See that Email the Author link below? If you’ve ever used it, please note that it hasn’t worked the whole time it’s been there until now. So if you sent me any emails, I wasn’t ignoring you, or too busy. I never got them. Thanks to Fr. POS, I found this out and addressed the issue. Feel free to contact me about any posts, comments, or whatever. I made a couple of friends I IM with now through that very process.

Oh and another thing, if you leave a comment on my posts, chances are I’ll answer them in the comments below. There’s an option for you to subscribe to follow-up posts, so if you want to see my response, check that box. Otherwise you’ll forget for months and when you get back to it, you’ll want to carry on the conversation and I’ll have no idea what you’re talking about.

I think that’s everything for now.

Happy camping.

Oh, P.S. I’ve been getting a lot of “I admire your work” emails. Please do not feed the ego. It’s large and takes manly steps while walking already. The fact is most of my stuff is fun and utilitarian, but there are artists out there that deserve more credit.

I mentioned back around election time that I may revisit what I did related to the election.

I removed the hexes against McCain placed by some Nigerians. And others. My goal was to just keep things fair. Plus he’s old, poor fellow.

And for all of you worried about Palin and thinking she’s insane, here she is standing up for a constitutional right to bear arms, and pursuing her hunting hobby. Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. So people, chill out! What could possibly go wrong?

[Edit: I rejected a comment from someone expressing their very serious concerns about Palin. I guess the picture isn’t obvious enough. I’ll try to make it larger so you can SEE the name plate under the reindeer with the GLOWING RED NOSE. Because the humor is not coming through.]

I now have conclusive proof that all things are predestinated, at least through July of 2038.

As we know, the present is what it is. Whatever happened before definitely did happen, and it caused what we are currently experiencing. If anything was different in the past, now wouldn’t be what it is. Therefore everything that has happened must have happened for this to be what it is.

If Free Will were more than an illusion bred from ignorance and fear of the future, then the future could not exist until all things that we are still in the process of choosing had already been chosen. If anything came to us from the future, that would be conclusive proof that the future did indeed exist, and therefore the present potentials have already been reached.

I have in my inbox proof that there is a future. I have received emails from July of 2038. Apparently, some time in the next thirty years, they will not only master sending messages through time, but they will also cure erectile dysfunction and perfect genetic manipulation of male genitalia, leaving them with a surplus of viagra, cialis, and herbal supplements to enlarge a specific part of the male anatomy. They are selling them to us in their past to still be able to turn a profit.

I now have conclusive proof that all things are predestinated, at least through July of 2038.

As we know, the present is what it is. Whatever happened before definitely did happen, and it caused what we are currently experiencing. If anything was different in the past, now wouldn’t be what it is. Therefore everything that has happened must have happened for this to be what it is.

If Free Will were more than an illusion bred from ignorance and fear of the future, then the future could not exist until all things that we are still in the process of choosing had already been chosen. If anything came to us from the future, that would be conclusive proof that the future did indeed exist, and therefore the present potentials have already been reached.

I have in my inbox proof that there is a future. I have received emails from July of 2038. Apparently, some time in the next thirty years, they will not only master sending messages through time, but they will also cure erectile dysfunction and perfect genetic manipulation of male genitalia, leaving them with a surplus of viagra, cialis, and herbal supplements to enlarge a specific part of the male anatomy. They are selling them to us in their past to still be able to turn a profit.

I now have conclusive proof that all things are predestinated, at least through July of 2038.

As we know, the present is what it is. Whatever happened before definitely did happen, and it caused what we are currently experiencing. If anything was different in the past, now wouldn’t be what it is. Therefore everything that has happened must have happened for this to be what it is.

If Free Will were more than an illusion bred from ignorance and fear of the future, then the future could not exist until all things that we are still in the process of choosing had already been chosen. If anything came to us from the future, that would be conclusive proof that the future did indeed exist, and therefore the present potentials have already been reached.

I have in my inbox proof that there is a future. I have received emails from July of 2038. Apparently, some time in the next thirty years, they will not only master sending messages through time, but they will also cure erectile dysfunction and perfect genetic manipulation of male genitalia, leaving them with a surplus of viagra, cialis, and herbal supplements to enlarge a specific part of the male anatomy. They are selling them to us in their past to still be able to turn a profit.

Last Friday was Halloween, but as Lavanah reminded (or in my case, “taught”) us, today is the day that Samhain should be falling on.

ERGO! Re-review last Friday’s blog post and see how that works out for you on a day when the sun is cross-quartered; if you didn’t see the spirit you were looking for, try it again today when the veils between the worlds is truly thinnest.

And really, shouldn’t we go trick-or-treating all over again? And light the candles in the gourds?

Not me, I’m a Christian… but we’re not THAT far removed from you heathens. Scrape a little of the Holy Roman Patina off, and voila!

Anyway, I should get candy. That’s all I’m sayin’.

From http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/project-management/?p=277&tag=nl.e101:

‘Twas the night before Christmas (or “holiday break”)
But I was still working — I kicked off a rake.
Secure shells were placed on my desktop with care,
So no one could sniff what I typed away there.
My clients’ hot issues were all put to bed,
But what those had preempted still caused me to dread.
So I in my bathrobe (’twas cold in that room)
Had just settled down for a long game of Doom.
When out on the WAN there arose such a mess
I thought that it must be a DDoS!
Away to the firewall I flew like Jet Li
Denied all incoming, even SMTP.
But as I more closely inspected each packet,
I realized with awe what was causing the racket:
A download! What format? I couldn’t have known it
But I found it included a textual component:
“Now JavaScript! Perl! Now Python and Ruby!
On Haskell! on Clojure! on Scala and Groovy!
To the Web-facing site, to the edge firewall,
Now bash away, bash away, bash away all!”
The download completed, though I tried to abort,
And a little man popped out a USB port!
His glasses — how thick! His gut — a real softy!
And his beard was all stained with cold pizza and coffee.
He was nerdy and plump, a right jolly old geek,
Though he smelled like he hadn’t had a bath in a week.
He spoke not a word, but went right ahead
He wiped off all Windows, installed *nix instead
The software I’d need, he downloaded it all
(Still using less space than a fresh Win install).
In the USB port he inserted his thumb
And vanished right into it the way he had come
But I heard him exclaim, ere I even had missed ‘im
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good system!

Last Friday was Halloween, but as Lavanah reminded (or in my case, “taught”) us, today is the day that Samhain should be falling on.

ERGO! Re-review last Friday’s blog post and see how that works out for you on a day when the sun is cross-quartered; if you didn’t see the spirit you were looking for, try it again today when the veils between the worlds is truly thinnest.

And really, shouldn’t we go trick-or-treating all over again? And light the candles in the gourds?

Not me, I’m a Christian… but we’re not THAT far removed from you heathens. Scrape a little of the Holy Roman Patina off, and voila!

Anyway, I should get candy. That’s all I’m sayin’.

I had this image from somewhere on the ‘net, and I’ve been meaning to post about it, but didn’t have the context. Thanks to brother Inominandum’s Star Wars-themed post at Strategic Sorcery, I have an excuse!

The piece is based on the OBEY art project’s nationally famous Obama poster. It’s pretty unrelated to magic, unless you understand the Gra’al quest is epitomized in Episodes 4-6, AND you equate that to the Great Work, AND you think that we are performing our own Gra’al Quest as we ritually conjure the experiences in life that result in the esoteric manifestations of the Alchemical Processes that create the Stone…

Hey, it’s on topic after all, with very little stretching of the imagination. Thanks to Susanne and Stalking Hyena for the comments on the Animal Stone mentioned in the Ode to a Weasle post yesterday. That’s why I was back at the Alchemy Web Site and could fit it into today’s post.

After losing to Fr. POS in a friendly game of chess last night, I tried basking in the warm glow of Tiphareth to soothe my wounded ego. Actually, I was intending to do some Solar Work anyway. Before talking to him, I had felt downright suicidal for no apparent reason. It was totally against how I normally feel, so I figured some Solar Work would clean me out and do me some good.

After losing to the good Frater, I only had a couple of minutes left in the hour of the Sun, so I decided instead of a luxurious soak in the Rays of Father Sun, I’d conjure up Och instead, from the Arbatel. I engraved his seal on the inside of my wedding band a week or so ago, with the intent of never having my “purse” be without the jingle of gold. I had meant my bank accounts, but all I got was a wallet that hasn’t quite finished being depleted of funds in spite of hungry kids who outgrow their clothes at the worst possible times, and many bills.

Concern with those many bills had me conjuring the spirit Och, and when he showed up, he gave me all kinds of side-stepping issues, saying he couldn’t give me gold in a moment because there were “other things” going on that were interfering. I said, “Yes, there are other things going on, and that’s why I conjured you to get me the gold. You can do it. It’s in your office. Now, go do it.” Then I felt the spirit leave, and a sense of peace fell over me. I looked at the planetary hour, and it had shifted to Venus, the ruler of my Sun Sign.

I’d like to say a pile of gold appeared at my feet today. It didn’t. I got a couple of job opportunities today, but none within my area of experience or geographic location.I got notice that a job I’m waiting to be approved should be given a green light in early November, pushed back from late October.

Personally, I think Och is giving me the run-around. I don’t appreciate it much at all. I plan on having words with him about it later. Then again, I haven’t actually conjured him using the techniques of the Arbatel, specifically. Probably should, I suppose. I have used my Box and have had communications with him, though, placing my ring across the electrodes. I’m just not convinced he’s doing anything. Hmmmm… Just rolled the Geomantic Tumblers, and they say “Carcer: Restriction, limitation, and binding.”

I’ll think on that; confirmation of the spirit’s message is something I can’t readily ignore.

In the mean time, a closing quote:

But you
Why you wanna give me a run-around
Is it a sure-fire way to speed things up
When all it does is slow me down
Tra la la la la bomba dear this
is the pilot speaking
And I’ve got some news for you
It seems my ship still stands
no matter what you drop
And there ain’t a whole lot that you can do
Oh sure the banner may be torn and
the wind’s gotten colder
Perhaps I’ve grown a little cynical
But I know no matter what the waitress brings
I shall drink in and always be full
My cup shall always be full

–Run Around, by Blues Traveler