~ May 21st - 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

Saturday May 31st 2008 – I want to thank Mariusz Doering from England who sent me a copy of his band SPAZMATIC[K] SPELL's latest CD title 'Different State & Sigill.' It has a great Austin Spare picture on the front and quote on the back and last night, during our celebration of

Phyllis Seckler's Greater Feast, we  played it as background musick. Its very 'industrial' and everyone loved it! It was a crowd pleaser. Thanks Mariuz for sharing this with us! My recommendation to my readers; buy it!

7:10am My friend Cranny supplied me with this article published in the Berkeley Daily Gazette on July 16, 1905 – “Residents in the vicinity of Magee Ave and Blake Street became very much alarmed yesterday afternoon over the actions of a  stranger. In fact, they became so alarmed that the marshal's office was called upon to investigate the case and protect the people from what they supposed was a maniac---and all because the man was so thoughtless as to sit down on the edge of the sidewalk and remove one of his shoes.” … and a hundred years later the battle still continues in this city over people's ‘sidewalk’ behavior’ which some consider inappropriate. Bezerkeley, held together by a wing-nut on ever corner!

6:30am For the history buffs: Eliphas Levi, which was the pseudonym of Alphonse-Louis Constant, died on this date in 1875. He was a French occultist and author whose books greatly influenced many of the early revivalists of the 19th century, like Aleister Crowley who claimed that this gentleman was his previous incarnation. …….. and Victor Neuburg died on this date of tuberculosis in 1940. He once had an affair with Ione de Forest (Joan Hayes) who had a role in Crowley’s Rites of Eleusis. For some reason, this infuriated Crowley who later wrote in Magick in Theory and Practice that he once found it necessary to slay a Circe who was bewitching a brethren. What Crowley is implying is that he cursed Ione de Forest who, two months after starting an affair with Neuburg, committed suicide by shooting herself. Neuburg never forgave Crowley for this treacherous act and they parted ways. ……. And finally, on May 31, 2004 Phyllis Seckler celebrated her Greater Feast and passed away. She was sleeping peacefully within the arms of her Beloved Angel in Oroville, California and passed easily through the Veils at 4:34pm. [see yesterday’s blog entry at 4:57am for details on her life]

Friday May 30th 2008 – 12:20pm Luna sent me a link that Dragon's wife, Rhiannon sent to her. It's from the Nigerian Tribune and the headlines read 'Cat turns into Woman in P/Harcourt, Port Harcourt' and its dated 22nd May 2008. The article reads - "What could be described as a fairy tale turned real on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as a cat allegedly turned into a middle-aged woman after being hit by a commercial motorcycle (Okada) on Aba/Port Harcourt Expressway. Nigerian Tribune learnt that three cats were crossing the busy road when the okada ran over one of them which immediately turned into a woman. This strange occurrence quickly attracted people around who descended on the animals. One of them, it was learnt, was able to escape while the third one was beaten to death, still as a cat though. According to a source who witnessed what happened, the cat-woman said she and the two other cat-fellows had travelled from Abuja to Port Harcourt to kill three people. “The woman said they came to Port Harcourt from Abuja and that they came to kill three people. She said they had succeeded in killing two people, but the third person, whom I guess might be a pastor, was difficult for them and that they were preparing to go back to Abuja,” said the source. Another witness, who gave his name as James, said the woman started faking when she saw that many people were gathering around her. “I have never seen anything like this in my life. I saw a woman lying on the road instead of a cat. Blood did not come out of her body at that time. When people gathered and started asking her questions, she pretended that she did not know what had happened," he said. When the Nigerian Tribune got to the scene of the incident near Garrison Junction, the cat-woman was seen sitting on the ground with blood all over her body. The right side of her face had a deep cut from what was gathered to be from a cutlass. She was later taken to a hospital for medical attention. It took the intervention of policemen to prevent the mob from killing her." ........ Reply: Yes, it's a strange world out there! Meow! Got milk?

6:23am Frank replied to my question in my 5:50am posting with three words - "The missionary position."  ...... Reply: Very good.

5:50am An Aleister Crowley quote to consider - "I note that when I have been for any long time free from the sexual impulse a whole group of ideas become 'obscene', 'disgusting', 'revolting' & so on." (From his private diaries on January 25th 1943) ..... I wonder what kind of sexual ideas Aleister Crowley would find "revolting?"  :/

4:57am TONIGHT at our ‘OPEN HOUSE’ (at Jerry’s apartment) we’ll be celebrating Phyllis Seckler’s Greater Feast. She passed away on May 31st four years ago in 2004. Bring your stories of Phyllis, share them and let us all remember one of the most remarkable women in the history of Thelema, known to us all as Soror Meral. She took Minerval Degree into Aleister Crowley’s Ordo Templi Orientis at Agape Lodge back on August 26th in 1939. By the late-sixties Crowley’s organization seemed destined for obscurity but, out of the ashes, arose Phyllis Seckler and Grady McMurtry. Together, these two people became the primary figures responsible for bringing the Order from its near death to the world wide organization that it is today. It is safe to say that without Soror Meral the OTO would probably have died. For this we all owe her our deepest gratitude. In 1979 Soror Meral was Chartered to run her own OTO Lodge, known as 418 Lodge, and she remained in charge of it until her death. Besides founding the well-known College of Thelema, as well as the Temple of Thelema, she was editor and publisher of the serial magazine known as In The Continuum. Soror Meral had spent most of her lifetime in the service of both the AA and OTO - bringing the knowledge of the Thelema to the forefront of occult studies. … Let everyone light a candle today in her memory.

4:45am For the history buffs: Joan of Arc, also known the Maid of Orléans, was a simple peasant girl who had claimed to hear the voices of ‘saints’ telling her that she must help the Dauphin gain the throne of France, which she did. However, not long after the Dauphin was crowned King Charles the VIIth, Joan was captured by the English, who tried her as a heretic, found her guilty and burned her at the stake on this date in 1431. ……. And Christopher Marlowe, the English dramatist and poet who wrote Dr. Faustus (c. 1588), died on this date in 1593 but his death is shrouded in mystery. The long-accepted version is that he and two close friends were dinning in a tavern in Deptford. The two quarreled over paying the bill, and in the fight that followed, Marlowe grabbed for his friend’s dagger and attacked him. However, his friend managed to wrestle the dagger from Marlowe and stabbed the author fatally in the eye. Marlowe was buried on June 1, 1593. …..…. And it was on May 30, 1662 that William Backhouse, the ‘Alchemical teacher’ of Elias Ashmole died at Swallowfield, England. ……... And on May 30, 1778 Francois Marie Arouet, who used the pen name Voltaire, died in Paris on at the age of 84. His remains were interred in The Pantheon. Throughout his life he was in constant trouble with French leaders because of his satirical outlook, rationalist approach, and freethinking beliefs. He once wrote, “If God created us in his own image, we have more than reciprocated.” Perhaps his most famous work is his novel Candide (1759). …..…. And finally, I’d like to mention that it was on May 30, 1985 that one of my favorite movies, ReAnimator, opened in theaters. It was based on a Frankenstein theme written by H. P. Lovecraft called Herbert West: ReAnimatorin September of 1921 to 1922. The plot: Herbert West is a maverick medical student whose ghoulish and gruesome experiments cause bloody corpses and body parts to jerk and come to life. Bruce Abbot is his studious roommate drawn into West’s extracurricular experiments, which soon involve the dean’s daughter, played by the frequently naked Barbara Crampton.

Thursday May 29th 2008 – 3:40pm If you haven’t heard the local News, Rory Root, the owner of Berkeley’s COMIC RELIEF, has passed away on May 19th at Oakland Hospital. Reports indicate that he had slipped into a coma following surgery for a ruptured hernia. He was 50 years old. He and a friend opened COMIC RELIEF on April 15, 1987 on University Avenue and in 2005 it moved to Shattuck Avenue where it presently resides.

11:45am My friend Aaron writes, "Thanks Jerry for the speed and care in delivering and packing of the books I ordered. What was an especially thrilling read for Memorial Day was Grady's volume one bio.  As a Veteran myself it seem only appropriate to read about Grady's military service over the holiday. Love both books ...well I also finished "A.C and the Ouija Board". ..loved all three. I learned more about LRP in the final chapters then any other book I've read on the subject." .... Reply: Glad you've enjoyed the books

6:00am The ‘new’ picture of Jerry’s crab [above] was sent to me by Luna. I sent her an email back telling her how much I enjoyed the image and how I had put it at the top of my blog. She replied back, “We saw them in the 1965 film ‘Kwaidan’. A film that you may be familiar with. The Heike Crabs are said to be the 'reincarnations' of the Heike and Genji clans who engaged in an ancient sea battle. While reading your blog about Piceans and being on the look-out for a new love interest in your life..... ...it all came together in my brain last night.....and the muse in charge told me sweet stories of you being a Samurai Crab and nibbling on the toes of a beautiful lady who will come into your life soon. I'm glad you enjoyed the crabs!” …. Reply: Yes, I loved the image. It looks like me after a long night at the bar! and I like the idea of nibbling on toes!

5:45am For the history buffs: G. K. Chesterton was born on this date in London, England in 1874. Some have claimed that he was a charming, witty man with a rotund figure and that he was extremely popular in London literary and social circles.  He once wrote in the Daily Mail: “We have all possible respect for Mr. Crowley’s religious symbols and we do not object to his calling upon Shu at any hour of the night. Only it would be unreasonable of him to complain if his religious exercises were generally mistaken for an effort to drive away cats. Gilbert Keith Chesterton died on June 14, 1936  in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England.  …...... and it was on May 29, 1963 that the first James Bond movie known as Dr. No, starring Sean Connery and Ursula Andress, opened in theaters. The New York Times called it, “natty, naughty, and nifty.” …… and it was on May 29, 1981 that the last performance of the band Throbbing Gristle, which was held in San Francisco, playing such classic songs as “Looking for the O.T.O..”

Wednesday May 28th 2008 – 8:00pm I received this email this morning from my dear friend Mick out in Freemont. He writes, "Magick is progressing well though more slowly than I like, but it's not wise to push the river I guess. Yesterday, I unexpectedly plopped out a poem that seems like a personal expression of the Resh adorations. It's still rough, but very encouraging considering I haven't written a poem proper in years. The creative block that drove me crazy has been washed down the pipes to the sea. OYEY!"  I liked his poem alot and asked him if I could share it with my readers and he replied, "I'd be delighted to share."  .... So, enjoy:

RESH

Oh diamond light that burns the black eternal This

Welcome Thou beauty venom welcome

In this unreal time this turn of age

Thou whose ecstasy continuous light upon the Will

To devour and lust thy seed unending helix ejaculate

Green and deathless in thy pride

To enwomb the gulf of space entire

Thou star luminous lust and rage of Nothing

Thou sexual venom radiance sweet in youth upon

This one Earth thy dome of joy

Thou succor of the conqueror’s weeping army

Thou blood Illumination of the war child

Beguilement and clown of the goddess whore upon

Herself the unconquerable heart of Woman Thee I love

Thee in me Thou art light lust and laughter life

Thou horror of unfettered beauty that banishes fear

Make of Us the answer to All unuttered questions

Thou who answers All continuous in brilliance

Exquisite and furious Thou who gives not hate nor love

Thou indifferent fire for the being of thee Itself

Is Love I thy child thy soldier thy poet thy jester

Thine artist I thy serpent I thy fierce enheartened beast

Thy woman I thy man

Thou art mine and I am Thine entire

On this perfect (morn, noon, eve, night) day of stars

9:00am I was just watching the NEWS and they’re reporting that the “The international space station's lone toilet is broken, leaving the crew with almost nowhere to go. So NASA may order an in-orbit plumbing service call when space shuttle Discovery visits next week.”  What?  Only one toilet?  A NASA spokesman has also stated, "Like any home anywhere the importance of having a working bathroom is obvious."  Ya think?  Damn, back at Brocken Mt Lodge OTO in the early 1980s our toilet broke and it had to be replaced but at least we could slip out the side door and pee in the bushes where no one could see us … I don’t think there is any chance of doing that in space! But I can see it now; the astronauts are doing a space walk, one unzips his suit and takes out … well, you get the picture.

7:30am Of interest: on Friday May 23rd I posted a story about the vandals recently causing damage to Stonehenge and I’m now reminded of the 26 year old idiot from Finland who vandalized the statue on Easter Island on March 24th of this year by chopping off its ear as a souvenir and then trying to smuggle it out of the country!  What’s next is someone going to try stealing John Dee’s ‘crystal ball’ (shewstone) out of the British Museum? ….. Oh, wait a minute; didn’t they already do that back in December of 2004?

4:15am For the history buffs: Ian Fleming was born on this date in Mayfair, England in 1908. It is written that he “was a large, healthy, exceedingly naughty child.” During World War II he worked for the Department of Naval Intelligence in Britain and hatched a scheme to have the notorious Aleister Crowley interrogate the ‘captured’ Nazi leader Rudolf Hess about ‘occult’ matters. Crowley actually accepted his offer but Fleming’s superiors decided that it was not a good idea and they vetoed the overall plan. Fleming ‘s biography, John Pearson, wrote in 1966: “It is a pity that this had to be one of Fleming’s bright ideas which never came off: understandably, there was hilarity in the department at the idea of the Great Beast 666 doing his bit for Britain.” Years later in March of 1952 when Ian Fleming wrote his first James Bond novel titled Casino Royale, he looked for someone on whom he could base his arch-villain. He needed an evil figure so he dredged up his past images of his old friend Aleister Crowley. After all, Fleming “always knew a good villain when he saw one.” He decided to give his villain the name Le Chiffre which is a corruption of the word ‘cipher,’ since the villain claimed he was only a number on a passport. This idea stems from the fact that Le Chiffre was once a Jewish prisoner of Dachau who suffered amnesia, not knowing his real name, only his concentration camp number. Fleming further described Le Chiffre as clean shaven, his complexion was very pale or white, fat, slug-like, with sadistic impulses, constantly using a Benzedrine inhaler and with an insatiable appetite for women. He also had a rather feminine mouth. It is written that “parallels exist between them [meaning Crowley & Le Chiffre]. Both called people ‘dear boy’, and both, like Mussolini, had the whites of their eyes completely visible around the iris.” But does this really sound like Aleister Crowley? Especially being Jewish! On August 12, 1964 Ian Fleming died at the age of 56. ……. And to continue with our birthdays, Llee Heflin was born on this date in Denver, Colorado in 1939. After Grady McMurtry arrived from Washington D.C. to California in April of 1969 and he tried to reactivate the O.T.O. using ‘emergency’ powers given to him by Aleister Crowley. On July 21, 1969 he held his first initiations at a public camp ground on the Russian River at Duncan Mills which is near Jenner, California. Assisting him in the role of the Black Guard was Mildred Burlingame. Phyllis Seckler decided not go. She would later write that these people were “a bad choice in my opinion.” She admitted that one of them she knew was on drugs for quite a few years, “a Haight-Asbury type.” She didn’t think it was a good idea to re-activate the O.T.O. with these types of individuals and she though Grady was making a big mistake. She thought he should have had higher expectations for the O.T.O.. She believed these people, meaning the hippies, would give the Order a bad outer appearance to the world. Heflin would later admit that he knew Phyllis “didn’t particularly care for us little band of ‘hippies’ that Mildred Burlingame found and brought together with Grady.” One of the four people who was initiated on this date was Llee Heflin. Heflin, who was one of the originally founders of Level Press, went on to publish such books as The Island Dialogues (1973) and a pamphlet called Word From Kohoutek (1974).

Tuesday May 27th 2008 – 5:45am I will not discuss exactly what prompted my reply, nor what Carol actually asked but I wrote this – “I know that we both, thanks to our charts, have a tendency of erotic innuendos in our emails; whether we are consciously aware of doing such or not. Many guys actually get very annoyed with the proverbial ‘sexual tease’ [especially fixed signs] but Cancer is one of those rare signs which truly loves erotic verbal interplay which fuels his imagination (which is ruled by the Moon). I don’t know if my sexual babblings or ‘double meanings’ put you back or not but the practice is rooted in VIIth-VIIIth Degree OTO sex magic. One of secrets behind OTO Sex Magick is the exchange of what Crowley calls ‘Energized Enthusiasm’ … which doesn’t always have to be obtained via actual physical intercourse. Crowley proved that whether he was abstinent, very sexual with men and woman or simply masturbating, the end result was always the same. Either his experiments failed or they were a success. So what did he learn was the secret behind sex magick? For starters, we know that individuals, both men and women, who accept the guidance of their genii (daimon) become possessed by extraordinary intellectual and creative powers, the source of which was then called the ‘genius.’ Our ‘genius’ is fixed or inseparable from our sexual libido which, according to Carl Jung, is psychic energy which expresses itself through symbols. OTO sex magick is learning how to harness this power properly or as Crowley purs it, “discharging the Lyden Jar of Genius” …  the ‘Key’ is simply Imagination … and each individual, via the sexual propensity of their sign uses their imagination (either with an actual person or from afar) to enflamed their libido which in turn acts as conduit of symbols from their Higher Self. So many people are looking for that proverbial hidden OTO sex magick manuscript which will spell out the secrets for them but most fail to realize there can be no such thing since no two people's sexual libido are alike."  

5:30am For the history buffs: Enoch Arnold Bennett was born in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England on this date in 1867. His childhood was spent in genteel poverty, which gave way to prosperity as his father succeeded as a solicitor. From his provincial background he became a novelist. He once wrote in his private journal in 1905, “I dined at Chat Blanc. Aleister Crowley was there with dirty hands, immense rings, presumably dyed hair, a fancy waistcoat, a fur coat, and tennis shoes.” When Aleister Crowley bought Bennett’s novel Paris Nights (1913) he was also amazed to discover that it had been written by his old friend Arnold Bennett. After reading the book he wrote, “Arnold Bennett had gratified the public with a highly spiced description of me.” This description of Crowley appeared in Chapter III titled “An Evening with Exiles” and takes place in a Montparnasse restaurant in Paris. Bennett describes a character whom he calls ‘the Mahatma ‘, who walked into the café “wearing a heavily jewelled red waistcoat, and the largest ring I ever saw on a human hand.” Bennett never mentions the actual name of the Mahatma but Crowley knew it was obviously referring to himself. On March 27, 1931 he died. …..... also, on May 27, 1878 the famous dancer, Isadora Duncan, was born as Dora Angela Duncan in San Francisco, California. She moved to London with her family in 1899 and traveled throughout Europe. Her free-flowing forms of personal expression as a dance style was based on improvisation rather than the strict formal structure of traditional ballet of the day. Her secretary was Mary d’Esti Sturges. Crowley met both Duncan and Sturges during a rather boisterous party at the Savoy Hotel in London on October 11, 1911. This event was being hosted by Isadora Duncan in honor of Mary’s birthday. Crowley was the guest of a youth named Hener Skene whom he refers to as an “obscure prig,” and a “brainless and conceited youth.” Obviously Crowley didn’t like the boy and he used him simply to gain access to the party because he wanted to be introduced to Isadora Duncan. Instead, during the course of the evening, he discovered Mary. At that time Crowley was four years younger than Mary d’Esti who was celebrating her fortieth birthday. He described her as “a magnificent specimen of mingled Irish and Italian blood,” adding that she “possessed a most powerful personality and a terrific magnetism which instantly attracted my own.” …… and on May 27, 1911 Vincent Price, the film and stage actor known as the king of horror, was born in St. Louis, Missouri. ….. and to continue, on May 27, 1922 the actor Christopher Lee was born in London, England. ….. yes, lots of births to report on May 27th! ….. like Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart (aka Diana Moore) was born on this date in 1948, of Irish and Choctaw Indian ancestry, in Long Beach, California. She is a Neo-Pagan poet and Priestess of Shamanic Arts who, along with her husband Oberon, was a co-editor of The Green Egg magazine. …….. and for the Thelemites, Michael Staley was born on this date in Bedford, England in 1951. He has been a prominent member of the Typhonian OTO since 1976. He is founder and editor of the magical journal Starfire and managing director of Starfire Publishing Ltd, the publishers of amongst others Kenneth Grant. Particular interests of his are the Typhonian tradition, Lam, Eastern Mysticism, the artwork of Austin Osman Spare, and the Delphic Oracle.

Monday May 26th 2008 – 5:45am Yikes, not again! That rascally little planet Mercury goes retrograde today in Gemini and it will last for about 3 weeks or until June 19, 2008. This retrograde occurring in the sign of Gemini is likely to be somewhat more troublesome than it usually is because Gemini, due to it naturally being ruled Mercury, represents every form of communication, travel; relationships with your siblings, friends, workers, your neighbors and all the every-day challenges that you will face trying to organize your personal experiences in order to formulate your own unique picture of the world … and in the process, learning how to communicate this perception to others. … Crowley adds that this house details “every kind of medium” through which a person “interprets his personality to his fellows.” … A good clue in understanding this ‘mutable’ or changing sign is to consider the fact that Mercury is primarily a toxic metal. You must learn to hold it correctly and since Mercury has no shape, if you try to hold onto it tightly it’ll flow between your fingers. Now that it’s retrograding, all of the above areas will be seriously affected and thrown out of whack even more so than normally anticipated because Mercury is retrograding, in of all signs, Gemini! … Prepare yourself for doom; keep your mouth shut and hide! Those with strong Gemini influences in your chart … it was nice knowing you!

5:30am For the history buffs: The widow Alse Young, the first person in the United States to be accused of the crime of witchcraft, was hung on this date in 1647 at Meeting House Square in Hartford, Connecticut.  ….. On this date in 1897 in North Rome, Ohio, two men by the names of Charles Lukins and Bob Forner were attacked by a curly-haired Bigfoot. No one was seriously hurt but the creature escaped. ……. Also, on May 26, 1913 Peter Cushing was born in Kenley, Surry, England. He would eventually play some of the most enduring literary characters of all time like Dr. Frankenstein, Dracula, and Sherlock Holmes, although Star Wars fans might remember him best as Grand Moff Tarkin. He starred in such classic films as The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Horror of Dracula (1958), Horror of Dracula (1958), Brides of Dracula (1960), Dr Terror’s House of Horrors (1965), She (1965), Island of Terror (1966), Tales from the Crypt (1972), to name but a few. He died on August 11, 1994, in Cantebury, Kent, England after a long bout with prostate cancer.

Sunday May 25th 2008 – 2:25pm Yes Frank, I’ve heard some AA lineages argue that the Order is “entirely secret” and they even quote Aleister Crowley saying such but also consider this quote from Aleister Crowley - “He shall everywhere proclaim openly his connection with the AA and speak of It and Its principles (even so little as he understandeth) for that mystery is the enemy of Truth (from the Task of a Probationer in Liber Collegii Sancti). To me, the more you write (and Crowley sure as Hell wrote a lot), the more contradictions others will discover in your writings. I see it in my own writings. What I said yesterday, may not be true tomorrow and even in our own AA lineage we have changed. Hopefully we all are growing and understanding the Mysteries better with each day.  I see too many magicians who reach an intellectual-spiritual peak and never go beyond; I stood on the same peak and left it behind in quest of another. Personally, rather than following something Crowley wrote, I’d follow the Oath that you signed for the Task of a Probationer.

11:00am Frank asks, "If you cannot stay above the Abyss, what happens?" .... Reply: Consider this quote from Aleister Crowley - "After becoming a Magister Templi, the candidate returns down through the Abyss and settles in the sphere of one of the Sephiroth."  [letter to Frater Achad]

10:30am I was asked if I had any info on Aleister Crowley's son Attaturk. Here is a bunch of info from my book IN THE NAME OF BEAST. It has been said that on April 14, 1934, just as Aleister Crowley was leaving a London courtroom, a young nineteen-year old girl named Deidrie McAlphine ran up to the Beast crying that she wanted to have his baby. This began a long, on again, off again, relationship. Finally, on May 2, 1937, Deidrie gave birth to Aleister Ataturk. In his youth he traveled with his mother to Egypt, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Palestine and other places before settling down back in England. Aleister Crowley later sent out an official letter to all OTO members dated May 22, 1947. In this he wrote, "We, Baphomet XI° O.T.O. hereby charge all members of the Order, jointly and severally, to do what in them lies to watch over and ensure the welfare of Aleister Ataturk, the natural son of the body of Aleister Crowley, in respect of his memory."  Crowley died in December of 1947. ... It is no secret that Ataturk was not a smart child; neither reading well nor learning to write. In early 1953 Attaturk decided to leave school and he took some menial jobs in order to save up money to go to Canada. However, since he was not quite sixteen, he was under age and would need a sponsor. He knew no one in Canada. However, Karl Germer, who assumed leadership of the OTO after Aleister Crowley's death, volunteered to sponsor him if he came to the United States. In 1954 Karl informed Deidrie that he was presently selling his house in New Jersey and that he was moving to California, driving a car across the country. Diedrie replied that Ataturk was excited about the idea. Karl Germer then wrote an interesting letter to Jane Wolfe. In this he writes, "It is possible that Aleister [Attaturk) is a hard nut to crack, obstinate, fascinated by the idea to drive a car, come to California (for Europeans the fairyland!) and be able to live on the fat of the land with rich Americans dishing it out. If he came here and would go to work in a kitchen, with no one in position to smooth the way for him he would remain a dishwasher in low jobs, especially as a foreigner with a broad Scotch accent. I would still love to have him here. But I shall wait and first see further developments and news from his mother. None of you, except possibly you, dear Jane, have any idea of what the European system of apprenticeship really means. It is what you can only have in the U.S. in a College education, or a Professional School where you pay plenty. - - I am still doubtful if Aleister can stick out his 5 years; if he can, he will at least have a position in life." .... In 1955 Aleister Ataturk boarded the Queen Mary and sailed for America. He arrived in Hampton, New Jersey on September 29th of 1955. Karl immediately began to teach him how to drive a car. In regards to Ataturk, Germer noted that he was “a nice boy, 6ft.1", apt to turn girls’ heads, egocentric it seems and with lack of concentration. Eager to take a job, best in hotels, I think. I’ll keep him here to help driving should we get the deal here through before end of November.” Once in California Germer found a job for Ataturk with two women who were running a mining venture. The older one, who was called “Henry”, tried to teach him to read and write, to learn to spell. Ataturk was given small jobs to do but he did them so poorly that he fired once. Germer writes about his account of this matter thus, "Upshot: he misbehaved in such a dreadful way that he was finally and forever chased out. He steals, lies, destroys (may well be deliberately, wantonly) valuable machinery, so that everything had to be locked up in his presence." ... Inevitably Attaurk was "caught stealing a car and was finally deported" which is how he ended up back in England; penniless and homeless. He died on the streets a few years back.

6:30am For the history buffs: On May 25, 1581 John Dee and Edward Kelly began working together. …...... and I should mention that Lord Edward Bulwer-Lytton, the English dramatist, novelist, politician and Rosicrucian, was born on this date in London in 1803. He was one of the most popular writers of his day, who wrote arguably the most famous opening line now plagiarized my many. It appeared in his 1830 novel titled Paul Clifford which begins, “It was a dark and stormy night.” Although many remember him as the author of The Last Days of Pompeii, others associate him with his utopian, almost fiction-like, novel, Vril; The Coming Race (1842) which is about a mysterious energy (Vril) which is used by a subterranean race, survivors of the ancient Biblical Deluge, to power their advanced civilization. Another of his works, Zanoni (1842), is a fictional account of the eternal conflict between head and heart, between wisdom and love, played out by Rosicrucians during the dramatic days of the French Revolution. Bulwer-Lytton, described Zanoni as “a truth for those who can comprehend it, and an extravagance for those who cannot.” Basically, the book indicates the sevenfold path of spiritual development and the fourth section, ‘The Dweller of the Threshold,’ is the centerpiece of the book, and reveals significant esoteric facts and experiences. He died in Torquay at the age of 69 on January 18, 1873. ……. And it was on May 25, 1884 that Walter Duranty was born in Liverpool, England. He has been judged by many to be one of the most controversial journalists of the 20th century. He met Aleister Crowley around 1911 At the time, although Crowley was still living in London with his Scarlet Woman, Leila Waddell, he was also having an affair with Jane Cheron, “a devotee of that great and terrible god, Opium.” Of the three, Crowley, Duranty and Cheron, all had a mutual interest in smoking opium, having homosexual sex and sharing Jane, or simply having a ménage a trois. Years later Duranty married Jane Cheron.

Saturday May 24th 2008 – 5:10pm A joke:

Question: Why would Helen Keller be a bad driver?

Answer: Because she’s a woman.

6:00am Andrew Drylie read my blog about Stonehenge and writes, “Hi Jerry, don't worry too much about Stonehenge, it's thousands of years old and quite robust. The real crime in that report was between the lines - why is there a fence around it and what need is there of a 'security team'? The bastard ticket sellers calling themselves English Heritage do not do any repairs; they haven't even put the roof back on! Usual finest regards, Andy.” …. Reply:  It sounds like a money scam no less typical of many ancient sites. As soon as people start visiting the area the government steps in and asks, “How can we make money off them?” Sad. We have the same problem here in America. Thanks for the update! ... p.s. it would look nice with roof.  :)

5:45am For the history buffs: On this date in 1883 James Ingall Wedgwood, a ‘closet homosexual’, was born in England. By 1910 he had received all the degrees from two Egyptian Rites. From 33 to 94 in the Rite of Memphis, and from 33 to 90 in the Rite of Misraïm (including the 66th, which is allegedly a Bishop consecration). He already had received all the degrees to the 33th of the Ancient and Accepted Rite of Cerneau from John Yarker himself, and the highest degrees of the Martinist Initiation by Theodor Reuss. He was also a member of the Theosophical Society, was the founder of The Temple of the Rosy Cross and the creator of the ludicrous co-Masonic ‘Verulam Working.’ Of all his shenanigans, none are more infamous than what caused him to be finally ‘defrocked’ and no longer allowed to publicly preach, which was his continual habit of stripping himself naked while in the pulpit. ……. and on May 24, 1996 near Magalia, California Sheila Charles was driving her son, Shane to school when a strange monster darted out in front of the car. Swerving to avoid hitting it she lost control and had an accident. She described the creature as being about four to five feet long, generally “dog-like” but with a sleek serpentine head set on a sleder 30-inch neck. Its eyes were “reptilian” and it was covered with shaggy fur or hair. She also claimed that its hind limbs were very long, its front limbs notably shorter and that it had no tail. A driver in another car also saw the creature and witnessed the accident.

Friday May 23rd 2008 – 8:15am I saw the NEWS today with these disturbing headlines - "Vandals cause damage at Stonehenge." I was appalled. It seems two men climbed over the fence surrounding the area and thought it necessary to use a hammer and screwdriver to damage the central megalith or Hele Stone at Stonehenge on Thursday night ... but "Thanks to the vigilance and quick action of the security team at Stonehenge, very minimal damage was caused," said a spokeswoman for English Heritage. Only a chip of stone about the size of a large coin was removed, while a 2.5-inch long scratch was left on the Heel Stone, at the centre. The vandals have not been caught but if they are, a public flogging should be in order and may the Gods curse them!

8:00am Here is a thought from the Scottish poet James Thomson (November 23rd, 1834- June 3rd, 1882). I've been reading his book The City of Dreadful Night [which was one of Crowley's favorites] and another poem in his book sets my mood of the day quite nicely:

The fire that filled my heart of old

Gave lustre while it burned ;

Now only ashes grey and cold

Are in its silenced urned.

7:30am Glen has been reading my book Aleister Crowley and The Ouija Board and attempting the rituals. This morning I received an email from him in reply to my previous suggestions - "Dear Sir Many thanks... alas after several weeks of trying, I am getting no results whatsoever.. Can you advise what I might be doing wrong? G." ......... Reply: That would be almost impossible, you’re in Ireland, I’m in California and I neither know where, how or anything of the nature of the actual rituals that you performed. It is no secret that everyone tweaks them slightly which is why we keep Magickal Records. I do not have these from you so as a scientist how am I theoretical to review your experiments to see where you went wrong?  But please don’t send them, I am swamped with work and I probably won’t get to them too soon. ... The best advice that I can give is this: Throw the ritual in my book out the window, start from scratch and simply play the board as if it were simply a game; preferably at night. … 99% of the world has immediate success with repetitive workings over a period of month. Granted, you will neither be in control of the entity nor fully aware of exactly who you’ve called down but the one thing that this will show is whether or not the two people working the board have ability as a skryer to effectively use the board to any degree of merit. No everyone can. ... Many people, especially men past puberty, are ‘restricted’ by the unconscious armor we build throughout our life. In many ancient rites children or women were employed to side-step this problem but I could not put this in my book because in this day and age the use of a ‘child’ in magickal rituals may seem baneful by some modern society’s standards. MacGregor Mathers in his Introduction to The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage notes, “The idea of the employment of a child as clairvoyant in the invocation of the guardian angel is not unusual; for example, in the ‘Mendal,’ a style of oriental divination familiar to all readers of Wilkie Collins’ novel, The Moonstone, ink is poured into the palm of a child’s hand, who, after certain mystical words being recited by the operator, beholds visions clairvoyantly therein” Mathers’ also notes that the great Mediaeval Sculptor, Benvenuto Cellini, was said to have assisted in rites where children acted as a seer. Even the magician Guiseppe Balsamo, or Count Alessandro de Cagliostro (1743-1795) employed a child-clairvoyant.” ... Anyway, what I’m getting at is that not everyone can work the board effectively, if your ritual is not working; FIRST check the two people working the board and see if your choice of either assistant might be faulty. ... Next, remember that you are working a spiritual system of summoning elementals and Angels; to simply do the ritual is not enough. Throughout my book I stressed the need to believe in God, of prayers and etc as John Dee had done before all his rituals. Now, without knowing you personally, how am I to know your magickal training or spiritual foundation which makes you think that you can open a portal.  Do you see the problem? ... Well, I hope I’ve given you some food for thought … keep me informed.

6:00am Frank, maybe I’m not explaining myself clearly. You now ask me "... how there can there be Mars in Netzach. I cannot get behind this idea. What am I missing?” …. Reply: We know that the 7th House in your astrological chart is ruled by Venus and within this House you can have the planet Mars residing. Simple? If you can have Mars in the House of Libra/Venus why can’t you understand that you can also have Mars in Netzach?

5:45am For the history buffs: Elias Ashmole was born on this date on Breadmarket Street in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England in 1617. He was a great antiquarian, chemist, healer and philosopher. Some sources credit him as being the first person whose name is recorded as having been made a speculative Freemason; this being on October 16, 1646, at Warrington in Lancashire. In 1675 he began to make arrangements for his scholarly book and manuscript collection, which included many manuscripts by the magician John Dee, to be handed over to Oxford University, where it was to be housed in a special museum. This building, now known as the Old Ashmolean, was completed in 1683 and became the first public museum in the British Isles. On May 18 (19?), 1692 he died in South Lambeth (virtually London). …… and on May 23, 1734 Fraz (Friedrich) Anton Mesmer was born in Iznang auf der Höri, near Radolfzell, on the German side of Lake Constance. He studied in Vienna where he developed his theories in “animal magnetism.” He developed this into a system of treatment of psychosomatic illnesses which he termed, appropriately enough; mesmerism. However, an unsympathetic medical and scientific community called him a fraud and caused him to be expelled first from Vienna and later, in 1778, from Paris. He retired to his native Austria and into obscurity without ever realizing that modern man would consider him the father of ‘Hypnotism.’ He died on March 5, 1815 in Meersburg, Germany at the age of 85 ……. And who could forget that it was on May 23 in 1844 that the Bahai faith began after Mirza Ali Muhammed declared himself a ‘god’? ……. But more important, and along the same lines, on May 23, 1921 Aleister Crowley assumed the Oath of Ipsissimus in the AA, or 10=1. The Qabalistic sphere of Kether on the Tree of Life. …… and speaking of Hidden Gods, Kenneth Grant was born in London, England on this date in 1924. Grady McMurtry met young Grant during World War II. He claimed to have had only fond memories of this meeting but jokingly described him as looking like a “young Bela Lugosi.” ……. And finally, on May 23, 1945 the Nazi leader Henrich Himmler who held the titles of the Reichsfuhrer of the SS, the head of the Gestapo and  the Waffen-SS, as well as the Minister of the Interior, committed suicide. Aleister Crowley writes in his diary on this date, “Himmler, the Schweinhund & worse, who put Karl Germer in Concentration Camp chiefly because he was my friend! - killed himself after capture.”

Thursday May 22nd 2008 – 7:00pm Here is wisdom: a chicken and an egg are lying in bed. The chicken is leaning against the headboard, sipping a glass of wine and smoking a cigarette with a satisfied smile on its face. The egg, clearly angry, grabs the sheet, rolls over, and says, "Well, I guess we finally answered THAT question."

6:55pm Frank, what do you mean you don’t understand a “Martian quality of Netzach or Venus?” Obviously you’ve never been married or on the receiving end of this gentle female force bathed in anger!

Amazons unite!!!!!

You have a disbeliever!

5:00pm Heather sent a very good question. She writes, “I'm intrigued by your blog post yesterday at 5:12 pm. How does one determine what Malkuth is square/trine etc. with when the birthchart is from the perspective of their exact location on Earth? I was looking at my chart and I noticed I have a grand trine with Pluto, rising/Mars, and my Sun/midheaven. Any revelation from this you have to tell me? Thanks and have a lovely day dear!” ……. Reply: First, you must realize that the term macrocosm is from the Greek phrase makros kosmos or ‘greater world’, which refers to the Tree of Life symbolizing our Universe, the Heavens above, the Angels and the entirety of God’s Kingdom. It is the objective universe or of those things outside our body and, in a sense, it is the primordial Adam. The word microcosm is from the Greek mikros kosmos or ‘little world’ which is a reference to the Tree of Life symbolically found in each one of us. ... The problem with discussing Astrology is that the scientific community continuously debunks the art by disputing whether or not a planet, or any celestial object, has any affect upon us as individuals. Astrologers on the other hand try to claim that you cannot scientifically analyze the invisible astral pull which these objects have upon us, it’s too subtle. However, in truth, the scientific community is far more correct; the planets have absolutely no direct influence upon us and most astrologers, not really knowing their art, like to babble a seemingly un-provable defense. ... To understand my statement I can only remind you that when a magician or Qabalist discusses, as an example, the sphere of Geburah on the Tree of Life which is ruled by the planet Mars, we automatically acknowledge that he is not referring to the actual planet in the macrocosm but rather a symbolic quality of Mars which is found in the microcosm universe, or within ourselves. It is this microcosm Tree of Life wherein all things happen. ... Realizing this, astrologers need to stop referring to actual heavenly objects as the source of ‘influence’ rather than their movements simply being a ‘reflection’ of what is occurring internally which naturally affects us. … The clue now is to realize that if ‘everything’ ever manifested is found on the Tree of Life then how does one’s chart fit? Obviously, the tarot paths were added a little over a hundred years ago so the cards ruling zodiac signs do not contain the 'Zodiac' truth. ... The next thing you need to realize is that within every sphere on the Tree is every other sphere. Geburah is NOT the 'absence' of everything other than Mars but rather the sum total of everything with Martian qualities most prominent. The simplistic image of the Tree of Life is a symbol wherein 'everything' is filed away which implies that there is far more to each sphere than most Qabalistic books inform us. ... The same goes for your astrology chart. It too contains the sum total of your Universe. So there must be a Malkuth therein. ... Now astrologers will tell you that the First House of the Zodiac is ruled by Aries [because it's the first sign of the Zodiac]. Crowley agrees and he refers to the First House as the individual and their “physical condition and appearance” or their primitive or almost basic animalistic image and force which is unique to themselves which they present to the world throughout their life. This house determines and reveals the body-type or shell that we have chosen for our incarnation. Logic dictates that this House rules two sphere, it's the only House to do such - it rules both Malkuth & Yesod. ... The rest of your astrology chart likewise has Qabalistic attributes; mostly Houses to Spheres. ... As an example; if two Houses in your chart have planetary forces in opposition then look at the Spheres which rule these Houses, remembering that each sphere has the sum total of everything therein. Thus, as an example, if you have Mars in the 7th House. This House is naturally ruled by Libra; whose ruling planet is Venus and it also rules the Qabalistic sphere of Netzach. If your Mars is 'squared' to another Planet in another House or 'Sphere' then naturally a Martian quality, which is inherent in everyone's Netzach, has issues and it is important to focus upon this in an attempt to reconcile the 'qualities' of these spheres which appear to being pulling in opposite directions at cross-purposes. Overcoming these obstacles between Spheres can bring about growth but avoiding dealing with a square will continually bring about tension, frustration, inhibition and inner conflict and can even hold a magician back from fulfilling their climb up the Tree of Life. ... In some ways, how the chart works on the Tree is very, very complicated and for that reason I am presently writing a book on this topic to clarify the subject and hopefully I’ll have it completed by fall. Sadly, the solution to your question requires too long of an explamation for this blog but I hope I've given you some tidbits of thought.

3:45pm I sent Jerri a reply to her email from this morning [not posted on this blog]. I wrote: Jerri 93! You wrote, “93 You scoundrel!!!” .... Reply: A tear gently flowed from my right eye, down my cheek and onto my desk as I read how you called me a scoundrel … all the while thinking, “She really does care.” ....... You then wrote: “You know, I was ok with the fact that Miguel was going to read your blog and know that I thought he was Frater Aur Thelema...I did not realize that you were going to prod him to read it via email...you crafty little thing you!! In truth, I found it rather charming and humorous, albeit, a touch sick. I too have a completely sick sense of humor, so I suppose I can just appreciate it for what it is. I don't think you meant any harm.” ....... Reply: It’s nothing personal; I blame my actions on my twisted sense of humor rooted in my Pisces Rising. Me, having a Sun in Cancer, I’m normally a shy and quiet kinda guy.  Ya, Ya … that’s it, timid. Anyway, I use the blog not only as a learning tool for everyone but more precisely for our AA lineage. Most questions that come from outsiders I answer off-line unless I feel our own lineage may learn something or, if nothing else, smile. In the old days of the AA everyone’s diaries, letters and records were ‘open’ to all and sundry to read as a learning tool because we learn by experience; ours and others. Some modern AA lineages however, keep ‘everything’ secret and commit little if anything into writing. We get constant emails from many in these lineages who feel ‘starved’ for info. On the other hand, we decided that in this modern fast-food Internet culture the blog would offer us the means to enlighten; hopefully giving food for thought and growth, for everyone. Is it working? ........ You then added - “In fact, all this has done (my big mouth and your need to instigate) is point out some of my own weaknesses...that is a wonderful thing!! Yes, I thought about it.”  ....... Reply: I never once consider your actions ‘weakness’. Your observation, whether rooted in conscious or unconscious thoughts, quickly grasped the fact that the previous statement could easily be seen as folly coming from an utterance of a fixed sign like Scorpio … but your analysis of who ‘the’ Scorpio was, was blinded by personal prejuidices. Therein lays the problem. Furthermore, never think of your actions in the ‘negative’ … never browbeat yourself by calling an action ‘weakness’ … you deserve far better than that. … As a Thelemite we act as Scientists. I wish I had a nickel for ever test-tube that I blew up but I never considered my actions weakness on my part as much as simple misjudgment of a scientific principle. Too much heat and things go boom! In time I learned. ....... You then added – “I will highlight for you a couple of my observations that I've emailed Miguel: "I originally thought you made those Yin/Yang comments due to the way the questions were posed (...I have in the past, heard you make some sexist statements about women...implying that WE are the problem...however, this is not constant within your behavior nor have I heard very many of them), and the underlying controlling nature of the assumptions made within his comments...perhaps I was picking up on a certain Scorpionic quality, which clearly seems to rub me the wrong way.” ....... Reply: Well damn it women, you ARE the problem for men! Get with the program. [for the record, men are the problem for women] Haven’t you read Men are from Mars, Women are from … ?  I forget, I’ll have to get back to you on that one …. & ....... The above being followed by this statement that you made: “Now WHY does it bother me so?? THAT is the question at hand, it would seem. I certainly didn't know you all that well then" (here I am referencing certain things I felt back when he and I were first trying to get to know one another that pissed me off...) "so why did I take it so personally? Why did I get so angry? Well, of course it all stems from my childhood. My family forever tried to (and did...if I must be honest) make me feel guilty for my behavior, my attitude--always using emotional warfare in a backhanded attempt to manipulate me and make me change to be a "good" person... This is a very deep seated issue for me, which due to several factors, has stuck with me. I developed a defense mechanism to combat this, which flares up any time I feel (whether it is legitimate or not...) someone is trying to control or manipulate me. I become immediately outraged and angry, like a button has been hit, and I refuse to hear one thing more!" ....... Reply: Very, very good observation. I think you’re going to like Hillman’s The Soul Code when you finally start reading it. ....... You finally wrote – “The point here is that I wanted to say that I appreciate that you felt it prudent to tell me to examine why I projected the impression onto him that I did...it really does bring up this unconscious behavior which I have been displaying for many years--and the reasons behind it...there is of course more than the brief explanation that I've written here, but highly valuable to uncover and reprogram. Isn't this just what I've been reading about. How cool. Life is good!” ........ Reply: You are far brighter than you let on. I like that. It’ll be a challenge to prod you on so thank the Gods for my Pisces Rising, it’ll give me an edge! And yes … “Life is Good” Have a lovely day yourself, lots of hugs & etc 93 93/93 Jerr with a ‘y’ ."

8:30am Bryan replied to my May 19th 4:30pm posting by writing, "Poontang?  Did you say Poontang?  Where?!?  Where!?!  Yes, relationships are my Achilles' heel, my tragic flaw.  Even Achilles' mother knew he would fall from his heel, and knew there was nothing she could do to stop it. The best I can do is to AVOID THEM LIKE THE PLAGUE so I don't turn every woman I know into a Kundry.  (Even if they are. That's what's so rascally about them!!!) ....... Reply: Why avoid them? I too love those rascally little creatures! Anyone who has ever gotten to know me will tell the world that I'm a notorious girl watcher. I am legendary for sitting on the front steps of my apartment building, a block from Cal Berkeley Campus and reading but often, when asked, I reply that I’ve been here for an hour or more and I have yet to get pass one paragraph! To me, kids today can have their TV, movies and video games - there is no time waster better or more enjoyable than watching girls! The secret is found in my favorite Biblical quote from Mathew 22:21 - “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s.” – In other words; it’s OK to have things mundane (Caesar’s) like the love from another but be sure you don’t tip the balance and forget those things which belong to God (i.e. Man or yourself). Never seal your Soul; which is the reason why you incarnated for anything mundane! Keep both in their proper place, balanced, so that harmony reigns in your Universe. In all my relationships I am up front with what is important to me and if the woman tries to change that I don't make excuses based on 'love', I simply end the relationship. ... I'm then out the door smiling with a net in hand in quest to capture another wily poontang monster; preferably thin, not taller than myself, with a shaved pubic areas preferred but I'm willing to negotiate and explore other possibilities. Second priority – don’t make me eat veggies!

7:50am Rey from New Mexico write, “I just wanted to extend my congratulations on the birth of Gabriel Walker!  I wish Andrew and his family well in the work that lies before them. [grin] BTW, I went to his webpage...what a cutie!” ...... Reply: yes, he is!

6:10am It was on Saturday May 10th 2008 5:53am that I announced the birth of Gabriel Hiro Castillo Walker born at 6:12am to our dear AA Brother Andrew Walker in Japan. This morning he just sent me an email - "My wife finished up a little section for Gabe on our website."  I checked it out, damn, what a cute little kid. It brings back memories when my own son was that small. Check it out: http://www.battycave.com/gabe/gabe.html

6:00am For the history buffs: The writer who created Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Charles Ignatius Conan Doyle, was born on this date in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1859. Although he created the original character, many authors have now written stories which incorporate the world’s greatest detective Sherlock Holmes. As an example consider the book titled The Case of the Scarlet Woman, Sherlock Holmes and the Occult (1999) by Watkin Jones. There is a good description of the story on the back cover: “A haunted house, a mysterious kidnapping and a poet’s demonic visions are just the beginnings of three connected cases that lead Sherlock Holmes into confrontation with the infamous black magician Aleister Crowley and, more sinisterly, his scorned Scarlet Woman.” Also, of note, most modern ‘Conspiracy Theorists’ who contrive plots being hatched and formed in the shadows of every tree should remember the immortal words of Sherlock Holmes, “It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”

Wednesday May 21st 2008 – 5:25pm What are our choices for US President?

1. Barack Obama, Jr. is a Leo born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961

2. Hillary Clinton is a Scorpio born in Illinois on October 26, 1947

3. John McCain is a Virgo born in the Panama Canal on August 29, 1936

.... and which ever one we choose will be US President when 2012 comes down! All my readers should research this date - Google 'year 2012' ... then consider a Leo, Scorpio or Virgo in power and in all cases, bend over, stick your head between your legs and you know the drill! [See my posting for May 8, 2007 10:20am]

5:12pm Jerri writes, "93 Jerry, To extrapolate from what Robert said about the square between Malkuth (the World) and Kether, this is my thought...I had described the paths earlier as simply the balancing/equilibrium point of the energies connecting one Sphere to another. After reading his thoughts on astrology, I will call that principal also our journey (no mistake it is called a path...it is a road...) through our incarnation. If one has a square between the 2 (the World and Kether), the journey may be a rough one...not impossible...but perhaps tense. The car might brake down on the side of the road on occasion, if you will. If one has a trine between the 2 (such as myself...) what does that mean? The journey will be smoother?? Not so many break downs on the side of the road? We still have the 2 "opposites" in Malkuth and Kether...their unification (thus birthing that third thing in the middle...Tiphereth) is just a different experience...Am I close here?? It seems to make sense, theoretically. 93 93/93 Jerri." ..... Reply: Yes, very close. Of course, our readers may not completely understand because most have no idea of how an actual astrology charts functions of the Tree of Life. To most, the closest of anything astrological is simply the paths which refer to Zodiac signs. Most are still silly rabbits.

5:00pm In a reply to an email sent by brother Br. Gnothi Seauton I asked if he had seen Jerri's posting today in which she mentioned him. He replied, "Brother Cornelius, 93! I like the way you subtly prodded my Scorpionic sensibilities to provoke me into this response by noting a reference made to me on your Blog of the day. Of course I can’t resist. How very Sun Tzu of you." ... Reply: Hee Hee Hee. I am so ashamed of myself; it's that damn Scorpio Moon of mine that gets me every time!  .... Br. Gnothi Seauton then adds, "What troubles is the perception that I somehow presented myself in a lasting way that such statements about Yin would suggest my personal philosophy." ... Reply: In truth you don't; outside of being a fixed sign. Maybe it's the Pisces who needs to ask why she always thinks such? .... and then Br. Gnothi Seauton adds, "I personally love to fall sway to the dominance of Yin in relationship; she usually takes some of my Yang edge off, at least internally, thereby allowing the Tao of the relationship to flow unimpeded. The way I have lived and worked in the world has taught me to appreciate my Yin energy quite a bit. In spite of going contrary to cultural stereotypes I have for most of my adult life been employed in fields dominated by feminine energy. I note however that American culture forces women to disassociate from their own Yang energy. In doing so American women often are seemingly able to only perceive and manifest the most brutish aspects of this force. I have always found it quite humorous to hear constantly how females in this culture especially within the Goddess movements emphasize their aspect as nurturer. Many mother’s eat their young when they fail to meet survival expectations. Yang, as an American husband, is often expected to care for Yin wife like a daughter, but the Yin American wife often eats the son that plays in the heart of her husband." ... adding "Brother Aur Thelema’s Yin experiences may not actually be Yin at all, but instead reflections of how his Yin receives the Yang of his partners. I recall your noting the polarity of the sexes on Malkuth on several occasions. The Brother’s external feminine can be looked at as Yang as his external maleness Yin whereas internally it will be reversed. Our sensual and psychological impact on each other has many layers as we all know. I’m already enjoying the subtlety of my sting. 93;93/93 Br. Gnothi Seauton." .... Reply: Well said! Bravo.

12:50pm Robert sent an interesting observation this morning – “I was considering that aspect in my fourth house and how these aspects in our charts play out or manifest (not that I have it all figured out) but a new perspective came into view: Rather simple as I constantly find truths to be! Hillman teaches us that there are no "bad" experiences but only how we have Mythologized them.  In other words the sum total of our experiences defines who we are and each one of them is a valued part of our experience on this plane... it is why we are here.  Taking the "bad" in stride or seeing how it has guided your life in a positive manner is the better story.  Yet in Astrology we almost inherently see all negative aspects as just that, negative.  But here too there must be another way of looking at it.  I recalled the story from the Bible where Jesus said "render onto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is Gods" what they were discussing was Money.  Which is this imaginary medium between God and Caesar.  Or maybe better, when looking at the Yogi and the Commissar, when ever you have one extreme or another you get a third point in between, that point of balance.  Grady wanted to unite that which is above to that which is below and in between the Caliph and the OHO we had Grady the man... in between Malkuth and Kether we have Tiphereth.  You get my point, now back to the chart... when we have to aspects whether "negative" or "positive" they automatically create a third, YOU.  In other words the key to understanding self, in regard to astrology, is to see the third point!  That we manifest out of their relation so just as Hillman says there are no negative aspects.  Even having two strong opposing aspects will only create a third that may actually be beneficial for the life experience or true will of the person in question. So when we see a square we should understand it in relation to our true will and not as an obstacle. In other words a Square between Malkuth and Kether could look like a bear on your chart but could actually land you right where you need to be, in Tiphereth...what do you think?” …… Reply: Grasshopper, you’re thinking too much!  Very, very good!

12:30pm Frater Aur Thelema replied to yesterday's 3:30pm posting - "Thanks for the reply. Let me explain myself further. I was refering to the internal yang dominating my internal yin, nothing about me dominating my girlfriends externally or anything. Any of that's all consensual fun. The Tao is what I was getting at with my question about experiencing the whole cycle of the Yi and not avoiding any of the fluctuations. So you answered my question well, the flux is to be embraced. Taoist Alchemy with it's fixation on retention of yang seemed to correspond with what you were saying. This chapter from Liber Aleph I have taken to mean internal masculine and feminine not horizontal male female relationships and informed my thinking on my statements.

DE VIA PROPRIA FEMINIS.

It is indeed easy for a Woman to obtain the Experience of Magick, in a certain Sort, as Visions, Trances, and the like; yet they take not Hold upon Her, to transform Her, as with Men, but pass only as Images upon a Speculum. So then a Woman advanceth never in Magick, but remaineth the same, rightly or wrongly ordered according to the Force that moveth Her. Here herefore is the Limit of Her Aspiration in Magick, to abide joyous and obedient beneath the Man that her Instinct shall divine so that by Habit becoming a Temple well-ordered, comely and consecrated, she may in her next Incarnation attract by her Fitness a Man-soul. For this Cause hath Man esteemed Constancy and Patience as Qualities preeminent in Good women, because by these she gaineth her Going toward Our Godliness. Her Ordeal therefore is principally to resist Moods, which make Disorder, that is of Choronzon. Also, let her be content in this Way, for verily she hath a noble and an excellent Portion in Our Holy Banquet, and escapeth many a Peril that is proper to us others. Only, be she in Awe and Wariness, for in her is no Principle of Resistance to Choronzon, so that if she become disordered in her Moods, as by Lust, or by Drunkenness, or by Idleness, she hath no Standard whereunto she may rally her Forces. In this see thou her Need of a well-guarded Life, and of a True Man for her God.

Given that, I didn't think I was being horribly off balance or sexist. I see, ultimately, the whole Yi as positive and all the fluctuations equal but the language, in my translation at least, says when Yang is overwhelmed it often points to a disordered kingdom. Change is stability though so experiencing both order and disorder is important. Again I took the quote above to apply to men and women both equally but internally. Not the rule for external male female relations. I mean, the titles of pure yang an yin are heaven and earth. We're not supposed to let Malkuth dominate so I extrapolated that to Heaven and Earth in the Yi as well.  If I'm mixing apples and oranges , fine, but I'm pretty easy going and unsexist in relationships. I'll bitch with the best of them after a bad break up but thats the extent of it. Thanks for taking the time to go through my thoughts though. You answered my question." ........ Reply: Boy are you dancing! You get an A+ for 'trying' to back-peddle! What you wrote did come across 'sexist' because it was sexist. You start off talking about the 'external' manifestation of Kundry, leading to your own personal relationships and then you apply the Yin and Yang theory to it; external or internal, and I'm suppose to sort it all out? Remember, it's not what you meant to say but how it reads. I stand by my statement made yesterday and offer this piece of advice; next time be more clearer or I'm going to turn Jerri loose on you with a stick!

12:20pm Jerri sent another email - "Well...damn it...(extract foot here) guess I'm going to have to apologize for that one... Honestly though, it did sound SOMEWHAT plausible...(insert foot again)." ..... Reply: Very plausible but most guys I've known over the years need 'Sensitivity Training' on how to talk to or about the fairer sex; especially fixed signs like Scorpio ... it being the sign of the guy who wrote the initial comment and also the sign of the guy whom you suspected.

10:40am Regarding yesterday's 3:30pm posting by Fra. Aur Thelema, Jerri from Sacramento sends an email with four words - "Let me guess, M-----?!?" ...... Reply: Right sign, wrong person!

8:20am I received an email from Randy in Atlanta. He writes, “I find your blog quite informative on magical theory but I’m tired of wading through your personal life to get to the meat. Why don’t you stop posting all the junk and stick with the program, or one topic? It’s a great resource site but time consuming to locate stuff.” …. Reply: Well, for starters, it’s my blog and I’ll do with it as I want. Most of my readers are quite satisfied with what I am posting. Most are pleased that my blog is not like other ‘Live Journals’ where every idiot and their mother posts a stupid one liner after another of no value but drooling psycho-babble. Let me remind you, in the upper right hand corner it clearly states - “This blog will include excerpts from my emails and other sources, along with news tidbits which amuse me, historical reflections and virtually anything else which makes me impishly hold my hands over my mouth like Linda Blair in The Exorcist after she watched the priest have a heart attack and die.” This defines my intent. To me, every act is a magickal act and life itself is more than just putting on a robe and screaming Apo Pantos Kakodaimonos to the wind! 

7:50am OK, OK, I was just reminded that there are guys here in Berkeley willing to help me but, come on, its just not the same. We sit around, they asking how I'm doing, I'm saying OK, they asking if I need anything, I say no and then we all go to the bar to discuss it some more.

7:35am Ed writes a brief comment: "careful, the 1st step in mastering someone is to know their 'name' and it appears you have a bevy of hot chics looking to 'take care' of you." ...... Reply: If only that were the case! In truth; most of the 'chics' live distance and I rarely see them; most vocal are Jerri from Sacramento, Carol from Arizona and others scattered around the world and country like Mary up in Alaska! Although there is an endless flow of cute college students there are none here in Berkeley at present to take care of me. Boo Hoo.

7:30am I received this email: "93 Jerry; I was involved with the OTO for twenty years, as Fr. ByThor VI degree. Ran Nephythys Lodge in Edmonton. I was friends with Fr. Zardoz as well. We hit it off when I met him during one of my initiations. I used to take them down in San Fransisco. I got copies of his album and distributed some up here in Canada. I want to thank you for the wonderful blog post on his passing. We lost contact over the years, and I was shocked to hear he had passed on. ByThor." ...... Reply: Yes, it was sad to see him passing. He will be missed.

6:00am For the history buffs: Tragically, the author Ronald Firbank died of pneumonia on this date in 1926. His real name was Arthur Annesley. He was born in London England in 1886. During his brief career he achieved some recognition as an innovator in satiric dialogue and narrative techniques. His books reflect his own legendary, eccentric, if not personal life, with all its bizarre characters and laced with sophisticated wit. He wrote such novels as Vainglory (1915), Inclinations (1916), Caprice (1917), Valmouth (1918) and The Flower Beneath the Foot (1923), but his most famous is probably Prancing Nigger (1924) which was originally published in England as Sorrow in Sunlight. His last novel, The Artificial Princess, although written circa 1915 was released posthumously in 1934. He is one of those British authors who apparently became strongly influenced by the writings of Aleister Crowley, but very little survives to tell of the full extent of their relationship. …… and on May 21, 1960 Jeffrey Dahmer, the notorious serial killer who murdered seventeen men and cannibalized parts of their bodies, was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Once the police entered his apartment they found a grisly array of trophies. Like photographs of dismembered human bodies, a head sitting in the refrigerator with a penis and three more heads were stored neatly in plastic bags and tied with plastic twisties in the freezer section. In the closet they discovered a metal stockpot that contained decomposed hands and a penis and on the shelf above the kettle were two skulls. On November 28, 1994 Dahmer was killed by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver at the Columbia Correctional Institution, Portage, Wisconsin. …… and to continue, it was on May 21, 1969 that Truman Bethurum, the man who often made contact with UFOs, died quietly in his bed on this date. His contacts began between September 16th and November 2nd  in 1952 put Bethurum in touch with beings called the ‘scrow’ from the planet Clarion. With each new visit, Bethurum learned more about the culture and customs of the Clarionites, and each time they promised him that he could visit to their distant world, although this trip was always inexplicably postponed until the scow’s “next visit.”  In preparation for his flight Bethurum to invite six trustworthy friends, all men, and he was then told to make sure they all brought “sturdy shoes.”

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