~ FEBRUARY 16th - 28th 2010 ~
Sunday February 28th 2010 – 8:15am For the history buffs: Mina ‘Moina’ Bergson the gifted artist and clairvoyant was born on this date in Geneva, Switzerland in 1865. She was the wife of Samuel L. MacGregor Mathers, one of the founders of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. After his death in Paris she returned to London in 1919 where she established the Alpha et Omega Lodge, which she ran somewhat successfully for nine years. She died on July 25, at the age of sixty-three at Saint Mary’s Hospital in London. Her body was cremated. After her death all the magickal furniture of Moina’s Golden Dawn Temple, as well as her writings and private papers, were burned per the orders that she received from the Secret Chiefs. It an odd twisted way it was fulfilling her magickal motto of Vestigia Nulla Retrorsun which means “I leave no trace behind.” …...…. And it was on February 28, 1946 that the great goddess appeared to Jack Parsons in his Babalon Working claiming, “yea, it is I Babalon, and this is my book ...” of which she began dictating and thus was written The Book of Babalon. …...…. And Richard Ramirez was born on this date in El Paso, Texas in 1960. Besides being called a “spineless, gutless punk” he was also known as the Night Stalker; a term taken from a song on AC/DC’s album titled Highway To Hell. This was Ramirez’s favorite heavy metal band. His nighttime killing spree and sexual attacks of random victims began in June of 1984 and proceeded for about five months. He boasted of being a ‘Devil worshipper,’ a ‘Satanist’ and he was notorious for scrawling an inverted pentacle in his victim’s blood on the wall of each crime scene. He was found guilty on September 20, 1989 and sentenced to death.
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Saturday February 27th 2010 – 10:50am Bryan Olson sent an email this morning. He writes - "Jerry, 93!Good morning! ... While I agree all we can do is hypothesize on what Crowley’s Abramelin vision meant, I believe it has universal implications. “Squaring the Circle,” or preventing it, can be considered universally. Thelemites (amongst others) attempt to “wake up” from the slave mentality that Jehovah and other like gods wish to keep humankind focused on. As Jehovah rules the Heaven immediately above the Earth, his influence here is great, and people who are not aware of the divine spark within themselves will be unaware of the mighty influence the slave god has on them. “Do what thou wilt”, and those people have chosen their own incarnation to experience whatever their soul needs God bless them, but I think observing the flock can reveal something about what the Abramelin Angels are attempting to accomplish by preventing the squaring of the circle.
It seems to me a great number of people on the earth right now are influenced by two factors: science and morality, both in ways that keep humankind enslaved in the four-fold kingdom of Malkuth. Looking at our own culture, science has created a trend that strips away the wonder of spirituality and keeps us focused on the material world, because that has become the most effective way of manipulating our physical environment and giving us some sense of control. That control, however, is not threatening to Jehovah, and I think it is fair to say by taking that form of control we are invoking Jehovah as the creator god and therefore, in a sense, playing right into his game. I don’t mean we shouldn’t pursue science and the control it gives us, but that we should not lose sight of the Heavens beyond Jehovah’s in the process.The majority of people seem to need religion, whether as a crutch for their own personal problems, or because they are unable to take responsibility for their own moral obligations. Really, this kind of religion is not about spirituality but about having a god to take responsibility for one’s own problems, and having a god deliver a pre-packaged moral system so that one does not have to take responsibility for one’s own actions or natural impulses. (I got a real kick out of hearing Elton John thought Jesus was a “super-intelligent gay man”.) Again, “Do what thou wilt,” but someone who follows this kind of path is not likely to need much if any self-reflection, the answers are either provided for them, or their “reflection” is projected outward onto the “heathen unbelievers” who need to hear the word or (symbolically or actually) die if they don’t accept it.On the other side of it, “Squaring the Circle” means reaching through to the Heavens above Jehovah’s, or obtaining the Circle, and bringing some of the light from above back down to the material world. In a Thelemic sense, this would be acting as a receiver and transmitter of the 93 Current. I think Rick’s sex as an example, if we take it to mean using sex as on “ON” switch for Kundalini, is an exploration of one of the many methods of breaking out past Jehovah’s Heaven.Have a great day, Jerry! I know I am.93, 93/93 Bryan."Reply: Very good. I always enjoy your thoughts, I know others will too. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8:57am My new book The Magickal Essence of Aleister Crowley is being carried locally by two store: Fields Books, 1419 Polk Street San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 673-2027 and at Dark Carnival Imaginative Fiction Book Store, 3086 Claremont Avenue (between The Uplands & Woolsey St) Berkeley, CA 94705, (510) 654-7323 ... Call and reserve your copies, they're going quick! Only 777 hardbacks were printed and the bulk is already sold.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8:55am By 4:00pm yesterday the torrential rain and wind had all but stopped, the Sun was out and I could clearly see blue skies. I had thought the storm was suppose to go straight through until today but like the weatherman around the country, they are 'sometimes' wrong. So I asked myself, why did I bother to cancel last night's Open House? But, despite doing so, people still showed up & we all chatted, watched bad Japanese movies and had a great time. and so, ok, I admit it; I'm running late today. ... I'm never going to drink again, or at least until the next time. :)- -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8:50am For the history buffs: Although many of his followers claim this man to be still alive, since he knew the secret of the Elixir of Life, the truth is that Comte de St. Germain died in Hesse, Germany on this date in 1784. …...…. And Rudolf Steiner, philosopher and the father of bio-dynamic farming movement, was born on this date in Kralijevec, Hungary in 1861. At the age of eight he was already aware of things that are not seen by others. Writing about his experiences at this age, he said, “. . . the reality of the spiritual world was as certain to me as that of the physical. I felt the need, however, for a sort of justification for this assumption.” Inevitably, he was drawn to The German Theosophical Society, which he became the head of from 1902 until 1912. One of his main motives for leaving the Theosophists was that they did not treat Jesus or Christianity as special. After breaking away and formed his Anthroposophical Society on January 14, 1913. Steiner’s most lasting and significant influence still felt worldwide has been in the field of education. In 1913 at Dornach, near Basel, Switzerland, Steiner built his Goetheanum. This was a “school of spiritual science.” It was a forerunner of the Steiner or the now famous ‘Waldorf schools.’ The first U.S. Waldorf School opened in New York City in 1928. Today, the Steinerians claim that there are more than 600 Waldorf schools in over 32 countries with approximately 120,000 students. About 125 of the Waldorf schools are said to be currently operating in North America. Most people haven’t a clue where the term ‘Waldorf school’ originated. It seems the owner of a local factory had invited Steiner to give a series of lectures to his factory workers and apparently was so impressed he asked Steiner to set up a school for its children. He did so in 1919 and this became the first of the Steiner Schools in the Waldorf-Astoria cigarette factory in Stuttgart, Germany. He wrote numerous books, a being The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity (1894), Occult Science: An Outline (1913), Investigations in Occultism (1920), and How to Know Higher Worlds (1904). On March 30, 1925 in Dornach, near Basle Switzerland, having been bed ridden since September of 1924, Steiner simply folded his hands over his chest, closed his eyes and died. …...…. Finally, Valentin Tomberg was born on this date in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1900. He was a Theosophist, Christiam mystic and boasted of being a hermetic magician. He joined Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophical Society in 1925 wherein he rose within its ranks to become its Secretary-General. He later converted to Catholocism and moved to England. He retired to Reading near River Thames in England in 1960 where he began writing. He died on a holiday in Majorca on February 24, 1973. After his death his two manuscripts were finally published; A Study of the Tarot of Marseilles (1984) and Come Forth, Larzarus, a study of Christian mysticism (1985).-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday February 26th 2010 – Due to the possibility that tonight will most likely be horribly lousy weather, with heavy wind and rain, my OPEN HOUSE has been canceled. Sorry.
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8:45am Ben sent me an email this morning asking “Are you alright” ... “I just heard about the unrest on Durant this morning. Is everything all right with you, do I need to bail you out?” ... I replied – “What unrest?” ... In truth, just a little before two in the morning, I was woken by lots of noise outside, screaming and etc, more so than usual. As I later wrote in my diary - "I couldn’t sleep so I went downstairs to see what was going on. It was a riot! Hundreds of people and Police going at it! Wow! There was a bonfire right in the middle of the street on the corning of Telegraph and Durant where I live. Lots of smoke, lots of craziness! Ah, Berkeley, ya got to love this city! I wonder what ticked student’s off this time?"The online News this morning told me, it states - "Business owners along Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley were probably not pleased when they arrived to open up their shops and businesses Friday morning. The streets near the campus of UC Berkeley were riddled with trash and debris after a protest escalated into a riot, according to police. The incident started at 11:30 p.m. Thursday night when a group of students took over Durant Hall on the campus of UC Berkeley. The protest was reportedly a prelude to next week's "Day of Action" demonstration when students across the state are expected to voice their opposition to tuition hikes at UC and CSU schools. According to police, the students broke windows and sprayed graffiti throughout the building. They also blocked entrances to the hall with dumpsters. By midnight about 200 students had joined in the protest, which had made its way from Durant Hall into the middle of Telegraph Avenue. Officers dressed in riot gear tried to gain control of the crowd, while other officers dodged dumpsters the protestors set on fire and pushed towards them, according to police." The Daily Cal, or student newspaper added – “Several protesters occupied Durant Hall in support of the statewide day of action on March 4, according to a statement given by Asaf Shalev, a spokesperson for the occupiers. Shalev is a former employee of The Daily Californian. About 15 occupiers occupied the hall since around 11:15 p.m, according to Callie Maidhof, a student organizer and UC Berkeley graduate student. People appeared to be moving in and out of the building and some were on the roof. Around 1:30 a.m., people appeared to be leaving the hall and marching to Upper Sproul Plaza. Protesters marched onto the intersection of Telegraph Ave. and Bancroft Way throwing over trash cans. One individual broke the window to Subway."Ah, can't wait for March 4th! -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8:15am For the history buffs: Ludovico Maria Sinistrari, of the Order of Reformed Minors of the Strict Observance of St. Francis, was born on this date in 1622 in the small Italian town of Ameno. His claim to fame is the fact that he was the author of the infamous Demoniality, a book which laid out the Catholic Church’s beliefs on demonic intercourse. It’s a really fun read! .....……. And Fredrich Levke was born on this date in Wesel in 1904. In 1936 he met the German occultist Martha Küntzel, who subsequently became his mentor. Proclaiming himself a Thelemite he later befriended Aleister Crowley. The high-point of his spiritual progress occurred in 1944 upon achieving the Adeptus Major Grade in the AA, and IX° within the OTO. He died in 1956. .....……. George Adamski, the son of a Polish immigrant, who generated world-wide fame for filming UFOs and writing such books as Flying Saucers Have Landed, died on this date in 1965 of a heart attack in Silver Springs, Md. at the age of 74. He was cremated and then buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Although he had many followers who believed in his stories, Time magazine simply referred to him as “a crackpot from California.” At the time of his death he was offering to teach people how to visit the planets Venus and Mars through self-hypnosis ‘for only fifty dollars.’-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday February 25th 2010 – 6:10am For the history buffs: Merwan Sheriar Irani more commonly known as Meher Baba the ‘Compassionate Father’ was born on this date to Zoroastrian parents in Poona, a city on the Deccan plateau of India in 1894. It was said that at an early age Meher Baba entered into the state of God-Realization and that his mission as an Avatar, a Hindu word for Godman, was to extend his principle message of love. On July 10, 1925 he began his period of silence. A few days earlier one of his disciples asked, “But if you keep silent, how will you teach us?” To which he simply answered, “I have come not to teach, but to awaken.” He did not speak again for the remainder of his physical lifetime and his Silence remained unbroken for 44 years right until he dropped his physical body on January 31, 1969, which is a euphemism used by the Baba lovers for death. His best known spiritual message given to mankind is the simple phrase “Don’t worry. Be happy.” ......…… the Australian Frank Bennett signed the Oath of a Neophyte in the AA on this date in 1919 and became known as Frater Progradior. He visited Crowley at the Abbey of Thelema at Cefalu where he supposedly attained an ‘illumination’ while swimming with the Beast. As a result Crowley wrote a ritual titled Liber Samekh; the frontispiece of which states: “Prepared An XVII Sun in Virgo at the Abbey of Thelema in Cephalaedium by the Beast 666 in service to FRATER PROGRADIOR.” That is; between 23rd August and 22nd September (Sun passes through Virgo) in the vulgar year of 1921 e.v.” Bennett attempted to establish Crowley’s Ordo Templi Orientis in Australia but his work attracted hostile publicity and, because of such, he failed to achieve any real influence. Frank Bennett later returned to England. He died at the home of his mistress on November 23, 1930 at the age of sixty-two. ......…… And I’d like to mention that Henri Landru, infamously known as ‘Bluebeard’, was guillotined in France on this date in 1922. He had murdered ten women and a young boy. In his confession he wrote, “I did it. I burned their bodies in my kitchen oven.” His story inspired the 1947 black comedy movie known as Monsieur Verdoux. ......…… And I should point on that on February 25, 1927 The Baltimore Sun, of Baltimore Maryland, ran the following headlines : “Wm. Fuld is Killed in Fall from Roof, Support gives way while he is helping erect flagpole atop factory.” It seems William Fuld, one of the two brothers who founded the original Ouija Board Company, had accidentally fallen off the roof of his Baltimore company and plunged three stories to his death. He was only 54. Of course there were immediate rumors circulating of a suicide since the business had supposedly fallen on hard times. Others, who were actually present, disagreed, claiming that William was supervising the assembly of a new flagpole when the support post he was leaning against gave way. They said he simply fell backwards off the roof. Still, the suicide stories persist to this day. As for Isaac, the other brother, he died twelve years later on November 18th 1939 at the age of seventy-four. ......…… And finally, on February 25, 1969 Barney Hill died. He had become famous years earlier due to his UFO experience being told in a now classic book titled The Interrupted Journey. In this book we learn the graphic details of Barney and his wife Betty being taken aboard a Flying Saucer on US Route 3 near the village of Lancaster, New Hampshire in 1961.
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Wednesday February 24th 2010 – 7:35aqm For the history buffs: Giovanni Pico de Mirandola, the Renaissance Alchemist, philosopher and scholar and author of De Auro, was born on this date near Ferrara in 1463. He was an Italian philosopher and humanist. To many in the age of the Renaissance, Pico was the ideal man, whose physical beauty reflected his inner harmony. In his Oration on the Dignity of Man (c. 1487) he proclaimed that individuals face no limits to their development except those that are self-imposed. His other works include Heptaplus, a mystical account of the creation and De Ante et Uno; an unfinished attack on astrology. At the age of 23 he moved to Rome where he publicly posted a list of 900 ‘propositions’ which he offered to speak upon and defend. However, the Pope deemed that some of his ideas dealing with cabalistic magic were heretical and he outright forbade him to carry on his projected discussions. Most of his life he believed in the Kabbala and interwove its ideas into his own philosophical theories in an attempt to conciliate religion and philosophy. He died on November, 17, 1494. ......…… and it was on February 24, 1902 that Wynn Westcott authorizes Theodore Reuss to form a High Council in Germania of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, with Reuss as the Magus and Leopold Engel as Magus Delegatus Primus. Sadly, the Order never took root and by July of 1907 it folded. ......…… and the science fiction writer named August Derleth was born on this date in 1909 in Sauk City, a small, largely German village, pleasantly situated on the west bank of the Wisconsin River in south central Wisconsin. In 1939 he established Arkham House Publishers which was devoted to releasing the work of the late H. P. Lovecraft, Lord Dunsany and Algernon Blackwood and others. He died on July 4, 1971. ......…… And finally, on February 24, 1950 one of the founding members of the Ordo Templi Orientis in the United States died in Canada; this was Frater Achad, or Charles Stansfeld Jones.
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Tuesday February 23rd 2010 - 6:35am Well, admittedly, with all the movies that I've reviewed on my website over the years it was bound to happen. I watched one last night which had even me gulping and rubbing my eyes for mercy. Sadly, I was sober and I shouldn't have been. Anyway, this Japanese movie is titled YO-YO SEXY GIRL COP (2008) and it was ‘suppose’ to be a sequel to Yo-Yo Girl Cop, which I previously reviewed and enjoyed but dare I say that the plot behind this sequel is very, very weak, if existing at all. In truth, the lengthy sex scenes, with full nudity but showing little more than Japanese school girl titties as asses, makes this more of a soft-core sexploitation spoof of Yo-Yo Girl Cop rather than anything too serious. In this movie we find the same undercover agent named Saki Moromie with her 'new' code name which is, believe it or not, agent “See-Through Panties”... Click HERE to read my full review and see the DVD cover! :)-
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6:30am For the history buffs: Not much to report today except that La Voisin the ‘Satanic High Priestess’ was burned to the stake on this date in 1680 after confessing that she obtained over 2,500 children during her life to be used as human sacrifices to ‘Satan’. ….....…. and on this date in 1996 in Tamaulipas, Mexico, Irasema Margarita Cuevas, Guillermo Serna Marquez and others in the household heard their dogs barking crazily outside. When they went to investigate they saw a red-orange dome shaped UFO floating a few feet from the ground, near some nearby trees. From the craft a small humanoid emerged; floating up and down in an odd manner and from a belt around the creature’s waist a bluish beam of light was seen. The witnesses said that the creature appeared almost robotic in nature, somewhat resembling “Alpha” from the famed children’s shows “The Power Rangers.” After a few minutes the creature reentered the UFO, which rose up to join a similar craft and then sped away. It landed a short distance away in a nearby swamp. At the second site a much larger humanoid appeared, seemingly floating above the trees and accompanied by the earlier “Alpha” like entity. When it became late and dark, everyone headed home but the next day, when they went to investigate they found a large section of the ground scorched in the form of three enormous circles. Strange purplish white foam like substance was also discovered. Over the next few days other strange incidents were reported in the area like small flying red spheres, animal mutilations, and a large orange sphere that followed some of the people around late one night.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday February 22nd 2010 – 5:50am Ricky replied to Friday's 4:50pm posting by writing - "Jerry, 93 I might be making this harder than it should be; thinking too much. Can it be as simple as balancing the elemental forces with our spiritual Will? Well not that this is a simple task but it seems so obvious. As an example, you wrote: “Matter, reality, the flesh and all things of Earth are our plaything; they will not hurt you unless you ignore their 'opposites' ... and to think otherwise causes the pain of division.” That is to say, every act is a Lawful act so long as one realizes the higher reason behind that act. That reason (in this maybe reason is the wrong term to use, essence might fit better?) being at once, to gain an experience that you have incarnated to gain and in doing such further your spiritual advancement in understanding your mission here. It all falls on perspective at this point. Let’s take sex as an example. Thanks to the blasphemies of the Jehovah cult most of society today see no more than animal instincts and desires portrayed in this act. But this is only a material aspect of a higher spiritual personification. This is the root desire of all creation. Union of opposites is inherent in all nature. We see this clearly in magnetic fields in which a positively charged field will search out a negatively charged one. The result is a pull together; a union. But more precisely in an initiates path this sex act is in a sense a physical representation of what he is aspiring to. What I mean by this is summed up by the old magickal axiom Like attracts Like. It is the Love of the Goddess that we Work toward and by the right use of Thinking the sex act once again takes on its proper role as a door way to Heaven. De Nuptiis Secretis, Deorum cum Hominibus affords us a clue and I believe you put it best when you wrote: “to never forget the Love and Mystical Marriage of the Goddess, or our Lady, the Scarlet Woman, Babalon, Nuit.” Herein is found an interesting thought. By never wavering from longing for the Mystic Marriage we keep our sights on the Goal. This Marriage is consummated in Binah, the House of our Angel. Above the Abyss there is no division so that the longing and drive to Know and Converse with your Angel is to strive for and toward the Great Goddess. How can we manage this on Malkuth without becoming hermits in caves? We must keep, ever vigilant, in the forefront of our minds that every love, every lover is a cloudy reflection of what lies above. But the thing is not the Thing it represents so that the avatar is an imperfect and inferior reflection on Malkuth, just as Malkuth is the Inferior reflection of the Superior Mother. We must constantly bare this in mind so we do not to confuse the Greater Love with the lesser. Might this be an example of “Squaring the Circle” in regards to sex? Another interesting thought occurred last night while meditating on the Circle Squared. Notice the order used in the terms “Squaring of the Circle” and “Circle Squared”. It is always the Circle which is brought to the Square. It is the spirit that is materialized or brought to matter. Maybe this could give insight into the Nature of the task? I’m not sure yet. What do you think? 93 93/93 Ricky."Reply: It truth, we can only hypothesize on the meaning behind Crowley's Abramelin vision in 1900 where the Angel informed him that they are "at war with the angels of the 30 Aethyrs, to prevent the squaring of the circle." Crowley himself gives us no clues as to what he thought about the vision. Basically, we know alot about the Sacred Geometry of the Old Aeon as it relates to the 'squaring of the circle' in building mundane Temples. We also know much about the meaning behind the Magickal Degree symbol of the 'circle and the square' ... and knowing these and other facts, we can 'speculate' on the possibility of their connection to Crowley's Abramelin vision using a similar phrase. In other words, if we are truly to act as scientists, we must push the threshold of our understand as if tempering our Knowledge in an Alchemical Furnace. True magicians must never believe anything to be mere coincidence. With that in mind; we must explore the possibility that the mentioning of the 'circle squared' in different schools of thought is important to study because where one is vague, another school might offer insights. ... and then you bring the topic to 'sex' ... ah, after all, everything is related, no? ... but I think we are beginning to go off the beaten track abit The circle/squared on all levels appears to be very simple; it details our Spirit brought down into Matter; being the premise of Gnosticism. It's teaching us how to not see the Earth from the point of view of lower Tiphereth, or our lower Ruach which is ego oriented [First House in your chart] but from the Higher Self which is a bridge between here and there, matter and spirit.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5:45am For the history heap: The German humanist and Jewish scholar Johann Reuchlin was born at Pforzheim in the Black Forest on this date in 1455. He believed that the Kabbalah was a profound theosophy which might be of the greatest service for the defense of Christianity and the reconciliation of science with the mysteries of faith. Reuchlin’s mystico-cabbalistic ideas and objects were expounded in the De Verbo Mirifico (1494), and finally in the De Arte Cabbalistica (1517). He admitted openly of practising magic and summoning Angels. He died in 1522. ….....…. Also, Sybil Leek was born on this date in Straffordshire, England in 1917, although she always told people she was born in 1922. However, at her death, her ‘funeral card’ gave the correct information. Many consider this auburn-haired, green-eyed woman one of the most famous twentieth century witches and astrologers who ever lived while others are not quite sure they’d go that far. Her claims to hereditary witchcraft are as fascinating as they are debatable. After leaving England she briefly stayed in California before finally settling in Texas. It was here that she made her fame from media coverage, radio shows and believe-it-or-not an occult restaurant in Houston named Sybil Leek’s Cauldron. She is probably most famous for her long flowing black robe and her jackdaw named Mr. Hotfoot Jackson. She also gained considerable notoriety with her books, The Diary of a Witch, The Complete Art of Witchcraft and My Life in Astrology, to name just a few. She died on October 26, 1982 at the age of 65 in Florida after a long battle with cancer. One report of her death has it that a train derailed near to her Melbourne home and dosed her with a toxic gas which had caused her illness. She will be remember as a remarkable woman of many accomplishments; a gifted psychic, astrologer and writer who did much to influence the revival of the modern day witchcraft movement. According to Leek she met Aleister Crowley as a young child who said. “This is the one who will take up where I leave off”, adding “You’d better remember that, young lady. You’ll hear all sorts of things said about me and they’ll say the same things about you, but I shall have broken the ground for you.” Of course, history has now shown that Crowley never met her. ….....…. and it was on this date in 1950 that Neil Megson was born. He is more commonly known by his stage name; Genesis P-Orridge. He is a gifted English musician and creator of anti-Muzak sound experiments which have been called ‘industrial’ which mutates music into a whole new genre of avant pop sound inspired by factories, machine and industrial noises, found objects, and audio samplings from mainstream consumer culture. His COUM Transmissions were Aleister Crowley-inspired performance art pieces that pushed the envelope of art, taste, self-mutilation, and endurance to the breaking point. After his band Throbbing Gristle broke up he went on to create Psychic TV and the designer cult group known as The Temple ov Psychick Youth. ….....…. but most important, it was on February 22, 1956 that Clive Harper was born in Luneburg, Germany. He is a great believer in snappy titles as evidenced by his work - A Supplement to the Second Editon of the Revised Version of Notes Towards a Bibliography of Austin Osman Spare. He has served as Hon. Secretary to the Committee of the Fine Madness Society for many years. The ‘Society’ is dedicated to the provision of relief to those unfortunate individuals with an incurable attraction to the first editions of Aleister Crowley.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday February 21st 2010 – 7:40am For the history heap: Anais Nin, a literary figure of the avant-garde, was born on this date in Neuilly, France in 1903. She was a ‘modernist’ writer of short stories and novels but is most famous for her sexually explicit journals and her correspondence with her lover, the American writer and story-teller Henry Miller. In her book Incest, in the chapter simply titled “November 2, 1934”, she wrote that “Henry has fallen under the spell of a remarkable old man {Aleister Crowley} who is fantastic and psychic, a painter gone mad in Zurich.” It seems, according to Miller, that he first met Aleister Crowley in Paris through the French astrologer Conrad Moricand in 1933 but Crowleyites are doubtful of this since Crowley was expelled from France in the April of 1929, never to set foot in that country again after June of that year. Therefore, how Miller could have encountered the Beast in Paris in 1933 is truly a remarkable feat of story-telling, which Anais Nin seemingly accepted as truth. She died of ovarian cancer on January 14, 1977. ….....…. Also, on this date in 1907 the British poet Wystan Hugh Auden, and author of The Age of Anxiety, was born in York, England. He was one of the 148 a contributors on a brief questionnaire which was sent “To the Writers and Poets of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.” The simple question that was asked of each was: “Are you for, or against, the legal Government and the People of Republican Spain? Are you for, or against, Franco and Fascism?” The final pamphlet was titled Authors take Sides on the Spanish War and was published by the Left Review, London 1937. Some of the author’s remarks are neutral, others are speaking out for Franco and, of course, Aleister Crowley’s comment in the pamphlet is referred to as being ‘violent.’ All he wrote was: “Franco is a common murderer and pirate: should swing in chains at Execution Dock. Mussolini, the secret assassin, possibly worse. Hitler may prove a ‘prophet’; time will judge.” ….....…. And finally, the first issue of The Oriflamme rolled off the press in California on this date in 1943. It was released through the Agape Lodge of Aleister Crowley’s Ordo Templi Orientis. After receiving his copy Crowley sent Jane Wolfe a letter stating, “About ‘Oriflamme’: I cannot see the point of this at all. It is the most amateurish production I have ever set eyes on. You give absolutely not one word of the information which people expect when they pick up a new magazine. Why don’t you print the Constitution of the O.T.O. perhaps in an abridged form? You have got to show who you are, what you stand for, and what you are doing. You don’t even give an address, except a post office box. I can not imagine any more stupid way of wasting money. Anyhow, for the future, please print nothing of mine in any such rag-bag of imbecility!”
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Saturday February 20th 2010 – 7:25am For the history heap: L. Ron Hubbard and Jack Parsons formally established a company together on this date in 1946. The business began by Jack Parsons taking $20,970.80 of his life savings of $25,000, adding it to L. Ron Hubbard’s meager amount of $1,183.91 and then depositing it all into an account called Allied Enterprises. The third partner, Sara Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Northrup, Jack’s ex and L. Ron’s new girlfriend, contributed absolutely nothing into the account. However, according to the paperwork she, Jack and L. Ron would share equally in the project. The over all scheme was to take the money and invest it in buying sailing vessels in Miami and then sail them to California for resale at a good profit. It seemed like a good business venture, but ........… and I would also like to mention that Dr. Joseph Banks Rhine, the ‘father of modern parapsychology’ who established the Duke University Parapsychology Laboratory in 1935, died on this date at the age of 84 in 1980. He coined the term “extrasensory perception,” or ESP.
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Friday February 19th 2009 – Tonight's OPEN HOUSE will begin at 6:30pm; and being near supper, feel free to bring something to eat and drink and don't feel obligated to bring enough for anyone other than yourself. Although extra beer is always welcome.
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4:50pm Ricky replied to my 8:00am posting - "Jerry, 93 I had forgotten about those remarks on 120 (ON) being a synthesis of the powers of the Pentagram! The union of opposites (Spirit=Circle Matter=Square) is the Squaring of the Circle here below the Abyss. You wrote: "To achieve this state of five in the Ruach, as Crowley clearly points out, the Pentagram Ritual of 'Four Elemental Forces' [Square] must first be understood at the cross roads of Phe and Samech. Why here?" Frankly, I don't know. But I will venture a guess. The intersection of Samech and Peh is the exact center of the unifying path Peh that connects the two Pillars 418 and 156 in the Formula of ON and thus it is the natural meeting place of these opposites. The Path of Samech as depicted by the Art Atu in the THOTH deck shows an androgyne figure and interchanged symbols suggesting balance in opposites. The Gematria of Samech spelt in full is also 120 and therefore is also the synthesis of the power of the Pentagram. But your right this doesn't answer your original question. What is the Squaring of the Circle? ... I'm having a harder time with the Macro cosmic hints you gave than the Microcosmic, which I suspect means that I really haven't a clue as to what the Squaring of the Circle is yet. Back to the drawing board. :) I'll have to meditate on this for a while. And I'll have to find a Bible... 93 93/93 Ricky ."Reply: Here are a few things to consider unrelated to the 'circle squared' but of interest regarding the Pentagram Ritual. Aleister Crowley’s wrote in Notes on the Ritual of the Pentagram - “You are supposed to be standing at the intersection of the paths of Samech and Pe. You are facing Tiphereth (the sun), thus on your right hand is Netzach (Venus), on your left hand Hod (Mercury), and behind you Yesod (the Moon).” ... I might add that the four Sephiroth connecting these two paths are Hod - Archangel Michael, Netzach - Archangel Uriel, Tiphereth - Archangel Raphel and Yesod - Archangel Gabriel. Thus, when performing the Pentagram Ritual you first imagine yourself at the cross-roads of Phe and Samech; not in Malkuth. If you perform the ritual correctly Malkuth will be affected. As for the 'circle squared' itself, understanding this may not be as difficult as it first appears. Remember, in the Old Aeon everything was black or white, division was everywhere. Satan hide behind every tree and in every shadow trying to corrupt good. But in this Aeon we must learn to be the fulcrum between the two opposites of good and evil. We cannot patronize nor eliminate either the 'Circle' (Spirit), nor the 'Square' below the Abyss. We must understand that the Angel and Demon are not 'two' entities but in fact - they are one. So, maybe the 'Circle Squared' has to do with, as in the case of our Magickal Degree, balancing the two poles? Spirit and Matter. There is no law beyond do what thou wilt. Matter, reality, the flesh and all things of Earth are our plaything; they will not hurt you unless you ignore their 'opposites' ... and to think otherwise causes the pain of division. This is just a thought, an opinion ... what do you think?-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8:00am In regards to yesterday's 7:45am posting where I asked "what do think the 'Squaring of the circle' is?" Ricky replied:Jerry,
Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law. This might have been a rhetorical question but I think it would do me good to try and articulate the idea by my understanding. What does the Squaring of the Circle mean? Well I have gained, from our previous discourse on this topic, that this term is a very broad one and that it has many interpretations throughout a magician’s career. In the broadest sense maybe we could say that Squaring the Circle is the symbol of attainment. In a sense you have already laid the answer out clearly. You wrote “a magician must learn to control and work the elemental forces, as well as other forces like the Angelic rulers in order to raise ourselves above the slave mentality to which Jehovah has webbed our world”. But what does this mean? I think it will be beneficial to look into the term itself. As has been pointed out before the Square is the four fold elemental forces that must be put under control if one is to rise above this plane. It is where one must exert control and become King of these unruly forces. The elemental currents in this square are devoid of the Ruling Spirit, the Ordering factor in the Pentagram. In fact it would seem that the Squaring of the Circle is the Pentagram; Spirit Ruling the four elements (this is a new idea that just popped into my head but it seems very useful, exciting!). Following this line of thought the upright pentagram and the adverse pentagram seem to mirror the circle square degrees in that the upright is up to 5=6 and the adverse from 6=5 on. The Square is in every one of the Qabalistic degrees save three. These are Probationer, Dominus Liminus, and Babe of the Abyss. This is because these are not degrees so much as they are Portals into another Birth. Each of these phases seem to equate to the Soul before incarnation and if we look at it this way, throughout a magicians Career they accomplish the Formula of IAO three times over. But the square is found in every one of the Sephirotic grades. This shows us the true balance of the Tree for in the Zelator degree one must put their ‘faith’ in or be guided by Chokmah while in the Magus degree one must control this sphere. Here it seems that we are truly, in our early training preparing a vehicle for God to manifest on Earth. For once the numbers reverse we must control what we once held as true and put our faith in the Temple of the Holy Ghost that we ourselves have built. Turning the attention to the Circle, there doesn’t seem to be much left that is not implied in the above so to save you from a repetitive drawn out email I’ll briefly review. The Circle is the point from whence you allow guidance or gnosis to descend. The Unification of the Circle and the Square can be easily explained by the interpretation of the Pentagram. So to answer your question in a word, the Squaring of the Circle is the Pentagram. Consider this:
"Those who regard this ritual as a mere device to invoke or banish spirits, are unworthy to possess it. Properly understood, it is the Medicine of Metals and the Stone of the Wise." Or the Circle Squared. Love is the law, love under will. RickyReply: I rarely ask a rhetorical question but if I do, I usually state such. Anyway, we know that Aleister Crowley has informed us of the fact that the numerical value of the word ON is 120, or O-Ayin-70 & N-Nun-50. Below the Abyss this refers to the Union of Opposite; male/female, positive/negative, Yin/Yang, Spirit & Matter etc. In Sepher Sephiroth Crowley refers to ON-120 simply as “a name of God.” (p.18) ... In Gematria, he informs us that 120 = 1x2x3x4x5, “and thus a synthesis of the power of the pentagram.” (p.32) Also Crowley tells us in The Equinox that 120 = 1x2x3x4x5, “and thus a synthesis of the power of the pentagram.” (I:3 p.233). Basically, the Circle is Nuit, the Square or dot is Hadit. ... The importance of the Pentagram or five-pointed star is that it refers to the Rose Cross with its four arms and central point of light in 5=6 (Tiphereth); also central within the five spheres of the Ruach. ... To achieve this state of five in the Ruach, as Crowley clearly points out, the Pentagram Ritual of 'Four Elemental Forces' [Square] must first be understood at the cross roads of Phe and Samech. Why here? But, as sound as this all might seem it doesn't really answer the question that I asked or "what do you think the 'Squaring of the circle' is? Remember, the phrase appeared when Crowley was performing the Abramelin Workings in 1900. An Abramelin Angel informed him that they are "at war with the angels of the 30 Aethyrs, to prevent the squaring of the circle." This sounds more 'objective' in nature than 'subjective', no? So, here is the basic breakdown to consider first:Abramelin - Old Aeon ..... They don't want the circle squared.Enochian - New Aeonic ... They do want the circle squared.So what does this mean? Is the 'circle squared' a 'personal' thing or more of a 'Universal' statement in regards to the spiritually of the Earth in general in the New Aeon? Here are a few historical facts to consider: Crowley never completed his Abramelin Working in 1900 and by the end of the year he was evoking the 30th Aethyr in Mexico. Years later an Enochian Angel would explained to Crowley how Dee and Kelly managed to obtain the system before its time stating that “the Book of Enoch was first given the wisdom of the New Aeon. And it was hidden for three hundred years, because it was wrested untimely from the Tree of Life by the hand of a desperate magician.” (6th Aethyr, The Vision and The Voice p.196). Knowing this I can only speculate but I might suggest for to you to read up on the prophesies of City of Revelations (i.e. Earth) mentioned in the Holy Bible (Revelations Chapter 21) about the future of our planet Earth which begins - "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth." This also chapter gives us weird measurements:16 - And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with thereed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.17. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of aman, that is, of the angel.Now consider this; the circumference of our planet Earth is between 24,880 to 24,900 miles; depending upon your source ... keep that in mind. ... A furlong is 660 ft, a 12,000 furlong square or cube will automatically contain within itself an inner circle of approx 248.83 feet. And a cubit is 1.728 feet x 144 equals 248.83 foot circle. In other words, the New Heaven and New Earth mentioned in The Book of Revelations somehow gives us the measurements for the future City of God; as a squared circle on Malkuth, or Earth. As simple as it may appear, its math is far more complicated but if interested I'd suggest hunting down a copy of John Michell's City of Revelation (1973). The bottom line; As Above, So Below, if there are New Aeonic forces affecting the subtlety of our Earth, then they will automatically be affecting the slaves. So think about it ... What really is the 'circle squared'? Yes, it might be hard to understand microcosmically, but if we study the macrocosmic aspect it might, simply by analogy, reveal to us its Mysteries.p.s. For those who don't know: the Aleister Crowley quote - "Those who regard this ritual as a mere device to invoke or banish spirits, are unworthy to possess it. Properly understood, it is the Medicine of Metals and the
Stone of the Wise." ... it is a footnote in The Collected Works, Vol.1, pg. 204.
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7:30am For the history buffs: Nicolaus Copernicus (Mikolaj Kopernik) was born on this date in Torun, Poland in 1473. He is considered the father of modern astronomy. He was the first person to attempt to apply a modern, almost rational standard of order to God’s universe, which marked the beginning of the scientific revolution, and of a new view of a greatly enlarged universe. Copernicus died on May 24, 1543. ….......... also, La Voisin ‘The Satanic High Priestess’ during the reign of Louis XIV made her confession on this date in 1680 of sacrificing over 2500 babies in the name of Satan. She did this, she claimed, with the help of Louis XIV’s mistress, Madamme de Montespan, and a 67 year old libertine priest named the Abbé Guiborg. ….......... And Brad Steiger, which is pseudonym of Eugene E. Olson, was born on this date in Bode, Iowa in 1936. He is the author, or coauthor of over a hundred and fifty books with such titles as Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, Haunted Places, The Source: A Journey through the Unexplained, Strangers from the Skies, Project Bluebook, The Rainbow Conspiracy and UFO Odyssey. ….......... and I should mention that Grady Louis McMurtry, the future head of the Ordo Templi Orientis, found himself caught up in the spirit of American patriotism and he joined the United States Army on this date in 1941. However, there is every indication that his ‘patriotic decision to join’ came with a draft notice saying that he had to report for duty. This notice probably arrived while he was still in college and it effected his decision to quit just twelve days before he had to report - but of the impetus, it seems he went willingly. He was sent to boot camp, or basic training, at Ft. Riley in Kansas. ….......... And Ivan T. Sanderson died on this date in 1973 of cancer at the age of 62. In his early career Sanderson was a nature writer but soon became an enthusiastic Fortean author; devoting the majority of all his later books and articles to mysterious phenomena of all kinds from strange monsters, sea serpents to Bigfoot. Some of his most notable books were Univited Visitors (1967), Things (1967), More Things (1969), Invisible Residents (1970) and Investigating the Unexplained (1972). ….......... but of all the things that I can mention of happening on Febuary 19th my favorite is the fact that Ozzy Osbourne was arrested on this date in 1982 in San Antonio, Texas while wearing a dress and pissing on the Alamo. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thursday February 18th 2010 – 10:13am Today is Yoko Ono's birthday. She was born in 1933.
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8:00am Scott Moody received his copy of my new book The Magickal Essence of Aleister Crowley. He writes how he's been going through it "and I must say I am really enjoying it! I find it a phenomenal work and a much needed opus of illumination against the morass of lesser attempted publishing's within Thelema and of course magick in general. Crowley although incredibly accomplished was not even by his own admission able to convey sometimes even the simple lest of ideas in a strait forward manner that often times would have been the better modus operandi of transmission to aspirants. I find your book walks a much better line between the intricate illumination of esoteric principals sometimes obscure, and a strait forward delivery to those be they either long in the tooth Initiates like myself or newbie neophytes. BRAVO! Take care Scott." Reply: To all my readers. Feel free to let me know what you think of my book. Send in your reviews; whether good or bad. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7:45am Ricky writes - "I was wondering if you might elucidate for me something I have been pining over for some time now. Re-reading Cornelia 9, the Magickal Essance of Aleister Crowley No. 8; An Open Epistle on Enochian Magick, I am intrigued and a bit confused. Within the Epistle is laid out quite clearly that the Enochian Angels and those subservient to Jehovah are at war. This being the battle of Aeons colliding makes a lot of sense and it is presented clear enough. Here we see a contrast of systems; the Abramelin (Old Aeon) system and the Enochian or New Aeonic system. My question is this; if the Angels of Jehovah are trying to "prevent the squaring of the circle" then what good does it do us to invoke these during our LBRP rituals? Is this not counter productive? Could there be, or is there an Enochian equivalent proper to beginner use?"Reply: This has always been one of those difficult questions. First, John Dee never called his system Enochian. This was a later day titled put upon his Angelic Visions. Groups like The Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn called it Enochian simply because John Dee summoned the four exact same Archangels as did Enoch from the Old Testament. So, how can we, as modern day magicians, do any less if Jehovah's angels are webbed through the Enochian System itself? ... I can only say that the Elemental Forces, regardless of who is in charge, must be put under control. If Jehovah is Lord Ruler of the First Heaven above Earth, and according to the Gnostics he went utterly mad into a control freak mentality, does this negate the Laws of Earth of which he created? No, of course not. If anything, a magician must learn to control and work the elemental forces, as well as other forces like the Angelic rulers in order to raise ourselves above the slave mentality to which Jehovah has webbed our world. Is this not what magicians are trying to do as symbolised by our Magickal Degree of a 'Circle and Square'? ... One we control, while the other controls us. ... In other words, Crowley's vision during his Abramelin Working informs us that Jehovah and his kind are trying to prevent the 'Squaring of the circle' ... so the bigger question I must ask you is what do think the 'Squaring of the circle' is? -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7:20am Mike Gallant writes - "Jerry 93 Thank you so much. I am excited to start reading! I'm going to begin with Cornelia #1 and work my way up. Might have to read 'Aleister Crowley and the Ouija Board' as I go. I finished both vols. of 'In the Name of the Beast'. It just got better and better. Truly appreciate your honest portrait. Grady McMurtry had flaws, like we all do, but he also appeared to illuminate the world with sparks of genius. And boy, what a cast of characters! From heart breaking and healing love interests to dastardly delusional antagonists, it was an epic tale that made my head explode. There was some shocking moments in there too. The way you took the Oath of the Abyss was truly amazing and, if I may say, harrowing. If I took away anything from this magickal biography it would be that every act is a magickal act. And 'know thy self', because that seems to save a lot of time and work. Which brought me to another book by your friend and colleague Luis Alvarado, 'Psychology, Astrology & Western Magic', which I'm reading that right now too. I wish his web site was online because I'd email him and tell him I'm enjoying it immensely. It's like fruitcake, I can only eat little bites at a time because it's so rich. I have to digest what I just read or look at my chart and see if I intuit something because I just read about some Greek Gods and I'm looking for a God-pattern now. Anyway, it's fun. Thanks again. I appreciate the inscription in my book also. 93 93/93 Mike.”Reply: It was an amusing period in Thelemic history. Of course Phyllis Seckler always had serious issues, bordering on outright hatred with her ex-husband; old Grady McMurtry. I knew both Phyllis and Grady. Out of courtesy, after I finished each chapter, I would send it to Phyllis for review, for better or worse. It turned out that she enjoyed my book. She admitted that her biggest fear at first was the belief that I was going to write a whitewash of the facts to portray Grady as some kind of saint because I was his A.'.A.'. student. But she was amazed how I did not pull punches with his behavior, how I kept a very balanced and fair view of the facts. I simply told it like it was. In the end she gave my book her stamp of approval for the facts. I personally think, had I glossed over certain facts to portray Grady as a kind of saint, it would have tainted the over-all picture of his life regarding what made him the man he was. Like all of us, he had his faults ... but he was a lovable old guy, in a twisted way.Luis has a website but it is 'under construction' right now and being totally revamped. If you want to write something, send it to me and I'll forward it on-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7:15am For the history buffs: The planet Pluto was discovered on this date in 1930. I mention this only as an inside joke in honor of the late Phyllis Seckler. ............... also, the cartoonist Gahan Wilson was born on this date in Evanston, Illinois also in 1930. He admits to being heavily influence by the artist Chas Adams, of The Adam’s Family fame, and by weird, haunting fantasy tales by H. P. Lovecraft. Gahan Wilson’s work first appeared in Amazing Stories in 1954, but he became nationally known through art in slick magazines including Colliers, Playboy, and later The New Yorker.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday February 17th 2010 – 6:40am For the history buffs: The Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno died on this date in 1600. He had refused to retract any of his philosophical opinions before the Inquisition of Rome and was condemned as ‘an impenitent and pertinacious heretic.’ He was publicly burned at the stake on this date in a place called Campo dei Fiori (Square of Flowers) Rome. ............... and Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, one of the founding members of the Theosophical Society with Madame Blavatsky, died on this date in 1907. ............... and finally, on February 17, 1986 that Jiddu Krishnamurti died at the age of 90 in Ojai, California. One of his students once commented that “Listening to Krishnamurti speak was like eating a sandwich made of bread and sand.” Although his writings are far more clear; like when he wrote, “All authority of any kind, especially in the field of thought and understanding, is the most destructive, evil thing. Leaders destroy the followers and followers destroy the leaders. You have to be your own teacher and your own disciple. You have to question everything that man has accepted as valuable, as necessary.”
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Tuesday February 16th 2010 – 10:50am I've been adding some new stuff into my FOR SALE catalogue and revamping it; lowering prices etc ... and there is more to come!
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7:15am For the history buffs: Christopher Marlowe, the English dramatist and poet, was born on this date in Canterbury, England in 1564, the son of a shoemaker. He was expected to enter his father’s business but instead he was offered a scholarship by the Archbishop of Canterbury and entered Cambridge University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1584 and a master’s in 1587. However, instead of entering the clergy as expected, Marlowe headed off to London and the theatre. He was soon writing plays for an acting company called the Admiral’s Men. Although he also wrote light verse, like The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, his major works were tragedies, for which he is best known, like Doctor Faustus. His death on May 30 1593 is shrouded in mystery. The long-accepted version is that he and two close friends were dinning in a tavern in Deptford. The two quarreled over paying the bill, and in the fight that followed, Marlowe grabbed for his friend’s dagger and attacked him. However, his friend managed to wrestle the dagger from Marlowe and stabbed the author fatally in the eye. Marlowe was buried on June 1, 1593. ….....…. Also, Charles Webster Leadbeater was born on this date in 1854. Ironically, he often wrote, for no apparent reason, that he was actually born on February 17, 1847 yet his surviving birth records clearly point out that this was not the case. He claimed to have been trained for clairvoyance by an Indian Master and later he became one of the prominent researchers in the field of human consciousness. He applied his knowledge by supporting several occult movements, particularly the Theosophical Society where he was a close associate of Annie Besant. He was also a Rosicrucian, a Martinist, and a prominent member of the Egyptian Rite of Memphis-Misraïm. He was even ordained an Anglican priest. Then in 1906 he was arrested. On May 16th he went on trial for sexually abusing childrem. He claimed that his clairvoyant examination of little boys simply enabled him to know when the children were having ‘sexual difficulties’ and in need of advice. Others argued that his advice was merely an excuse to masturbate the boys. Due to his proclivities Leadbeater was forced to resign from the Theosophical Society. However, over the objections of some members, he was readmitted three years later. Aleister Crowley condemned Leadbeater in The Equinox Vol.I No.X as a “senile sex-maniac.” He died on March 1, 1934. ….....…. and on February 16, 1878 Pamela Colman Smith, nicknamed ‘Pixie,’ was born in England to American parents. She grew up in Jamaica but later returned to England. In the late 1890’s she joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn where she met Arthur Edward Waite. At the time she was a struggling artist, illustrator, and writer but her chief claim to fame was designing the Tarot deck used by Arthur Edward Waite and later referred to as the Rider-Waite deck. She also did illustrations for the works of William Butler Yeats. She died on September 18, 1951. ….....…. But also important to mention, Raoul Loveday, Frater AUD, aka Adonis, died at the Abbey of Cefalu on this date in 1923. Some claim that his death had to do with drinking cat’s blood, others claim in was drinking ‘bad water.’ Three days earlier Crowley recorded in his Magical Record that he felt a current of magical force, “heavy black and silent” threatening the Abbey. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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