~ July 12th - 23rd 2009 ~

Thursday July 23rd 2009 – 9:30am Jay writes re: my 12:30pm posting yesterday about my doctor's visit and my heart – “93 Jerry, I hope that you're doing alright, rather, I hope that you aren't doing terribly bad. And for the love of Nuit please don't eat anything green and don't drink any red wine. That stuff kills the heart! I hope to see you soon. Maybe some breakfast this weekend? Love,  Jay.” ........ Reply: There is not much food in my refrigerator, rarely is but I did eat some left-overs chicken today that looked kinda green when I held it up to light, does that count? ... And the only wine I'm getting of late is the whining I’m getting in emails from some of my other students. I shared these emails with Luis Alvarado who wrote me a few minutes ago - "Forgive me, I am laughing out loud and shaking my head with sadness simultaneously. Human beings, can't live with them, can't live without them."  

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7:35am I recieved a though provoking email from Xris which I'd like to share. "93 Jerry;

    I've been thinking over the connection to AL 1;1 and the Tao and this is what's been coooking so far;

      In looking at the first chapter of AL I also looked to the first chapter of the Tao. It describes how ‘nothingness’ is the origin of the universe, and from this perspective that one sees the operation of the universe; its motion and ‘way’. Nothingness is the Ain, that which is concentrated in Kether. From the motionless point of Kether, one may see All. In 2:4 we see that Nuit is known as Hadit cannot be, He is the knower of Her.

   The other is ‘beingness’ which is called “the mother of many” and from this perspective one sees individual things; the myriad. This recalls Binah as the superior mother who gives rise to all manifestation below the Abyss; the realm of the Actual.

   The Tao goes further to say that these two are one, which Thelemically could be seen as the union of Nuit-Babalon; 1-56.

   The Crown of Kether has 12 rays, being a higher form of the Sun and the ring of the Zodiac. In Kether there is only the perception of the awareness of Not, or Nuit, thus is she ‘known’. AL 2:72 shows that "Death is the crown of all." It is death of duality and self, and so to wear this Crown we must have annihilated any sense of self and of other. Crossed the Abyss into the Ideal. One is thus the hollow that the cosmic way flows through unhampered.

    For what its worth;

Xris

Reply: I like it.

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7:30am For the history buffs: Today in 1865 Max Heindel was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He was a Theosophist and later founding the Rosicrucian Fellowship of the U.S., which is a non-profit foundation in Oceanside, California. He was a prolific writer. He died on January 6, 1919. …….... Also, on July 23, 1874 Rose Edith Kelly was born in England. She was the older sister of Sir Gerald Festus Kelly, later President of the Royal academy of Art in England. She would later marry the notorious black magician Aleister Edward Crowley on August 12, 1903 and become known as ‘Ouarda’, the seer, which is an Arabic word for ‘Rose.’ On July 28, 1904 the couple had a daughter. She was named Nuit Ma Ahathoor Hecate Sappho Jezebel Lilith Crowley. She died young. In 1906 Rose gave birth to their second daughter Lola Zaza. The best quote regarding Rose is from a book titled The Demon Lovers (1969) by Joseph R. Rosenberger. It takes place on the night of her honeymoon with Aleister. It goes as follows: “Rose stripped off her clothes and stood before Crowley in all her nudity. Her breasts were perfect cones, high and firm. Her waist was trim and her hips nicely rounded. She was a true red head all the way.” ….....… and speaking of odd things, on July 23, 1886 Steve Brodie, a Brooklyn bookmaker, wrote his name in history as being the first person ever to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge and live. The bridge, which had been built across the East River between lower Manhattan and Brooklyn in New York, had just been completed a few years earlier. He became an immediate hero and New York sightseers flocked to a tavern that he opened in the Bowery to drink and share stories with this now famous ‘bridge jumper.’ However, years later it was revealed that it was a weighted dummy that people saw falling from the bridge and not Brodie. It was all a publicity stunt. Brodie died in 1901. …....…. And on July 23, 1920 Jane Wolfe arrived at the Abbey of Thelema in Cefalu from America. She was hoping that Aleister Crowley might cure her sickness. William Seabrook, a very close friend of Wolfe, stated that she was suffering from “... an unrequited passion for some homme fatale of the speakeasy epoch, from too much bathroom gin, despondency, and a couple of other depressants which ... included veronal.”

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Wednesday July 22nd 2009 – 5:30pm In regards to my 8:10asm posting my dear friend Ricardo writes - "Jerry, 93  Please be honest, friend.  You'd tell me if you were dead, right? It  would be rude to die and not tell your friends and loved ones. Everyone in my town believed that the dead comes to say goodbye, and one of the most common ways to do this is to sneak into your room at night and pull your legs. Therefore, when the women are preparing the corpse of a recently deceased, they can make sure the shell of the departed will not haunt the town by giving a firm, hard tug to its legs before placing it in the casket. That way, he won't feel like tugging legs himself. Not sure how the logic works on that one. In  fact, the first ghost I ever saw was of my Great Uncle who came to whisper something to my father's ear as he slept. The ghost was being followed by our dog, who was happily wagging his tail. I saw him, heard his walk, and felt his touch as he passed by my hammock while my pre-pubescent body was pounding with the intense blood flow.  I asked my father later, who remembers a conversation with his uncle in a dream, telling him that there was a box with silver coins hidden in a remote church during the massacre of 1932. My father also remembers my Great Uncle asking repeatedly to be taking to that remote town to visit the church in his last days. So, my question to you is, should I come over and pull your leg? Are you looking for silver and gold, perhaps hiding in the remote basement of an alchemical and archetypal church? Are you whispering the secrets of this spiritual treasure to your sleeping descendants as your dog (ego) follows you, excited and tickled happy? Ricardo 93 93/93."

Reply: It seems everyone has been pulling my leg for years!  :)-

Here is an interesting story; in January of 1996 shortly after my son Faustus was born I learned that my mother was dying of Cancer, the doctors figured she's live until late April, early May. ... Here is an extract from diaries - "Thurs. Feb.15th ... I had a real, real strange dream last night, although at the time I felt I was awake, half asleep. Odd! I sensed that my mother was standing at the end of my bed ... 'wants to talk!' - but Faustus awoke for his late night, feeding & woke me up, too and interrupted things." ... Then, a few days later on Feb. 20th I received a letter from my brother. It seems "my mother died on Wednesday, Feb.14th. She slipped into a coma on Sunday, never regained consciousness." ... Once of the last things she said to my sister was to tell me, that despite all the Hell and torment she put me through, "she loved me in particular" of the four children. I guess it wasn't a dream I was having. She came to say good-bye.

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12:30pm Well folks, got a ton of incoming email which I'll get around to sooner or later ... but for now, I just want to let you know that I just got back from my monthly Doctor's appointment; been having lots of heart related issue of late and it looks like I'm going back into the hospital; as to when, I don't know. Scheduling could take a few weeks. Thank the gods that its only my heart that is seemingly failing and nothing too serious to warrant immediate concern. Ya got to love our health care system. ... I'll keep eveyone posted as things progress.

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8:10am Every now and then you get an email which simply has you sitting back in your chair and smiling. John, an old friend from New Haven Connecticut, was talking with other friends who heard and are convinced that I died last year. So John is writing me today to “verify if its true or not” and adding "I hope this is not true. I look forward to your reply." ... Well, for starters, I am alive and kicking and thank you John for asking ... but second, if I weren’t alive, why are you writing to me? Sometimes silly little things amuse me.

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5:50am  history buffs: On this date in 1892, as two boys trolled for bass near the south shore of Lake Geneva, Switzerland, they were startled to see the head of a huge serpent like creature rise out of the water about twenty-five yards away. It opened its huge mouth, revealing several rows of sharp, hooked teeth, and focused its fierce eyes on the terrified onlookers. It began swimming toward them, and the boys, literally paralyzed with fear, were unable to move. Fortunately for them, the creature executed an abrupt turn when it got within a few feet of them and swam back toward the middle of the lake. The boys later said  that it was at least 100 feet long and three feet around. …...... and it was on July 22, 1921 that Frank Bennett, Frater Progradior, signed the Oath of Zelator in the AA. …...…. And it was on July 22, 1941Vaughn Bode was born in Utica, New York. He was the infamous underground cartoonist who created a unique little wizard who always wore a huge pointed hat. His comic strip began by stating, “...once upon a time at 2:30 in the afternoon there lived a wise and benevolent wizard that went by the handle Cheech Wizard.” The inspiration for the wizard’s name was a can of Cheechy Nuts. In 1972, Cheech Wizard appears for the first time in the National Lampoon magazine. Bode once commented that he was as “an extremely introverted kid, completely unable to relate to the world around me...I started creating my own fantasy world populated with my own little creatures.” He died in San Francisco of ‘accidental strangulation’ on July 18, 1975. Some claim from a mystic ‘sexual’ experiment gone wrong. He was just 34. …...…… and to keep up with the flavor of today’s oddities I must note that on July 22, 1996 aan reported to the local authorities that he was at a summer cottage outside Ontario, Canada when he experienced two hours of ‘missing time’ and he told them that he had vague memories of lying on a table were several short gray figures were standing around him. He also pointed out an X-pattern of red marks on his hand as proof to his alien abduction. …...…. And finally, on July 22, 1996,late at night near Vicenza Italy, two local youngsters reported, while sleeping on the grassy slopes of Monte Berici, that they suddenly noticed the total lack of any animal noises. Everything became eerily quiet. Soon they heard a sort of modulated scraping metallic sound followed by the sounds of something moving in the forest. When they looked towards the sound they noticed two dark red gleaming eyes staring at them. The girl screamed, became frightened and covered herself with a blanket; the boy reported that he saw what appeared to be a large form, like a white-silvery blanket approaching from a nearby hill. Suddenly the bizarre robotic creature seemed to shrink up within itself and then disappeared into the woods. Other people in the area also reported hearing loud noises coming from the woods.

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Tuesday July 21st 2009 – 10:35am Jay sent an email under the subject - "I Can See through It Clearly Now" ... he writes - "93 Jerry, I've been thinking about the dewdrops and feel I finally perceive it clearly. The dewdrops, emanating from Kether, is pure Godstuff, unformulated by Chokmah, containing every tendency of the soul and mind and body. In the average person these drops simply fall through and burn up in the sun. The magician builds a cup by the practice of Chastity so he may cultivate this elixir. By this means she can come into her True Will which is the individual manifestation of the Universal Will, of Her Will. What I find very fascinating is that, at least in men, this plays out literally. The semen or transluscent fluid is the lunar fluid, the sperm, the opaque white fluid is the solar fluid. This is why a male magician properly practicing Chastity will emit a different ejaculate than one who isn't; he has properly cultivated the dewdrops instead of letting them burn up in the sun. This is very intense though, because it means he really has become a vehicle for concentrated Godstuff and should probably be careful how he uses it.

Also, I'm loving the meditations you posted yesterday. I've never seen the opening lines of The Book of the Law laid our that way. Where did it come from? The meditation in question, "Had! The manifestation of Nuit," I think plays directly into what I'm discussing. I've often thought of Nuit in Binah, but certainly that's too limiting. If Nuit manifests in Kether, then certainly the dewdrops seem to be Her Will emanating downward. "Had!" has often been a bit of a stumper for me, but in Hebrew Had = 10, Kether in Malkuth and Malkuth in Kether, but also the complete manifestation of the 10 Sephiroth.

Love, Jay 93 93/93

PS I love Andy's analogy. For me, this is very to the point of what is meant by Chastity.

Reply: To the first paragraph - bravo. I think you're finally getting it. Now, was it that hard?

As for the second paragraph regarding the meditations; Had and Nuit are found in all things similiar to the Yin and the Yang, which is why so many people see them in different spheres on the Tree of Life depending upon where they stand on the Holy Mountain. However, in The Tao Teh King it is the 'Secret Father' (Tao) that lies unmanifested while it is the Mother (Teh) who manifests. He is the Heavens (Kether), she the Earth (Malkuth); almost a role reversal from what Qabalists and magicians might argue. This reversal might be difficult to grasp but consider the next verse which informa us - "To understand this Mystery, one must be fulfilling one's will, and if one is not free, one will but gain  a smattering of it."  So fret not if don't fully get this mystery.

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7:15am Andy writes - "Jerry 93! On thinking of chastity I remembered experiments with the same I made for a brief period as a teenager. I got sick of the party crowd and unseriuos partners and became a straight edge ascetic for several months. I was always kind of embarrassed by this phase when thinking back on it but now I see the lesson to be learned. Courtly love became a part of my chastity experiment as we concurrently studied courtly love in my senior year of high school in a favorite teachers class. The idea roughly is that a Knight has a Lady, generally the wife of a noble, who he loves and fantasizes about, fighting in her name, wearing her colors in battle, and generally dedicates his all to her love, though this love was often never physically consummated. The self-imposed restriction of the situation caused the passions to grow and this inflamed libido could then be channeled into the Knight's work, driving him forward. The Knight would lie down with others but the Lady was still in his heart even then. There was something akin to the superstitions of athletes in the way the Knights thought of this. Failing in his mental devotion and love for his Lady would bring certain failure in the mind of the Knight. The love of his Lady was the source of all of his power. The Knight's Lady's image, charged by his unwavering devotion and unconsummated desire, became larger than life, archetypal to him, like a living embodiment of the Goddess. This kind of romantic religious devotion can be seen in the poetry of the troubadours and the Sufi mystics in their speaking of the beloved, amongst others. Chastity in the sense of the VII then seems to be, in  part, about cultivating a similar attitude towards BABALON. This seems to have an ennobling effect on the Knight. If we look at the commentary on "The Stag-Beetle" Crowley mentions the Greek peasant belief that the soul was united with the Deity one worshipped during life as significant. A Knight is a professional soldier. If he doesn't have the love of BABALON in his heart he has fought only for temporary power and material things and if he falls in battle that is what he will be united with. If, on the other hand, the Knight does all of his fighting for the love of BABALON if he falls in battle then he will be united with her. Important stuff being that we're talking about the mysteries of Knights (The Templars) and the VII Knight has to die unto BABALON to cross the Abyss and become an VIII. Just my two squeezes of blood into the Cup. 93, 93/93 - Andy." ............ Reply: Not bad, not bad at all.

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7:00am For the history buffs: After eating an English missionary on this day in 1867, contrite villagers in Fiji are now eating humble pie and want to say sorry. Rev Thomas Baker, from Playden, East Sussex, was cooked and eaten by the people of the remote mountain village of Navatusila. They only thing left of Mr Baker, a clergyman with the Wesleyan Methodist Church, were his leather boots - and they even attempted to chew them. The people of Navatusila believe they were cursed because of the actions of their cannibal ancesters. They have no electricity, no passable road leading out of the jungle, and down the years they have suffered a series of misfortunes. In a bid to break that curse they have invited the cleric's descendants to attend a special ceremony of atonement, where they plan to offer an apology for the sins of their ancestors. But whether it will break their run of bad luck is another matter. They have apologized to no avail before, when they presented the Methodist Church of Fiji with Mr Baker's overlooked and partly chewed boots in 1993. The 35-year-old Mr Baker is the only European to have been cooked and eaten in Fiji. His death helped to create an image of missionaries as blundering proselytisers who ended up in a cooking pot as the natives' next meal. ….....…. And Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois on this date in 1899. Like many writers of the period he was fascinated by the evils of Aleister Crowley and incorporated him into one of his stories. An unpublished version of The Sun Also Rises it contained a short story based on an incident where Ford Madox Ford snubbed Hilaire Belloc only for Hemingway to later realize that Ford had mistaken the identity of the individual whom he had snubbed. It was actually Aleister Crowley whom Ford snubbed. Hemingway describes the incident where he was sitting in a café in Paris in the twenties when “a tall, gray, lantern-jawed man” walked by, adding that Crowley was “walking with a tall woman wearing a blue Italian infantry cape.” On July 2, 1961, like his father who had committed suicide some thirty years earlier, Ernest Hemingway died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 61. He had rose early, as he had done most of his entire adult life, he selected a shotgun from a closet in the basement and went upstairs to a spot near the entrance-way of the house and shot himself in the head. If he had waited a little more than two weeks he could have celebrated 62nd birthday. …......… and Martin P. Starr was born on this date in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1959. He is an author and lecturer who researches western esotericism with a particular interest in Freemasonry, Theosophy and Thelema and related movements. He is the author of The Unknown God : W.T. Smith and the Thelemites (2003). ….....…. And finally, on July 21, 1980 Gerard Croiset, the Dutch psychic died at the age of 71. Croiset’s versatile psychic abilities enabled him to locate missing persons, find lost objects and also to solve crimes when called upon by police departments. The accuracy of his descriptions of various locations was amazing as was other information he was able to offer. He was able to tell people their life histories by just holding an object that belonged to them. This is a skill is known as Psychometry. He became well known for his gifts, even appearing being interviewed by the BBC.

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Monday July 20th 2009 – 3:45pm Back in June 2007 I received an email from an old friend from Broken Mountain Lodge OTO whom I knew back in the late 1970s. He ask ed - “I remember a ten-fold Qabalistic Tree meditation that we use to do with the First Chapter of Liber AL vel Legis. Do you have a copy? I remember it having a lasting effect on me?”

I replied - "Boy, its been about thirty years since I thought about these meditations but I do have a clear memory of doing them for ten consecutive Saturdays up in the Temple. The piece you mention, I had written. It dealt with my attempt at taping into the 93 Current via Liber AL I: 1-10 and drawing it down into Malkuth, or into myself. It came to me in a 'dream.' After talking about my ‘meditations’ at one of Brocken’s Saturday’s event a few members decided that they wanted to do them weekly, in yogic posture and yes, I too remember them having a deep and lasting influence on many of us. After we robed and entered the Temple, got into posture and centered ourselves, the verse in question was recited by one person. Everyone then meditated upon the verse in relationship to the Qabalistic sphere for about thirty minutes or so. We spent the entire next week thinking on the verse and sphere. Quite a few people submitted papers on what they learned about the verse; very impressive; especially from those who were versed heavily in Qabalah. The over-all affect was beginning or starting with Kether in the first week and inevitably drawing the energy down to Malkuth in the tenth; the correlation with the first ten verse in Liber AL vel Legis is what is striking and dictated the 'type' of energy."

And, due to a recent email comment, I'd like to republish my article on my personal meditation on Liber AL vel Legis:

MEDITATIONS

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

1. Had! The manifestation of Nuit.

Meditate upon this verse in regards to Kether, the first sphere on the

Tree of Life. Had is both ‘one and ten.’

2. The unveiling of the company of heaven.

Meditate upon this verse in regards to Chockmah, the second sphere

on the Tree of Life which solidifies and ‘unveils; Stars around specific

Laws in preparation for birth.

3. Every man and every woman is a star.

Meditate upon this verse in regards to Binah, the third sphere on the

Tree of Life as the STAR is prepared for birth; male or female.

4. Every number is infinite; there is no difference.

Meditate upon this verse in regards to Chesed, the fourth sphere on the

Tree of Life. Such is Mercy. Mankind moves below the Abyss. Each

and everyone one of us is a different STAR, infinite in variety.

5. Help me, o warrior lord of Thebes, in my unveiling before the Children of men!

Meditate upon this verse in regards to Geburah, the fifth sphere on the

Tree of Life known as Mars; reflect upon the ‘warrior lord of

Thebes.’.

6. Be thou Hadit, my secret centre, my heart & my tongue!

Meditate upon this verse in regards to Tiphereh, the six sphere on the

Tree of Life, the center of our universe.

7. Behold! it is revealed by Aiwass the minister of Hoor-paar-kraat.

Meditate upon this verse in regards to Netzach, the seventh sphere on

the Tree of Life. There is a dove ...

8. The Khabs is in the Khu, not the Khu in the Khabs.

Meditate upon this verse in regards to Hod, the eighth sphere on the

Tree of Life.

9. Worship then the Khabs, and behold my light shed over you!

Meditate upon this verse in regards to Yesed, the ninth sphere on the

Tree of Life. The Moon receives the Light of the Sun when Full.

10. Let my servants be few & secret: they shall rule the many & the known.

Meditate upon this verse in regards to Malkuth, the tenth sphere on

the Tree of Life. It is Earth wherein the servants reside.

Love is the law, love under will – AL I:57

New Reply: OK folks; review the above and note the flow and similarities of the ten verses and Spheres on the Tree of Life. This week; lets talk about verse No.1 "Had! The manifestation of Nuit." ... what do you think about it as if it were Tao related?  Or is it?

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2:30pm Mike wants to know if "all references to dewdrops refers to the OTO Elixir." .... Reply: No. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. However, in the previous quote from 7:15am today where I quote The Tao Teh King consider this footnote to chapter XXXII where Crowley adds - "This 'dew" refers to the elixir of the Fraternity R.C. and of the O.T.O. It has been described, with proper caution, in various passages of 'The Equinox' and of 'The Book of Lies.'

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10:55am Sally Eaton previously wrote - “I know exactly what you mean about West Coast Pagan Standard Time! But despite what anyone tells you, the only appreciable difference between West and East Coast Pagan Standard time is that EPST is (around) three hours earlier.” ........ Reply: How funny. I know that already replied to this privately but I thought I might add it to the blog and mention how I think that we all run the same way but in my view, when High Magick is planned and where an astrological chart is required, you should do things by the book. There is a time and a place for everything; either to be on time or to say, does it really matter? Most times it doesn't really matter.

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7:15am Ed Wormuth writes - "93 Jerry,  Ok, Ok! I must finally comment on this line of thought about Chastity.  I have been following your blog and read with great interest the replies you receive and the comments on them. ... With your 1st mention of Chastity, I immediately thought of Virtue as pertains to Taoism and every subsequent comment has re-enforced this feeling. To follow on the path of Tao one must be virtuous.  It always reminds me of walking the railroad tracks between New Monterey and Fisherman's Wharf back in the 60's; [these tracks have been taken up and now the bed of the former railroad line is a walking and bicycle path that extends from Lover's Point in Pacific Grove to Marina--but I digress]. To walk any distance on a train track requires balance, a clear head, and the abandon to look ahead not down at the track [likely a skill necessary to drive a chariot as well-unfortunately Charlton Heston is around to ask if this might be the case].  So it is in Taoism that there must be an inner balance and uncluttered vision forward to tread the path.  Also, Gurdjieff talks about creating a magnetic center that acts as a "moral compass" [part of his working to create a "soul", which he didn't think was standard equipment in people, but an achieved state.] ... I was looking to put in my 2 cents and I think I may added the other 98 as well. 93 93/93, Ed ... P.S. I'm hoping you will have a Saturday open house in August as I would be eager to attend another.” ........ Reply: Very good. Although magickally the Seventh Degree concept of 'chastity' implies much, too often the magician fails to realize that all 'qualities' must exist on all levels; hence the Tao. In other words, if chastity has this lofty aspiration of thought similar to Samadhi then it must also be rooted somewhere in Malkuth, or Earth (i.e. bodily actions). But chastity is not 'having no sex' on Malkuth as some might have you believe but rather it is a daily focus of thought in order to move in a specific direction. However, too often people want to play on Malkuth and do 'whatever they want' and then years later they'll complain that magick doesn't work and that they've never really achieved their True Will. They'll argue that they came into this incarnation in order to gain a specific 'experience' and that they took full advantage of their surroundings and circumstances at every turn in order to do such, so why is it that they haven't achieved? ... Ah, it's a fine line between 'Do what thou wilt' and 'Do what thou want'... so what is the Balance between the Yin and Yang ... why its the Tao .... which like Samadhi and like the Dewdrops, is rooted in Kether.

The Tao-Kether divides, becomes the Tao-Chocmah and the Teh-Binah. Consider these quotes from Aleister Crowley's The Tao Teh King.

"The Tao is one, the Teh but a phase thereof. The Abyss of this

Mystery is the Portal of Serpent-Wonder." - Chaptr VII

"Heaven and Earth combining under its spell, shed forth dew,

extending throughout all things of its own accord, without man's

interference." - Chptr. XXXII

p.s. Sorry about no 'Open Houses' in early August ... I'm over-booked and got too much to do over the upcoming weekends. Life, my son .... & etcs.

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7:00am am For the history buffs: On this date in 1955 Kenneth Grant sent Karl Germer his ‘Manifesto to the New Isis Lodge, O.T.O.’ along with a letter which explains that for the preservation of secrecy it was not possible for Germer, the O.H.O. of the Ordo Templi Orientis, to see copies of the ‘new’ O.T.O. Initiation Rituals which he has written. Germer referred to it a “crazy Manifesto” and was infuriated that Grant had proclaimed himself a divine “priest” of a planet that he discovered and named “Isis.” Germer wrote, “It seems blasphemy to me.” Especially blasphemous was that Grant had signed this document “entirely unauthorized” as X* O.T.O. & O.H.O, both the degree and title of which he simply ‘assumed.’ Germer, thinking Grant had gone mad, immediately fired off a registered letter on this date, of July 20th 1955, which was Grant’s Notification of Expulsion. Grant was thrown out of the Order.

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Sunday July 19th 2009 – 7:00am For the history buffs: From June through September of 1692, nineteen men and women, all having been identified and convicted of witchcraft, were carted off to Gallows Hill which was  a barren slope near Salem Village, to be hanged. Another man of over eighty years was pressed to death under heavy stones for refusing to submit to a trial on witchcraft charges. Hundreds of others faced accusations of witchcraft; dozens languished in jail for months without trials until the hysteria that swept through Puritan Massachusetts subsided. On this particular date, of July 19, 1692, five of the key figures were executed; Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, Sarah Good, and Sarah Wildes. ……....… and to continue on with the flavor of the day, Lizzie Borden was born in Fall River, Massachusetts on this date in 1860. She is mostly likely remembered as being the axe murderer who whacked her father, Andrew Jackson Borden, and step-mother, Sarah Anthong Morse-Borden, to death in August of 1892. However, without sufficient evidence she was found not guilty. …......… and Jorg Lanz von Liebenfels, aka Adolf Josef Lanz, was born on this date in 1874. He was a former monk who on December 25, 1900 founded the Order of the New Templars.  He said that he set himself up as the order’s Grand Master and adopted the swastika as his emblem. He published a right-wing anti-Semitic magazine called Ostara. He later founded the German religious movement known as Theozoology (c.1904) which advocated sterilization of the sick and the “lower races” as well as castration for all forced laborers, while glorifying the “Aryan race” as “Gottmenschen” (god men). He justified his racial ideology with imaginary biblical evidence which claimed that the original blonde woman, Eve, whom he described as being divine, had become involved with a demon, got pregnant and then gave birth to the “lower races.” His theory stated that if the true Aryan masters could “once again rule the dark-skinned beastmen” they would ultimately achieve “divinity.” In 1907 Jorg Lanz von Liebenfels, with the aid of his wealthy friends, purchases the ruins of an ancient medieval castle, Burg Werfenstein, just outside the village of Struden near Grein in Upper Austria. Lanz soon converted the castle into the headquarters of the Order of the New Templars (ONT). …...…. And it was on July 19, 1918 that Aleister Crowley began his retreat on Esopus Island in the Hudson River area of New York with Charles Stansfeld Jones, aka Frater Achad. In his diary Crowley simply wrote, “July 19. Began Great Magical Retirement in canoe on Hudson.” The author William Seabrook later commented that Crowley hadn’t bought so much as a can of beans or a loaf of bread. He had nothing in his pockets except the ticket for the trip up the river.” As the boat was leaving Crowley waved good-bye with a slight grin. Seabrook yelled, “What are you going to eat, for crying out loud?” to which Crowley replied, in his heaviest pontifical manner, “My children, I am going to Esopus Island, and I will be fed as Elijah was fed by the ravens.” Seabrook just shook his head and yelled back, “Are you coming back in a chariot of fire, or in a Black Maria?” …....… and finally, on July 19, 1969  Grady Louis McMurtry, Phyllis Seckler and Mildred Burlingame officially re-activated the Ordo Templi Orientis in the state of California, using Grady’s “emergency powers” that were given to him by Aleister Crowley. The Order had remained dormant since the death of Karl Germer in October of 1962.

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Saturday July 18th 2009 – 6:00pm Jay writes - "93 Jerry, Your postings on the blog today have got my head going round and round Chastity and the Tree. The more I grok Chastity, seemingly, the harder I find it to write about it, especially in relation to the Tree. But here goes! As far as the Wand and Cup go I find the 3 = 8 grade very fascinating. Here the magician is in Hod, putting his faith in Binah; if Hod is the Phallus or Wand below the Abyss, why does the magician make the Magickal Cup at this grade? It would seem that to properly utilize the Wand, the magician must first learn to be receptive as the Grail. In practicing Chastity, the magician puts himself in line with the Universe and begins to move towards his True Will. Crowley's comments on Death lead me to believe that this is the proper way to work this path, to make oneself a vehicle for Godhead; otherwise the magician only exacerbates the ego and the waters become poison. As far as all that goes, I've been thinking about the relationship between 3 = 8 and 8 = 3. At 3 = 8, one has just passed the veil of Paroketh above Yesod, whereas 8 = 3 has crossed the Abyss. At 3 = 8, it seems the magician must learn to unite with Nuit below the Abyss. This is what Chastity entails; but what does it mean in practical terms? It seems to be a consecration of the phallus to Her, a consumption of the intellect by Her. By appearance, the difference is subtle but profound. The pure intellect weaves mazes of book learning, where the Chaste receives ephiphanies. It's like the difference between stating that Nuit is 0 and 2 and realizing "My goodness! Nuit really IS 0 and 2!" Both pertain to the intellect, but it's as if the Chaste has taken it to Heart... ...there's always more... Love, Jay 93 93/93."

Reply: Very good with pointing out the magickal implement required for study in Hod (Wand) is actually the Cup it's opposite ... while in Netzach (Cup) the adept is required to study the Wand. Remember, both men and women contain their opposite within. Lets examine the just male side of the Tree. If the man must truly Understand the Wand then he must Understand the Cup or Chalice of Binah. The path leading out of Binah downward is Cheth, The Chariot - the card of the Holy Grail.  He who rides in the Chariot is your True Self whose over-all tarot meaning is 'Conquest of Illusion.' .... & opposite of Cancer in the Zodiac is Capricorn, the Devil trump or the Lord of Illusion. Is it coincidence that both paths are found in the Formula of 418 on the Left Side of the Tree? I think not.  Opposites like Fire (Shin) & Water (Mem).

Also, consider this quote by Crowley - "Now let us turn to note the formula of the Aeon, 418, which is not, as one might expect, of Horus, but Cheth, the Chariot. [AC's diaries .  June 2nd 1920]

The chapter in The Book of Lies relating to this card is Steeped Horsehair. Remember the last line - "Therefore is man only himself when lost to himself in The Charioting."   Ah, chastity

Jay, most of the rest of your email seems to be reaching with facts and speculation. It would be nice to see you write it out more clearly so i can figure out where you're going. But you're doing good.

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9:50am Ricky writes - "93 Jerry, Simple question? Not really... I think we must first ask what is meant by 'wand' and then ask the same for 'cup.' ... We know that Wand is a symbolic term for the active or directed Will and thus can be attributed to Chokmah and Hod which are both Mercury or the Word in diferent octives. And like wise the term Cup dose the same for Binah and Netzach. It seems more of the Passive handing over to unconscious or supper-conscious methods, where the seed of the Will starts to take effect behind the seens. This may be what is meant by the Wand dissolving in the Cup. ... This is THE integral part of the formula I think. The transition of the Wand into the Cup or the Will dissolved in the 'water' to assimilate itself into our consciousness and effect changes within us according to our Will . 93 93/93 Ricky."

Reply: One of the most difficult things for Qabalists to grasp is the idea that each sphere and path is the sun total of all that is. Therefore, the Cup and the Wand should be found in everything; like the yin and yang. However, in this particular formula of ON you are correct. The letter Ayin or O represents the masculine half of the Tree on the Left Hand Side whose roots are in Binah (Cup) above the Abyss ... while manifesting its opposite in the phallic nature of Hod, who's magickal implement is the Wand. This is reversed on the feminine or Right Side of the Tree whose branches reach across the Abyss into Chockmah (Wand) which manifests through Netzach whose magickal implement is the Cup.

Don't forget; although your 'theory' sounds good ... the Formula of ON details what transpires between Ayin (Male) and Nun (Female). ... Ayin, attaches the Sun to the Wand (Hod), Nun attaches the Sun to the Cup (Netzach). What transpires between them is depicted by the path of The Tower; The Stag Beetle or the chapter from The Book of Lies which is required for Seventh Degree OTO study.

Furthermore, the two paths from Liber Aleph that I posted this morning detail alot of the Mysteries of the Devil and in the Formula of ON, on either side of Hod, is Men (Water) and Shin (Fire) ... don't count these qualities or paths out of the equation. They 'move' the energy out of Wand into the Cup but if the energy moves "upon Earth it burneth freely, and is inflamed by the Wind."

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6:00am I was asked some interesting questions about the Formula of ON and where exactly it is found in Liber Aleph. I think the answers to the question would be 'everywhere' but I'd recommend to start with chapter - On The Key Of Death and The Devil; Arcana of the Tarot of the R.C. Brotherhood and then review the very next chapter titled Further On These Paths.  ...  Do any of my readers what to comment on their views on these two chapters? Lets start with the Wand and the Cup. How do these implements relate to the formula and where on the Tree of Life are they represented?  Simple question, no?

DE CLAVIBUS MORTIS ET DIABOLI,

ARCANIS TAROT FRATERNITATIS R. C.

It shall profit thee much, o my Son, or I err, that I instruct thee in the Mysteries of the Paths of Nun and of Ayin, that in our rota are figured in the Atu called Death, and that called the Devil. Of these Nun joineth the Sun with Venus, and is referred to Scorpio in the Zodiac. This Path is perilous, for it seeketh the Level, and may abase thee, except hou take Head unto the Going. Of its three Modes, the Scorpio destroyeth himself, as if it were a Type of animal Pleasure. Next, the Serpent is proper to Works of Change, or Magick; yet is he poisonous also unless thou hast Wit to enchant him. Lastly the Eagle is subtlest in this Sort, so hat this Path is proper to a Transcendental Labour. Yet all these are in the Way of Death, so that thy Wand is dissolved and corroded in the Waters of the Cup, and must be renewed by Virtue of thy Nature in its Course. For Fire is extinguished by Water; but upon Earth it burneth freely, and is inflamed by he Wind. Understand also that which is written concerning the Vesica, that it is the Mother, giving Ease, Sleep, and Death, which Consolations are eschewed by the True Man or Hero.

SEQUITUR DE HIS VIIS

Now the Path of Ayin is a Link between Mercury and the Sun, and in the Zodiac importeth the Goat. This Goat is called also Strength, and standeth in the Meridian at the Sunrise of Spring; and it is His Nature to leap upon the Mountains. So herefore he is a Symbol of true Magick, and his Name is Baphomet, wherefore did I design him as an Atu of Thoth, the Fifteenth, and put his Image in the Front of my Book, the "Ritual of High Magick", which was the second Part of my Thesis for the Grade of Major Adept, when I was clothed about with he Body called Alphonse Louis Constant. Now the Goat flieth not as doth the Eagle; but consider this also that it is the true Nature of Man to dwell upon the Earth, so that his Flights are oft but Phantasy; yea, the Eagle also is bound to his Eyrie, nor feedeth upon Air. Therefore this goat, making each leap with Fervour, yet all Times secure in his own Element, is a true Hieroglyph of the Magician. Mark also, his Path sheweth One continuous in Exaltation upon a Throne, and so is it the Formula of the Man, as the other was of the Woman.

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5:30am For the history buffs: On this date in 64AD Rome burned, Nero fiddled. …....…. Also, on this date in 1952, at 8:30pm, the National Airport Control Tower in Washington, D.C. confirmed with ‘blip’ on its radar that Unidentified Flying Objects were over the U. S. Capitol. All night long glowing lights were being reported in the night sky by residents as well as by airline pilots. The U. S. Air force was immediately notified of the possibly of a threat to the U.S. government. Fighter planes were then scrambled from a base in Delaware to fly to the U. S. Capital and intercept the UFOs but were unable to make contact. On the following night seven more UFOs returned and were detected near Andrews AFB. The radar blips were clocked at moving up to 7,000 mph. They would also suddenly stop and accelerate again. Again, a jet interceptor was dispatched but nothing was found. ……..... and I should like to report that on July 18, 2003 the newspapers reported that government officials discovered that a distraught mother in the town of Pavlodar, in northern Kazakhstan, had kept her daughter’s mummified body in her apartment for three years, with withered limbs and parched skin, lying on a plain bed in the flat. It seems the 27 year old mother, named Olga, belonged to a weird sect preaching a ‘cosmology’ that promised the resurrection of her child with the help of ‘Aliens’ and the use of a ‘third cosmic eye.’ Government officials were not amused and the daughter’s remains were given a proper burial.

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Friday July 17th 2009 – 8:50am We have posted a great article written years ago by Alan Cabal titled THE DOOM THAT CAME TO CHELSEA. It is a great story of early New York OTO, The Warlock Shop, Herman Slater, Simon, The Necronomicon and other delightful topics, like Bonnie. We want to thank Alan for giving us his kind permission to add this story onto Grady's website.

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7:55am There is an OPEN HOUSE tonight. No lecture is planned, just bring questions or suggested topics, or we'll just babble on anything that comes up. It begins at 6:30pmish.

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7:45am For the history buffs: On this date in 1921Frank Bennett arrives at Aleister Crowley’s Abbey of Thelema at Cefalu causing a schism with C. F. Russell. Russell would soon leave Cefalu for America where he would start his own magical fraternity the G.B.G., the meaning of these initials are still being speculated upon to this date, although some claim it’s the ‘Great Brotherhood of God’. ….....…. And it was on July 17, 1923 that the anti-Semitic leader of the List Society, Philipp Stauff, committed suicide in Germany. Many suspected foul play because of his continuing exposure of prominent Germans with Jewish roots in his newspaper. ……...... And it was on this date in 1959 Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Miller and Mr. and Mrs. Pat Marten saw a tremendous creature with a snake-like head and a blunt nose swimming some 250 feet behind their motor boat on British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake. The group watched ‘Ogopogo’ for over almost three minutes before it submerged. …....…. And on July 17, 1981 Maurice Barbanell, editor & founder of the British magazine called the Psychic News, died at the age of 79. …...….. and finally, on July 17, 2003 the newspapers in Scotland reported that a fossil from a 150-million-year-old water-dwelling dinosaur, possibly a plesiosaur, had been found on the banks of Scotland’s Loch Ness. However, scientists were quick to point out that the bones were definitely not those of Nessie, the lake’s legendary monster. While the fossil is about 150 million years old, Loch Ness was formed only 10,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age.

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7:30am Alan Cabal writes - The punch line on the Buddha-hot-dog-guy joke is that Buddha hands the hot dog guy a twenty, which the hot dog guy merely pockets. Buddha says, "What about my change?", and the hot dog guy says, "Change comes from within."

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Thursday July 16th 2009 – 5:09pm Andy writes - "Here's a joke I thought you'd like."

Buddha walks up to a hot dog vendor

and says, "Make me one with everything."

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5:55am Xochitl Flores sent a great Jesus joke to be added to JERRY'S FAVORITE JOKES page.

Question - Why was Jesus such a wimp?

1. His best friend was a whore and he still didn't get laid

2. He died the first time he got nailed.

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5:50am For the history buffs: Today is the date of the ancient Egyptian celebration for the birthday of the God ‘Set.’ ……..... And I should also mention that it was on July 16, 1821 that Mary Baker was born in Bow, New Hampshire, the youngest in a brood of six. In 1877 she married Asa Gilbert Eddy and became known as Mary Baker Eddy. She was the founder of the Massachusetts Metaphysical College and the Church of Christ, Scientist, or Christian Scientists in Boston, Massachusetts in 1889. It was the belief of the Christian Scientists to use healing by faith as an affirmation that human suffering is not what God creates, but is rather a mode of human perception. Critics are quick to point out that her methods were neither Christian, nor especially scientific and that her techniques to heal illness were so ineffective that when her husband became ailing, he died. Mary Baker Eddy passed away on December 3, 1910 at her home in Chestnut Hill, Boston, Massachusetts. …....….. On this date in 1945, at exactly 5:29:45, the first Atomic Bomb was tested in New Mexico. Witnesses said that the light of the explosion soon turned orange as the atomic fireball began shooting upwards at over 360 feet per second, reddening and pulsing as it cooled. The characteristic mushroom cloud of radioactive vapor materialized at around 30,000 feet. Beneath the cloud, all that remained of the soil at the center of the blast site were fragments of jade green radioactive glass created by the heat of the reaction. What was astonishing is that a blind girl saw the flash 120 miles away. ….....…. It was on July 16, 1996, around noon, in Los Villares, Jaen, Spain, 66-year-old Dionisio, a retired farmer, was walking through a field and had sat down on a rock next to a tree. Suddenly he smelled a very strong and pungent odor in the air. He also began hearing a low hum. Looking around he noticed a UFO hovering near the ground, next to some nearby power lines. The metallic object was shaped like a dome and it had several black glass oval shaped windows. On one side of the object he could clearly make out what appeared to be an inscription resembling ‘IOIO’ and from the top of the object there were some cables that were apparently connected to the nearby power lines. Dionisio also noticed an unbelievably curious fact, when he started to walk away he turned and could no longer see the object. Inquisitively, as he approached the area, he was able to see it again as well as seeing three figures standing next to it. They were about six-feet tall, Asian in appearance with slanted eyes, two men and one woman, wearing tight fitting silvery outfits with boots. They also had large hands with five long well defined fingers and their mouths were slit-like. Then, all of a sudden, the witness felt something strike his chest and looking up he noticed that the woman was pointing at him. Soon he began hearing voices in his head but admittedly he could not figure them out and he became so frightened that he ran and hid behind some nearby rocks. That is when he claimed to hear the humming sound again, as well as smelling the pungent odor. When he peered over the rocks he noticed that the humanoids and the UFO were gone. He called the local authorities and investigators found ground traces of evidence at the site that something had landed. During the same period in time other witnesses in the region also reported seeing low flying lights and objects.

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Wednesday July 15th 2009 – 7:00am I'd type more but my eyeballs are in upside down. Everyone knows I'm not keen on surprise 'birthday' parties so everyone assembled yesterday under the excuse - "We just want to buy you lunch." About six hours later, after we drank enough pitchers of beer to finish off the keg, I finally got home and went to bed. In truth, although I might have made joke if it, I really enjoyed myself surrounded by such great friends. Thanks guys for the unbelievably neat T-Shirts; thanks to Charles for your gift and to Jerri for giving me a big Sunflower along with smiles and did I mention you bring smiles, lots of em'?

And to the rest of you all; as I sit here typing with an ice pack on my head ... thanks.

And to those who wanted to know if there was an Open House this Friday night at 6:30pm .... sure, why not. I should have forgotten by then all the promises I'm making now to the Gods that if they just take away the pain, I promise, I'll never drink again.

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6:50am For the history buffs: The F.B.I. director J. Edgar Hoover sent the military a ‘Memorandum for Mr. Ladd’ on this date in 1947 because he was furious that they were not letting the F.B.I. examine the downed UFO, or ‘disc recovered’ and its occupants.

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Tuesday July 14th 2009 – ..... and I'm off to the restaurant for lunch; all the incoming Happy Birthday's from here on will not be posted - but thanks to you all for thinking about me.

Ricky writes - "93 Jerry! Hope your having a wonderful B-day! 93 93/93." 

Gregory Seewald writes - "Dear Jerry: 93 The Greetings of a Lesser Feast Day Celebration. 93 93/93 Best wishes."

Jerri writes - "Jerry, 93. 1. Hot Asian women eat vegetables.  2. Jerry likes hot Asian women.  3. See attached pic...and use your imagination! Have a Happy Birthday!!! Love you. 93 93/93 Jerri." ...... Reply; & then I looked at the attachment she sent. And yes, I will eat my vegtables. :)   However, for the record, it's just a joke about me 'liking Asian women' .... I really like a woman of any race, as long as she can put up with me. Thus, I am single.  :(  

Tony Spurlock writes - "So, how many Sols have gone round in this incarnation?" ..... Reply: 58, although it feels like far more at times ...

Jay writes - "93 Jerry, Happy Birthday you crabby crab! I guess ya'lls are getting together for drinks in the early afternoonish? Well, I'm gonna be working, but I'll keep an eye open for you guys when I take a break."

John - "Happy B-Day! Mr.C. Thanks for all the great writings over the years! I'm one of your biggest fans. Wish I lived in California so I could meet you."

Luna writes -"93! Happy Birthday Captain Cornelius! Love to You, from all of us at The Sanctuary! 93s."

Sally writes - "Yo, Happy Birthday!!! Enjoy the blog, enjoy your crazies and hope you got many more in you!"

Ricardo Flores writes - "93! And a wonderful Lesser Feast to you, beautiful friend!!!"

Ed Grey writes - "93's and Happy B's!..."

Mike writes - "Have a perfect day, don't drink too much or run around with too many young Asian girls in short skirts. ... Then again, go for it!" 

Ben Hance writes - "Jerry, 93 Happy Birthday!  I trust you're having a great day.  Enjoy! 93/93 Ben and Tristan."

Kathy writers - "Happy Big One. If I lived closer I'd make you smile."

Mick Roche writes - "93 Jerry Happy birthday and happy Bastille Day! Hope all's going well in the resistance!"

Aaron Tatum writes - "Jerry Wishing You a Happy Birthday!  Yur blog gives me the most useful insights. However at the same time it can make me totally frustrated by my lack of knowledge .  Good Job for making me think!"

Dave Solina from Florida writes - "93 Jerry, I hope the light of a beautiful girl graces your day to make you smile and rejoice in your incarnation!  All the best my friend!  93 93/93 David." ........ Reply: Any girls out there volunteer? ........ 1:15pm Here it is & I'm spending the afternoon with Ben; we're both waiting for Jay because he looks really cute in a dress. 

Xochitl wrote - "93 Happy Birthday!!"

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6:00am For the history buffs: Helen Schucman, a professor of medical psychology at Columbia University, was born on this date in 1909. In 1965 she responded to an authoritative ‘inner voice’ that was being channeled through her, who identified himself as Jesus Christ, and who urged her to take down his message. What she received would be called A Course in Miracles. It is a self-study course in spiritual psychology which focuses on the principles of universal love and forgiveness. It is seemingly Christianity improved wherein Jesus tells us that he wants less suffering, sacrifice, separation, and sacrament. He also wants more love and forgiveness. Why is it called A Course in Miracles? According to Schucman, the voice said to her: “This is a course in miracles, please take notes.” ….....…. and sadly, it was on July 14, 1969 that Gabriel Montenegro died of heart trouble. He had three funeral services. The first was Catholic, performed by his daughter Sister Marie Angelica, a nun at Notre Dame. The second was a Masonic service overseen by the F. & A. M. Lodge # 434 in Daly City, since Montenegro was a 33* Degree Mason.  And the third was a Christian ceremony in Spanish to accommodate all his relatives who had come up from Mexico. He was buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma, California. He originally joined the O.T.O. back on August 6th 1948, taking Minerval Initiation at Agape Lodge. He was born in Zapotlan Mexico in 1907 and claimed to have received “the highest initiations from Toltec priests.” Many people who knew Montenegro simply accepted this statement without question. However, modern historians are quick to point out that this was a ludicrous claim considering that the Toltec empire emerged around the 10th century in Mexico and within two centuries it all but ceased to exist. Where Montenegro found a Toltec priest seven centuries later is anyone’s guess. Be that as it may, he was legitimately the representative of the Fraternitas Rosicruciana Antiqua in Mexico and later he even became a 33°  Mason of the Antient & Accepted Rite for Mazatlan. He was a member of Crocker Lodge Nº 454 in Daly City, California. To say he was a colorful character is an understatement.

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Monday July 13th 2009 – 3:00pm Jerri sends us her 'two-cents' writing - "Hi Jerry, 93

Well, to add in my couple few cents about that Baphomet Working...I too got 'something' out of it all right...and I was only in your freaking apartment!!!!! Remind me NEVER, and I said NEVER, to do that again (obviously, not to go to your apartment, but to align my energies with a mysterious magickal working that I am not personally involved in creating and performing...especially being a sponge-like Pisces!!). I am not trying to criticize anybody or their work because we all learn through trial and error--but something(s) clearly must have gone awry. On the flip side though, to quote Arden, they had "the juice." They certainly did kick up some energy. I was picking up on it Friday...and it sure did carry over...

Saturday was a shit day, to say the least. Upon my waking, I had several very deformed, distorted and strangely colored visions of Baphomet in my minds eye. Throughout the day, I was surrounded by rude and inconsiderate people, violent, screaming and fighting people, crying, miserable people...at every contemptible turn...a trifecta of madness. Then, the grand finale (while it was raining in Sacramento...in July...). Oh boy, oh boy, did that one hurt like HELL!! Uh, yeah...magick...it works. I too have learned from this.

93 93/93  Jerri

Reply: If I lived in Sacramento I would have brought you a rose, a smile and a hug. Yes, magick works!  :)

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2:52pm About the blog entries on Bapho Working, Ricardo from Southern California writes some good comments from afar - "Jerry, 93! This morning I saw an email from a student asking "all group members to turn on the juice at 1215 today."  That was the whole message.  I tied some clues and guessed that he wants energy and blessings for his daughter who is giving birth today, but this was just a guess on my part.  My jaw dropped to my keyboard, and I typed a reply as I wondered just what is it that I've been 'teaching' these people.  I said to him that I had no idea what he was saying here.  He does not explain exactly what he is asking for, to what end, or by what means.  He does not explain why he asks all group members.  Worse yet, I'm sure many students simply read his request and thought they had enough information to help.  I wouldn't be surprised if someone even thought that by agreeing and sending a lukewarm thought of good intention they were doing something magical. 

"this is an example of loose and inneficient magick.  You simply pass a request that means little ( or nothing) to you.  Others receive it as if understood.  Who knows what fantasies you guys play in your heads and tell yourselves you are doing magick or Work.  ...   You are content with loose-speak.  This would be like telling soldiers "shoot at noon" without even knowing targets, objectives, or what weapons to use.  If you were actually engaged in work, you'd know how empty this request sounds.  Now, this is no just on Jim.  He probably has a clear intent, but doesn't realize that juice by itself does nothing if not directed by will and channeled by proper means.  In your case, you pass a request as if it made sense to you.  When asked for details, you hide in "he didn't say".  If he had said, "all members please send money today,"  would you pass this message without asking for any other details?"

This is one instance where the practicality of Malkuth helps provide a solid magickal base when working with higher and more subtle energies.  This is one of the reasons why Liber Al tells us that in the clerk-house at our Kaaba "all must be done well and with business way." (III, 41)

Ricardo  93 93/93

Reply: Well said .... I'm just glad I watched this unfold from afar and wasn't there.

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2:50am Ben Hance sent in some great comments to Jay's 11:40am posting, writing - "Jay, 93 I read your post on the Blog and had a three comments.  I hope I'm presenting them as constructive criticism.

1.  Don't speak for Mick, he is quite capable of speaking for himself.

2.  "Practice" or "practicing" has several meanings including; "...to use or exercise for instruction... to put into practice... to scheme or intrigue..." (Webster's Dictionary Unabridged).  I can infer the second definition, but what did you want the reader (i.e., myself) to imply?

3.  Then there is the question of intent in which it seemed that you felt there was "...little focus..." (12 July '09 e.v., personal diary), or intent on Friday evening.  I remember this quite clearly as I mentally noted the juxtaposition between this practical working and your thoughts on the question of "Chastity."  (On that issue it might be judicious for you to review Magick in Theory and Practice, caps. 0, 1, and 21.)

I'm glad that you got something out of your experience, you definitely should have.  The Man of Earth should be understanding these (and all) types of experiences, especially, in relationship to yourself; that's your real task right now. Be careful of the importance you place on any single one of these experiences; they're all important in their own way.

93/93 Ben

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11:40am The young pup Jay protests to my 9:15am posting; he writes - "93 Jerry, Well I must say I do take exception to a couple of things you said about the Baphomet Working. Firstly, I know we're only a Men of Earth, but Mick and I are practicing magicians. Second, I personally got a great deal out of the Working and came to some significant personal insights and epiphanies. In fact, I largely accomplished my intent in the working-- actually accomplished more than I expected to-- and I get the impression that Mick did as well. You're right about everything else. As a group working it was a failure... c'est la vie... Love, Jay 93 93/93." ....... Reply: On the one hand you acknowledge you're a lowly man of Earth and on the other hand you tell me you're a magician who got alot out of the working. Bravo. Picked some flowers in the grasslands did you? ... I should point out that a MOE is NOT a magician as yet, you're still a student. Don't inflate your ego too far. Leaping Laughter already lost one Scorpio recently, let's give Ben a break ... & Insights & epiphanies? Like, what color dress goes good with my eyes? ... Still, I won't take away anything from you if you got something out of the night ... to each their own.

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11:30am For those wanting to buy stuff off my FOR SALE page. As of today I’m going to have to raise the price of shipping, packaging etc to a minumum of $6.75 & be aware that it could go as high as $15.00. I got the shock of my life today when I mailed some packages today and discovered the new laws going into effect. Thank you U.S.Post Office!

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9:15am I'm getting alot of emails asking to know about some of the details of The Baphomet Working that was done on Friday. Yesterday, I sent this email to a friend; it explains my view:

93

Well, for starters, I had nothing to really do with it. I simply offered advice from time to time.

Despite some of the participants trying to put their best spin on the evening, it was an utter failure. I have all the emails from day one, of the planning, the process and the ambitions. Was any of it obtained? Not really, not in my book. The only real magician got disgusted with how one aging punk rock bimbo [this was not Luna] wanted to mutate things at the last moment from ten piercings to thirty-three when he had been preparing himself mentally and sexually for weeks; arguments erupted and although they said they'd go back to the original plans - they destroyed the magick that he had been building. He walked out at nine. Does the bimbo understand that she is the one who destroyed this particular part of the working and then take responsilibily for her actions? No, but then again, she has never been a magician outside of her own mind so we cannot really fault her.

The male magician was also fed up with the fact that we had drawn up an astrology chart for the thing to begin at eight and by nine the altar and others things still weren't even put up. He was ready, got naked and walked around for an hour spinning his wheels, getting more and more frustrated and disgusted by the minute. I guess this is a distinction between East Coast and West Coast magicians and performance artists ... we feel, why bother drawing up an astrological chart to a precise beneficial magickal time if you're simply going to throw it all out the window? A lot of serious magicians joke that this 'Pagan Standard Time' crap is simple an excuse used by people who can't get their shit together. Harsh, perhaps but I'm a magician and its not my job to 'dance' ... I think the only serious practicing magician expected at least a little 'magick' and by reviewing all the emails since day one, I too believed this was to be expected. I guess communication was a big failure here.

I warned Luna when she sat in my room weeks ago, as I also warned Jay; that in any performance piece where magick is attempted, your MUST created a ‘MAGICKAL INTENT’ in writing, and read it aloud at the beginning to remind everyone of the over-all purpose of the working. This is the only way to get people to ‘focus’ ... Crowley says that the majority of all workings fail simply because, without the Intent, everyone is on a ‘different page’ as to what is to be expected. There was no 'Intent' ever written for The Baphomet Working; things mutated daily, often by the minute. No one therefore can be at fault ... and everyone is at the same time. Half expected one thing, the other half something different.

Still, as harsh as I might sound, my best advice to these people is that not every working is expected to be 100% successful; we have our failures. We all do. This is how as a scientist we grow. However, if the bimbo wants to play this evening up to outsiders as being successful, as she is seemingly doing around the Bay, then I can only remind her what Aleister Crowley once wrote - "People who avoid facing facts are bounded by phantoms." [AC's diary; October 25th 1939]

Finally, never fault Luna ... her heart was in the right place.

93 93/93 Jerry

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5:30am For the history buffs:The Elizabethan scholar, Dr. John Dee who was born on this date in 1527 was said to have translated the Necronomicon of the mad Arab Abdul Alhazred into English.  It was one of these editions that Wilbur Whateley used to call forth the Old Ones in Dunwich Massachusetts at his families estate. ….....… and also, Margaret Alice Murray was born in Calcutta on this date in 1863. In the 1920’s she began writing about her theories on the origins and organization of witchcraft predating Christianity. She became the eminent and respected anthropologist, archaeologist and Egyptologist with such noted works as Witchcraft, The Witch-Cult in Western Europe (1921) The God of the Witches (1933) and the Divine King in England (1954). She died on November 13, 1963.  ….....… and to continue with birthday notices; Gérard-Anaclet-Vincent Encause, better known by his pseudonym ‘Papus,’ was born on this date in Corogna, Spain in 1865. He was a physician, hypnotist, and author who popularized occultism with su ch books as The Tarot of the Bohemians. A book described by Paul Foster Case which “... employed an incorrect attribution of the major trumps to the Hebrew alphabet” amongst other things. On March 23, 1895 he joined the Golden Dawn but soon thereafter he ‘resigned.’ On October 25, 1916 he joined the French army medical corps when World War I first broke out. Sadly, while working in a military hospital, he contracted tuberculosis and died in 1916 at the age of 51. He was the man, whom it has been written, who had a “... willingness to confer and receive high sounding but meaningless occult dignities.” ….....… and I should also mention the birthday of Clifford Bax, who was born on this date in Knightsbridge, London in 1886.  He was a noted British playwright and author of such classic works as The Immortal Lady, The Rose Without a Thorn and The House of Borgia, to name only a few. Many of this gentleman’s plays were written with historical themes in mind. He was also co-editor of an art & literature magazine titled The Golden Hind, founded by Austin Osman Spare between 1922-24. In addition to plays, Bax also wrote numerous books. One volume, Some I Knew Well, contains sixteen chapters about various famous people whom he had met over the years. The fifth chapter is titled, “Aleister Crowley: Black Magician.” He met Crowley at the Kulm Hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland, in the late winter of 1904. Crowley and his wife Rose were vacationing there after recently returning from Egypt where Crowley had received The Book of the Law. Clifford Bax remained one of Crowley’s friend throughout his life. Bax died in his London home at the age of 76 on November 18th 1962.

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Sunday July 12th 2009 – 3:00pm NEWS : Berkeley just had another tiny 1.5 magnitude earthquake hit at 2:28pm; ah, two small ones in less than a week.

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8:00am A lot of people often confuse the differences between a horizontal or mundane magickal school and that of a vertical or Inner School of magick. I think some of it needs to be addressed.

For starters, one deals with effectuating change on this plane, the other on a higher plane. However, in both cases they deal with promulgating a certain type of behavior in the mundane as well as assisting an individual in their spiritual growth and magickal training. This is because both require a certain foundation on Malkuth. Because of this it is often hard for the Probationer or even Student to understand the subtle differences.

All Orders utilize the Tree of Life as an initiatory system in one way, or another, whether they are aware of it or not. However, where the horizontal school often prepares the student unconsciously through symbolic initiation to mold their psyche to ‘become’ something that the Order desires, the vertical school takes a more cognizant or direct knowledgeable approach wherein Mystery is the enemy of Truth and nothing is held secret. The students takes a more active role in their own development and equally so, in their failures. Although horizontal schools may ‘open’ and work with higher Spheres (Sepiroth) on the Tree of Life, in most cases the affect is so subtle that initiates rarely see the results outside of an immediate ‘zap.’ Grady McMurtry use to point out that in a horizontal school, initiation into a specific sphere (chakra) could easily take nine months to birth. This is not the case for those taking initiation into vertical schools. The affects of entering onto a sphere is immediate. This means that in a horizontal school much is tolerated while in a vertical school we must weed out those quickly who do not establish a proper foundation.

Also, in horizontal schools the initiate will often swear an Oath to the Order first and foremost and his Fellow Brothers and Sisters on 'this' plane while in a vertical school the initiates swears the oath between himself and the Universe.

Last Tuesday I posted on the blog – “... it is not to be expected that everyone who enters our Order will succeed and if someone tragically falls by the wayside, what is wrong in telling his story if it can help others?  We do this all the time on the most lowest levels; we tell children to wear helmets when riding bicycles, grownup to buckle up in their car, we tell everyone of numerous safety hazards which can cause death but why is it, if we do the same within a spiritual fraternity, that this is considered a sin to discuss why & how failure can occur? Again, we learn by example.”

Still, there is a fine line in regards to using examples. You must ask yourself, “Does the example better the student vertically, or patronize his beliefs on the horizontal level.”

Another major difference between a horizontal or mundane Fraternity and that of vertical, or Inner Schools is that getting together with other members or even outsiders to bad mouth and maliciously gossip about the Order or others is not tolerated. Yes, you have the undisputed right to speak as you will but remember, what you sow, you reap on Malkuth and you must accept the ripples that you create in the cosmic waters.  Its called being a magician.

Inner Orders are NOT like mundane fraternities where unlimited camaraderie amongst its members is condoned; instead we deal solely with small groups and one-on-one student/teacher relationships. Again, we use many tools at our disposal to teach our initiates and one of these tools are ‘examples.’  For instance, we study the great magicians of the past all the time in order to learn of their successes and to study their failures; both of which we all share in common. But it is no secret that the greatest examples are those we see all around us in the present. For example: if I told you the story of why a person died years ago or how they never firmly tightened the wheel onto the wagon, causing it to fall off and throwing him into a ditch causing his inevitable death, you’d intellectually grasp the problem ... repeat 'intellectually' ... but if I told you to wear a helmut when riding a bicycle and then point out a mutual friend who was recently hit by a car and died because he was not wearing one, you’d quickly visualize and understand because the example is more ‘personal.’ It hits home.

However, if we cannot trust a student to use discretion in talking about what he's learning then how can we ever teach him by using examples of magickal issues either good or bad as what to do, or what not to do?  We cannot live in fear that if we don’t patronize a student's bad behavior then they’ll run off and talk to the first person they meet about everything. We have tried hard in the A.’.A.’. to weed out those individuals at an early stage who don’t understand this issue. Those individuals, who don’t like certain things about the Order and who, without getting satisfaction to have things done ‘their’ way, seek outsiders to vomit their disdain. This has always created issues in every fraternity both horizontal and vertical since the dawn of time.

The recent issues with one particular student which caused his expulsion is the very first time in Grady McMurtry’s A.’.A.’. where we’ve ever had to deal with this problem; for that we are thankful. We have a great group of initiates. However, what we haven’t posted on our blog are all the issues his ‘badmouthing’ has caused behind the scenes. Because, in truth, this is no one’s business.

But his actions are lessons to learn for all our students. First, don’t cross the planes - “Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” – Matthew 22:21.

Second, if you don’t like the Order or the way a vertical or Inner School works, do the honorable thing, and simply resign. There is no shame in acknowledging that what you’ve gotten into is not for you ...

Note: This entry has been added to our Contents Page

as 'AN OPEN EPISTLE ON VERTICAL & HORIZONTAL SCHOOLS.'

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7:15am Today is the GREATER FEAST of our beloved Frater Hymenaeus Alpha 777 aka Grady Louis McMurtry who shed his earthly vehicle and died twenty-three years ago in California on July 12, 1985. He was lying in his hospital bed at Brookside Hospital in San Pablo, discussing forms of meditation with a friend when he softly said, “I think my path is more the Sufi Path.” When questioned what he meant, he simply looked up and said, “I don’t know.” He then closed his eyes and quietly passed away. Grady once wrote that; “The moment of ultimate self-embarrassment is when you die. That is when you wake up.” In other words, you get to review your whole incarnation for all its good and bad, shake your head and then prepare for the next. On July 15th, his body was prepared at the Apollo Crematory in Emeryville, California. He was dressed as Saladin, in a turban with his favorite red robe. A bouquet of roses was placed in his arms shortly before he was cremated. Grady’s ashes remained in the possession of the O.T.O. for almost a year. Then, on July 12th 1986, a large group of individuals boarded a boat rented at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. About three miles past the Golden Gate Bridge, with help of the Neptune Society, his ashes were spread out across the Pacific Ocean. It was written, “From the fire of cremation to the waters of the great sea, by formula and verse did we rejoice him on his way.” A single rose was then tossed into the water, cut from the same bush as the bouquet that had been placed in his hands when he was cremated. As his ashes slowly vanished beneath the waters, one of Grady’s poem was read to send him off on his last voyage -The Redeemer That is in  the Waters.

THE REDEEMER

THAT IS IN THE WATERS

O who will go with the mermen bold

With the mermen, wild and free

O who will rule from the castle old

In the Chasm of the sea

And who will brave the abyssal cold

For all eternity?

O I will go with the mermen bold

With the mermen, wild and free

And I will rule from the castle old

In the Chasm of the sea

And I will brave the abyssal cold

For one eternity!   

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7:00am For the history buffs: Alan Miller (aka Dr Christopher Hyatt), the author and publisher of Thelemic works, the founder of Falcon Press, was born on July 12, 1943 in Chicago, the son of a Chicago police lieutenant. He died on February 9th 2008 at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. …… and speaking of birthdays; Peter Koenig was born on this date in Zurich, S....witzerland in 1959. Considered by some to be one of the more prolific researchers on the history of the O.T.O., while proselytizing that no branch of the Order, outside of certain European claims, is genuine. Others are quick to point out that Koenig is notorious for taking history completely out of context for his own personal agenda. One author summed it up quiet nicely: “Part of this problem is rooted deep in the animosity that some Europeans have toward Americans. Who, I might add, have always resented the O.T.O. Grand Lodge moving to this country. Even to this day some Europeans continually stamp their feet, whine and slander all that is American simply in the hope of fostering their own supremacy.” Although Koenig has written many books he’ll always be remembered for How To Make Your Own McOTO.

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