, Merwan Sheriar Irani more commonly known as Meher Baba the ‘Compassionate Father’ died on this date in 1969 at the age of seventy five.  His followers merely claimed he ‘dropped the body’ which is a euphemism used by the Baba lovers. In 1925 he took a vow of silence ‘to save mankind from the monumental forces of ignorance’ and although many of his followers hoped he’d break his silence before death they were greatly mistaken.  He uttered no last words of wisdom and so the world remains ignorant.  ……. And finally, another important death to report is the Slack Guru J. R. ‘Bob’ Dobbs who was tragically assassinated in San Francisco on this date in 1984 by his evil twin brother the Anti-Bob, or Dick Dobbs who wanted to take over the Texas based Church of the Sub-Genius. Woodman Atwell was named the assassin. He had legally changed his name to ‘Puzzling Evidence.’ He never stood trial and to this day he is a free man. Bob Dobbs is the epitome of the eternal slack master and his Church claims that he was an actual real person, an aluminum siding salesman, who had started on the path to Subgenius in the late 1950's. However, in truth, Bob is merely a figment of church founders’ Rev. Ivan Stang and Dr. Philo Drummond chemically-enhanced imaginations.

Wednesday January 30th 2008 – For the history buffs: Ivan T. Sanderson was born on this date in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1911. In his early career Sanderson was a nature writer but soon became an enthusiastic Fortean author; devoting the majority of all his later books and articles to mysterious phenomena of all kinds from strange monsters, sea serpents to Bigfoot. He was the founder of The Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained. Some of his most notable books were Uninvited Visitors (1967), Things (1967), More Things (1969), Invisible Residents (1970) and Investigating the Unexplained (1972). He died on February 19, 1973 of cancer at the age of 62. ….... also, Zsusanna Budapest (aka Zsusanna Mokcsay) was born on this date in Budapest, Hungary in 1940. She is a Wiccan psychic in San Francisco and a prolific author on the topic of female spirituality. She has authored of such books as Grandmother Moon (1991), The Goddess in the Office (1993), The Goddess in the Bedroom (1995) and The Holy Book of Women’s Mysteries (1989).

Tuesday January 29th 2008 – 3:20pm Luna sent an email. She writes, "J 93! Last night I was trying to channel Phyllis, to help me with a landscape drawing for a twist on the the 10 of Disks card...but the line was busy, so I called in Pamela Coleman Smith, but I must have made a mistake in the pronunciation, and got Anna Nicole Smith instead.  I'm okay with it, except for the fact that I will have to go to Frederick's of Hollywood and upsize my bras!!!!  :) 93s )O(." ....... Reply:  I just got back from walking in the rain all the way to my son's school to pick him up only to find out that he stayed home today, sick. Can we say, "Auggghhhhhh!" Anyway, you're email brought a much needed smile. I fell out of my chair laughing!  It's a blog entry for sure!  Thanks.    

1:45pm Ah, every now and then I get an odd question. This one was about Urophagia. I was asked if I ever “heard of it or practiced it” in my “magickal travels in sex magick.” Let me answer that by quoting Proverbs 5:15 - “Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well.” … Like other bodily fluids, urine is an acquired taste. In some countries like China, urine is consumed by millions of people daily as the source of health, beauty and for ‘centering oneself.’ It is a daily supplement. It is also said to be the Magickal Elixir of choice of Holy Men and yogis throughout India and it has been drunk for thousands of years within the Tantras. Can so many people be wrong? On another level, in Siberia the Korvaks drink urine in conjunction with the use of Amanita Muscaria (fly agric) mushroom because they’ve learned that after getting ‘high’ the active alkaloids in the mushroom are simply passed out of the human body unchanged in their urine and thus a bottle of ‘special water’ carries the intoxicating effects of the mushroom for recycling! Anyway, urine is naturally sterile depending upon whether or not a person is healthy or ill. Also, if you don’t like the taste remember that your body cannot process artificial sweeteners, which it excretes, so consuming diet soda helps sweeten. However, if urine is ‘naturally’ sweet it could be a sign of diabetes so check with your doctor. Sadly, western thinking tends to find most things like this distasteful, perverse or utterly disgusting due to its puritanical roots and because of such, urine is not quite the breakfast of champions.

12:15pm Miguel writes an email with just eight words: "Are Shekina, Holy spirit, and Daimon same thing?" .... Answer: Besides being a question poorly written, common sense research by any gifted student could easily have answered this question instead of torturing me but I guess you simply want to know my views so here it is. I'd say that some writer and authorities claim that they are the same thing but in truth, they are not. For instance; from a psychological point-of-view, where 'objective' entities don't exist, all three are one and same aspect of the eternal feminine within ... but from a magickal point-of view, they are not the same. The word Skekina literally translates as a "Divine Presence" and Kabbalist often use it when referring to God in the feminine; which is similar to the 'Holy Spirit' of Christianity. ... but both are NOT the daimon. The daimon is neither male, nor female, it's neutral. It is similar to the other two only in its relationship to connect us with God. What is the distinction between them? In other words, stand in a Holy Temple or Church and the feeling that you get is Shekina or the Holy Spirit; it's the inspiring feeling you get of God's presence. The daimon, on the other hand, is an actual objective, or independent entity who acts as a go-between for you and God. To actually experience the daimon is to experience the Holy Spirit but they are not the same. Understand?

10:45am Bryan writes, “As I reflected on this throughout the day yesterday, I realized a few of the things I found this morning in your response, but in my own way.  Let me express that, and see if it's anything like what you meant.  … People play out archetypes in the world. Not completely ignoring how these archetypes affect everyone, that is, the bisexuality of the soul, men and women are different. Are these differences purely biological, or are they affected by an archetype? I suspect they are affected by an archetype, and manifested biologically. This doesn't mean men can't explore their feminine side, nor that women can't explore their masculine side. These are more the concern of the personal archetype. However, society still has roles it shuffles men and women into, although this has loosened up. This is the society we chose to incarnate into, therefore, we have to deal with those societal influences, and try to understand their archetypal root. This, I believe, is the reason for studying the previous Aeonic Current - it still holds sway over our society today.  That is changing, yes, but as you point out, the change occurs over time. The new archetypes, the Aquarian / Leo archetypes, are still in the process of manifesting. I agree, we won't know how those will manifest out, and probably won't be able to fully understand them until they have played out completely (i.e. in another 2000 years). Because of that, the only thing we can do is tap into that current and allow it to shape our own lives.  At best, we live by example. That's an adequate answer for "What to do?"  Other than that, we have no control over the changing archetypes. They work at too large a level for any one person - even Crowley - to "control". Crowley ushered in the New Aeon, he didn't create it. … As for the majority of humanity, the servants of Nuit are few and secret. I doubt society at large will even think to ask why things are changing. … Help those foul little creatures of the opposite sex?  No chance in hell, they wouldn't - even shouldn't! - accept help from a man!  It's fun to speculate what the challenges of Thelema as a whole are, though.  It doesn't mean I think I effect them single-handedly. … I continue to learn to know myself every day.  I've realized I can be quite a bastard!” ..... Answer: Very good. But if you aspire to be a single building block; you can move mountains.

6:00am For the history buffs: Jeanne de Anges died peaceably on this date in 1665. She was a Nun of an Ursuline convent in Loudun, France. Some thirty years earlier her demonic possession was considered by some to be the most classic case in the annals of European witchcraft history. The priest in charge of the convent, Urbain Grandier, was accused of bewitching her with the aid of the demon Asmodeus, to compel her to ‘think and do’ impure thoughts. Under torture Grandier supposedly confessed and was burned alive in 1634. …… also, Emanuel Swedenborg was born as Emanuel Swedberg (or Svedberg) on this date in Stockholm, Sweden in 1688. He was an inventor, author, philosopher and mystic who devoted his life to studying the Holy Scripture and publishing eighteen theological titles. These works present a unique Christian perspective on the nature of God, the spiritual world around us, the human mind and the path to salvation. He was also deeply involved in FreeMasonry and established what is now called the Swedenborgian Rite. Aleister Crowley was so impressed by his writings that he personally believed Swedenborg was at least an Adeptus Exemptus since he had published his thesis on the ‘nebular hypothesis’ to explain the birth of the planets and the universe. Swedenborg died in London on March 29th, 1772, at the age of eighty-four. …… but on a more serious note; the comic actor William Claude Dukenfield was born on this date in Philadelphia in 1880. He later changed his name to W. C. Fields. He was legendary for his dislike of small children and dogs; he was also an alcoholic famous for such quotes as “Everyone must believe in something. I believe I’ll have another drink.” Throughout his life Fields despised religions, observing that “...more people are driven insane through religious hysteria than by drinking alcohol.” In the end one of the last people to see him alive was his friend and fellow actor Thomas Mitchell. Standing next to the bed Mitchell noticed a small black book protruding out from under the blanket. Upon investigation he saw that it was The Holy Bible. Astonished, he asked Fields, “Your reading the Bible, Bill. Why?” Fields, in his typical dry manner, simply looked up and replied, “I was looking for loopholes.” In a last bit of irony, Fields died in 1946 on the one holiday that he despised the most  Christmas.  ……. And finally, solely for my own amusement, I’d like to mention that on this date in 1979, it being a Monday morning, seventeen year old Brenda Spencer of San Diego California took up a position outside the Cleveland Elementary School and waited for the principal to unlock the front doors. She was armed with a .22 semi-automatic and 500 rounds of ammo which was given too her as a loving Christmas gift by her father. When the children started showing up, Brenda opened fire. For 20 minutes she had the students, teachers, and even the crossing guard pinned down. In that time she managed to kill the Principal and school caretaker, also injuring nine kids, aged between 6 and 12. Once tired of the game, she simply went home and waited for the police. The only explanation she could give for her actions was: “I just started shooting, that’s it. I just did it for the fun of it. I just don’t like Mondays. ... I just did it because it’s a way to cheer the day up. Nobody likes Mondays.” Her story inspired the classic 1980 song titled “I don’t like Mondays” by the Irish band known as the Boomtown Rats.

Monday January 28th 2008 – 5:20pm I just tried to channel Grady but instead I got Phyllis. She wants me to go out and buy a bottle of champagne and then she started bitching about Grady! I stood there admittedly bewildered; my mouth slightly opened, saliva dripping out of the corner, eyes starring blindly forward at the wall. And while one side of my brain nagged, the other side kept repeating, "Yes, it’s a Monday night and I don’t think you're going to get laid!"

4:35pm Luna writes, "J 93! Heh heh, been reading your bloggings. While at Crowleymas I heard that some of the Friends of Grady would like to be self-employed, like you. You guys should start a "Female Trouble?  Dial:  976-GRADY Hot Line" (major credit cards accepted) The guys can go into trance, channel Grady and talk to these ladies! OK!  Back to the grind: making more valentines using Uncle Al, Grady and Jane. 93s )O(." ......  Reply: That is not a bad idea but knowing that old Libra personally, I would bet my life on it that no matter where Grady is, he would be advising each young girl in a way to get into their pants. ... hey, wait a minute, why am I knocking this? ... OK, any girl who wants to talk to Grady, I'll let Grady use my body ... so give me a call!  :)- 

3:40pm Regarding the 'Kennedy Curse', Maria from southern California writes, "Well you are the first to call it, and if plays out even remotely like that, we shall all have to give you credit! There definitely is something about the old adage, "be careful what you ask for." This certainly is the most interesting presidential race in recent memory. For a political and history junky like my husband, it's like a Super Bowl of epic proportions." .... Reply; yes it is amusing. I love ancient Roman history. My son is named after the son of one of the greatest military dictators Lucius Cornelius Sulla. His son's name was Faustus Cornelius, as is mine. Anyway, our country mimics ancient Republican Rome and we are too stupid to realize it. History is repeating itself. In ancient Rome there were two consuls elected each year to be a check and balance against the other while fighting for the cause of Rome. But in the end, those Senators who ‘supposedly’ defended the aristocracy and upper echelon of Roman families [whom we could call modern Republicans] and those who defended the common people [like the modern Democrats] fought so much amongst themselves that both inevitably were reduced to defending their jobs in the Senate out of fear of losing power. To keep their jobs the Senators began promising the people of Rome anything ... but they rarely fulfilled any of their promises. This was because each party fought any idea; good or bad, coming from the other side.  It was believed that if something was achieved for the over-all good of Rome it meant that those who thought of it now had power over the other because the 'people' would be behind the party fulfilling their promises. ... Can you see the Catch 22? ... Sadly, nothing got done and all the people suffered but instead of blaming both parties for the mess, the people took sides and blindly started blaming the 'other' party simply because it was the ‘other' party. A scape-goat pacifies a troubled mind. History shows that when neither party was able to work with the other anymore, Rome became chaos, and this led way for Julius Caesar to take control as dictator on the promise to right the wrong. Ah, but enough of politics! …. Maria also added, “As ever the discussion on your blog is fun. Sex still manages to ruffle people's feathers it seems.”  … Yes, and that keeps me chuckling. Why do women get so ruffled by sexual talks while men are reduced to a snickering school-boy behavior?

10:50am Ah, the 'Kennedy Curse' ... It seems Caroline Kennedy proclaimed her endorsement for Senator Barack Obama by proclaiming that she wants a "President like my father." But Obama should be careful of what she wishes for ... although I understand what she is implying some believe that being connected to a 'Kennedy' often unleashes the 'curse' and if so, does this mean that if Obama is elected that he'll be assassinated 'like her father' ? In magick we learn that demons are all around us, wanting to assist at the slightest calling but they have a way of twisting one's wishes; remember the story about Crowley asking them for money and walking out the door and finding a penny? Is this not what he 'literally' asked for? ... Personally, I like Obama alot, more so than other candidates but maybe he should be careful of some endorsements whose families might have 'curse-like connections' and to be safe he should get a Vice Presidential candidate whom no one will want to see become President!

9:20am Why is that I keep putting my foot in my mouth? Is it because it's Monday? Now, shaking me head back and forth, I mutter, "Mary, Mary, Mary."  When I wrote, "... no one will care about you in this life after you have moved on into the next." I was not saying what you have "contributed to this world is worthless." Mea culpa if I offend! But lighten up on me today and stop dissecting my emails because it is beginning to imply to me that you're looking for a fight as a means of ignoring the rest of my email. Defensive maneuvering is a good thing but you're beginning to annoy me.

9:00am Ok Mary, I apologize and admit in hindsight my comment about your 'sexual experiences' in your youth does leave my reader wondering what could have happened to you that was so 'vile' but I was taking a lead from your own email. To clarify what you said, it simply implied that you experimented in your late teens, you enjoyed yourself and have since moved on ... but again, my question is: "Why be ashamed of adolescent behavior?" I not saying, regardless if you’re uncomfortable now with what you did, that you must still do it. The experience was then, this is now. We tend to forget that besides living one incarnation after another that we also live multiple incarnations in our body during the course of our lifetime.  Be that as it may, each one of us would love to explore our past lives to see who we were and learn of the experiences that we went through … yet here we are, right now, afforded the same opportunity to consciously review our past as it appeared in this body and how it affects our present, but you want to run from it?  What happens if you explore and discover that in your past incarnation you did 100 times more sexual exploits than in your present?  ... No one cares about ‘then’ and no one will care about you in this life after you have moved on into the next.  Lighten up. Find joy in this life and in all your experiences.

7:25am To Mary, yes, you picked your incarnation so why are you ashamed at exploring your youth no matter how vile of memories it might contain? We all have sexual experiences and if I told you some of my childhood exploits you might blush. But each story is a building block reflecting who I am and without such I would most likely not be where I am are right now. Remember, you cannot change the past, no matter how hard you try to either deny it or ignore it. As a magician, it is easier to embrace it and consider each story a lesson that makes you stronger. Ironically, a person's biggest fear is usually not rooted in themselves remembering what they've done but in the fear of how others will look at them if their past has been exposed. Therein lies the secret. As a magician, it is no one's business about your quest to 'Know Thyself.'

6:45am Bryan from Sacramento responded to a quote that I posted on Friday January 25th 2008 at 2:45pm regarding ‘women’.  He writes, “I found Ponce's quotes to be interesting to ponder. He says, "Woman as a spiritual factor is the desired, but woman as an existent in her own right is exemplary of a downfallen clod of earth."  It seems to me one of the Old Aeonic archetypal challenges of Thelema as a whole is to get the existent woman to first stop acting like a downfallen clod of earth so she can take her proper place as an individual, a star. The majority of women I've encountered seem to be unconcsciously driven by earth-security and success, even if they consciously deny it (and not to deny what that statement says about me!).  What to do then?” ….. Answer: It sounds logical but we are too early into the New Aeon to fully understand the feminine manifestation or changes coming about and its nice to think how we can ‘help’ women but we are at a disadvantage. No matter what we determine, it is from our [i.e. a man’s] point-of-view.  … As for myself, as a magician, I know that spiritual changes never start from this plane but are always rooted from within. What we are seeing with women aggressively moving forward in society is this ‘unconscious’ shift. … Remember, just as the majority of humanity hasn’t a clue as to how astrology really works it doesn’t negate the fact that the sign that they were born under has been affecting them since childhood. The same goes for the Aquarian shift affecting the whole planet.  Most people haven’t a clue as to ‘why’ things are changing. However, as magicians and acting like scientists, we try to understand this new astral current bathing our Earth. To do such I would first recommend to all my students that they study the previous Aeonic Current (Pisces) and then think about the present by watching society’s behavior. It is important that they analyze the sign ruling this new shift, it being Aquarius, and especially its opposite or Leo. These two forces, more than any other, will be affecting our planet’s attitude [unconsciously] for the next two thousand years. But the Key to always remember is that, although Aquarius is a female influence, it will be affecting all of humanity: both men and women!  So it's nice to wanna help those foul little creatures of opposite sex but unless you 'Know Thyself' first; no matter what you determine will be tainted by the vehicle holding the thought. So what am I saying, well Bryan, as a man, how is the new Aeon of Aquarius affecting you?

6:00am For the history heap: Not much to report today except for the fact that on this date in 1975 at 2:12pm, Billy” Eduard Albert Meier of Switzerland began a series of physical and telepathic contacts with extraterrestrial beings from the planet Erra in the Pleiades. One of the space women told him, “I am called Semjase.” Billy was even allowed to photograph her “beamship” during its flight maneuvers. He took over 1,000 of the clearest photos of extraterrestrial spacecraft ever seen, others disagree and argue that he took over 1,000 of the most obvious fraudulent photos ever taken. Be that as it may, since this date in 1989, Billy supposedly has had about four contacts a year with Ptaah, the father of Semjase as well as with other aliens. ... but I'm not impressed; living here just off Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, California I can boast the same! They don't call this Bezerkeley for no reason at all! There are Aliens everywhere!

Sunday January 27th 2008 – 8:00am Shiva, the author of the recent inspiring book on this history of the Solar Lodge titled 'Inside Solar Lodge, Outside the Law' sent me an email this morning wherein he writes: "An interesting forum thread on "Inside Solar Lodge" has recently developed on lashtal.com. The direct link is: http://www.lashtal.com/nuke/PNphpBB2-viewtopic-t-2669.phtml. According to your predisposition, you may wish to review this rather lively discussion." .... Answer: Yes, it is rather amusing. If interested in the Solar Lodge, my readers may want to check it out. Yes, I am mentioned ...

6:00am For the history buffs: The renowned Victorian author Charles Lutwidge Dodgson more commonly known by his pseudonym of Lewis Carroll was born on this date in 1832 in Daresbury, Cheshire, England, the son of a clergyman. Although multi-talented in many areas he achieved lasting fame as the author of Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland (1865) and Through the Looking-Glass (1871). He died in Guildford on January 14, 1898. ….... and finally, John Francis Toye was born on this date in England in 1883. He was the cousin of the noted artist Gerald Kelly, whose sister Rose misguidedly married Aleister Crowley. Toye once wrote, “Of all the extraordinary people I met  … undoubtedly the most extraordinary was Aleister Crowley. Crowley, like the author of Hadrian VII, whom in many ways he much resembled, was a genius gone wrong, with a remarkable talent for Browningesque verse, a soaring imagination, and a sense of humour altogether exceptional. Indeed, in retrospect, his sense of humour stands out as his most striking attribute.” He goes on to give an example of Crowley’s humor by telling us that when Crowley bought his estate in Scotland, on Loch Ness, he posted signs saying “Beware of the Ichthyosaurus!” and “The Donotheriums are out today!” John Francis Toye died in 1964.

Saturday January 26th 2008 – 11:55pm I just added a few more pictures onto the fourth page of my 'TELEGRAPH AVENUE MEMORIES' webpage.

5:10am IMPORTANT NOTICE: the lecture that was scheduled for Saturday February 16th titled IN QUEST OF THE HOLY GUARDIAN ANGEL; Reading & Reviewing Chapter Two has been cancelled; it will be rescheduled [most likely for March 1st]. When initially scheduling this date I totally spaced that I had a prior commitment which I really cannot break. Sorry.

5:00am For the history buffs: Hans Holzer was born on this date in Vienna, Austria in 1920. He is a world-renowned parapsychologist, lecturer and author of more than 119 books dealing with paranormal phenomena, witchcraft and UFOs. He has been an active writer in television and films. He was a TV producer of the In Search Of series. A few of his classics books are Ghost Hunter (1965) Ghosts I’ve Met (1965), Yankee Ghosts (1966) and The Lively Ghosts of Ireland (1967). ….. also, Andrew Standish was born on this date in 1930. Approximately nine months earlier his mother, Stella Taylor, reportedly cheated on her husband Len Standish. She had an affair with Aleister Crowley while the latter was briefly visiting Brussels. Unfortunately, Mr. Crowley, who kept extensive diaries about all his affairs and often dropped names like water; never once mentions either Stella or ‘his’ new son anywhere. Be that as it may, when young Andrew grew up he decided to claim his ‘rightful heritage’ by changing his name to Amado Crowley. However, he has never offered one shred of evidence to prove his claims about being Aleister Crowley’s illegitimate son. He is the author of such books as The Secrets of Aleister Crowley (1991), The Riddles of Aleister Crowley (1992) and The Wrath of Aleister Crowley (1994). ……. Also, for the wiccans, Roy Bowers was born into a Methodist family in London, England on this date in 1931. He is more commonly known as Robert Cochrane. He was a practicing English ‘hereditary witch’ who in the early fifties founded his own coven based on his family tradition; calling his group the Clan of Tubal Cain. The noted witch Doreen Valiente was initiated into his group in 1964 but soon became disillusioned with Cochrane as she realized he was more fiction than fact. To this day, many of his hereditary claims have yet to be proved. He died in 1966 on the eve of Summer Solstice in what some have claimed was a ritual suicide after ingesting belladonna, more commonly known as Deadly Nightshade. Others claim it was simply an accident. ..….. and finally, for the UFO hunters; Bob Lazar was born on this date in Coral Gables, Florida, to unknown parents in 1959. He was adopted by Albert Lazar and his wife. Bob Lazar gained world wide notoriety in November of 1989 by going on a Las Vegas television station and announcing to the world that he was a physicist who worked at the top secret Area 51 involving ‘Flying Saucers.’ He claimed to have seen a total of nine flying saucers housed in hangars built into a hillside. He even said that he had hands-on experience with one of the craft and he could describe its propulsion system in detail. Lazar says he read briefing papers about the alien presence but that he saw no aliens himself, aside from a fleeting glimpse of a small figure through a window at the facility.

Friday January 25th 2008 – 5:35pm Ricardo writes, “In todays blog (1-25-08, 2:45) you mentioned Ponce’s article on the seeming inverse relation between a theistic belief in female sacredness and a mundane mistreatment of women.  This is, in my opinion, one of the instances in which “Every man and every woman is a star” speaks volumes. Traditionally, and as you so eloquently cover across several issues of Cornelia, there is a recognition of the differences between feminine and masculine formulas.  These differences, however, seem to point to the energetic passage ways within our bodies and how our own temples can be best utilized to bring down the necessary energies for our theurgic or magical work.  That seems to me a proper plane where to recognize and engage with the differences between male and female energies.  When we tend to confuse the planes, however, is when we attribute differences blindly to the individual as a whole.  In other words, we blindly fall into the trap of seeing a woman as all feminine and a man as all masculine.  This is ridiculous.  As a body that is built as a scale model of the universe, we have both male and female energies within.  Ignore one, neglect it, and you indeed cast out a necessary part of yourself.  What then are you to integrate in the solve et coagula?  How are we to give birth to a soul, in the Gurdjieffian sense, without the mother?  … “Every man and every woman is a star” means also that the center of my microcosms is a solar entity regardless of whether my peepee is concave or convex.  The center of my being, my Will, is a sun. Same for a woman.  The Will, as far as I can see, is solar.  The body around it stands in relation to it as Nuit to Hadit.  Could we say that a woman’s star is feminine?  Could we say that her Will is not a star?  I see I-3 as a powerfully revolutionary tenet. It takes away power from institutions, churches, governments, and even gurus to proclaim the eternal self evident status of star to every man and every woman.  At this point and for this reason, I see the practice of “using” another individual’s body without willed participation as an old aeonic practice.  The recognition of the supremacy of my own Will implies (in a sort of Kantian logic) the recognition of the supremacy of Will itself.  In other words, you cannot logically say “the will of this person is important as the center of his universe, but not the will of that other person” anymore than you could say “only our sun is the center of the macrocosmic universe, but not any other star.”  That would be a scientific view of a past Aeon. Similarly, if Thelema is to be the word of this Aeon, it must apply to every star, not just the star of male magicians lusting after the planetary bodies of young females."

2:45pm I just finished a great old book by Charles Ponce titled ALCHEMY, Papers Toward a Radical Metaphysics (CA: Berkeley, Atlantic Books 1983). This book quotes James Hillman throughout. … One of the papers by Ponce is titled Woman, The Feminine and Alchemy.  Every woman should read this paper because it clearly lays Old Aeonic archetypal problems which we need to eradicate, whether the author realized it or not. As an example, he writes: “There appears to be a universal law, unfortunate in its implications, which states that wherever you find a religious or mystical system that exalts the feminine, making of it a divine attribute through which salvation may be known, in the society where that view is furthered you will find a proportionate disregard of woman as social beings.” [p.75]  Sounds like the OTO, no?  Anyway, Ponce goes on to add, “From the Virgin Mary to Sakti to Yin and to the Shekhinah of Kabbalistic doctrine, the case holds true. Woman as a spiritual factor is the desired, but woman as an existent in her own right is exemplary of a downfallen clod of earth.” … I thought I’d pass on this info. Any thoughts out there?

10:00am to Kath, yes, you’re observant, I did mention awhile back that I have a picture of ‘IT’ posted on my website but I did not mention where. Since you asked, go to this page ----------- and click on -----------. I’m not ashamed of my body but I do plead insanity; Aisha made me put up this page awhile back.

9:20am Kath wrote me after reading my Thursday post about ‘seven inches’ calling me an “incurable erotic” and one who sees “the sexual side of everything.” She adds that a “person has to be very careful writing to you.”  … and all I can say in return is that she’s right! … I am very comfortable looking at a Lighthouse and seeing a phallic object or starring into a cave and imaging a woman’s vagina. Words amuse me and my mind is a terrible thing to waste. As an Imp, I have no pretenses that the Universe is not a divine play of opposites in an eternal quest of Union and the Puritanical idea of not talking about sex or our bodies annoys the crap out of me; especially if such restricted thinking is coming from a Thelemite.  On the most mundane level, you incarnated in order to obtain an experience and half of Mystery in seeking the Holy Graal is not in the ‘finding’ but in the ‘quest.’  Enjoy yourself!  Now I’m not advocating licentious behavior if one feels uncomfortable but I am saying, “lighten up.” Seek your comfort zone, explore your sexuality, especially considering that you picked your body as a vehicle for your incarnation and so by all means, don’t be afraid to explore it. … Finally, as to your comment: “I’m afraid to get into an intimate discussion with you because I fear you’ll post it on your blog.” … In truth, very few emails actually make it onto the blog and if you want your emails to be kept secret; in Subject box at the top of the email write in the word ‘Confidential.’  I will never violate this trust. 

9:00am One of our students, Jay, asked a good question earlier in the week but I’m abit slow at answering my emails thanks to my work load.  However, I finally posted my Catalogue last night and today I’ve got some free time. Anyway, Jay writes, “I 've been thinking about what you've said about habit, that no habits are good. I brought up the possibility of cultivating good habits and once again must return to Resh. Firstly, do you say that no habits are good because change is stability and therefore a staunch adherence to habit is an unstable thing? I was perusing the October posts of your blog and found you referring to Uncle Al's insistence that Resh is the most important ritual. Are you debunking it as a "good habit" because habit makes for inattentiveness and that one should perform it in full consciousness? Anyway, I would like to know what the underlying theory is here. Danke.” ….. Answer: This is always a bit confusing but it is easily understood. Unless trained, ‘habits’ often keep us ‘zombies’ in Malkuth; or as Gurdjieff says, “a sleep.”  Continually doing most rituals at the same time, every day, day and night, often makes them mere rhetoric. Part of the Mystery with Liber RESH vel Helios is trying to let it flow naturally, almost unconsciously, when you are moved and then record the time that you performed it. Crowley gives is a brief breakdown of the layers of LIBER RESH when he writes: "Here are given the four Adorations to the sun, to be said daily at dawn, noon, sunset and midnight. The Object of this practice is firstly to remind the aspirant at regular intervals of the Great Work; secondly, to bring him into conscious personal relation with the centre of our system; and thirdly; for advanced students, to make actual magical contact with the spiritual energy of the sun and thus draw actual force for him." … Most students never get past the first or second layers because they become over concerned with ‘direction & time’ and get boggled down but it is important to understand that as long as you think ‘here now’ or mundane, the third reason for doing Liber RESH will be fleeting. Remember, one's daimon [or elemental] exists within this Solar Light and it communicates to us in its archetypal language, often deep within our Soul. Yes, to perform a ritual due to a conscious affirmation is an important first step but in time you must aspire higher. It's common sense, if it were as simple as reciting a ritual four times a day from a book to obtain our 'Solar Power' wouldn't we have a lot more powerful magicians?  It is because 'habit's tend to restrict freedom and are like chains holding us to Malkuth but not all habits are bad and only an individual can truly judge their own 'restrictions' but in the case of rituals; habits can become dangerous. I cannot go into all the details here but sooner or later our AA students are taught what Crowley taught Grady about Liber RESH and then you'll understand. 

6:00am For the history heap: A lot has happened; I'm only listing a few events. First, on this date, every year, Scotland celebrates the birth of its greatest poet, Robert Burns on what it calls Burn’s Night (b. January 25, 1759). This night is chosen because Robert Burns was born at Alloway, near Ayr, on this date. The typical dish served on this holiday is haggis but before one can eat it one must read to it assorted poetry by Robert Burns. Haggis is simply a traditional Scottish dish of sheep’s stomach stuffed with seasoned meat, oatmeal and barley. Crowley played a rather funny practical joke on a friend who was visiting Boleskine, his home in Scotland. One evening, just as they were about to sit down to dinner, Crowley’s servant, primed of course beforehand, ran into the room and, dropping on one knee explained, “‘My lord, my lord! The haggis is on the hill!” Crowley and his unsuspecting friend snatched their guns and rushed out. It was beginning to get dark but there was still light enough to distinguish not far away an animal with a pair of horns. Crowley’s friend fired both his barrels and immediately killed the animal. He yelled with delight and was about to run forward to claim his prize when Crowley stopped him with a warning that according to local tradition the haggis must never be approached by ‘him who has killed it.’ He went on to say that the carcass would be brought to the hall later, after it was cleaned. So the two went back to their dinner, and, sure enough, later a small procession led by a piper entered the dining hall carrying the now skinned animal. After several perambulations of the table, the horns ‘of the haggis’ were ceremoniously presented to Crowley’s friend. He promised to take them back to Switzerland and affixed them, duly labeled and dated, to the wall of his villa. In truth the horns were merely that of an elderly ram procured for the occasion because, as everyone knows, a haggis is not an animal at all, which was part of Crowley’s joke on his friend. Still, it has been suggested that Crowley’s killing of the haggis never really happened, that it was simply an allegory that he told to imply that Burns is dead and there is a greater poet to whom Scotland should honor. Meaning, of course, himself. ....... also, Antoine Court de Gebelin was born on this date in France in 1728, although some authorities place the year of his birth from anywhere between 1719 to 1728. He was a preacher early in his life, and afterward he devoted himself to the study of antiquity and mythology. Although ridiculed by some, his books were the very first to raise the supposition that the Tarot is actually a ‘book’ containing the purest doctrine of the Ancient Egyptians which has somehow escaped the destruction of the Library of Alexandria. He saw the Tarot cards as being a contemporarily pictorial embodiment of this occult wisdom and a tangible link with the past. He died in Paris on May 10, 1784. ....... and Somerset Maugham was born on this date inside the British Embassy in Paris, France in 1874. He spoke only French until he was orphaned at the age of eleven, after which he was sent to England to be raised by an uncle, a clergyman. Like many writers, Maugham once found himself with a writer’s block. At the age of thirty he decided the best way to stimulate his creativity was to do what he knew best, to travel and so he headed to Paris where he took a small apartment near the Lion de Belfort. He described his first meeting with Aleister Crowley in the story titled A Fragment of Autobiography; “Soon after my arrival, Gerald Kelly took me to a restaurant called Le Chat Blanc in the Rue d’Odessa, near the Gare Montparnasse, where a number of artists were in the habit of dining: and from then on I dined there every night ... one of the casual visitors was Aleister Crowley. He was spending the winter in Paris. I took an immediate dislike to him, but he interested and amused me ... at the time I knew he was dabbling in Satanism, magic and the occult.” In 1906, while in England, he wrote the novel The Magician but it would not be released until November of 1908. One of the main characters in this book was based on Aleister Crowley even though Maugham shared only a brief acquaintance with him. Maugham later wrote, “I do not remember how I came to think that Aleister Crowley might serve as the model for the character whom I called Oliver Haddo; nor, indeed, how I came to think of writing that particular novel at all ... though Aleister Crowley served, as I have said, as the model for Oliver Haddo, it is by no means a portrait of him. I made my character more striking in appearance, more sinister and more ruthless than Crowley ever was. I gave him magical powers that Crowley, though he claimed them, certainly never possessed.” Aleister Crowley bought the book in late November of 1908 when it first hit the stores. He wrote, “The title attracted me strongly, The Magician. The author, bless my soul!  No other than my old and valued friend, William Somerset Maugham, my nice young doctor whom I remembered so well from the dear old days of the Chat Blanc. Yes, I did myself proud, for the Magician, Oliver Haddo, was Aleister Crowley; his house ‘Skene’ was Boleskine. The hero’s witty remarks were, many of them, my own. He had, like Arnold Bennett, not spared his shirt cuff.” Maugham died on December 15, 1965.

Thursday January 24th 2008 – 7:00pm I am finished finally, and I have just posted my new FOR SALE catalogue ... enjoy.

9:50am Carol writes, "Just read your blog; stop with the penis references and get back to more magickal meat! No pun intended.” …. Answer: Actually, Kath sent an email this morning asking about the size of the old Yogi Press books; someone is trying to sell her a Crowley book that is 8 ½ x 11 and I told her its got to be a Xerox bound copy of Clouds Without Water simply blown up and it is not an original. But the only real question that she asked was: “How tall is the original?” I replied on my blog that it “… is seven inches.”  .... Although Carol, now that you mentioned IT ... :)-

7:20am And to Kath - it “… is seven inches.”

6:15am Sorry all for being noticeably absent these last few day and not answering as many emails as I should but I've been swamped with work trying to catalogue, archive and process my next FOR SALE catalogue; which I hope to release on-line Thursday night or Friday morning. Yes, even I need to make money to continue living!

6:10am HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYAN!

Bryan Randall Olson was born January 24, 1970  in Rome, New York. He

has been an AA initiate since the early 1990s; duly recognized and Chartered

to run the Star-Splendour Clerk House in Sacramento, California of Grady

Louis McMurtry's AA lineage. The name was chosen from Liber AL vel

Legis III:38 “Show thy star-splendour, O Nuit!”

6:00am For the history buffs: The German astrologer Louis de Wohl was born on this date in Berlin in 1903. He later escaped from the Nazis and fled to England where he helped the war effort by producing bogus translations of Nostradamus which were used to spread subversive rumors throughout Germany of their impending doom. ….... also amusing, on this date in 1923, while sailing around the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, the Second Officer Bennett, the Fourth Officer N. K. Stone, a Cadet and a Helmsman on a schooner reported seeing the infamous Flying Dutchman which is a ghost ship that sails the tip of Africa. They said that the ship moved quickly and silently, disappearing as suddenly as it had appeared. ..….. and the actress Sharon Marie Tate was born in Dallas, Texas on this date in 1943. She starred in many movies but who can ever forget her role as Jennifer North in the Valley of the Dolls (1967), or her other role in the cult classic The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967). Notoriety overtook her in August of 1969 in the form of Tex Watson and Susan ‘Sadie’ Atkins, the latter licking the blood from her hands after Sharon had been stabbed 16 times. ..…. And finally, Lafayette Ron Hubbard, the hack science fiction writer and pop psychologist, died in hiding on this date in California in 1986. According to a devoted follower who knew Hubbard well - “he was a mixture of Adolf Hitler, Charlie Chaplin, and Baron Munchhausen. In short, he was a con man.”

Wednesday January 23rd 2008 – 6:15am For the history buffs: Today is just one of the many recorded dates believed to be when Grigori Efimovich Rasputin was said to have been born in 1872. Although some place the date much earlier in the 1860’s. Regardless, historians all seem to agree that it took place in a small village of Pokrovskoe in Siberia. The rest is shrouded in a little historical mystery and myth. Rasputin was known as the Mad Monk. He was killed on December 17, 1917 by a cabal of aristocrats who feared Rasputin’s influence had grown too great. Rasputin’s death became the stuff of legend: assassins fed him enough poisoned cakes and wine to kill ten men and when the poison failed they shot him and beat him. Still Rasputin didn’t die, until finally he was bound and tossed into the Neva River. After his body had been recovered the autopsy showed that he drowned. ……. Also, Dr. Tony Agpaoa, ‘The Psychic Surgeon of the Philippines’ died on this date in 1982 and was interred in a glass coffin. Many believed him to be a ‘quack’ who drove around in a gold-plated Mercedes while seemingly performing surgical services by plunging his hands into the body in order to remove cysts and to drain infected areas, all done by sleight-of-hand. In 1968 when Agpaoa visited Detroit to perform ‘surgery’ he was arrested and charged with medical fraud. Choosing not to prove his ability, he skipped his $25,000 bail and fled back to the Philippines. …... and keeping with the flavor of the day, Dr. George King was born on this date in Shropshire, England in 1919. Early in life his deep spiritual interests found expression in traditional Christianity, but he soon learned there was more to life and he turned to psychic phenomena and yoga. His ‘transformation’ occurred on May 8, 1954 when he was sitting alone in his London apartment. He claimed to have heard a loud distinctly human voice saying, “Prepare yourself! You are to become the voice of Interplanetary Parliament.” It came out of nowhere and ended as abruptly as it had happened. He then claimed that a few days later an unidentified world-renowned Yoga Master from India walked ‘through’ his locked door and taught him a series of highly specialized exercises which would enable him to bring about a state of consciousness necessary for the establishment of mental rapport with the Cosmic Masters who inhabit the higher planes of other planets. On their direction King founded The Aetherius Society and began publishing the journal Cosmic Voice. He lectured throughout Britain serving as the channel for numerous transmissions from Cosmic Intelligences whose messages, according to King, constitute the most priceless metaphysical library in the world, with a range and depth of spiritual teachings without equal in the annals of occult truth. In June of 1959, guided by the ‘Cosmic Authority’, Dr. King came to America where The Aetherius Society was incorporated as a non-profit organization in November of 1960. On July 12, 1997 Dr. King passed away in Santa Barbara, California. ……. And finally, Regina Kahl was given Minerval initiation into Aleister Crowley’s O.T.O. in southern California on this date in 1931. She is most famous for the photo of her as the High Priestess sitting on the Gnostic Mass altar at Agape Lodge. Grady Louis McMurtry described her as “a big, square gal from Texas, built sort of like a rock.” She was a teacher of ‘court voice’ at UCLA campus.

Tuesday January 22md 2008 – 1:18pm I've been working on my FOR SALE CATALOGUE all day ... I hope to post it late tomorrow, or Thursday morning. Lots of new items! 

6:40am Mike asks, "Thanks for the reply. I appreciate the kind words but I didn't notice my questions or your answers posted on your blog?" .......  Answer: Well, this is a first! Most people start cringing at the thought that I'll post their emails and say something perverse. Anyway, less than half of all incoming emails are posted to my blog. It's not a LIVE JOURNAL where things get automatically posted and then everyone throws in their two-cents. I pick and choose what I want to add which are usually those things that amuse me. Although your questions were interesting, they were basic and like many, not necessarily as informative for others as I'd prefer. Your questions were simply answered by pointing you in the right direction to go read 'such & such.'  Sorry.

6:10am For the history buffs: There is a lot to report today so I’m going to edit out some entries and abridge others rather than making this section a tome. First, Francis Bacon was born on this date in London in 1561. He was an English philosopher, statesman, FreeMason, essayist and spy. ...… next, Baron Karl von Reichenbach, died on this date in 1869. He was a German scientist and philosopher who coined the phrase ‘Odic Force.’ The term Odic or Od he derived from the name of the Norse god Odin, the creator of life. He used the term to refer to his theories about a hypothetical energy or life force which he believed permeated all living things from plants, animals to humans. …... next, Alfred R. Orage was born on this date in Yorkshire, England in 1873. His brilliant literary skills and wide range of interests led him to edit the enormously influential journal called The New Age from 1907 until 1922. Upon quitting he moved to Fontainebleau where he joined his teacher, Georgii Ivanovitch Gurdjieff. He also established The New English Weekly in April 1932 in which he had hoped to spread the words of Gurdjieff. He died on November 5, 1934. …… also important to mention; Karl Germer was born in Wuppertal, Germany on this date in 1885. In the early thirties Aleister Crowley stayed at his house in Germany and there, during one of his sexual adventures he allowed his ‘semen’ to stain Germer’s new black satin sheets. This was an outrage according to Karl Germer, or so he complained. Crowley found Karl Germer’s attitude absolutely ridiculous. In his private diaries Crowley writes, “I replied with the Mild Wisdom of the Sages: Since when, pray, have Cunts been water tight?” After Crowley’s death Germer assumed the position of Outer Head of the Ordo Templi Orientis, of which he held for almost fifteen years. He died on October 25, 1962 of prostate cancer. His successor, Grady Louis McMurtry, wrote that “surgeons had made the incision at the level of the Lower Penal Sign known to our Order, found that the cancer was inoperable, sewed him up, and sent him home to die. Naturally Sacha was completely incapable of changing the bandages, the wound became infected, he was taken back to the hospital, and it was while the nurses were trying to clean him that he died screaming.” ….... also, Robert E. Howard was born on this date in 1906. Howard was a close friend of H. P. Lovecraft and is probably most famous for creating the stories of Conan the Barbarian. ….... and to keep with today’s flavor, Douglas ‘Wrong Way’ Corrigan was born on this date in 1907. He became a legendary aviator, not so much for his accomplishments but rather because he seemingly misread his compass in 1938 and created a navigational error by flying from New York to Ireland when he was supposed to be flying from New York to California. He died on December 9, 1995. …… and Rupert S. Gleadow was born on this date in Leicester, England in 1909. He was a noted British sidereal Astrologer who wrote The Origin of the Zodiac (1968) and The Zodiac Revealed (1968) as well as a lengthy series of articles in American Astrology Magazine. He died on October 30, 1974. ….... and finally, Linda Denise Blair was born on this date in St. Louis, Missouri in 1959. She was the little pea soup spitting wonder that played the possessed eleven-year old Regan MacNeil in the movie entitled The Exorcist. 

Monday January 21st 2008 – 1:15pm I just got back from the Mediterranean Café here on Telegraph Avenue where I went for coffee with Ben, Tristan; met Jay & Jennifer and we all chatted about life, reality and magick. Anyway, I found a delightful email from Luna. She writes, “I'll check out your hilarious bloggings in a little while.  Your blog is like riding a rollercoaster at high speeds through a diverse theme park. I imagine you being a deft crab walking sideways, unnoticed, through the various sectors of the dreamcatcher pulling this from here and that from there. Your blog is a bizarre and delightful collage!” ….. Answer: Ah, she’s figured me out!  Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!  I’ll have to change my strategy and steer the ship from the stern for awhile! 

8:20am Carol, thanks for the thought about the picture of me holding the 'Dream Catcher' [above left] and although it might have seemed better had the center dot been between my eyes in the forehead, I kinda like to think that it "represents the Eye in the Triangle." Although my son said, "Dad, it looks like you got a fly on your nose!" Anyway, it was my son who took that photo awhile ago and being just eleven at the time, I'm happy to get what I got!

7:40am Rey sent a nice email. He write, "Thank you for the birthday well-wishes. I certainly hope you do raise a pint this evening. I shall extend one in your direction as well, Jer. [smile] I plan to keep it simple today -- relaxation and regeneration.  This afternoon a hot tub, a good book and meditation.  And then in the evening, home-made New Mexico enchiladas and a nice Guiness to wash it down."  ... Yes Rey, I will drink one in your honor! Will a Corona do?

7:00am Hey all, if you want to see some great artwork, check out LUNA’s website: http://sfpsychogeographical.homestead.com/Luna.html ... I like it!  I like it alot! ... Keep up the Great Work! 

6:45am HAPPY BIRTHDAY REY!

Rey DeLupos was born January 21, 1964 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is

Tibetan Buddhist of the Karma Kagyu Sect, an initiate of the Temple of

Thelema and a past member of the College of Thelema, as well as a member

past member of the OTO as a Master Magician and an associate member of

the Builders of Adytum. He is one of the three founders of the AUM-IAO.

The Antient Universal Masonry-Illvminatvs Antiqvvs Ordo which is an

independent Masonic Order founded on August 18, 2002. AUM-IAO is a

fraternal sodality devoted to the communication and study of the degrees of

Freemasonry, and linking of like minded brothers in small, secret lodges. Rey

is the current head of this clandestine fraternity. He is also the acting

Administrator-General for the Servants of the Star and Snake and an initiate

of the Adi-nath Sampradaya. He is also an AA initiate; duly recognized

and Chartered to run a Clerk House in Grady Louis McMurtry’s lineage

titled the Queen of Heaven Clerk House. It was Chartered in New Mexico on

March 6, 2004. The name was chosen from Liber AL vel Legis I:33: “Then

the priest fell into a deep trance or swoon, & said unto the Queen of Heaven;

write unto us the ordeals; write unto us the rituals; write unto us the law!”

6:30am For the history buffs: On this date Rome’s third and most ruthless emperor, Gaius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, more commonly known as Caligula, was murdered by members of his own Praetorian Guard in 41AD. He was only 28 years old. ….. also, The Charleston Courier ran an interesting article in their paper on this date in 1843 titled The Exhibition at the Masonic Hall. It dealt with a traveling exhibition which had come to their city. It seems that in August of 1842 an English gentleman named Dr. J. Griffin arrived in New York bearing a spectacular curiosity, the body of a real mermaid. Griffin explained that he had acquired it in South America, though it had been caught near the Feejee Islands. He also claimed that he was on his way to England where the mermaid would become part of the collections of the Lyceum of Natural History. However, before traveling over seas the mermaid was first put on display in P. T. Barnum’s American Museum in New York. It drew enormous interest and was widely accepted as authentic. Soon afterwards it went on tour around the country but Southerners reached an opposite conclusion than their Northern brethren. The Charleston Courier claimed that the mermaid was a fraud perpetrated by “our Yankee neighbors.” Due to this article a heated exchanges of letters and more articles ensued which either defended or challenged the mermaid’s authenticity. It became an issue of ‘honor.’ 

Sunday January 20th 2008 – 3:45pm A Student writes, re: Jan.17th 5:30pm's  previous posting: "I must say that some times i feel like your inside my head and/or certain things pop up on the blog at just the right time. Much of my studies and writings lately have been dealing with how the interplay between Anima and Animus swirl around our star; and in this proccess I have noticed much about the interplay between the sphere's surrounding Tiphareth and all of this always feeds into my understanding of the formula of the preistess. A light went off when you drew a connection between Geburah and Netzach being IXth and Hod and Chesed being XIth. I have been looking at Anima as the spheres of Hod, Netzach and Lower Tiphareth and Animus as being Geburah, Chesed and upper Tiphareth. In doing this I saw the interplay and balance between upper and lower self in a new light and all works harmonously for me. The center paths can be seen as Father, Son, Mother and Daughter. In my journal I have been calling the paths of Ayin-Yod the Animus axis and the paths of Nun-Lamed the Anima axis. NOTE: the importance Mars plays here; Some call Mars the seat of the true will, whikle I actually favor it a bit higher on the tree but one thing which commonly accepted is that Mars is the seat of the Libido or the sexual energies and I don't need to explain to your the significance of the path Peh which unites Mercury to Venus and sits on either side of O-N! But of course it isn't a co-incidence that 80/Peh is the enumeration of both the axis mentioned above! Nor is that Ayin is exalted in mars and Nun ruled by mars! These three lower paths of Ayin-Peh-Nun= 200 the sun and are alll atributed to Mars! (Also the three paths of Nun-Kaph-yod=80) The Three paths that make up the higher self Lamed-Teth-Yod= 49 the Rose Cross while the three outer paths Mem-Teth-Kaph=69 the Holy Kisses, and much more... in all cases Mars is central and all of this whirls around the WORD. Back to the center paths; Ayin-Yod can be seen as son and father just as Nun-Lamed is Daughter-Mother. It is the interplay between these myths which create Anima and Animus. Much more here than I can email but I think you have an idea of where my crazy mind has been as of late."

3:00pm Robert sent an email, he writes, "Sorry we all kept you up so late last night, yet another good reason to start early, but it was a good deal of fun! and neither Jerri or I had seen you for some time." ...... Answer: It was great to see both of you and Andy; and it was nice to hear details of your visit abroad.  It was also nice to see Jerri; she has such a beautiful smile ... and it always brightens a space.

2:45pm Jay writes, "Hey Jerry, sounds like I kind of missed out on a wild night (at least relatively). I would like to have stayed, but was actually rather burnt out from the previous night and fucking starving. Oh well. Maybe next time I'll try to bring a heap of beer for post-lecture madness. We'll have good times. I hope you're feeling alright today." ...... Reply: actually, it wasn't wild, nor drunken, just good conversation until the late hours.

11:13am I just had my third cup of coffee and I'm beginning to focus; yes I'm on my computer a tad bit later than usual. Last night around seven we begin our lecture series on the theory and practice of the Holy Guardian Angel; it was a packed crowd, great energy, conversation and questions which went on until almost two in the morning! ... Admittedly, I didn't drink much, maybe three beers with twice that in glasses of water but that doesn't negate the fact that my brain hurts today! I'm moving slow, have mercy on me! 

Saturday January 19th 2008 – 10:00am One of my friends wrote me to point out that “although you mentioned the Jersey Devil on January 16th, today is actually one of the most important sightings.” And he asked if I knew about this etc & etc. Yes, I did but I edited out the story from my History Heap rather than allowing the HH to get too long. I guess I should have left it in? Anyway, here is what I edited out:  The New Jersey Devil made his longest appearance on this date (January 19) in 1909 starting at 2:30 am when Mr & Mrs. Nelson Evans of Gloucester were awakened by a strange noise. They watched the devil from their window for almost ten minutes. Mr. Evans described the creature. “It was about three feet and half high, with a head like a collie dog and a face like a horse. It had a long neck, wings about two feet long, and its back legs were like those of a crane, and it had horse’s hooves. It walked on its back legs and held up two short front legs with paws on them. It didn’t use the front legs at all while we were watching. My wife and I were scared, I tell you, but I managed to open the window and say, ‘Shoo’, and it turned around barked at me, and flew away.” The following Tuesday two professional hunters tracked the devil for about twenty miles throughout Gloucester. The trail jumped 5 foot fences and went under 8 inch spaces. The hoof prints were found in more parts of South Jersey. A group of observers in Camden saw the devil. It barked at them and then took off into the air. The very next day, a Burlington police officer and the Reverend John Pursell of Pemberton saw the Jersey Devil. Rev. Pursell said, “Never saw anything like it before.” Posses in Haddonfield found tracks that ended abruptly. In Collingswood a posse watched the devil fly off toward Moorestown. Near Moorestown, John Smith of Maple Shade saw the devil at the Mount Carmel Cemetery. George Snyder saw the devil right after Mr. Smith and their descriptions were identical. In Riverside hoof prints were found on roof tops and also around a dead puppy. On the following Thursday, the Jersey Devil was seen by the entire Black Hawk Social Club. He was also seen by a trolley full of people in Clementon as it circled above them. The witnesses’ descriptions matched others from the days before. In Trenton, Councilman E.P. Weeden heard the flapping of wings and then found hoof prints outside his door. The prints were also found at the arsenal in Trenton. As the day wore on the Trolleys in Trenton and New Brunswick had armed drivers to ward off attacks. The people in Pitman filled churches. The West Collingswood Fire Department reported firing their hose at the devil. The devil retreated at first, but then charged and flew away at the last second. Later that night, Mrs. Sorbinski of Camden heard a commotion in her yard. She opened the door to see the Jersey Devil standing there with her dog in it’s grip. She hit the devil with a broom until it let go of her dog and flew away. She started screaming until her neighbors came over. Two police officers arrived at her house where over 100 people had gathered. The crowd heard a scream coming from Kaigan Hill. The mob ran toward the creature on the hill. The Police shot at it and the devil flew off into the night. The streets of Camden were empty after this. The next night, or Friday, Camden police officer Louis Strehr saw the Jersey Devil drinking from a horses trough. The school in Mt. Ephraim was closed because no students would attend. Mills and factories in Gloucester and Hainesport had to close because none of the employees even came to work. Many New Jersey residents wouldn’t leave their houses, even in the daylight. Officer Merchant of Blackwood drew a sketch of the creature he saw. His sketch coincided with the descriptions from earlier in the week. Jacob Henderson saw the devil in Salem and described it as having “wings and a tail.” The devil was only seen once more in 1909 in February.

9:40am To Frank, yes the OTO teaches "stuff" but what I am referring to is the fact that magick and The Book of the Law, which in Grady's time was in the forefront of everything, is now either ignored or the OTO grants you 'permission' to study and perform certain rituals as you take further OTO Degrees. How nice of them ... but if they're telling different OTO bodies [and people] that they can now read and perform certain rituals, without giving them any serious training, why do you need them? Can't you do this on your own? In Grady's time we learned magick and things not found in books. In today's OTO you pay money in order to be told you can read Crowley. And yes, I agree - "... the initiations work and are the real treasures" in the OTO but you forget; an initiation simply implies a 'Beginning' along a certain path; nothing more. It is meant to bring you [astrally] onto the same page as the organization. So yes, you "get zapped" but again I ask, into what? 

7:00am Paula, a new reader of blog, writes how she “enjoys” my blog but thinks I’m a “closet chauvinistic piggy type” and someone “who seems to obsessed with his penis.” Of course she writes this, and some other stuff, all in a humorist way and ends her email stating how “I cannot wait to see what you and others write next.” …. Reply: Thank you, you’re very kind. In truth, I am rather fond of my penis, it’s the only one I got, it’s been with me a long time and on those cold night, after a rough day at work, it never abandons me. And besides, I wouldn’t be bringing it ‘up’ if women, like yourself, didn’t write to me about it first. Anyway, I also admit to what may appear to be a touch of ‘chauvinism’ but this is due to my sign, my age and upbringing.  On a more serious note she did ask some rather good questions. Like, “I get the impression you don’t like the OTO. I was thinking about joining it here in my area but now I’m not sure. What would you suggest?” … Reply: Believe it or not, I have only the best respect for this Order and I only warn people of ‘Buyer Beware.’ The OTO has its good points, as does every organization but if you read the literature about it, or if you especially read a lot of Crowley and think joining his organization will bring you inside magickal or sexual secrets, you’ll be greatly dissatisfied. Join the OTO with open eyes and don’t be afraid to move on if it’s not what you thought it to be. It’s a ‘mundane fraternity’ not a real teaching Order. Most people who write me, who are seemingly disgusted with the OTO, joined with high hopes and quickly got a reality check. Like anything, before you become a member, know what you are really getting into and then my only advice to you is ‘Do what thou wilt.”

6:25am For the history buffs: The Order of the Garter was founded by Edward the Third on this date in 1344. Many believe that Edward was a ‘witch’ and that the ‘Garter’ was really a witchcraft order. Others, however, have stated that the Order was created in 1348, that it had nothing to do with witchcraft and they point out that the garter was merely a ‘sanitary towel.’ ……. Also, Edgar Allan Poe was born on this date in 1809. His poem, The Raven, has forever associated Poe’s name with the reputation of being the black-feathered literary master of the macabre. Throughout the 1830s and 40s Edgar Allen Poe worked on various magazines in and around Richmond, Philadelphia and New York, while publishing his disturbing short stories and poems, like The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado and The Murders in the Rue Morgue, the latter of which is widely considered by many to be the first modern detective story. Poe was never a healthy man, while always being a heavy drinker. He died at the age of 40 under very mysterious circumstances. In regards to Edgar Allan Poe; H. P. Lovecraft wrote, “his elevation of disease, perversity, and decay to the level of artistically expressable themes was infinitely far reaching in effect.” ……. And Dorothy Clutterbuck was born on this date in Bengal, India in 1880. She was the daughter of Ellen Anne Morgan and Capt. Thomas St Quintin Clutterbuck who was serving with the 14th Sikhs Regiment. In the early 1930s her family moved back to England where she would marry and become known as Dorothy Fordham. She is perhaps the most elusive and secretive of all witches to have figured in the rise of the modern era of witchcraft. She was the High Priestess of a coven of hereditary witches in the New Forest of England who was responsible for initiating Gerald Gardner into Witchcraft in 1939. The coven claimed a direct descent from one of the ‘Nine Covens’ founded by Old George Pickingill. Dorthy died on January 12, 1951 of “cerebral thrombosis, a stroke.” ……. And also important to mention is the fact that Brion Gysin was born on this date in Taplow, Buckinghamshire in 1916. He was educated in England, at Downside College. Afterwards he moved to Paris where he studied at the Sorbonne and met such renowned members of the Surrealist group, including Max Ernst, Salvador and Gala Dali and Picasso. Gysin’s work was included in the 1935 Surrealist Drawings exhibition in Paris. Three years later his journey to the Algerian Sahara would have a deep and lasting influence on his life. In 1953, having returned to North Africa, Gysin opened the ‘Thousand and One Nights’ restaurant, where the Master Musicians of Joujouka played an ‘extended residency.’ He later spent a number of his years in Paris where, with William Burroughs, they both developed the cut-up technique of writing and experimented with tapes, permutations and the creation of a Dream Machine. Brion Gysin died in Paris in July of 1986. ……. And finally, it would be negligent of me if I didn’t mention that Bhagwan or Lord Rajneesh was born Rajneesh Chandra Mohan in 1931 in a small village near Jabalput, India and he died on January 19, 1990 in Poona, India of a heart attack at the age of 58. Although taken seriously by some, he was a joke to many. After fleeing India in 1981 he acquired a 64,000-acre farm near Antelope, Oregon and turned it into his new spiritual haven which he called ‘Jajneeshpuram.’ However, his antics began fueling bizarre news stories; like how he had accumulated an absurd number of Rolls Royces from his followers, ninety-six to be exact. Unfortunately his city was doomed. It collapsed amidst rumors of militaristic ‘zombie-like’ paranoia, drugs, sexual debauchery, attempted murder, arson, wiretapping and numerous other charges. In the end Rajneesh was expelled from America. He returned to India. After his death in 1990 the Los Angeles Times referred to his final ashram and posthumous empire in India as having been taken over by financial opportunists, who have turned it into a resort for stressed out Western executives. The newspaper referred to it “Club Meditation.”

Friday January 18th 2008 – 5:00am Regarding my picture in the upper left hand corner of this blog, Jerri of Sacromento writes,"The handpainted Stele is lovely, but you look positively MURDEROUS in the photo...it's a tad bit distracting, as you look SO VERY unhappy/pissed off...hope you are ok...?!" ..... Answer: Boy, I never thought about it but I guess the picture does make me look un-Cancer ... but I'm Ok. Thanks for your concern. 

9:30am My dear friend Rey from New Mexico writes, “How about you, Jerry?  How are you doing with the new year??  It definitely sounds like you are having a great deal of fun via your blog, to which I enjoy tremendously.  It is alway a laugh riot with you 'cancerian types'  [ha]  But seriously, I find that your rising and moon signs must be playing the central role in this blog, as it really does not seem 'cancerian' in tone or timbre.  Thoughts?” ……. Answer: Like your own life, mine too has been stressful and frenzied! I have no real helpers around me at present with a flexible enough schedule to assist me in mundane affairs but such is life! Anyway, I think all Cancers should begin a blog. When I am most bogged down with work, staring at my computer as smoke rises from my ears not out of anger but simply an internal over-load of brain meltdown which seems to be the case more often than not these last few months, my blog offers me an amusing place to take my brain out for a walk. I just wish it would stop pissing on the carpet! I’m tired of smacking it with a rolled up newspaper as it scurries under the couch. Ah, spoken like a true Cancer! Anyway, I enjoy a hectic life. I get bored easily. As you know, Telegraph Avenue offers me amusement. Have you checked out my photo section of people and places here on Telegraph? On the last page I just added a picture of our favorite bar Raleigh’s where you and I use to sit in the window table and watch the sights walk by while discussing the universe and magick. 

9:10am Carol writes, “So let me get this straight, if I swallow or do the dirty with an idiot, I become an idiot? …… Answer:  No comment.  :)-  

[Note: This symbol  :)- that I just added is not as most people think; of a person with

their tongue hanging out, on my blog it represents a symbol of a woman and a man.]

8:00am Ms anonymous [by my choice, not hers], you’ve told me in graphic detail over these last few months of your problems at being a Thelemite; your wanna-be magician boyfriend who is abusive and controlling and other details ‘sexually’ of both your signs; all in quest of advice; and today I will not mention all your email but you commented on yesterday’s entry of 9:00pm by writing,  “… you’re right” … “how do I take control?”  etc & etc. To answer this I might add that the ‘Word’ can affect the etheric current around you, or anyone who receives it.  If your ‘energy’ shifts, it will inevitably affect you in the direction of the Word’s intent and on that note consider this quote – “A person who seeks the word of someone wallowing in mud has no right to complain if they wake up with pigs.” … or better still, a phrase true on all planes - “You are what you eat.”

7:30am Ricardo's membership in the W.C.C.P.S. arrived. He writes, "About 10 years ago I printed a copy of Liber Oz.  I then signed and framed it as a reminder of my commitment and oath to myself.  When I requested membership in WCCPS I was gladly amused by the light and funny manner in which it makes a point.  When I opened, the other side of the coin hit me: while dressed in fun and levity, it is a serious statement.  The seriousness hit me when reading the certificate.  It’s got juice.  I intend to do it honor.  I am, of course, framing the certificate and hanging it next to my Liber Oz frame.  I will continue to further pestilence tirelessly, brother.  Tonight it is Story Telling in my center. I will begin reading the Book of the Law to my students and other members of the community.  We will have weekly readings and discussions, and will open them to the public." ....... Bravo! Crowley informs us that "The Common defect of all mystical systems previous to that of the Aeon whose Law is Thelema is that there was no place for Laughter." and on that note; I knew that if through humor I could make more people realize the seriousness of Thelema then I would succeeded in reaching those who were turned off by all the fraternal Thelemic bullshit clogging up the astral waters and your realization of this and how you worded it, makes me smile … you now have the authority to begin your own WCCPS in your area!  Run with it! 

7:20am Evelyn writes, "The latest postings about daemons, and the Ego are interesting as they usually are." ….. Answer: Thanks, glad you enjoyed them. Have a nice weekend.

7:00am For the history buffs: Quite a cast of characters celebrate their birthday today; for starters the French mystic Louis Claude de Saint-Martin, better known by his pen-name ‘le philosophe inconnu (The Unknown Philosopher) was born on this date in Amboise in the French province of Touraine in 1743. After a short carrier as lawyer he joined the army. He became an officer. He became very active in Free-Masonry and later resigned his commission to become a disciple and the private Secretary of Martines de Pasqually whom he assisted in organizing a new system of High Masonic Degrees. Saint-Martin published many books during his life: On Errors and the Truth (1775), Natural Table of Correspondences Which Exist Between God, Man and the Universe (1778), The Man of Aspiration (1790), Ecce Homo (1792), The New Man (1792), The Spirit of Things (1800) followed by his masterpiece of philosophical synthesis, The Ministry of the Man-Spirit (1802), to name but a few. He died quietly on October 13, 1803 in Aunay. …… and speaking of odd gentleman, Joseph-Antoine Boullan was born on this date in 1824.  He seems to have been fascinated by the human excretory organs and their functions. He often participated in rites that were ‘scatological’ in nature. Boullan took over the Satanic Church of Carmel in 1875 after the death of its founder Pierre-Michael Eugene Vintras on December 7th. It is written that “documents survive showing that Boullan and his followers of The Church of Carmel engaged in, or thought they engaged in copulation with angels, cherubim, seraphim and the spirits of famous people like Cleopatra and Alexander the Great.” Boullan died on January 4, 1893 at the climax of a ‘Battle of the Magicians’ between the Church of Carmel and the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose Croix which was run by his old foe Stanislas de Guaita. ….... and keeping with the theme, Alfred Percy Sinnett was born on this date in London in 1840. He would become the Theosophical Society’s vice-president. He wrote The Occult World (1881) and Esoteric Buddhism (1883). He died in 1921.  …….. but most important to mention is Robert Anton Wilson, he was born on this date in Brooklyn, New York in 1932. He claimed that he had entered Chapel Perilous “quite casually one day in 1971 while reading The Book of Lies by the English mystic Aleister Crowley ... in a ‘blinding flash’ or at least a mini-Satori, I knew Crowley’s secret.” Although Wilson has written many books, the one he coauthor with Robert Shea titled Illuminatus! Trilogy (1975) has become an  underground classic. A few of his other most notable books are The Cosmic Trigger (1977), Schrodinger’s Cat (1979), The New Inquisition (1986), Right Where You Are Sitting Now (1992) and Prometheus Rising (1994). In regards to The Cosmic Trigger, Wilson once wrote, “From the date of the first printing to the present, I have received more mail about Cosmic Trigger than about anything else I ever wrote, and most of this mail has been unusually intelligent and open-minded. For some reason, many readers of this book think they can write to me intimately and without fear, about subjects officially Taboo in our society. I have learned a great deal from the correspondence, and have met some wonderful new friends.” Robert Anton Wilson died on January 11th 2007 after a long illness.…….. and finally, to round off today’s cast of characters, I’d like to point out that Michael Paul Bertiaux was born on this date in Seattle Washington in 1935. He was consecrated a Bishop on January 18th 1966 by Hector-Francois Jean-Maine (born 1924) who was a Bishop of the L’Eglise Spirite Albigeoise and an initiate of the Haitian voodoo tradition. Michael Bertiaux’s responsibility was to disseminate Jean-Maine’s teachings to the white population of America. When once asked by a reporter if he was a black magician, Bertiaux simply replied, “yes ... but black magic is merely a sensational term designed to keep the frivolous away and create barriers.” Bertiaux is the author of the Voudon Gnostic Workbook (1988)

Thursday January 17th 2008 – 9:00pm Carol, regarding 'phallic power', the argument in this Aquarian Aeon; since it is a feminine Aeon where the woman shall move into the forefront, will be whether or not the alchemical furnace is simply an old Aeonic metaphor for man's views toward a woman’s vagina as being a vehicle for their Word or is a woman's vagina a receiver to do with the Word as she Wills. So yes, by all means, climb into your plane, fly off toward the Sun and let no man dictate anything too you about what you should be doing in your cockpit! The Aeon is young and there are too many questions unanswered.

8:45pm Well, thanks John for your defense of the OTO as the saviors of humanity who hold the Great Secret of Universal Brotherhood in the Upper Degrees. But, you being a First Degree, and me a member of the Hermetic Triad for almost 27, let me tell you this ... if the OTO really knew any Great Secret of 'brotherhood' and if its IXth Degrees know the secret ... show me proof as to where in today's Order its being used.

5:30pm Heather sent an email and asked a great question: “Since there's been a lot of phallic references in your blog lately I thought perhaps you'd enlighten us with your take on this 11th degree initiation thing. : ).” …. Answer:  XIth Degree is a difficult topic to discuss because everyone is an authority due to personal proclivities. The first and most important thing to realize is that the OTO is a phallic cult; all its Mysteries are rooted in this topic. Second; no where in the Upper Degree Grade Papers are women’s mysteries taught; women are simply referred to as the ‘vehicle’ … and on that note; IXth and XIth become very clear. Qabalistically, they work off the Ruach swirling around the Word or Tiphereth. … IXth = Geburah/Netzach and XIth = Chesed/Hod.  Again, Tiphereth is the Seed.  … It is inappropriate for me to go into specifics outside of saying that in IXth Degree a woman (Venus +) always initiated a man (Geburah -) into this degree, while in XIth it is a man (Hod -) who initiates a man (Chesed +). In both cases, a man can turn around and initiate a woman into the Mysteries. … You also wrote, “I suppose you can stick your dick into anything you please and say it's magick but it doesn't really apply to me now really, especially if you prefer NOT to stick it into me..."  … Answer: I’ve seen your picture :)- and I know where I’d prefer to stick it while smiling and commenting that those who want to practice XIth are missing out on something. Anyway, be that as it may, Crowley informs us that every act is a magickal act; which means that I can do whatever I’d like with my penis and stick it anywhere I want and it’s a magickal act. Most people are simple unaware of how phallic magick works and to these troglodytes sex is simply an act of either procreation or of mundane pleasure. … I've digressed: IXth & XIth are both ‘male’ magickal practices; the key simply lies in the choice of a vehicle and thus it should be obvious that the key to Phallic magick is not the penis itself but what it ‘contains’ … the Word. 

1:25pm Aisha surfaces!!!! She sent a brief email. "Jer 93. Arrived in Tokyo, work is Hell. Love the stuff about me on your blog especially the "it' by Luna; give her a big hug for me. She picked a far prettier picture of a girl than me. Must run, I am behind in everything. Love, love and more Love. 93s A." .... Answer: I think you're prettier. To see 'IT' click HERE.

1:00pm Here is a good question [from anonymous] : “Why do so many of Crowley’s immediate followers end up tragically?” ….. Answer: Crowley, like many spiritual leaders often attracted people who quested for spirituality but who were only held up to such Light as long as they were near their Prophet. The tragedy was that Aleister Crowley, while naturally residing above the Abyss, often brought his students unconsciously upward to the threshold of this dreaded ordeal whether or not they were prepared for it. They were simply 'dragged' upward by the 'pull' of his Star. Grady McMurtry use to say that such people, who then left Crowley, often fell back to a comfort zone. Being incapable of self-reflection and bathed in an unconquered Ego at the edge of the Abyss they would often become a Black Brother (or Sister) by dwelling in the here now, or dare we say, ‘going back to old haunts.’ Their lives would then end tragically simply because old haunts implied returning to a life of uncertainty which they had tried to escape. Victor Neuburg is a classic example. Of course, such people often deny they had Fallen and will argue in the pit of Because endlessly that they really ‘escaped’ the Beast. Ego screams loudly in self defense. But, like Neuburg, such souls are often tormented and Paradise Lost is a haunting regret that will keep them chained to a rock called Malkuth for the rest of their incarnation because deep in the shadow they know the Truth. They never really obtained anything except ‘knowledge’ and ‘knowledge is a false Sepheroth. In that Light they did not Fall into ‘becoming’ a tragic dredge of society; they were simply revealed for what they really were when no longer around the Beast. Is this Crowley’s fault? The folly is that people who are attracted to individuals like Aleister Crowley, or other magicians residing above the Abyss, need to be far more astute with their actions than others, especially when away from the Light that initially gave them purpose. Their greatest enemy is a false Ego

12:40am Mark asks, “… been study a lot on the daimon. What are your views about St. Cyprean? It seems he was one of the earliest Christian leaders attacking pagan thought.” …… Answer I believe you’re referring to St Cyprian, or Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus who died around 258AD, who was the Bishop of Carthage? If so, right you are about him being an important Christian writer. In his work On the Vanity of Idols he wrote this about the daimon: “They are impure and wandering spirits, who, after having been steeped in earthly vices, have departed from their celestial vigour by the contagion of earth, and do not cease, when ruined themselves, to seek the ruin of others; and when degraded themselves, to infuse into others the error of their own degradation. These demons the poets also acknowledge, and Socrates declared that he was instructed and ruled at the will of a demon.” Saint Cyprian further adds, “These spirits, therefore, are lurking under the statues and consecrated images: these inspire the breasts of their prophets with their afflatus, animate the fibres of the entrails, direct the flights of birds, rule the lots, give efficiency to oracles, are always mixing up falsehood with truth, for they are both deceived and they deceive; they disturb their life, they disquiet their slumbers; their spirits creeping also into their bodies, secretly terrify their minds, distort their limbs, break their health, excite diseases to force them to worship of themselves, so that when glutted with the steam of the altars and the piles of cattle, they may unloose what they had bound, and so appear to have effected a cure. The only remedy from them is when their own mischief ceases.”  Saint Cyprian clearly paints a painfully negative image of the daimon which easily fits into Christianity’s growing mythology of a ‘demon’ but we, as magician, must take their words with a grain of salt. Study away but always remember the source ...

7:00am For the history buffs: Nicolas Flamel, the noted French Alchemist, successfully turned mercury into silver on his very first attempt during an alchemical experiment on this date in 1382, or so he claimed. ……. Also, Sir Francis Dashwood of the ‘Hellfire club’ would often toast to “Brother Benjamin, who remained our friend and secret ally all the time he was in the enemy camp,” or so Dashwood’s illegitimate daughter later said. She also claimed that this gentleman, or Brother Benjamin, had sent numerous ‘intelligence’ to London by devious routes and by courier from France. With this as only part of the evidence, some historians claim that she was referring to Benjamin Franklin, who was born on this date in 1706, as being the person who sold American Revolutionary secrets to the British and who was not as patriotic as some would like to believe. …... also, Harry Price was born on this date in Shrewsbury, England in 1881. His interest in the paranormal began in 1889 when he saw his first performance by a stage magician. From that point on he became an amateur conjurer and collecting what would become an immense library of books on magic. He was known as Britain’s most famous ghost investigator and the founder of the National Laboratory of Psychical Research in 1923. He spent many hours at alleged haunted houses and in the investigation of Spiritualist and mediums. He turned his investigation into the haunting at the infamous Borley Rectory into two books titled The Most Haunted House In England (1940) and The End of Borley Rectory (1946). Both books became very popular and entrenched Price solidly as the organizer of well-run paranormal investigations. Harry Price died in March of 1948 at his home in Pulborough, West Sussex. ….... also, on this date in 1971, the ‘Duke of Madness Motors’ skit on their Dear Friends album was recorded. It was one of my all time favorite. It’s about Aleister Crowley selling used cars on the edge of the Abyss. …… and finally, on this date in 1996 Phil Schneider was found strangled in his hospital bed with a catheter wrapped around his neck. Needless-to-say, the circumstances of his death are highly suspicious, if not controversial and some believe that he was murdered. However, the government’s position was that it was an ‘accident.’ Schneider was a self-taught geologist and explosive expert who supposedly worked on many of the U.S. government’s ‘deep underground facilities’ after World War II. One of the bases that he worked on was the secret facility outside Dulce, New Mexico where, according to Schneider, UFO ‘greys’ or humanoid extraterrestrials worked side by side with American technicians. UFO theorists claim, if Schneider was telling the truth, then he obviously broke the code of imposed silence and the penalty for that blunder was presumably termination  by ‘accident.’

Wednesday January 16th 2008 – 5:45am Carol sent a reply to yesterday's email, which I didn’t include on this blog but in her reply to mine she writes, “Jer 93! Thanks for the info about your secret webpage of photos which have appeared in ‘the upper left corner of your blog’ … how many links do you have which you don’t advertise? You are such a Crab! You know which picture I like?” …. Answer: Her email was actually much longer but of the part that I posted my answer would be the third row, far left and if I had to guess, you’re now thinking about the mineral rights to Mt. Me? … I should also point out that yesterday Luna saw the same webpage, she sent me an email simply saying, “wonderful!!!!!!!”

5:30am For the history buffs: According to the actual Membership List of the Golden Dawn Aleister Crowley was initiated as an Adeptus Minor by MacGregor Mathers, or Frater Deo Duce Comite Ferro, in Paris on this date in 1900 and not as he remembers on February 20th, although he does get the year correct.  Crowley took the magical motto of Parzival. …… The story of the ‘New Jersey Devil’ which was seen by over 1,000 people between January 16 to the 23rd 1909 is very well documented. It began when Thack Cozzens of Woodbury saw a flying creature with glowing eyes flying down the street. Further down in Bristol, John Mcowen heard and saw the creature on the banks of the canal. A patrolman named James Sackville even fired at the creature as it flew away screaming, while E.W. Minister, the Postmaster of Bristol, saw a bird-like creature with a horse’s head that had a piercing scream. When daylight came the residents of Bristol found hoof prints in the snow. Two local trappers said they had never seen tracks like those before. On the following day the Lowdens of Burlington found hoof prints in their yard and around their trash, which was half eaten. Almost every yard in Burlington had these strange hoof prints in them. The prints went up trees, went from roof to roof, disappeared in the middle of the road, and stopped in the middle of open fields. The same tracks were also found in Columbus, Hedding, Kinhora and Rancocas. A hunt was organized to follow the tracks but the dogs wouldn’t follow the trail. ……. also of note; Edith Starr Miller, better known by her title of Lady Queenborough, died in Paris, France on this date in 1933. Her name is often linked with the Order of the Golden Dawn and the British Fascist movement. She wrote only three books during her life. The first was called Common Sense in the Kitchen (1918), the second was titled Occult Theocrasy and published posthumously in France in 1933 and a third was simply called Judaism. Without fully realizing it, her book Occult Theocrasy relied heavily on the published works of self-described 33° freemason, Domenico Margiotta, along with the infamous hoaxers Dr. Karl Hacks and the anti-Mason Leo Taxil, Diana Vaughan and Dr. Bataille, which means that all the facts in her book are suspect. ……. and finally, Dr. R. Donald Papon died on this date in 1976. He was the best-known authority in the field of Astrologer more commonly known as Zolar. He wrote the classic book The Lure of the Heavens, A History of Astrology (1972).  Still, it should be pointed out that Zolar is not actually ‘one man’ but two. Bruce King was the original ‘Zolar’ and Papon was merely his successor. In seems shortly before King died in 1972 he called Papon to his apartment, held his hand, and told him that he will be the “next Zolar.”

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