~ August 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

Sunday August 31st 2008 – 9:00am Well, after a week plus of torture, I’m finally beginning to catch up with answering my emails. On that note: it took me awhile Mike but I finally found the quote that I was looking for. You asked on  the 24th if I thought “the OTO was a New Aeonic vehicle or is the AA better?” … well, Aleister Crowley in a letter to Frater Achad dated February 7th 1919 wrote, “It was my original idea that the O.T.O. would be a sort of training ground for the A.’.A.’.. It was still in my mind that the A.’.A.’. represented, so to speak, the only thing worth while. But resent initiations have changed my view considerably.” … He goes on to say that he thinks the Order is important to the “New Aeon” adding that at “a time like the present, when individual liberty is threatened in a way to which history offers no parallel, a strong  and vigorous Order is required to guard humanity.” Of course, keep things in context to 1919, “individual liberty' being threatened is a reference to World War One and the Chaos and turmoil in which the world was being bathed. He acknowledges the fact that the AA is, in fact, defending freedom but this is just for the ‘few’ … for the average person, the OTO can offer ‘Freedom’ from Tyranny, or so the theory goes …. about ninety years later, or now in 2008, what is threatening Thelemic liberty is, more often than not, the OTO itself. You cannot create Thelemites in the hopes to spread ‘Universal Freedom’ if you forbid your initiates to openly read, discussed or write about Liber AL vel Legis. How are people hypothetical to learn about Thelema? … It’s like the old argument that if the adults don’t teach children about sex they’ll learn it from the schoolyard and because the advice they’re getting is simply from other kids equally ignorant of the facts, they’ll most likely get it all wrong. ….. that is OTO today. A friend once wrote me that "... the Order today is filled with Minervals teaching Minervals. They are more concerned with the Gnostic Mass than they are with our Liber AL!" ... At the time I replied, "Give them more credit than that, they do throw wicked drunken parties!"

8:15am For the history buffs: The tyrannical Roman emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Germanicus was born on this date in Antium, Italy in 12BC. He is better known by his nickname of Caligula, which means ‘Little Boots.’ His few years as emperor were marked by erratic behavior and debauchery. He ordered the deaths of enemies and friends alike, he threw absurdly lavish parties, practiced incest with his sisters, and generally abused power while mishandling or ignoring affairs of state. It is said that he never kissed the neck of anyone without saying, “And this beautiful throat will be cut whenever I please.” He's a Virgo, it explains alot. ……..… and speaking of strange individuals, Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett was born on this date in Devon, England in 1867. He was the famous explorer who asserted that “the connection of Atlantis with parts of what is now Brazil is not to be dismissed contemptuously, and belief in it, with or without scientific corroboration, affords explanations for many problems which otherwise are unsolved mysteries.” In Fawcett’s chronicles, which consist of letters, manuscripts, and other records compiled by his son, Brian, the Colonel detailed his expeditions into Mato Grosso, South America in search for the ruins of an ancient lost city of Atlantis. However, his private journal ended with his disappearance on May 29, 1925. ……...... and it was on August 31, 1888 that Mary Ann ‘Polly’ Nichols was found slain in Whitchapel. She was the first victim of Jack the Ripper. Her body was discovered in Buck’s Row by Charles Cross, a carman, on his way to work at Pickfords in the City Road. She was Born Mary Ann Walker on August 26, 1845 in Shoe Lane off Fleet Street. She was described by a friend as “a very clean woman who always seemed to keep to herself.” At the time of her death the services of a destitute prostitute like Polly Nichols could be had for 2 or 3 pence or a stale loaf of bread. 3 pence was the same going rate as the price of a large glass of gin. ……...… and finally, Raymond Buckland was born on this date in London into an English Romany (Gypsy) family in 1934. He has studied and practiced fortune telling, witchcraft, Gypsy magic, and other aspects of the supernatural most of his life. He is also the author of more than twenty-five books, including such best-selling titles as Practical Candleburning Rituals (1974), Witchcraft from the Inside (1975), The Magick of Chant-O-Matics (1982), Practical Color Magick (1983), Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft (1986), Secrets of Gypsy Love Magick (1990) and Scottish Witchcraft : The History and Magick of the Picts (1991). He is probably best known for introducing Gardnerian Witchcraft into America, while also being the founder of his own tradition of Witchcraft called Seax-Wica. Besides practicing and writing about the occult his other passion are homebuilt airplanes.

Saturday August 30th 2008 – 8:40am OK, it’s a bit late but it was good crowd last night and I didn’t get to bed till after midnight. Anyway, for the the history buffs: The author of Frankenstein, Mary Shelly was born on this date in 1797.  Her book started as a ‘game’ to while away a few rainy days on a holiday but the result became one of the most shocking and powerful images ever conceived. ……… and Robert Crumb was born on this date in Philadelphia in 1943. As a kid, he and his brother Charles started drawing homemade comic books, like Fred the Cat, for the amusement of himself and his family. In time R. Crumb would become one of the most prominent member of the ‘underground comix’ movement where Fred the Cat eventually became Fritz the Cat, one of Crumb’s best-known characters. R. Crumb is also the creator of Zap Comics, Mr. Natural, Keep on Truckin’, and a lot of other great artwork.

…….. And how about this article from 1924 which was published in England on this date:

John Bull, August 30th 1924

A Human Beast Returns

A Man whose record is one that appals decent-minded people, and who for some time

has lived abroad, has returned to England. We warn the authorities and ask them

at the same time to investigate the activities of another evil-liver

who is corrupting the youth of this country

We have said so many things about Aleister Crowley, the Beast the past-master of every form of esoteric vice, that we should have thought he would hide his diminished head in some obscure foreign city, and shun the shores of the native land he has disgraced.

We entirely under-estimated the shamelessness and audacity of the Beast. He is once more in this country, once more haunting the West End of London, and, we need not doubt, once more seeking fresh victims to waylay and plunder.

How did he get into this country? In the circles of the vicious and depraved that he frequents, stories are going round that he got here on a false passport; and that he had the impudence to pose as a well-known British peer.

The Home Office should certainly look into this, for it is a serious responsibility to allow a degenerate like Crowley into this country. We can inform the authorities that he is at present staying in a hotel in the Tottenham Court Road district, and they ought to have no difficulty in tracing him.

Crowley is a notorious perverter of youth and innocence. He organises indecent revels for men and women, and even brings children into his shameless orgies. A young Oxford graduate died in the Abbey at Cephalu, under mysterious circumstances. His wife subsequently fell under Crowley's influence, and she has been quite unable to shake it off.

It is probable that Crowley will meet, while he is in London, that equally notable pervert who calls himself Dr. Ramanandah Ommah, who has a fine house in Kensington Gardens which he pollutes by his presence and practices. Some years ago this nasty Persian imposter was sent to jail for an offence against a young boy. He is apparently incorrigible. He contrives to frequent the society of young boys, and we have a series of complaints of his vicious conduct. He is assisted in his home by a woman named Sister Monica, who, when the Prince (as he was called) was in jail for eighteen months, gave out that he had gone home to Persia or India to settle his affairs. She met him when he came out of jail and escorted him to Kennsington Gardens, where he now carries on a boarding-house.

So notorious is his predilection for the society of young boys that the neighbours chalked on the pavement outside the house the legend: "The Abode of Love," and the Prince actually went to the police about it. They did not offer him much sympathy. They knew too much.

Crowley uses women, because they are financially useful to him. So does the Prince. He is interested in a business called Cernoline, Ltd., of 21, Golden Square, Piccadilly. It deals in cosmetics and things like that, and he obtained control of it by imposing on a woman. Cernoline, Ltd., is not registered at Somerset House, which is an offence; so that the police can get in touch with the preposterous Prince on this score if on no other.

With men like Crowley and Ommah in the West End of London, the possibilities of luring unsuspecting people into compromising positions are greatly enhanced.

When he was last here, Crowley used to give lectures on "Free Love" in the house of a titled woman in the West End. His slogan was "Love whom you will, when you will and how you will," and it was his speciality to explain the inferiority of sexual love as known to ordinary and normal people to the system he had invented and recommended.

Crowley likes especially to cultivate the society of young men from the Universities. To them he talks of art and of he ways of the ancient Roman and Greek philosophers and especially of the school of the hedonists, or those who believe that the highest good in life is to be obtained in the pursuits of pleasure.

One of the side-lines of the Crowley philosophy is the sale of drugs. He professes to be able to teach people how to use drugs without harm, drugs which deaden moral sensibility, inflame passions, and heighten the pleasures that are offered in the Crowley school of vice-culture.

The police can get on his tack in this way, and that should form an adequate excuse for coping with him.

Neither Ramanandah Ommah nor Crowley are wanted in this country, and in the interests of common decency and public policy it ought to be made impossible for them to exercise their baneful influence here, and stain the reputation of London by arranging for profitable abominations that would disgrace a monkey-house.

Friday August 29th 2008 – 9:00am Luna replied about the Pope and the frog - "What's the problem? the frog has pants on!" ... to which I replied, "That's the problem .... :)   

7:00am Crucified Frog!

6:35am Yesterday's NEWS read: "Firefighters Contain Blaze On Yerba Buena Island."  The article read "Firefighters were able to contain a one-alarm blaze burning on the west side of Yerba Buena Island under the Bay Bridge a couple of hours after it started, but one eastbound and one westbound lane of the span remain closed to accomodate emergency vehicles, according to fire department officials." ..... and I should point out that Luna sent me an email. She writes, "I'm not tripping on this...but I find it interesting that just when Leigh, Steven, Jay, Me, Su, Tim and several other people all tuned into astrally/dreaming in 'The Dream Catcher" and agreed that it was "located atop the Yerba Buena Treasure Island and Oakland Bay Bridge" this week...that the place actually caught on fire today." ...... Reply: Which one of you guys were playing with astral matches?

6:30am For those of us who are thrilled by the films of Jodorowsky like Fango and Lis, El Topo and The Holy Mountain, I’d like to report that he’s teaming up with none other than the legendary David Lynch to produce his first movie since 1990. And I quote, “Jodorowsky’s film will be the metaphysical gangster movie King Shot. Already guaranteed to be NC-17 (no surprise given his earlier works), the film features Marilyn Manson as a 300-year old pope and will star Nick Nolte.” .... It sounds like a must see!

6:26am Paul sent me a great link yesterday to an on-line bio-comic of Jack Parsons ... kinda fun ... check it out. Click HERE to read the comic.

6:15am For the history buffs: Frederick Mellinger died on this date in Bad Wiesse, Germany in 1979. He was an actor and dramatist who immigrated to London from Berlin with his wife and his two sons in 1933. Three years later he moved to Los Angeles. In late 1939 he contacted Wilfred T. Smith the Lodge Master of Agape Lodge and on March 22nd 1941 he took Minerval and First Degree into Aleister Crowley’s Ordo Templi Orientis. He was also a member of the AA. His motto was Frater A.U.M.G. (Arte Unionem Manifestabo Gnosticam). ……..... also, on August 29, 1990 one of the metaphysical giants of the Twentieth Century, Manly P. Hall, died on this date in Hollywood, California, at the age of 89. In 1934 he established the Philosophical Research Society. His Obituary in the Scottish Rite Journal, November, 1990, stated that he was: "often called Masonry’s greatest philosopher." …….. and I should like to mention that Dorian Corey, born in Buffalo New York, died on August 29th 1993. He was the grande damme of the 1990 documentary film titled Paris is Burning which critics consider an invaluable documentary exploring the end of the Golden Age of New York City drag balls and female impersonators. When he passed away at the age of 53 from AIDS he left behind an apartment filled of costumes as well as a twenty-year old mummified body of a middle aged black man in a trunk. The man had died from a single gunshot wound. A note was attached to his body which simply read: "This poor soul broke into my apartment and I was forced to shoot him."  Oddly, since Dorian had moved often, he must have been dragging the trunk around from apartment to apartment.

Thursday August 28th 2008 – 6:20am For the history buffs: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was born on this date in Frankfurt, Germany in 1749. This noted German dramatist, philosopher and poet is often ranked with Shakespeare and Dante as one of the three most important poets in history. His most famous work, titled Faust, presents the tragic story of its title character, who makes a pact with the devil and sells his soul. The story helped to inspire the name of a Lodge in the Ordo Templi Orientis.  During the poem Mephisto takes Faust on Walpurgis-night to the witches sabbath, there he states “To me it is quite plain and clear: The Brocken is your proper place, that’s certain!” Goethe died on March 22, 1832 at Weimer at the age of 82. ……… and how can I not mention that the international head of the Society Ordo Templi Orientis, Mr. Marcelo Ramos Motta died of “myocardial infarction and pulmonary edema” on August 28, 1987? Although we’d like to say he died on this date, the official statement says that “sometime between the morning of August 26 and the morning of August 28, 1987ev” he died. In the end, this Brazilian has a way of obscuring the facts, even his own death!

Wednesday August 27th 2008 – 6:20am For the history buffs there is a lot to report. First, Emmanuel Radnitzky was born on this date in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1890. He later changed his name to Man Ray and in 1921, at the age of thirty-one, he left New York for the city of Paris. Once there, he quickly established himself as a rather unique portrait photographer and painter. He is often considered to be one of the earliest American Dadaists and surrealists accepted amongst the Paris scene. In fact, in the early 1920’s, if an individual was going to have their portrait taken in Paris, it was believed by many that you’d be wasting your time unless you were sitting for Man Ray. Regarding his early Paris career, it is written that “there was always an endless dribble of schemes and suggestions by others concerning how Man could enhance his career and related earnings. Except for the inevitable acceptance of contracts with fashion houses and fashion magazines, he politely excused himself from such offers. One of the more diverting proposals was that proffered by Aleister Crowley.” He had met the Great Beast one day while sitting in Hotel de Blois in the Montparnasse section of Paris. Man Ray later wrote, “There was a strange character, Aleister Crowley, whom I’d heard of in connection with various suspect activities in London and New York. We were sitting in the cafe with some friends; he took me aside to speak more confidentially. He knew many wealthy women who came to him for horoscopes. We could work together, he said—why not tell those that wished to be photographed that I require their horoscope in order to portray them properly; on his side he would tell a prospective client for a horoscope that he needed a portrait of her to complete his analysis. As I did not need the extra business, the proposition was not adopted.” Another author has stated, “Ray, no fool, chose not to align himself with Crowley.” Man Ray died in Paris on November 18, 1976. ……….. and speaking of birthdays, Eddie Gein was born on this date in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1906. In 1957 he shocked the world when police raided his Plainfield, Wisconsin home and discovered a bowl made from the top of a human skull on the kitchen table with a spoon in it, plus numerous lampshades and wastebasket also made from human skin, an armchair made of human skin, female genitalia kept preserved in a shoebox, a belt made of nipples, a human head, four noses and a heart. One of the more ghastly trophies was a suit made entirely of human skin. The noted author who lived in Wisconsin at the time, Robert Bloch, was so inspired by the stories that he wrote the classic thriller Psycho around them. Later, in 1974, and classic thriller emerged inspired on Gein; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and although there is no character that is an exact Eddie Gein model the movie helped put Gein back in the spotlight in the mid-1970’s. Years later, Gein provided the inspiration for the character of another serial killer, Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs. Like Gein, Buffalo Bill treasured women’s skin and wore it like clothing in some insane transvestite ritual. On July 26, 1984 Eddie Gein died at the age of 78, senile & suffering from cancer. ………. And if we’re mentioning ‘unique’ individuals how can we not mention that Johnny ‘Eck’ Eckhardt was born a twin on August 27, 1911 in Baltimore, Maryland, without legs and the ‘shortest torso’ ever recorded. His identical twin brother, Robert, was born normal. At the age 11 he developed a strong fascination for the carnival after a stage magician named Rabsid Rasha offered them a break into the business in an act which consisted of sawing Johnny in half. A midget acting as Johnny’s legs would then run off stage chased by Johnny. He loved acting in carnival side-shows and he became quite famous but, during the off-season, he would tour the music halls with his own twelve-piece orchestra and himself leading on the piano. He made relatively few film appearances but, predictably, he did star in the movie, the cult classic, called Freaks (1932). He also appeared alongside Johnny Weismuller in MGM’s Tarzan Escapes (1936) as the Gooney-Bird. Sadly, Johnny withdrew completely from public life in the early 1980s, when burglars who broke into his home in Baltimore. One sat on him while the other ransacked the house. After this sordid experience his remaining years were spent in bitter seclusion. He commented on this by saying, “If I want to see freaks all I have to do is look out the window.” He always refused to speak about his early days in show business and died on January 5, 1991 at the age of 79. ………. To keep the flavor of today alive, it was on August 27, 1930 that three fishermen reported seeing a disturbance in the water on this date in Loch Ness, Scotland. The men watched as a huge creature 20 feet long approached their boat. As it passed them its wake caused their boat to rock violently. The men were convinced that the disturbance was caused by a living creature. Loch Ness is a body of water 23 Miles long, 1 Mile wide and averages 700 to 1000 feet deep, with some parts going down to 754 feet. Visibility is almost zero, due to the peat content of the water. The earliest recorded sighting of the Loch Ness Monster was in the biography of St. Columba by Adamnan in the year 565 AD. The monster apparently attacked and killed a man who was swimming in the River Ness. ……….. and it was on August 27, 1931 that the Yoga teacher Chinmoy Kumar Ghose, better known as Sri Chinmoy, was born in the small village of Shakpura in East Bengal (now Bangladesh), the youngest of seven children. Although he claimed that he and all his followers should be celibate, his kinkiness of liking to watch others performing is legendary, as well as the stories of paying for an abortion for at least one of his female sex partners, whom he denied having sex with. Many members have come forward over the years to denounce him for his sexual debauchery and lies in the name of liberation, or Yoga. ……….. and finally, I’d like to report that it was on August 27, 1941 that Aleister Crowley recorded in his diaries that while he and Gerald Yorke were seeing some of his old haunts, he vibrated rather loudly ‘Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law’ from the High Altar at Trinity Chapel to Yorke’s delight.

Tuesday August 26th 2008 – 7:07am For the history buffs: This is the reported date in 1795 of the death of Comte de Cagliostro, the founder of Egyptian Freemasonry. He died mysteriously in the dungeons of the castle of St. Leo, near the city of Montefeltro. He was a victim of the Catholic Inquisition. According to one rumor, his body was discovered in a cell ‘strangled’ to death. Some claimed that his assassins were his jailers. According to the Mortuary register of Santa Maria “His body has been buried at the top of the mountain at the spot where it slopes towards the west, almost at an equal distance between two buildings destined for sentinels and called Il Pallazzetto or Il Casino, on the soil of the Apostolic and Roman Curia, the 28th day at 11 o’clock at night.” ………. And Christopher Bradshaw Isherwood was born on this date in England in 1904. He was a champion with his controversial stand on gay liberation. He was the son of an army officer who had been killed in World War I. As a novelist and playwright he was best known for The Berlin Stories which fictionalize his life in pre-World War II Berlin in the 1930’s. These were later adapted into the stage play I Am a Camera and into the popular musical Cabaret. The latter was made into a movie in 1972 starring Liza Minnelli and Michael York. Isherwood disliked the movie when he first saw it due to its watering down the homosexual role of Yorke’s character. Isherwood never hid his homosexuality and he was seen as a champion for his controversial stand on gay liberation which he clearly reflected in his books. Although he has become a cult figure amongst the modern gay community, he always hated the term ‘gay’ and simply preferred being called ‘queer.’ During his time spent in Berlin Isherwood could often be found in the Cosy Corner which was a small working-class bar often frequented by male prostitutes. It was in Berlin that Isherwood met “the practitioner of the occult, Aleister Crowley” with a mutual friend by the name of Gerald Hamilton, who lived with the Great Beast and his mistress for a while in Berlin in 1932. Shortly after their first meeting Isherwood decided to take Aleister Crowley to one of his favorite spots, the Cosy Corner, for drinks. No sooner had Crowley entered when he declared very loudly, “I haven’t done anything like this since I was in Port Said.” Then, glancing around the room, Crowley decided to stroll up to a “very tough-looking youth in an open shirt, standing by the bar.” Instead of introducing himself like a normal person, Crowley simply “scratched the boy’s chest deeply with his nails.” It’s hard to understand what he might have been thinking, but his actions did not receive the response that Crowley was probably hoping for. pparently the boy was pissed. It is written that “only a sizable gift of money succeeded in restraining the boy from beating him up on the spot.” One wonders just how much money was offered to keep Aleister Crowley from getting punched out cold. Although, typical of Aleister Crowley, it’s a safe bet that some one else came up with the cash and it was most probably Isherwood. Another question could be asked  what did Crowley do at Port Said? Years later, in his private journal, Isherwood made a rather amusing comment about Crowley. He wrote, “The truly awful thing about Crowley is that one suspects he didn’t really believe in anything. Even his wickedness. Perhaps the only thing that wasn’t fake was his addiction to heroin and cocaine.” Isherwood died on January 4, 1986 in Santa Monica at the age of 82. ……… also, the writer Frank Harris died in France on this date in 1931 of a heart attack. He was a friend of Aleister Crowley since the mid-twenties, but on January 2nd 1924 Aleister Crowley recorded this bit of wisdom in his diary about him: “Lunched with Frank Harris. But I’m not doubtful about Frank Harris. He is insane.” …..….. also, on August 26, 1939 Phyllis Evelina Seckler, also known as Soror Meral, took Minerval Degree into Aleister Crowley’s Ordo Templi Orientis in the sands near Playa Del Rey in southern California, becoming a member of Agape Lodge.

Monday August 25th 2008 – 7:45pm Jay writes, "Nice to hear about the elemental activity. Always fun. I was just thinking: this is the second major elemental activity you've had in which Faustus was present; I've heard of many cases before in which a poltergeist seems to follow a child, causing all kinds of pointless mischief. Do you think that Faustus' psyche could have something to do with it? And if so, why? Why is it that children make such good mediums? Is it similar to why women are best in sex magick if they are left in the dark? That is, the free will doesn't interfere. Just some thoughts. Hope all is going well. May the elemental not wreck up your home too much." ....... Reply: Yes, children are far more psychic than adults and are often a 'catalyst' to elemental or daimon activity ... the older we get, we begin to shut ourselves down as if a harden shell has formed around us. Young children, especially around the age of puberty, as is my son, are purer vehicles and tend to accept, if not 'fear' more which opens them up. According to the Bible and other religious text; fear [Pacad] is the first step to finding God. ... Using children as the medium to reach the 'Go-between' [Ghosts, elemental, daimon, HGA etc] is something that has been used for centuries. In MacGregor Mathers' Introduction to The Book of the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage he 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; adding “This child had to kneel before a small table, on which a vessel of water and some lighted candles were placed. He then instructed the boy to look into the vessel of water, and so commenced his conjurations; he next laid his hand on the head of the child, and in this position addressed a prayer to God for a successful issue of the experiment. The child now became clairvoyant, and said at first that he saw something white; then that he saw visions, an angel, etc.” ..... but for the record, I am not, nor have I ever, used my son for any rituals; he's just very psychic and with his sexuality becoming unbridled, he's a dynamo. 

12:15pm The poltergeist (elemental) was active again this weekend in my apartment. Its been quiet since last November. Click HERE for the poltergeist records of my apartment; go to the bottom of the page for details.

11:45am This is to announce the release of the latest issue of CORNELIA ! Yes, I've been busy and Issue No.19 is hot off the press and it’s a crowd pleaser. If you’ve been following this blog over the years you might have enjoyed the continual ‘sexual’ astrological bantering. This issue begins with my article titled ZODIAC SIGNS AND THEIR SEXUAL PROCLIVITIES. Everyone will love to review what makes their sign tick except Scorpios! … Also in this issue is a great article titled THREE ALCHEMICAL STEPS OF INITIATION by Frater AOM. And we include Raoul Loveday’s classic article that he wrote titled THE ABBEY OF “DO WHAT THOU WILT.” He would inevitably die at the Abbey. … As for the continual biography section; this issue includes the bio of MONTAGUE SUMMERS; which will address the rumors of whether or not Aleister Crowley really turned him into a giraffe? … Also in this issue is an article titled Some BLOGGISH THOUGHTS which is just the magickal discussions edited from my on-line magickal blog for December 2007.  In previous issues we have include magickal entries from the blog from  day one up until November 2007. … and finally, we include AN ALEISTER CROWLEY LIMERICK about sex magick with historical information and data. … All in all, this is a great issue! … Click HERE for details.

7:20am For the history buffs: only one thing to mention today, Sweden, under the reign of Queen Christina during 1618-1648, was relatively unscathed by the witch hysteria plaguing the rest of Europe. However, after her the Queen’s death, the country witnessed an outbreak of witch panic. In Mohra, Sweden, in 1699 over a hundred adults and three hundred children were deemed to be witches. The Mora hunt began when a fifteen-year-old boy accused several other children of stealing babies for the Devil. In the ensuing trials, “a number of children were condemned to death, while many others were given non-capital punishments on the basis of testimony by confessing witches that the children had allegedly accompanied them to the Sabbath.” The first executions took place on this date in 1699 where some of the prisoners were first beheaded and then their bodies were burned to ashes. Another thirty-six children were forced to run the gauntlet and were beaten with rods for a whole year, while twenty of the youngest children were thrashed on the hands at the church door three Sundays in a row.

Sunday August 24th 2008 – 6:40am For the history buffs: Hoene Wronski was born on this date in a prominent Polish Family in 1778. He was a unique philosopher, a Cabalistic Martinism, whom Eliphas Levi met in 1852, the year before Wronski died. It is no secret that Levi considered Wronski one of the greatest influences on his thoughts and ideas. …...... also, Jorge Luis Borges was born on this date in Buenos Aires in 1899. He was a poet, essayist, and short-story writer, whose tales of fantasy and dream worlds are classics of the 20th-century world literature, He moved to Geneva, Switzerland in 1985. There he died of liver cancer on June 14, 1986, and was buried at the old Pleinpalais Cemetery. ……..… and it was on August 24, 1918 that Aleister Crowley, using ‘magical memory’ during a retreat on Esopus Island in NY, discovered that he was the incarnation of Count Cagliostro. ……....… and finally, on August 24, 1996, about two in the morning in Poudre Canyon, Colorado, a group of campers witnessed several UFOs flying over the area. Later, when two men in the group were retrieving water, the objects appeared again and seemingly landed off in the distance behind some trees. Shortly afterwards the campers reported that several three foot tall creatures approached the campsite but then backed off, retreating back into the darkness. This routine was carried out several times during the night until the UFO finally departed about six in the morning.

Saturday August 23rd 2008 – 7:15am A little bit more history: Constant Lambert was born on this date in London, England in 1905, the son of the Australian painter George Washington Lambert. He was educated in England at Christ’s Hospital and the Royal College of Music in London. He was a noted composer and conductor. His best-known composition is a choral work in the jazz idiom entitled The Rio Grande (1927). He was also the conductor and music director for the Sadler’s Wells Ballet (1930-1947). On August 21st 1951, after the first performance of his Tiresias (1951), he died of undiagnosed diabetes aggravated by his drinking. He knew Aleister Crowley in the thirties, who mentions Lambert throughout his diaries and both seemingly enjoyed each other’s company – “occasionally.”…… Aleister Crowley wrote two limericks to Constant Lambert. They are both circa 1937 and are part of what Crowley termed his Constant Lambert series. To understand some of the references in the first limerick: the Mormons, they are a religion founded by Joseph Smith in New York in 1837 and later settling in Salt Lake City, Utah. Polygamy, or a marriage where one man often had several wives, was a common practice in the early settlement. As far as Crowley mentioning the location of Wells, this is a borough located in Somerset, England near Bath. The Cathedral at Wells was built in the 13th century and is considered one of the most magnificent in all of England. .... and ‘Tintinnabula omnia’ refers to every sort of, or all of the bells, giving him ‘insomnia’ or keeping him awake. … and to understand the second limerick, a ‘Yankee’ is slang for an American.

The first limerick about Lambert:

A militant Mormon of Wells

Said, “Decent polygamy quells

Lust - ’twould bring pious ease

Back to the diocese

With a musical peal of ten bells.

“Tintinnabula omnia, give me insomnia!

- A musical peal of ten bells.”

The second limerick about Lambert:

Said a Yankee who visited Wells:

“Say, these ecclesiastical swells

Seem grand at contriving

To manage their swiving

To a musical peal of ten bells.”

7:00am For the history buffs: Queen Isabella, the “She-Wolf of France” died on this date in 1358. She had been living at ‘Castle Rising Castle’ in Norfolk, England which was built by the Earl of Sussex in the middle of the 12th century. It was here that King Edward III had his own mother Queen Isabella incarcerated for what he believed to be her part in the murder of his father, Edward II on September 21, 1327. She lived the remainder of her life quite comfortably in the castle but, the older she got, insanity began to set in and she went mad. After her death her ghost has been seen many times running dementedly along the ramparts of the castle and her shrieks of maniacal laughter have often been heard at night. Her hysterical cackling has been described as being “like some mad old witch.” ………. and on August 23, 1930 the founder of the German EDDA Society, Rudolf John Gorsleben died after a long-standing heart problem. ……. And on August 23, 1940 the famous National Geographic photographer and explorer Galen Rowell was born on this date. He published the classic book In the Throne Room of the Mountain Gods (1977). Its 326 pages are filled with maps, black and white and exquiusite colour photographs of K2 and its surroundings. The book primarily deals with the 1975 American K2 expedition, although it also mentions historical information on Aleister Crowley’s failed attempt to conquer the mountain. Tragically Rowell and his wife died in a plane crash on August 11, 2002. ……… and finally, in Sao Roque de Fratura, Brazil, a farmhand spotted a strange “monster” in a coffee field on this date in 1996. He described it as being a quadruped gray green creature, approximately five feet long, with a large head and what looked like armor protecting its legs, shoulders, and rear end. It resembled a scorpion lacking its pincers and a tail and it had legs “like an ox.” The creature fled back into the jungle when the farmer began throwing rocks at it.

Friday August 22nd 2008 – 4:40am For the history buffs: Aleister Crowley and others began their attempt at climbing Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas on this date in 1905. Crowley is recorded as saying that “the Himalayas had cured me of the habit of going to the Alps. I could not play any longer with dolls after wooing such grown-up girls a Chogo Ri and Kangchenjunga.” ……… also, the science fiction author Ray Douglas Bradbury was born in Waukegan, Illinois on this date in 1920, the third son of Leonard Spaulding Bradbury and Esther Marie Moberg Bradbury. He was given the middle name ‘Douglas’ in honor of the actor Douglas Fairbanks. Some of Bradbury’s science-fiction stories and novels have become classics, most notably The Martian Chronicles, Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes.

Thursday August 21st 2008 - 9:10am Carol sent a tome, part of which she writes, "Boy, Jer, is it that time of the month for you or what? Thank the goddess you're leaving us Aries out of which signs you like and dislike." ... Reply: I'm still trying to determine which sideways Crab-like movement this Cancer must pursue with you guys; right or left; like, dislike, or simply run back to my hole every time an Aries comes around and thereby avoiding the issue! ... Any other signs want to pipe in?

8:20am Ok ... I admit, I also have to watch out for the Pisces!

8:00am Marilyn writes "...please be kind to us Scorpios!! :)." ...... I replied: I love Scorpios, its why I joke so much about them. Ironically, most of my ex-girlfriends are Scorpios and I'm still friends with all but one .... you guys are great! ... Its the Sagittarius I have to watch out for!

6:40am Weiser Antiquarian Books is pleased to announce the release of two new catalogs: Catalog Forty Two: The Occult Review - click HERE. And Catalog Forty Three: Ambix. The Journal of the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry - click HERE. The first of these catalogs, number Forty-Two, focuses on issues of The Occult Review.  For over forty-five years - from its first appearance in 1905 to it's final issue in 1951 -  The Occult Review was arguably the most significant of the many journals and newspapers dealing with the many facets of twentieth century occultism, with articles, reviews and correspondence by some of the most famous occultists and writers on esoteric subjects of the time.  In an earlier catalog (Catalog Forty) they listed a collection of the bi-annual, hardbound volumes of the journal. This catalog lists a selection of the original monthly (later quarterly) issues, in their familiar, orange soft paper wrappers. ... The second catalog, number Forty-Three, is devoted to back issues of the journal Ambix. Those with a scholarly interest in alchemy, chemistry, and the history and philosophy of science, are probably already familiar with the Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry (SHAC). ... The books in these catalogs represent just a minute fraction of their overall holdings. They currently list nearly 10,000 other mostly esoteric-related titles on their main website: www.weiserantiquarian.com with new stock added weekly. 

5:20am John writes, "It seems like yesterday you were a bit less forgiving than usual. I don't know why you reamed the first guy a new one and I thought the guys question at 4:50pm was a good one. You answer far less, why the issue all of a sudden? Bad day?"  ...... Reply: I was actually having a great day. You are right, I do answer brief snippets and comments all day but you must understand that I am far more vicious to actual AA students than outsiders. The way I see it; if a student thinks I am merely here to do their work for them, then I have failed. Although, I will always try to answer questions I expect a tad bit more 'intent' from certain people. It is hard, if not often impossible, for the readers of my blog to sometimes realize this but you must understand that I post alot of info directed toward AA students worldwide. If 'outsiders' find insight, that is OK, but my blog is a way for me to reach more students with info and procedure than usual. 

5:09am Regarding yesterday's postings, Mary writes "... lighten up."

4:55am Aubrey Beardsley was born on this date in Brighton, England in 1872. His health was always fragile and, at the age of nine, he had his first reported attack of tuberculosis the disease which was to reduce him to an invalid several times during his short life. The years between 1893-94 were perhaps the most important in Beardsley’s career. He was hard at work producing illustrations and covers for books and periodicals, In February of that year (1893), Oscar Wilde’s scandalous play Salome was published in its original French version. The play was reproduced in Joseph Pennell’s article titled A New Illustrator: Aubrey Beardsley which appeared in the inaugural issue of The Studio. It was so admired by Wilde that he  commissioned 50 guineas to have Beardsley Illustrate the English edition (1894) of his French version of his play. Beardsley’s fame was established for all time when the first volume of The Yellow Book appeared in April 1894. This famous quarterly magazine of art and literature, for which Beardsley served as art editor and the American expatriate Henry Harland as literary editor, brought the artist’s work to a larger public. It was Beardsley’s startling black-and-white drawings, title-pages, and covers which, combined with the writings of the so-called “decadents,” a unique format, and publisher John Lane’s remarkable marketing strategies, made the journal an overnight sensation. Although well received by much of the public, The Yellow Book was attacked by critics as utterly indecent. So strong was the perceived link between Beardsley, Wilde, and The Yellow Book that Beardsley was dismissed from his post as art editor in April 1895 following Wilde’s arrest, even though Wilde had in fact never contributed to the magazine. In the end, with deteriorating health, Beardsley followed his doctor’s advice and moved to southern France. He died here, during the night of 15/16 of March in 1898. …….. One of the oddest stories in UFOlogy happened on this day in 1955 in Kelly, a small town located in rural Christian County in southwestern Kentucky. It happened on the Sutton family farm. A visiting friend, named Billy Ray Taylor, went out to fetch some water and saw a large shining object land. When he told others inside the farm house, they laughed but became concerned a short time later the family dog began barking wildly outside. At this point Carl “Lucky” Sutton and Billy Ray grabbed their guns and went out to investigate. That is when they saw a small 4 foot creature with large eyes, a long thin mouth, large ears, thin short legs, and hands ending in claws, walking towards them with its hands up, as if surrendering. In a rural area of Kentucky in the 1950s, folks were likely to shoot first and ask questions later if they felt threatened, which both gentleman did. However, the creature seemed ill affected by the bullets and simply made a quick back flip and ran quickly into the woods. Within a short period more creatures returned, looking through the window, climbing on the roof and literally putting siege to their house for over three hours. No matter how often the men fired at the creatures, their guns seemed totally ineffective against the creatures. Finally, the entire seven member family was able to climb into two vehicles where they fled down the dirt road and away from the farm. ………. And finally, on August 21, 1981, the movie An American Werewolf in London opened in theaters. It starts off with two American students being on a walking tour of England when they are attacked by a Werewolf. One is killed, the other surviving student is slowly turned into a Werewolf and begins having nightmares where his friend and other recent victims appear to him, demanding that he find a way to die to release them from their curse, being trapped between worlds because of their unnatural death.

Wednesday August 20th 2008 – 4:50pm And if one Scorpio a day isn't torture enough, a second Scorpio student wrote me asking, “Br. Cornelius 93! There is a little discussed topic that I would like to hear your thoughts upon that is connected to the history of the A.'.A.'., Magical retirements. I know it short but it's what on my mind. 93,93/93 M.”  … I sat back in my chair and thought, "But why is it on his mind, what prompted it?" ... I replied “Have you read today’s blog?” ... and he replied, “That is funny as hell thanks. Ill sort it out. :-)” ... Thanks. I'm kinda busy today. ... I think I'm going to change the name of my blog from 'Blogeria' to 'Lets Google Jerry.'

10:00am I am posting this reply that I just sent to a friend because it is a good lesson for all to learn. Some people have bitched at me from time to time for not answering their questions and here is a classic example as to why I simply delete some emails and ignore others. I wrote - "I received yours and I must say, years ago I made it a point of not talking magickal theory to certain astrological signs simply due to their ‘density.’ These are primarily the ‘Fixed signs’ which needless to say, you are one. I find that Scorpios some times simply do not get it and I have far better success teaching them in person. You guys think too much and often, due to your nature, you pick the harder path to pursue which is often the most misleading.  Ah, the Joy of Scorpios! It’s your Martian energy driven by Pluto the Lord of the Underworld which keeps everything in the cave of your mind and often prevents you from the explaining things straightforward in the Light of Day. What I’m saying is that your last email still wasn’t that clear. You cited more of my own quotes as examples of what confused you but do you honestly think that citing my own quotes answers my previous statement where I commented that I was not quite sure what you meant? … Dah! I know what the Hell I meant when I wrote those statements but again you supply me with no meat or substance as to what ‘YOU’ are thinking about them or what exactly confuses you. … Thank the Gods you’re not one of my students; I’d ream your ass for clarity. I told one of my students - “if you cite ten of my words back at me then I want hundred as an explanation as to why and if you site fifty, I want three hundred.”  I told him it’s a waste of my time and energy to try to second guess where he is coming from with his quick brief questions. I am now saying the same thing to you. I enjoy discussing magick but if I feel that all I’m doing is babbling info and getting no understanding of you in return then it is not worth my while to reply. Harsh perhaps but you must learn to spend more time dredging from your mind what is going on in there rather than simply asking questions. Horizontal schools are good for that kind of ‘question and answer’ behavior but you’re aspiring to an Inner or vertical School and it is no longer acceptable. The rule of thumb is that you write the ‘tome’ and I reply with a brief snippet whether you're on the right track or not, not the other way around." ... but I did end my email with "On that note; have a nice day …" 

6:20am For the history buffs: Howard Phillips Lovecraft was born on this date in Providence, Rhode Island in 1890, the only child of Winfield and Sarah Lovecraft. His fans should best remember that when the great god Cthulhu calls, he’ll call collect! ………. And on  August 20, 1949 The Evening Star and The Washington Post ran articles about a young boy’s possession. The headlines of the Post graphically told the story: ‘Priest Frees Mt. Rainer (Md.) Boy Reported Held in Devil’s Grip.’ It serves no purpose to go into all the gruesome details behind this incident. However, it is well known that William Blatty, a student at Georgetown University at the time, read these stories in the paper and years later based his book titled The Exorcist upon them. Blatty himself has even stated that the “Exorcist is, of course, based on an actual case that is factual, documented” The real incident occurred in January of 1949 when a young boy (not a girl) was given an Ouija board as a gift by an aunt who had a strong interest in the occult and spiritism. She also knew that she was dying of multiple sclerosis. Being extremely close to the boy, she gave him the board as a means to keep in touch with her after death. She died later the same month on January 26th 1949. ……… and finally, I should report that on this date in 1996 in West Manchester, Ohio, a teenage girl saw a circular metallic UFO hovering above a group of nearby power lines in her backyard. She claimed that the object had orange, green, & reddish orange lights with a series of rectangular windows around the middle section. The round bottom half of the craft appeared to be gold in color. The girl felt like she was being watched. After viewing the object for about ten minutes, it zig zagged off and shot up into the sky.

Tuesday August 19th 2008 – 5:15pm Regarding my August 15th 5:10pm posting on my blog about two  Georgia hunters finding a ‘Bigfoot’ body … it was just announced on the NEWS that it is all a HOAX to scam people. Surprise! Surprise! Yes, the two hicks from Georgia had perpetrated a fraud! The 'body' is nothing more than a widely available Halloween costume stuffed into a large cooler, with some animal entrails laid on top and frozen in a block of ice. Once the ice began to thaw researchers were able to take hair samples from the "creature" which when heated "melted into a ball uncharacteristic of hair" and “A foot once exposed from the ice was found to be made of rubber.”

2:20pm Carol wrote a tomish reply to my 10:30 posting, part of which simply says "I'm climbing the mountain licking my way to the top." ... I replied, "You've taken my thoughts and have reduced them to the lowest common denominator. The 'Holy Mountain' is a metaphor for a foundation in reality and the heights in the heavens toward godhood.” …. And just now Carol sent me a brief email reply asking “But isn’t the foundation the yin and yang scrotal sacs and the heights the penis head and sacred cave opening?” …. I have not replied to her; I simply give up. ... Aries! ... One track mind.

11:10am John writes, “I am confused. Your 10:30 posting implied a person can never know their True Will. Why am I bothering to seek it?” … I replied “Good question. First of all, to seek anything is an admittance your not it! Haven’t you learned that principle yet, its magick 101? Again, it’s like the God Pan; stop seeking it!!! It’s always fleeting; embrace its reflection and simply do what thou wilt. Remember; everyone’s True Will is the desired experience that they came into their incarnation trying to achieve but by its mere nature the term ‘incarnation’ implies everything from beginning to the end. Do you know intimately what this entails? No one knows their entire life; not their past, their present and especially not their future. Still, I must remind you that some individuals in their travels can be writers, artists or poets or a sailor, soldier or store owner but finding what you are best suitable for, let’s say as an artist over being stuck in factory job, allows your True Will to manifest clearer … but the over all experience (i.e. True Will) cannot be known until after you die and when your standing in the valley of Forgetfulness reflecting upon a life just lived in preparation for a new one.” .... I might add that if anyone is wondering how to find the shadow that their Star casts upon Malkuth, all the clues are given in your birth chart and childhood.

10:30am Carol wrote an email; part of which she writes - "So if I get this straight Jer, if I like to suck alot on, lets say lollipops :)-, then this could be the desired experience that I incarnated for and it is my True Will? I like it!" ... Reply: Sweet tooth aside - No. Sucking on a 'lollipop' is merely an outer reflection or 'want' of those forces in play as dictated by your birth chart or True Will. You were born with 'Free Choice' ... how you use the energies is up to you but there is no right or wrong, only do what thou wilt. I cannot, nor anyone, second guess the experience you came in for. But always remember, all manifestations are merely 'reflections' of the True Will which is similar to the God Pan who cannot be seen in Sunlight and any attempt to drag him into the Light will only make him flee deeper into the shadows. Pan must simply be allowed to be. "For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect." (AL I:44) So Carol ... lick away ... but be sure to continue climbing the Holy Mountain at the same time. Keep the Will and Want balanced because one you'll never know while the other is but its shadow.

10:00am Jerri wrote, “I have been thinking of True Will as the ‘program’ in which I was given before my birth...and thus my purpose in this incarnation. Your answer suggests this is not quite right. Not the whole picture at all...but only a piece of the puzzle. Our True Will has to be more than 1 life's purpose...in fact, we would pick our lives according to that Will that drives us. I don't know why I've not thought of that before...but it makes much more sense. Why would we have a different Will for each incarnation? I was thinking like an incarnated person, attached to one life!! Of course, our ‘program’ would be different with each life, but it's because our souls have grown (or slipped backward), and different things are required to temper our souls in the alchemical furnace... Am I closer here?? Feels much better.” ..... Reply: Yes, you are really, really close; almost right on the money. Each new incarnation has a new ‘birth chart’ or 'True Will' which dictates the type of experience our spirit has now chosen. This ‘new’ experience requires you to be a woman, a female Pisces but in a previous life you could have been a guy, a Scorpio or Virgo. We all go through a multitude of experiences which hopefully temper us in the alchemical furnace.

9:35am Jay wrote, regarding the Aug.17th 12:30 blog posting - "Certainly. I knew that the Abyss is the cusp between the 9th and 10th house-- that is, where the midheaven lies-- but this seems to portray the midheaven in rather negative terms. Or is it rather the means by which we cross the Abyss? It all implies that there could be a danger in focusing on one's midheaven.” … Reply: What is so negative about the Abyss? It is simply an imaginary desert of sand which lies across the top of the Tree of Life dividing the top three spheres from the below between Chesed (Jupiter-4) and Binah (Saturn-3). It’s a Portal Degree similar to the lower portal degree but the higher Portal Degree separates the Lover grade from The Hermit. I might also add that although many astrologers point out that the First House rules the Ego, others point out that the Ego is also ruled by the Tenth House/Mid-Heaven. This is because the Ego, rooted in the Sun, is bathed in an inner and outer duality between justifiable and false; our Higher Self (MC-Tenth House) and our Lower Self (First House); or ‘Do what thou Wilt’ and ‘Do what thou Want.’ The First House aspect of the Ego is often referred to as false because it is rooted in the ‘Lower Self’ which is more commonly called your ‘Personality’ or the image that is seen and interpreted by others, not necessarily a reflection of the ‘inner person’ as it is understood and concealed by the individual themselves in their Tenth House. … Anyway the Abyss is not the problem as much as what lies within it; or unfinished Demons yet faced. Review my blog posting in the archive under ‘Sunday May 20th 2007 10:00am.’ 

5:45am For the history buffs: Jehenna de Brigue and her neighbor Macette de Ruilly had been accused and convicted of sorcery and witchcraft but their execution was postponed when it was learned that Brigue was pregnant. However, under a severe and excruciatingly painful torture, Brigue confessed that she really wasn’t pregnant and so on this date in 1391 both she and her neighbor Ruilly were burned alive at the stake, which is the first recorded European secular witchcraft burning in history. …..… and on this date in 1924 Jo Di Mambro was born in Pont-Saint-Esprit, France. At a very early age he became interested in esoteric studies and in January of 1956 he joined the Rosicrucian Order of AMORC. He remained heavily involved in this group until 1969. Eight years later, or on July 12, 1978, he established the Golden Way Foundation in Geneva whose officially stated aims was that of chivalry. In the early 80’s he met Luc Jouret, who was born on October 18, 1947 in the Belgian Congo to Belgian parents. Oddly, Di Mambro arranged for Jouret to meet his friend named Julian Origas, a supposed former Gestapo agent who had founded the Renewed Order of the Temple (ORT). This group combined the ideas of the Knights Templar and Rosicrucian together. In 1981 Jouret became a member of ORT and by the time of Origas’s death in 1983 he had become a Grand Master. Within a year, however, Jouret was forced out of the group but he did not go peaceably. He took over half of the members with him. Together, Jouret and Di Mambro, decided to form a new organization with Di Mambro as the hidden master and Jouret as its outer. They called it The Order of the Solar Temple; or International Chivalric Organization of the Solar Tradition Founder. At its height in January 1989 there were 442 members but by the early 90s a dissatisfied membership began to drop off drastically. Out of this conflict came the idea of preparing the group for an apocalyptic “transit” to another world. This journey came in the late night of October 4, 1994 when the town of Chiery, Switzerland became aware of a huge building burning on the edge of town. In another town, Granges-sur-Salvan, another house was burning. By dawn, 53 people were found dead in Switzerland and Quebec, including both Jouret and Di Mambro, all the result of a mass suicide, with a hint of murder. In December of 1995, another sixteen followed suit. Finally, in March of 1997, five more people died in Quebec. The left behind three teenagers who refused to participate, but who were able to partially explain what happened. They first attested to the victims’ willingness to simply want to die and then said that their final message to the world made it clear that they were the last ones ready to take that final ‘transition.’ ……… and the artist Jacob Epstein died on this date in 1959. He had designed the burial tomb of Oscar Wilde which outraged many for its obvious and blatant display of a male organ on the naked figure. Inevitable a ‘plaque’ was placed over the offending part, hung in the fashion of a fig leaf. However, the plaque did not remain there long as some poets and artists raided the cemetery and removed it. Not long afterward the noted magician Aleister Crowley approached Epstein in the Cafe Royal with it dangling round his neck. Then, after taking the plaque off, Crowley presented it to Epstein as a gift. ……….. and they called him the Most Beloved Sri Gurudev, His Holiness Sri Swami Satchidananda. He died on this date in 2002, obtaining what is called Mahasamadhi, or the state when the soul’s conscious exits the body. The physical cause of death was a ruptured thoracic aneurysm, he bleed to death internally. He was 87. He was born in Tamil Nadu, in South India in 1914 and first came to the United States in 1966 where he began teaching Yoga. He established the very first yoga center in America; now known as ‘Integral Yoga International.’ He is famous for being the ‘guru’ who officially opened the rock concert known as Woodstock in August of 1969. Years later he bought land near Buckingham, Virginia to create his own personal ashram which he called ‘Yogaville.’ However, contrary to the swami’s alleged status as a devote celibate and despite the requirement that his devotees not marry and refrain from sex, Satchidananda, like many Eastern teachers, was plagued by allegations of sexual improprieties by female members who alleged their spiritual mentor had exploited them sexually. When the stories of his sexual misconduct broke in the press Satchidananda refused to apologize, deny or admit guilt. Instead he publicly stated, “Don’t judge me, I am your guru. If you choose to believe it you can leave right now. Or, if you have faith, you can stay and continue in my service.” Needless-to-say, hundreds left.

Monday August 18th 2008 – 5:06am For the history buffs: Urbain Grandier died on this date in 1634. He was a French Catholic priest of St.-Pierre-du-Marché of Loudun in France. Trouble began at the Ursuline convent in Loudun when some of the nuns started accusing Grandier of bewitched them by sending the demon Asmodai to commit evil and impudent sexual acts with them. This resulted in Grandier being arrested on November 30, 1633, interrogated and judged by an ecclesiastical tribunal. At first he was found innocent but, having made an enemy of notorious Cardinal Richelieu, he was ordered to stand trial again. However, there never was a second trial, nor did the Nuns ever testify. Grandier simply confessed to everything after being tortured through unspeakable horrors. His accusers even produced a forged ‘pact’ that Grandier had supposedly signed with several demons. Finally, on this date, Richelieu consummated his vengeance by finding Grandier guilty where he was immediately taken out in the courtyard and burnt alive at the stake. Predictably, Urbain Grandier went to his death maintaining his innocence. …..…. On this date in 1850 a giant in French literature, Honore de Balzac, died in Paris. He boastingly drank an average of fifty cups of coffee a day and some believe that his death was simply the result of caffeine poisoning. He has also been called the world’s greatest literary glutton. It has been written that a “typical meal for the French novelist consisted of a hundred oysters for starters; twelve lamb cutlets; a duckling with turnips; two roast partridges; sole a la Normonde; various fruits; and wines, coffee, and liqueurs to wash it all down.” He wrote many great ‘observations’ of the world. Like “Man can start with aversion and end with love, but if he begins with love and comes round to aversion he will never get back to love.” ……… And Roman Liebling was born on this date in Paris in 1933. He later changed his name to Roman Polanski. He was the husband of the murdered actress Sharon Tate and the director of the infamous psychological Satanic thriller titled Rosemary’s Baby (1968). After his conviction for the statutory rape of a 13-year old girl, Polanski fled from Hollywood and America to France in order to avoid prison. …...… and on August 18, 1972 is the ‘date’ given at the beginning of the fictional movie, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, as to when the murderous rampage took place.

Sunday August 17th 2008 – 1:30pm I sent another email to Heather re: her birth chart. I wrote - "Another thing I’d like to mention from your last email is where you write, “Nice to ponder a different planet on my chart instead of the biggest ones I need to figure out being Moon and Saturn in Cancer in the 3rd." …. Let’s discuss Saturn. You have this in the third house and it’s retrograding. We tend to think that all our natal planet’s energies are always directed toward outward expression but rarely do we examine what it implies when the planet is retrograde which means that part of the energy is now directed inward, away from the world. Such qualities often give us a deeper sensitivity in regards to both the planet and the house in which it falls. Saturn determines the Laws behind the manifestations of your Sun; or more commonly those rules which a person self-imposes upon themselves which can create serious obstacles, external limitations and restrictions. Although some consider Saturn a malific or evil force, especially considering that it ate its children and you with Venus in the Eighth House of Scorpio, I would however, remind you that Saturn is a required function necessary for the growth of individual consciousness in its quest for confidence, discipline and stability … but the flip side of life comes death; Saturn can bring hard work, coldness, shyness, loneliness, repression and all things related to decay. And remember, Saturn rules Capricorn wherein your Venus lies!  Ouch!  And your Saturn and Venus is in opposition; the polarity of the two elements so involved indicates the type of tension or basic disharmonious energies. The symbol for an ‘opposition’ is like a balance and when one force is used to tip the scales over the other then conflict, confrontation and stress arises. If the energies are consciously balanced; working together then the opposition which creates tension does so with a positive result; often with a motivating and energizing effect where mountains can be moved especially if that damn Goatish energies are pushing it.  …. Saturn in one’s chart naturally shows where the greatest challenges and limitations are to be found and the hardest lessons learned; opposing Venus – more ouches! Saturn is a force which will absorb much of your time and rather than avoiding it and considering it evil; you will be forced by circumstances to overcome your fears in relationship to where Saturn lies in your chart by becoming an expert in the field indicated; in your case as dictated by your Third House. The Third House of Gemini reveals what type of ‘Saturnian’ energy. This house, due to its Mercurial nature, represents communication; relationships in general 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; and tied to Venus, communication with one’s mate can be a constant strain.  There is a lot to think about here, No?  Most people never ‘reflect’ upon how to move Saturnian energy to a positive; being that Saturn is retrograding in your chart, you’ve got a gift not to be wasted. The walls built in most cases can easily be torn down. ... I hope I’ve given you some food to think about … remember, take everything to a ‘positive’ and if something you are reading about your chart sounds too negative, rethink it. One of Aleister Crowley’s most brilliant papers on astrology appears in Adams’ first book and is titled Free Will versus Destiny. In this Crowley states: “It should be clearly understood that the stars only indicate what will come to pass if intelligence and Free Will are not used to change the natural course of events.” He also adds - “how far we shall develop the desirable traits and overcome those which are undesirable, depends upon the exercise of Free Will.”

12:30pm Jay, who attended yesterday talk on astrology, writes, “I was wondering if it's safe to say that the higher self is represented in part by one's midheaven. It occurred to me because you had said something along the lines of the midheaven being the proverbial you at the top of the mountain.” …. Reply: The midheaven would best be understood by looking at the Qabalistic Tree of Life and realizing that it represents the Abyss.

1Kether (The Crown) Neptune

2Chockman (Wisdom)Uranus

3Binah (Understanding)      Saturn

- ABYSS -

4Chesed (Mercy)      Jupiter

5Geburah (Strength)   Mars

12th House rules the sign of Pisces; whose ruling planet is Neptune. The Qabalistic sphere which

rules Neptune is the 1st or Kether, the Crown.

11th House rules the sign of Aquarius; whose ruling planet is Uranus. The Qabalistic sphere

which rules Uranus is the 2nd or Chockmah, Wisdom.

10th House rules the sign of Capricorn; whose ruling planet is Saturn. The Qabalistic sphere

which rules Saturn is the 3rd or Binah, Understanding.

The Cusp of Tenth House / Mid-Heaven - ABYSS

9th House rules the sign of Sagittarius; whose ruling planet is Jupiter. The Qabalistic sphere

which rules Jupiter is the 4th or Chesed, Mercy.

8th House rules the sign of Scorpio; which rules Mars. The Qabalistic sphere which rules Mars is

the 5th or Geburah, Power.

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12:20pm Wow, Pacifica (south San Francisco) just had another earth quake at 12:07pm; a 1.8 magnitude.

12:05pm Heather also commented on reading Grady's bio, In the Name of the Beast - "There is something deeply profound just under the surface working it's way up ignited by the poems at the beginning of each chapter." .... I replied: Yes, the poems at the beginning of each chapter in both volumes of Grady’s biography, In the Name of the Beast, represent stages of his life as he saw it. They were not randomly chosen. The order of the poems, starting off each chapter, is exactly as Grady wrote them in his Magickal Thesis of his Universe, his Life and after reading each chapter much wisdom can be gotten by going back and thinking about the verse under the heading and meditating upon it. I’d also recommend reading the entire poem; which I might add, I am presently adding a webpage to include all of Grady’s poems in their entirety. I’ve been working on it for about a month now in between projects. I’ll announce on my blog when I have launched it onto the internet.

12:00pm Heather, my favorite little Aquarian wrote, "I'm joining in on the astrology lesson since the lunar eclipse in my sun sign has me deep in it anyway.. I'm referring to your post yesterday the 15th at 10:56 am. I too have Venus in the 8th house but it's in Capricorn. One foot in the water, the other one out? At least I am touching the Earth somewhere! I resent how much time I spend with someone in a relationship instead of spending time with me but I know I could get completely distracted with finding new romance if I was alone. I need some semblance of stability to ground me but refuse to accept that I need anybody's help" ..... I replied: Ah, Venus in an Earth sign, in Scorpio, and you’re an Aquarius, which lends way to an amusing situation. It’s almost a total contradiction. Venus demands romance but that analytical ‘airy’ Aquarian component, driven by the lustful earthly Goat, keeps your head in the clouds of romance too much, more so than others. I bet you fall in love easily, put all your eggs in one basket and often regret the choices you’ve made because you don’t feel secure or in control of your mountain top; you’ve let an ‘invader’ in who doesn’t understand you 100%. And you write, “I need some semblance of stability to ground me but refuse to accept that I need anybody's help” …. This is a given; Venus in Capricorn people have this need to stand alone and to show their partner that they’re independent, secure and goat-like on the mountain top. With Scorpio, Eighth House, I bet it can make you rather vicious if you’re freedom feels threatened or misunderstood; it would be interesting to see how a person actually manages in their quest to climb the mountain to conquer the Goat without losing body parts.

8:32am NEWS - Pacifica [south San Francisco] just had a 2.2 magnitude earthquake hit at 7:58am. Also, this morning a little after two, the San Francisco Zoo area was hit by a 1.7. Both are no biggies! The earth always shakes out here! The shaking enhances our sex life; makes the girls think we're better than we actually are! That is how we can tell if you're from the area or just moved here from another part of the country. We keep our beds facing north-south to go with the movement of the shakes! Outsiders don't know that trick yet!  :)-

8:15am OK, I'm posting kinda late. It was a great lecture yesterday followed by our usual supper and beer at Raleigh's where we continued discussing magick, astrology and the Universe as individual stars walked by the window [& some were rather cute stars I might add! :)]. Anyway, after about nine-thirty, I don't remember much more. I'll get to all your emails and etc during the course of today but I'm moving slow ... send astral aspirin, it'll help.

8:00am For the history buffs: Llewellyn George was born on this date in Swansea, Wales in 1876. He is a respected name in American astrology, and his easy-to-use books took the public beyond the simple Sun signs. Many people still calculated and interpreted charts using his A to Z Horoscope Maker. In 1906, he established ‘Llewellyn Publishing,’ which is one of the oldest occult publishers is still around. Their annual Moon Sign Book, first published in 1906, is still relied on by farmers and homemakers as well as by astrologers for its invaluable advice on timing. Llewellyn George, who had been suffering from poor health for quite some time, died at age 78 on July 11, 1954 in Los Angeles, CA. …...…. And speaking of birthdays, Mae West was born on this date in Brooklyn in 1892. Much can be said about Mae West but her wisdom says it all. She wrote and delivered some of the greatest immortal lines ever recorded, like: “It’s not the men in my life, it’s the life in my men,” or “It is better to be looked over than overlooked.” She further demonstrated her talent for double entendre in her signature line: “A hard man is good to find.” And who can forget these lines? “When I’m good, I’m good. When I’m bad, I’m very good,” or “I used to be Snow White but I drifted.” However, my personal favorite quote is; “When choosing between two evils I always like to take the one I’ve never tried before.” …...….. and to continue; Ed Sanders was born on this date in Kansas City, Missouri in 1939. He and Tuli Kupferberg founded the musical band called The Fugs in 1964 which was a joyously chaotic blend of Beat-style lyrics and political rants. Many consider The Fugs as an important cultural bridge between the Beat Era and the 1960s. Sanders is also the author of the classic book on Charles Manson titled The Family. Although, it has been written that this book “though invaluable to the Mansonologist for its fetishistic information, a little Sanders goes a long way.” …...…. And finally, David Koresh was born on this date as Vernon Wayne Howell in Houston, Texas in 1959. When he was 20, he turned to the Church of Seventh Day Adventists but was inevitably expelled for being a bad influence on the young people. Sometime during the next few years, Koresh went to Hollywood to become a rock star but nothing came of this and, in 1981, he went to Waco, Texas. Here he joined the Branch Davidians, a religious sect which in 1935 had settled 10 miles outside of Waco. Soon, Koresh had an affair with then-prophetess Lois Roden who was in her late sixties. The two even traveled to Israel together. When Lois Roden died, a power struggle began between Koresh and Lois Roden’s son George. For a short time, Koresh retreated with his followers to eastern Texas but in 1987 he returned to Mount Carmel in camouflage with seven male followers, armed with five .223 caliber semiautomatic assault rifles, two .22 caliber rifles, two 12-gauge shotguns and nearly 400 rounds of ammunition. During the ensuing gunfight, Roden was shot in the chest and hands. Koresh and his followers went on trial for attempted murder, seven were acquitted and a mistrial was declared in Koresh’s case.  By 1990 Koresh had become the leader of the Branch Davidians and legally changed his name, saying on the court document that the change was “for publicity and business purposes.” He said the switch arose from his belief that he was now head of the biblical House of David. Koresh being the Hebrew transliteration of Cyrus, the name of the Persian king who allowed the Jews held captive in Babylon to return to Israel. After the Jonestown fiasco federal officials (ATF) got wind that the Davidians had failed to pay taxes on a bunch of machine guns that they possessed. So they mounted the now-infamous raid on the Mount Carmel complex in February 1993 which cost ten lives, four of them ATF agents. This was followed by a 51-day siege, coordinated under the auspices of the FBI. The siege ended only when Attorney General Janet Reno ordered that the Branch Davidians be hauled out by force, using FBI extraction teams backed by snipers and tanks which lead to the infamous day of April 19, 1993 when the Branch Davidian church outside of Waco, Texas was burnt to the ground. In the end, nineteen men, thirty-four women and twenty-three children died that day, including David Koresh.

Saturday August 16th 1929 – 12:40pm Regarding yesterday’s posting about finding a Bigfoot body; today’s headlines reads – “Scientist Says 'Bigfoot' Fails DNA Test” … it seems “One of the two samples of DNA said to prove the existence of the Bigfoot came from a human and the other was 96 percent from an opossum, according to Curt Nelson, a scientist at the University of Minnesota who performed the DNA analysis.” … Well, I read that and to me the DNA test  doesn’t prove a damn thing except some really tall hick out in the back woods of northern Georgia was screwing a possum instead of his sister and produced a rather large hairy offspring!

5:30am For the history buffs: Aleister Crowley married Maria Teresa de Miramar in Germany on this date in 1929.  His new Scarlet Woman was also called ‘The High Priestess of Voodoo’.  It has been said that “Crowley had only married Maria in the first place for the same reason he had married Rose, as a joke.”  The marriage would not last and Maria would return to Nicaragua and die in a seedy hotel room of an overdose of heroin. …..…. And it was on August 16, 1951 that the French village of Pont-St-Espirit began its day of ‘St. Anthony’s Fire’. It started when villagers began eating rye bread moldy with an LSD-like ergot which was enough to create over two hundred reported cases of monstrous and terrifying hallucinations throughout the village, resulting in four deaths. …….... on this date, August 16, 1996, near Bandirpur, Uttar Pradesh, India ten-year old Sita Devi reportedly saw a bizarre ‘werewolf’ like creature run across the grass on all four paws and grabbed her fourteen-year old brother. The creature then rose up; standing on two legs and became as tall as a man. The girl reported that the ‘werewolf’ threw her brother over its shoulders after he had apparently killed him. The creature then ‘mutated and reportedly wore a black coat, a helmet & a pair of goggles. In the same region since early July over thirty-three other children had vanished without a trace. Local villagers blamed their disappearances on “white wolves” or werewolves. …....…. And finally, the evil African dictator Idi Amin, died on this date in 2003.  He was born in 1925 near Koboko, in the West Nile Province of what is now the Republic of Uganda. He ran his country into the ground before being ousted, he killed thousands of his own countrymen and legend has him involved in Kakwa blood rituals and cannibalism.

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