Someone in the blogosphere posted something about why we got into magic in the first place, and how magic turned out to be something different than what we expected, but what it really turned out to be was freaking awesome so we stuck with it anyway.
That might not be the exact words, but that’s how I remember it. I can’t find the freaking post though, and I’d love to link to it (and re-read the post because now I think I’m mis-remembering it altogether and I want to verify the context, and see how the author put it together and all that).
Does anyone remember reading something like that recently, or writing something along those lines? A link in the comments would be much appreciated.
After reading it, though, I couldn’t help but think, yeah, ancestors, thanks SO MUCH for everything, assholes. We come from a lot of really prick people. Serious major dick heads. Unenlightened violent thieves, rapists, and murderers. And CANNIBALS.
And we wouldn’t BE HERE if it weren’t for them. We wouldn’t have to deal with trying to remember we’re free from all suffering at all if they’d just kept their dicks in their pants. Fuck wads.
I found out a little about the Bodhisattva vows recently. You swear to keep on incarnating until everyone reaches Enlightenment.
Fuck. That. Shit.
Human beings have a racial history of being stupid, mean, and vile. Especially to people who try to teach them how to not be stupid, mean, and vile. I’ve even done it myself, so what does that say about the sad state of affairs?
So I’m putting together a “raise an army of the dead” ritual for Halloween (it’s been in process for a couple of weeks, was going to post it, but likely won’t finish until a few minutes before I do the rite anyway). I’ve got dirt from various graveyards around the area, and some other stuff from haunted places, and it’s all going into a big old huge fucking Spirit Pot that will be home to my Army of Deadites to send around and do whatever petty shit needs to be done.
The level of spirit I’m aiming for in the rite is pretty base, the shades who haven’t managed to dissolve into the parts that make them up, the Nepheshim. Individually, they’re pretty weak.
In large numbers, I’m hoping they can do more than just drop the temperature of the room a few degrees when they show up. My hopes and expectations are decidedly low, though, because they’re only human after all, and not even the thinking or eternal parts at that. Just some damned souls left to howl in the night when the veils are thinnest.
And why am I doing this? Because like my ancestors, I’m a fuck wad asshole prick who would eat human flesh to survive if necessary. And magic is fun. And who WOULDN’T want an army of the dead to send out at whim to curse the local 7-eleven owner for running out of BFC Monsters when you really need one?
So that’s how I’m honoring the dead this year. I’m giving them something to do, and I’m keeping the family tradition alive.
Ok, so this is a fun song and all, but the lyrics aren’t exactly 100% accurate. However, it’s still pretty cool. When I dropped demon magic, I found all kinds of stuff touched on in the lyrics of this song just sort of went away. Borderline personality disorders, mental illness afflictions and such just faded. Even a learning disability my daughter had evaporated into nothing, and she’s doing great in school this year, with no particular changes in how we do things at home.
Money is coming in and actually staying in for a change. No major catastrophes are leaving us all broke every time we get a windfall.
And I’m over a lot of personal issues that plagued me for years. A friend commented that I’m calmer than ever, even though I’ve managed to retain my wit. Personally, I don’t know how witty I am, but as long as I’m not getting less witty, I’m happy. I was a little concerned about that, since Bune had made me more eloquent. I was afraid I’d end up less loquacious, or dull.
I do write less on the blog, but that’s because most of my attention and writing is going into courses these days.
Anyway, I thought the song was fitting. One of the things about demon magic is that people heavily into it are living nightmare existences, one drama or crisis after another, all the time… and they think it’s normal. It’s not! Life doesn’t have to be shit, all the time. Into each life a little shit must fall, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not supposed to be all the time, every month, year after year.
Now, some magicians seem to be able to work with demons with either no problems, or they’re at least adequately prepared to accept the consequences. Hey, if that’s you, more power to you. Awesome.
For the rest of us, if you’re sick of the drama, but you’re hooked on the power and apparent control of your life the demon magic brings, the RO Guide to Demon Magic Recovery is for you. It provides a way to get clean, and to replace the perks of being a magician that you’ve grown accustomed to with better allies and sources of power. Cleaner stuff. The “good” stuff.
Recent conversations on Evocational Magic had me reviewing my position on demons this week. I mean, I’m kind of the poster child for the guy who gets into demon magic, has bad shit happen, and then goes all anti-demon as a result. There are lots of explanations about why that happens online, and when I was into demon magic, I even wrote a few myself. My take was people weren’t initiated enough, or something.
After carefully re-evaluating my position, I’ve come to the conclusion that demon magic still sucks, but I’ve clarified my use of the term “demon.” Demons are any spirit who is designed to bring destruction or delusion. Focalor, who sinks ships and brings disease, is clearly a demon. Maybe every spirit listed in the Lemegeton’s Goetia is not necessarily a demon, but I think enough of them are to make it a poor resource for finding spirit allies. Instead, I advocate working with the Planetary Governors/Intelligences directly, the “Winds,” the Princes of the Spirits, and the Genii Loci. I recommend creating your own list of spirits the old fashioned way, finding them, getting their details, and recording their contact information in a Spirit Book.
Be a Goes magician practicing Goety by all means! After all, that wouldn’t be an inappropriate description of my own Work, from certain perspectives. But avoid any spirit whose primary role in existence is the manufacture and maintenance of suffering. Putting them to work for you is effective, but it comes with a price. For most of us, anyway.
When you are free from all suffering, it does not necessarily mean you will never again suffer. However, once you are free from all suffering, suffering will never be able to imprison you again.
You are free to leave the prison of suffering any time. The gates are not locked.
The question faced while suffering occurs is no longer “Why am I suffering,” but “Will I suffer through this or not?”
It’s that most wonderful time of the year: Halloween! Samhain! All Saints! Walpurgisnacth! Raise the dead, joke with the damned, walk the Paths of Hel, Hella, Hades, shudder in dread in the shadow of Cromm, and dance to the maddening beat of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes!
I suggest a Hunting Party. Gather up some heathens, a couple of coolers full of ice, and camp out at a farm of an accommodating friend of similar beliefs, or who will at least turn a blind eye and deaf ear to a night’s revelry. You’ll need a bonfire, and some hay bales to sit on. You’l need sparsely wooded “wild” areas to wander through in the dark, and a shallow stream someone can fall into and laugh about later. You’ll need shadowed hidden places near enough to see the fire, but secluded enough for lovers to have their quality time together without intrusion.
Conjure up the Master of the Hunt. (Did I mention the Master of the Hunt?) You’ll definitely need some Hunt Master. Also known as der Jaegermeister, this charming concoction must be stored in the coolers with the ice. Shot glasses are optional, because alcohol kills germs. Figure a minimum of a pint per attendee, and a chaser per person, and you’ll bring about enough. I prefer Fraoch Heather Ale as the chaser. So good.
Meet at dusk and pitch the tents. (Did I mention the tents?) Note: pitch the tents BEFORE you start drinking. For serious.
Light the fire, cook some bratwurst on sticks. (Did I mention the bratwurst?) Crack the Ale, pour the first round of shots, and together toast the Spiritus Mundi, the Spirit of the World. Pour one shot on the ground. Another round is poured, and together toast the Genii Loci, the Spirits of the Land. Pour one shot on the ground. A third round is poured, with great solemnity, in silence, and the final toast is made to those who have come before, the honored dead who have passed over. Pour one shot on the ground.
After a moment of contemplation and somber reflection on the dead (which gives the alcohol time to permeate the blood stream), break out the fiddle and the bow, the flute and the drums, and let the drunken revelry commence! (Did I mention the fiddle and the bow and the drum and the flute?)
Note: At no point should anyone perform a conjuration as part of the Hunt Party. This ritual honors the Spirits, but is primarily a celebration for the living. Raise an army of the dead on your own time, with no booze involved.
I’ve spent the last few months mostly stuck in an astral temple. Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve buckled down and started getting my shit together, rebuilding my altar talisman collection, putting my weapons together, and getting my ass in gear. Well, getting the gears installed so I can at least … uh, no, no gears installed in my ass… uhm.
Look, I made some magic stuff so I can start doing magic again, and it’s going great! That’s what I mean
On one of the lists, there was some conversation about the substance vs. intent, and we all agreed that it’s more than just those two pieces, and you can’t lean too much on any particular side, and I might visit the topic in a blog post eventually, but I can definitely say, having the talismans makes a difference in the sphere of the magician who makes them. Substance adds substance. Form brings coalescence. It’s an Important Thing.
So anyway, I had someone get in touch with me today looking for some magical work on their behalf, and it went super good so far. Getting back into magic again feels good. It’s like having your shoulders pop after you start working out again after taking a break. And man, the power! I forgot what it feels like, it’s been so long. What a fucking rush.
Yes, it covers some of the things Jason wrote about in his recent blog post, and yes, it goes into more detail. It also has nifty pictures illustrating the business process in simple, standard business formats. It walks through the process a friend of mine went through to open a brick and mortar store, and addresses some things I’ve learned about online retail. There’s not a lot of tech, it’s mostly basic theory, and it imparts the most important lesson I had to learn about the value of your products or services.
No, it doesn’t teach you how to conjure up demons, angels, genius loci, or the spirits of the dead to make you successful. The reason is because spirits and magic doesn’t make you successful. They contribute, they help a lot, but the only thing that makes you successful is work. You’ve heard it a million times from experienced magicians, famous and infamous: the spirits provide opportunities, you provide the sweat. You’re the one with a body, not them. they can help, but until you understand the basics of business, and the sweat equity necessary to succeed, you’ve got nothing.
Another question was how long is it? It’s about 7,000 words, on 26 5X8 pages. When Kindle launches Singles, this is the perfect thing for it. In fact, I’m going to be all over Singles when they come out.
Axiom: With great power comes great responsibility.
Ergo, the implied inverse: As responsibilities are added, so too is the power to accomplish these responsibilities.
Therefore: You are never tasked with a goal that you cannot achieve.
Yay! That’s great. Words to live by and remember when times are dark and you feel overwhelmed. Tasks can be daunting. Remembering that you have the power to accomplish the task at hand can relieve the pressure you might feel when you see how big the problem really is. Take a minute and remember your power if you get nervous.
And also, remember that with great power comes lackeys who will do the work that you can’t or don’t know how to do. You just gotta look for them. Kids, volunteers, employees, clerks of the court, public servants, family members, friends who help you move for pizza and beer, elected representatives, someone somewhere in the flesh can help. You just have to figure out who the lackeys are.
However, there is administrative overhead to take into account. You haven’t really integrated the powers you’ve been bestowed until you’ve updated your resume. An old joke goes, if a woman says something in a forest, does anyone really care? Take out the misogyny, and it’s basically an observation on the human condition: people will ignore everything they don’t think is important. You’ve got to be able to tell people what you’ve done that demonstrates your ability to succeed.
In magic, we don’t have a resume. But we do a lot of shit in this Great Work thing. Take some time to write it up using a Resume template. They’re free online, and the MS Word 2007 versions are compatible with Open Office and Google Docs, so there’s no reason you can’t get started filling in the blanks on a template. Keep it secret, keep it safe, but keep it.
When faced with a crisis, pull it out and review it. You’ll have forgotten about a trick you used in a previous situation that was similar. You’ll see separate occasions that required seemingly unrelated skills that now would combine perfectly to solve your immediate need.
We use resumes in our careers to tell people what we’ve done and why they should hire us. In magic, your “Curricula Vita” serves as a reminder to you personally that you can do what needs to be done, and that you’re the perfect person for the job.
And sometimes, that reminder is all we really need.
Dude, I just read some old articles I wrote. I was a major prick. Sorry about that. I try not to talk down to people with such dripping arrogance these days.
It’s hard, I tell you, and really, you should be thankful I go to such lengths.
When they announced a “goldilocks planet” had been found, one of the first things I did was try to contact them.When trying to contact the Intelligences of the planet. I got nothing but static too.
[Edit: Corrected typo that’s been bugging me all week long.]