tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12842601171831280622024-03-14T03:23:25.440-07:00The Adyton of PythiaHarper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-22460926917282428602023-06-13T09:59:00.000-07:002023-06-13T09:59:45.128-07:00Devotional Work is the Engine<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QBeL_EWbXYlib_RKOiCHhnVtp72ogpoybIkrzFpNW6rvok5spGbyrR9Z_4EJZx7j-SyqyIKE4UEcgtm5LlXXdoGlWyWDb5BfRtpZRc2nnrsr75U7fswdM1MVUbeA30C8jh2AfhEgTEPIyWayUS-pXn_LLBmnUizcKBBY7Bq5Kv1wlQ_85ngS_CpkNQ/s2048/351743405_638889237796622_1616443328470010144_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QBeL_EWbXYlib_RKOiCHhnVtp72ogpoybIkrzFpNW6rvok5spGbyrR9Z_4EJZx7j-SyqyIKE4UEcgtm5LlXXdoGlWyWDb5BfRtpZRc2nnrsr75U7fswdM1MVUbeA30C8jh2AfhEgTEPIyWayUS-pXn_LLBmnUizcKBBY7Bq5Kv1wlQ_85ngS_CpkNQ/s320/351743405_638889237796622_1616443328470010144_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>This summer has seen a number of improvements to the shrine
I built last spring behind the garage belonging to my friend K. I added a
statue of Mary, to help deepen my relationship with her more mysterious sides, and
some lovely flowering plants. I also added a concrete bird bath, which is used
by the visiting humans as a scrying pool and by the birds for its intended
purpose. As you know if you’ve been following along, I take flowers and incense
every Sunday morning and now have added the duty of scrubbing out the birdbath.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In reflection of the tradition of physical sacrifice, I
fertilize all the plants within the canopy of the shrine with blood meal.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But why is this practice important to me? The ongoing
conversation of “asking” the denizens of the invisible universe for things makes
me want to talk about this. Back to that in a moment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I engage in devotional activities to beautify and enliven my
world. To create a link between myself and divinity. To fill in the abyssal
hole left by my previous partnership. To help make sense out of a world where I
feel not just a little bit lost. There is a strong sense that this place is my
cloister. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So, let me say something may upset some people. As members
of a profoundly materialistic and secular culture, we may not actually know what
it is to have a relationship with the divine. In particular, I have a hunch
that we don’t know how to have a relationship that would be recognizable to the
ancients or a writer of a grimoire. Our world is not the same, our thinking
absolutely different, and our expectations unrecognizable to our magical
ancestors. Our familial ones, too, of course, but that is a larger question.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstrqTvm845Y06YF63XwomfLAmdSvFlrbn48qrD0HUDv4jfCsXUpdNSItf4EcHN7AMBbTFNttbXExv-A67V6WRuy19jmnXf8xsVR-86HzHT5NotPrnAjfOK_e_uknBGfxL5SUCp4bkeoInYcCum3mu_Fa1vNCD5qCR7fNHNn8b5fzjfnghqiZW35DHXw/s2048/351104551_221607213965838_2167451280054957628_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhstrqTvm845Y06YF63XwomfLAmdSvFlrbn48qrD0HUDv4jfCsXUpdNSItf4EcHN7AMBbTFNttbXExv-A67V6WRuy19jmnXf8xsVR-86HzHT5NotPrnAjfOK_e_uknBGfxL5SUCp4bkeoInYcCum3mu_Fa1vNCD5qCR7fNHNn8b5fzjfnghqiZW35DHXw/w150-h200/351104551_221607213965838_2167451280054957628_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Before rational thinking became the only “approved” way of
interacting with the world, before the Enlightenment, before the Scientific
Revolution, before WSIWYG… people were surrounded by religious activities. It
wasn’t just magical practitioners and the otherwise unhinged that maintained
household shrines. Instead of seeing lightning as a plasma formed by clouds at
different electrical potentials, we saw forces with names. Entities we could
interact with, placate, and plead to. It’s impossible for us to imagine what
that was like but let me urge you briefly to try.</p><p class="MsoNormal">And then, recognize that we’ve only been trying to think
like this for a couple of hundred or so years, out of all of human history. We’re globally not
good at it yet. This fact can be gleaned even from a newspaper. So-called
“critical thinking” is almost impossible for most people, and for those of us
who do it in our day jobs, it’s largely a game. A game with a purpose, to be
sure, but it’s not our native language.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And we miss the fullness of a divinely inspired world, we long
for the presence of the gods, their company. We feel alone. We feel powerless.
We ache. We’re left in the Matrix’s “desert of the real.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And so, we, as confused polytheistic seekers, try to put
this god-driven reality back together, except we have no pre-existing community
to help us with it. Imagine having an entire culture that recognized the gods
at its core (not that there aren’t issues with this, as history teaches),
imagine a more completely enlivened world and realize that human beings
basically evolved within this earlier paradigm. In some senses, and not
exclusively, we’re programmed for this religio-magical thinking.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_ytqzWAanwCBhrExcB9rJOHoSZEkirSBAXNhyT03IoO3lsbXBgTYEZY9RD5b9zTHpEPIahtvoDeMgUm5GyWN3__zgWgq86Kz0dxF0XDbFjqVuyUNldagViReT0O7Q5o8YR15-TDQxyy6hV7XlJHrv7Mpp502kaEoLCMQ9gf2BG9REYDPslY0JmhaAA/s2048/350757566_1351181302475705_8627709782034101637_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv_ytqzWAanwCBhrExcB9rJOHoSZEkirSBAXNhyT03IoO3lsbXBgTYEZY9RD5b9zTHpEPIahtvoDeMgUm5GyWN3__zgWgq86Kz0dxF0XDbFjqVuyUNldagViReT0O7Q5o8YR15-TDQxyy6hV7XlJHrv7Mpp502kaEoLCMQ9gf2BG9REYDPslY0JmhaAA/w150-h200/350757566_1351181302475705_8627709782034101637_n.jpg" width="150" /></a>This gets to my thoughts about “asking” the spirits and gods
for things, for comfort, for help, and the words we use to do that. The way we “ask”
for things is no longer informed by an existing cultus and community, so we
fall back on other paradigms: our relationship with our parents and whatever
our relationship to the gods of our fathers. Or worse, it’s a kind of
mechanical “push button, get banana” thinking. It’s not bad framing so much as
using a secular gloss to address religious ideas. It’s trying to use material
skills for a mystical purpose.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is bound to make us look like kids at a vending
machine, trying to buy a Snickers bar. We didn’t previously have to install the
vending machine or maintain it. We get mad when the candy gets hung up on the
way to the delivery chute and have a complete meltdown when we don’t get what
we “paid” for. If we get the wrong thing? An outrage.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In some ways, this whole system is mechanically based in cause
and effect. We must have the right currency to operate the machine, we must
know how to ask it for the Snickers and not the Twix. We must know when it no
longer contains the things we want. In short, we have to know how to “ask” the
machine for the product. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Returning to the previous description of magical thinking,
though, besides needing to understand how to work the vending machine, there
are some metaphysical realities. We need to know it’s there. We need to
recognize that someone other than us is taking care of it, refilling it,
collecting the money, keeping the area around it clean and safe. The vending
machine – the gods and spirits – is an environment. As religious/magical
people, we need to recognize our role in making the system work.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The mechanical analogy, though, dies wheezing because the
gods and spirits are not machines, they are entities. They’re not your parents
either. They are only anthropomorphic because they are easier to imagine and
have a relationship with that way. This winds itself back into my description
of shrine work because devotional work is the establishment of that relationship.
A recognition that I don’t really know who or what they are, but that I need
them for my life to feel complete. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One last musing: I do ask the gods and spirits to do things
for me. I can track through my journals the fact that my requests are more often
granted since I started keeping the shrine. Is this transactional? I don’t
think so. We can probably map this onto simple human emotion. When a
person cares deeply for another person, they express their love by giving. This
is what makes them a lover, not what they get in return. When we serve the
gods, we hope they take care of us, but it’s the care we bring to the table
that starts the engine. It’s the thing that makes the rest of our practices
possible.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Blessed be thou.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-59025053757407348752023-04-13T07:53:00.001-07:002023-04-13T07:53:26.295-07:00Becoming Like Fire<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDuGsAUzx8_rVUGoVHVRk5lyoV7YxypNM4Zn7l-W7ijsCiOhnMtGTfyNWRQEifeLXxwGGFXOouHjKxXgrz_pwcj7SQqGm9Jurlaq0YSX9b7pc1nSZWyxKUY9yFZ7BCaD7DXofCzReHLzkgPvOed6ZdfpCMvugYgubM0I5k169k4rpQ6tGjmxEBnuh9A/s1104/338858344_1407840626642795_7371377310008101445_n.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsDuGsAUzx8_rVUGoVHVRk5lyoV7YxypNM4Zn7l-W7ijsCiOhnMtGTfyNWRQEifeLXxwGGFXOouHjKxXgrz_pwcj7SQqGm9Jurlaq0YSX9b7pc1nSZWyxKUY9yFZ7BCaD7DXofCzReHLzkgPvOed6ZdfpCMvugYgubM0I5k169k4rpQ6tGjmxEBnuh9A/s320/338858344_1407840626642795_7371377310008101445_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"> It’s spring in Rochester, and I’m celebrating by planning
updates to the shrine. First came the cleaning of the space. The little animals
that I share the shrine with were busy last week and had distributed all of the
dog bones that sit on Hekate’s plinth hither and yon. I collected them all and
replaced them after cleaning the top of the pillar.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I’m planning to add more pavers to the path on the way from
the breach in the bushes that serves as the door to the shrine to the concrete
pad. Also, I’ll clear out the brush a bit and plant some shade-friendly ground
cover on the inside of the grove.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">More seriously, there is a massive forsythia bush inside
that is about half dead and desperately needs trimmed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As things green up, I’m considering a birdbath away from the
statues as a relief for the animals as well as a scrying surface.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">A dear friend and I were talking recently about devotional
work as the engine to magical work, and he gave me a tidbit from the Desert
Fathers:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Abba Lot came to Abba Joseph and
said: Father, according as I am able, I keep my little rule, and my little
fast, my prayer, meditation and contemplative silence; and, according as I am
able, I strive to cleanse my heart of thoughts: now what more should I do? The
elder rose up in reply and stretched out his hands to heaven, and his fingers
became like ten lamps of fire. He said: Why not become fire?</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">In my mostly monastic existence, I find a lot of comfort in
this particular quotation. My shrine work would be called by Christians “faith
in action,” in that it’s something I can DO to become fire. After all, this is
what we want the gods to help us do, isn’t it?</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Blessed be thou.</span></p>Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-37025688857900189102023-04-03T05:57:00.000-07:002023-04-03T05:57:08.223-07:00Evolution of a God-shrine in Western NY State<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">On a windy day in May last year, I started to build an
outdoor shrine to Hekate and Typhon behind the garage of the house where I was
living in Rochester NY. Starting with a cracked concrete pad hidden within a
patch of brambles and small trees, I cut a “room” out of the hanging branches
and laid a sidewalk of leftover construction material, slate rectangles. I
added a plinth in the center of the pad with a statue of Hekate on it and a
stump with another slate piece on top with a statue of Set. Around the
perimeter of the pad are hung candles. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Every Sunday morning,
I serve the gods flowers and prayers. Sometimes they receive incense, sometimes blood, sometimes tears. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">For an entire year, my devotional work has revolved around
the maintenance and evolution of this shrine. I feel more connected to big
forces than ever. It supports my magical work, the view I hold of myself and my
place here on the Earth. It fills a hole that has been present for a very long
time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This spring, I will plant low-light ground cover inside the
shrine and add a statue and a birdbath for scrying. Watch this space...</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Blessed be Thou.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7ihUfKancatYp9K-QxEi6KSNeuv6qTytCthx_oBOiMd16_LVX70aXRUWCw3WXzKxMzo_sgukfOQJkdP406oaC72eOlCP3bcI7z8MQsc43sLw6AW7NVqaGkEEpsYSi3iGypJWg0BKadIBkBvXypIY7DzWpmKH34KHYv9NA5-OhQouV3vf6VqLLgPZXw/s1104/338699069_230396242805187_3082210078603777166_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq7ihUfKancatYp9K-QxEi6KSNeuv6qTytCthx_oBOiMd16_LVX70aXRUWCw3WXzKxMzo_sgukfOQJkdP406oaC72eOlCP3bcI7z8MQsc43sLw6AW7NVqaGkEEpsYSi3iGypJWg0BKadIBkBvXypIY7DzWpmKH34KHYv9NA5-OhQouV3vf6VqLLgPZXw/s320/338699069_230396242805187_3082210078603777166_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">This photo was taken after Hekate was installed early last summer.</span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHy8YR_xjRxUZaaTK4s52tIuwUx_rQhorPT_T-9l0sGnz6MbiLhZd_kO3xae2zRoRy_UPb_mWh5Lh4PTb1NobYGDc5FQb4aew1_fqFLwb7CDSCAy0DdMm5o2cpD08RScklxjQ0_Owe6S7rd_K8GcFtfS80BD8o-BfqKd3IqR88AAZmi-TYlPOpHgXRQ/s1104/339440349_772336837857898_1157510713119362780_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLHy8YR_xjRxUZaaTK4s52tIuwUx_rQhorPT_T-9l0sGnz6MbiLhZd_kO3xae2zRoRy_UPb_mWh5Lh4PTb1NobYGDc5FQb4aew1_fqFLwb7CDSCAy0DdMm5o2cpD08RScklxjQ0_Owe6S7rd_K8GcFtfS80BD8o-BfqKd3IqR88AAZmi-TYlPOpHgXRQ/s320/339440349_772336837857898_1157510713119362780_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Last Sunday, the first sunny shrine day in months. Some little creature eats all the carnations that I leave, and only the carnations.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRQh7HKc0PEnGwfTsrlL4ju_yX33H8lGBT-I1Zd-9bqUk3iP7DjKqacmgdCnGMBD1ijS-bqJsVeW0NvxBrNp2Umyz9DHu_q_bp05zlwYdZnPcLtSWnDow5HndULQf-NAFi1tkBNaaCGkY9YDaz_TNrX5PpJ8ZIuh8EsOgRRECseA4qYectbOb0cW7IQ/s1104/338959273_1288029535257458_184972398230702848_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1104" data-original-width="828" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRQh7HKc0PEnGwfTsrlL4ju_yX33H8lGBT-I1Zd-9bqUk3iP7DjKqacmgdCnGMBD1ijS-bqJsVeW0NvxBrNp2Umyz9DHu_q_bp05zlwYdZnPcLtSWnDow5HndULQf-NAFi1tkBNaaCGkY9YDaz_TNrX5PpJ8ZIuh8EsOgRRECseA4qYectbOb0cW7IQ/s320/338959273_1288029535257458_184972398230702848_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Hekate with the bones of dog hit by a car in MN. Doggo was an old lad or lady, canine teeth dull with use. He has a hero's welcome here.</span><p></p>Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-39324461752098366372020-04-04T10:48:00.000-07:002020-04-04T10:48:05.981-07:00Magick in Isolation, I<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A friend posted on FB this morning that she’s finding the
current liminal times to be supportive to her practices and hearing her talking
about it has made me finally sit down to talk about something similar.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7ZlqhjGXkBfo2vE2v6yGdq6471FxMB_4iHHIqdjSDVsG78g6eXc30HC9-1ydH44j1Py1GHwPFbn8nN1uqEdq90OWyhAacF-f3aUVgQYN8gxGWBpop40gZmSZQZc0LrmPWwDrLq_3dQH8/s1600/max+n+harper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7ZlqhjGXkBfo2vE2v6yGdq6471FxMB_4iHHIqdjSDVsG78g6eXc30HC9-1ydH44j1Py1GHwPFbn8nN1uqEdq90OWyhAacF-f3aUVgQYN8gxGWBpop40gZmSZQZc0LrmPWwDrLq_3dQH8/s1600/max+n+harper.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This past year has been a time of abrupt and mostly painful
change: friction with dear friends, a professional lay-off and then a
new job that is supposed to be half time in Rochester NY. I stepped down as
Master of the local OTO body, had still more medical procedures, had to put
down my cat Max (shown riding shotgun in my Mazda). I lost access to my martial arts group because
of the time in NY. The net result was <o:p></o:p>the near-complete loss of my personal practice.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Getting back on the pony has been hard work, but Josh and I
are doing weekly conjurations, mostly Goetic ones, and I’m studying the PGM in
a class from the Blackthorne School (more on that soon). I have magical
partners in Rochester (complete with plans postponed), but I still haven’t
recovered my asana and pranayama practices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The very last thing I did before I confined myself was to perform an initiation at Leaping Laughter. We had fewer than ten people,
we observed proper social distancing, those of us contacting the candidates
wore nitrile gloves. Our post-initiation meal consisted of box lunches from
Jimmy John’s. It actually was amazingly powerful, because, rather than in spite
of, the times.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The reason I’m creating all this context is because since the
advent of COVID and near elimination of social contact, scrying for me has been easier
than ever. It’s not only physical sensations and auditory impressions. Now I
have consistent visual encounters with spirits and can do deep and complicated
visualizations when I want to, without a lot of preparation. The magics I’ve
worked these past four weeks have been effective, powerful, proven.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And with it, my entire world has taken a turn to the more sensual.
Light is brighter, the wind caresses me. I smell the damp earth from inside the
house, Ripley’s fur is softer than velvet. For that matter, my velvet pants are
orgiastic. On the other side, tap water smells loudly of chloramines and when
people walking by smoke, I know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is an intensity to the….porosity….of my reality. I
feel cracked open by things and people in a way that I would never have
predicted. I am in a certain sense empty and unguarded. It’s powerful and delicious,
and I love it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There's so much more to report about this, but here's a beginning.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Blessed be Thou.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-87650834045302933402019-10-01T06:24:00.000-07:002019-10-01T06:24:07.172-07:00Extreme Listening<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's time to get back to magick. A series of life events have me re-evaluating my priorities, and I'm thankful to be back to doing some of the things that I have unfortunately been ignoring for a bit.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, most people recognize that my partner and fiance, Rufus Opus, is very interested in the place of love in the Great Work. It's impossible to hang out with him for very long and not be pondering these questions yourself, and my recent pondering has to do with the role of listening.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's sort of a foregone conclusion in Hermetics that our lives represent in some way the actions of the larger forces of the Universe. The simple way to talk about it, I suppose, is that we humans are a microcosm to the macrocosm of the larger world or the Invisible world, or both. This implies that our ordinary human relationships are representative of our relationship with gods and spirits and Nature and the conceptual universe. They, naturally, deserve our attention anyway, but when seen as a training ground for how we represent ourselves before the Big Things, they take on a different feel.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Aristophanes, in Plato's Symposium, states that humans were originally fashioned by the gods with 4 legs, 4 arms and a single head with two faces. These original, although to our eyes unwieldy, humans, were incredibly powerful and the gods became concerned that they would make trouble. They were, in fact, worried that the humans would conquer the gods. Initially, they considered destroying the humans with lightning, but then the tribute given by humans would be lost.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The gods, therefore, split the humans in half. Apollo sewed the up and reconstituted their bodies. Each human had only one set of personal parts and would forever long for his or her lost half. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The tendency of humans to pair up seems to support this poetically, although there is a lot of biology involved in that bond as well.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVVXy6Fvbmh264JBdmJNBpm0cO9FHKRiTTRF1rYcu7aC8NHW3x60Nv6g1XjWPKmGCqiWus1rqFFbTE9A_8AQw-fbRYqSsuv9748z_QFovJpcpLM8VRwEyUFQeH1jF-jBnvWD8SysUp6Geh/s1600/girl+with+conch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVVXy6Fvbmh264JBdmJNBpm0cO9FHKRiTTRF1rYcu7aC8NHW3x60Nv6g1XjWPKmGCqiWus1rqFFbTE9A_8AQw-fbRYqSsuv9748z_QFovJpcpLM8VRwEyUFQeH1jF-jBnvWD8SysUp6Geh/s320/girl+with+conch.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But, keeping with the story, here we are, cut in half and the only ways to connect with the other half involve touch and speech. We pretend we can read each others' minds, but this is a dicey thing to depend upon. If we want to be effective at communicating with other people, we need to practice the arts of physical contact and verbal communication.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And in connection with the intended content of this blog, we need to train these skills to be an effective seer. If we humans are a subset of the original human format, how much more are we a subset of the Universe at large? Some of the skills required to be a good human partner are exactly the same as those required to perform successful scrying.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Listening is particularly important. One can only listen well from a position of confidence, this is clear. Knowing well your own value makes it possible to actually hear without feeling threatened. Additionally, it helps one to hear what's being said rather than waiting to speak. Controlling the conversation is the opposite of listening. It's also necessary to not predict what's about to be said; thinking you know ahead of time what is going to happen is counterproductive to communication with both humans and invisible friends.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ask questions.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Repeat what you have heard.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Try to picture what's being felt and said.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Obviously, don't interrupt.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And remember in particular to come at this from a position of power. You are here for a reason, communicating for a reason. Recognize your own value; allow yourself to bring it all to the table in compassion and understanding.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And blessed be thou!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-20678664146976614232019-04-13T09:26:00.000-07:002019-04-13T09:26:43.713-07:00Devotion to Venus<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In recognition of her place in our lives, and to reclaim some space for our combined practice, RO and I yesterday did a conjuration of the angel of Venus, Haniel. The intention was only devotional, we had no questions and no real purpose, other than to present offerings of incense, fire and wine.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_kEpEESuO3TiSlkycYOnluTlbcKjWaXXA2YZBtnqDGn0vlYPPYw9IER-SpGdAxJyraEQ1e1pzfTFdpuiqwQ8YWpr_sFAsra5DcPKEaNKG4oglTJ-6_kRxufDykyWp51FaPy5UyjHFw0b/s1600/venus+devotions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_kEpEESuO3TiSlkycYOnluTlbcKjWaXXA2YZBtnqDGn0vlYPPYw9IER-SpGdAxJyraEQ1e1pzfTFdpuiqwQ8YWpr_sFAsra5DcPKEaNKG4oglTJ-6_kRxufDykyWp51FaPy5UyjHFw0b/s320/venus+devotions.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We both bathed beforehand in a prosaic manner, no real spiritual juice to mine at least. And no salt, no mantra, no white towel on my head. We have both been ill with a stomach virus, so it was a low-key jeans and tee shirt event.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Together, we performed the Seven Spheres opening, the blessing of the fire and incense. Together we read Patrick Dunn's new translation of the Orphic Hymn to Venus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then we basked in the environment that we had constructed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As the incense burned to about the middle point, two streams of smoke began to issue from the stick. It curled thickly in the air of the living room, and began to reach out to caress our faces. It was never so thick to be obnoxious, only inviting. It seemed very dance-like and felt as though our offerings were gladly accepted.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Blessed be thou.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-80585828769040518282016-09-05T13:27:00.000-07:002016-09-05T13:34:02.706-07:00Brandy William's Time Machine (a book review)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4wKdAJ_lvl26BbrdQnpuKApravW9vx45uIXQSRiBjfWDU8CVsiseL1boK-HAMuuMxwBcESUawk5IKryFMdxNKGxcyR0cUsf20T5skt7UCtOEQnsGnZCBd_cUbvHxNp3bdcYzDttMPUmb/s1600/brandys+time+machcine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4wKdAJ_lvl26BbrdQnpuKApravW9vx45uIXQSRiBjfWDU8CVsiseL1boK-HAMuuMxwBcESUawk5IKryFMdxNKGxcyR0cUsf20T5skt7UCtOEQnsGnZCBd_cUbvHxNp3bdcYzDttMPUmb/s1600/brandys+time+machcine.jpg" /></a>Those dirty guys at Amazon won't let me post this review right now, so you'll get it here first. :o)<br />
<br />
I know I haven't posted for a long time. I'll remedy that situation soon, as we are planning some interesting ritual work here at Castle ROHF soon. Meanwhile, my review for Brandy William's book, to be released later this week:<br />
<br />
In preparation for an interview that I recently performed for the Ordo Templi Orientis U.S. Grand Lodge podcast, “Thelema Now,” Ms. William’s publishers, Llewellyn Publications, sent me a pre-release copy of her book “For the Love of the Gods: The History and Modern Practice of Theurgy.”<br />
<br />
I have enjoyed this book in several ways. I expected a high level of scholarship, and was delighted at the engaging way in which stories were told relating the practices of theurgy throughout the ages.<br />
<br />
In a history that begins in Egypt before the Common Era, and moves into our temporal backyard with Theosophists and modern occultists, we are taken into the lives of those who have studied and practiced these techniques. In the stories that compose the first portion of the book, we are projected into stories generated around historical fact that transport the reader into the lives of those who sought personal relationship with deity. The tales illustrate the techniques of theurgy, the teaching mechanisms employed, and the relationship between the theoretical and experiential aspects of the tradition, the importance of ritual.<br />
<br />
The final portion of the book introduces the reader to studies, practices and rituals adapted from historical sources and tailored for today’s reader. This part is the praxis to bring the theory and history uncovered beforehand to life.<br />
<br />
In short, this book is a time machine. In it, we receive an almost familial sense of continuity between ancient practitioners and those people who are stalking direct encounters with divinity today. A quote from the text (p 257): “Theurgic ritual is performed today. To a Witch, Ceremonial magician or Pagan student of history, the rituals performed by Hellenistic era magicians two thousand years ago seem very familiar. The spells in the papyri are strikingly comprehensible. Our world is contiguous with the world in which these rituals were created, and there is a traceable connection through the literature of Neo-Platonic philosophy, so it should not be surprising that the rituals themselves expressing this philosophy are understandable to us.”<br />
<br />
Thanks to Brandy Williams for a readable, enjoyable and rigorous history of theurgy and its practices, and thanks also to Kat Sanborn at Llewyllen for providing me with a REAL BOOK to read, and not teasing me about my allergy to reading electronically!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-49720567873177851332015-07-03T07:35:00.000-07:002015-07-03T07:36:29.656-07:00Initiation by the Solar Wind<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I am sorry if any of you were missing me. I’ve been busy. This spring we moved houses again, this time
into one with our names on the mortgage.
We have had lots of guests, lots of Great Work. I’ve also been involved in a very intimate
and deep solar initiation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You see, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in April. First there was an irregularity on the
mammogram. After the mammogram was the
biopsy, after the biopsy was the surgery, after the surgery was the radiation
therapy…and I’m almost done with that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is not an adventure for the faint of heart under any
circumstances. It’s painful,
frightening, embarrassing, fatiguing, terribly hard. Even if I weren’t sort of spiritually
inclined by nature, it would bring into sharp focus the way so many ordinary
folks are wandering the world with so much hidden pain.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My fellow cancer-travelers are like me: we have surgery,
basically, and get up to go back to work.
Some of the ladies in the waiting room worked through their chemo. And they go to baby showers, shop for
groceries and mow the lawn in their post-mastectomy gear. Life goes on, and you’d never know about
their situation by looking at them.
Their husbands come with them sometimes, and they have the fear of
losing their life-partners all about them.
It’s like a cloying scent, the fear of death is always on the partners.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Never forget that the people in your life have hidden
pain. This is a lesson that brings
compassion in 55 gallon drums.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have been lucky.
The tumor was small and not very aggressive. I didn’t need classic
lose-your-hair chemo. The surgery made a
mess, but most everything is still there.
Radiation is freaky and turns your skin the most amazing color of red,
but that side effect is most likely temporary; in general, I’m told that I have
tolerated the treatment well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And the treatment seems to me to be the most solar of
initiatory experiences…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Radiation treatment” for cancer is exposure to x-rays. Lots and lots of x-rays. It’s performed in the hopes of killing the
cancer cells that remained after the surgery, of course, but it doesn’t just
kill cancer cells. Normal tissue is also
impacted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My thoughts about my experience changed when I realized that
in nature, X-rays are emitted by stars. When the sun throws off solar material in a
coronal mass ejection, x-rays are also produced. These particles end up causing the phenomenon
called the solar wind, which encounters the gases in our atmosphere to make the
aurorae. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgE-5uapYCs4tVIHM3fPSG8qMZOFwMq4-UQVIAsDkdkq-QbUsr2Wzwr4fNTRFdakUKlgZHs-L3yK17SXOgZp8iIdfI86AduBF6-XhACD3ZmaH514dYpv3UV9IU9zTHO6Mn_4t2xjkpeUA4/s1600/coronal+mass+ejection.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgE-5uapYCs4tVIHM3fPSG8qMZOFwMq4-UQVIAsDkdkq-QbUsr2Wzwr4fNTRFdakUKlgZHs-L3yK17SXOgZp8iIdfI86AduBF6-XhACD3ZmaH514dYpv3UV9IU9zTHO6Mn_4t2xjkpeUA4/s1600/coronal+mass+ejection.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of course, the solar wind also removed all Mars’
atmosphere. It’s strong stuff to the
unprotected.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On a hermetic level, the experience is also solar because of
the intensity and the processing of the impure things out of the system. As Crowley states in Magick in Theory and
Practice (bold font mine), “The First Matter is a man, that is to say, a perishable
parasite, bred of the earth’s crust, crawling irritably upon it for a span, and
at last returning to the dirt whence he sprang. The <b>process of initiation consists in removing his impurities, and finding
in his true self an immortal intelligence, to whom matter is no more than the
means of manifestation</b>. The initiate is eternally individual; he is
ineffable, incorruptible, immune from everything. He possesses infinite wisdom
and infinite power in himself. This equation is identical with that of a
talisman. The Magician takes an idea, purifies it, intensifies it by invoking
into it the inspiration of his soul. It is no longer a scrawl scratched on a
sheep-skin, but a word of Truth, imperishable, mighty to prevail throughout the
sphere of its purport.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of my impurities, it seems, was a tumor. So, it’s gone now, dissected and photographed
for posterity. So is the innocence that
is related to the visceral health that I previously enjoyed, the feeling of
physical immortality. I feel fragile
now, even though I am still strong and, tumor notwithstanding, healthy. I am not afraid to die, but very cognizant of
the fact that I may well die of something related to the cancer or its brutal
treatment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The only thing to do is to treat it like a message from
god. I am being initiated intimately
with the solar wind into a different person.
It is a literal shamanic death trip.
It is necessary for the shaman in training to undergo some type of
serious crisis, and I guess this is mine.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In getting ready for the radiation, the technicians put me
in a CT machine to figure exactly where the tumor-bed lay in my mangled
breast. They marked me with small
tattoos in a cross that lays across my breastbone so that they could use lasers
to position me the same way each time on the table under the linear accelerator
that makes the x-rays. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Every morning,
when I lay down to be positioned in the machine, the lasers overlap the tattoos
in a three dimensional cross that bisects me in each of three dimensions. And then the treatment starts. The technicians leave the room, of
course. It’s lined with a foot of lead
in every direction. It is as alone as
being in the Alaskan wilderness. The
buzzing that indicates that the machines is on, the smell of ozone from the
x-rays ionizing the air. That’s all
there is in that room.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Every morning, I anoint and bless myself with
Abramelin oil. “Bless me, an animate
creature of god…” I lay in the machine
and perform the Middle Pillar exercise.
I feel a presence at times that may be some of the first inklings of K
and C. My daily meditations have become
sharp and easy, my pranayama practice the same. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> My body has been
scourged with many whips, but I remain. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I remain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Be thou blessed.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-50399229038872677272015-02-14T12:23:00.000-08:002015-02-14T12:23:18.776-08:00Demands and RequestsQuiet for a long time, I know. Practical realities have been in the way, as well as self-care and holidays.<br />
<br />
I have not been without my seership practice, however.<br />
<br />
Last week, RO had some work to do for a client, working with the spirit Caim. I came home absolutely exhausted from a stressful day at work (hardware release coming, it's not ready... that kind of thing), ate dinner and declared that I would get ready for bed. RO stated that he needed to do the work, that it wouldn't take long and that he'd join me momentarily.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCDfooxpOa4yB3cE6Xpck_aXqd5cvgRadYCNIvy7cHdUgyjRZl5CgnlrGGDmnxLlqjWLQfUM5DN89qeTbC3vMkzExPPKQkQfKlKdCovKJyCR1qgBojYUWAuz4_soHMZCuoz7fbDmj4SEq/s1600/beckoning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCDfooxpOa4yB3cE6Xpck_aXqd5cvgRadYCNIvy7cHdUgyjRZl5CgnlrGGDmnxLlqjWLQfUM5DN89qeTbC3vMkzExPPKQkQfKlKdCovKJyCR1qgBojYUWAuz4_soHMZCuoz7fbDmj4SEq/s1600/beckoning.jpg" /></a>I went into the bathroom and began to take my contact lenses out. All of a sudden, my eyes began to water. Not single tears, mind you, but like a hose. It was like cutting onions, the worst onions in the universe. Still dripping, I went into see what RO was doing. He hadn't started yet. I explained what was happening, he asked me if I'd like to participate in the working. I was intrigued and agreed to scry for him. Immediately, the weeping stopped.<br />
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We got into the meat of the working, and it was clear that the spirit needed a voice. There were some complicated ideas that needed to be expressed. My presence seemed to be helpful for the expression of concerns from the spirit before he granted his agreement to help RO's client.<br />
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There's a first time for everything, and this post documents the first time I was ever invited to a rite <i>by the spirit.</i><br />
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Be thou blessed.<br />
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<br />Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-16728270409013008632014-09-01T10:09:00.000-07:002014-09-01T10:09:12.871-07:00Driving<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFkQzbjiMwcfMPAgQH8DFS1LrkWPyOiu0Lf8GcKW2sIvlIf4y42UFYDgVd-5Zed-sqXL4jtaIiGGO8Hs3iXNVR5isbF8OmyW5PvHoMxMkVZV8JlNUX74yCsGX47WX8PMBcTkgAV0lkd1P/s1600/seal+of+bune.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtFkQzbjiMwcfMPAgQH8DFS1LrkWPyOiu0Lf8GcKW2sIvlIf4y42UFYDgVd-5Zed-sqXL4jtaIiGGO8Hs3iXNVR5isbF8OmyW5PvHoMxMkVZV8JlNUX74yCsGX47WX8PMBcTkgAV0lkd1P/s1600/seal+of+bune.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a><br />
As I threatened/promised in my last post, RO and I had more work to do.<br /><br />The night before last, we switched roles. He was the scryer and I the conjurer. We used the same modified Trithemian rite as usual, but started things off with Thelemic version of the LRP and LRH. Once the space was made consecrated and defensible, I summoned the spirit:<br /><br />"In your name and by your seal, I conjure you, Bune, Thou great and mighty Duke. Appear before us and speak clearly and truly without the least ambiguity, so that even men such as ourselves may understand. Be comely in thine appearance and equally comely in thy manner. We bring you here today to bless these spirit pots, if you find them acceptable. Also we ask for the gift of your eloquence so as to clearly and concisely speak our Wills into being."<br /><br />RO felt the spirit right away, and knew him. They've worked together extensively in the past, as you know, so this makes sense. I asked the seer what the spirit looked like: RO reported that he did not have a vision of the spirit so much as sensed him. There was a heavy heat in the room as we started talking to him. <br /><br />RO asked him for approval of pots, which he immediately gave. There was a field of “yum” about this that was palpable. The spirit had a quiet, expectant energy.<br /><br />I then asked him if he had anything else to communicate, and he said that making spirit pots for other people was fine, but not to sell them to anyone stupid (I almost cracked up about that). He explained that they are connected in a way, and if we made too many of them would diminish their power, like objects in a flow causing turbulence. This would interrupt the hydrodynamic flow in the same sense as putting big rocks in a stream. The flow can be used to create power, he said, but it must be allowed to move without impediment. Additionally, he made a wry and crabby statement about the least common denominator which I don't remember well.<br /><br />I asked Bune what the spirits received from having relationships with people: he said that other spirit were like forces of nature, and therefore couldn't choose their actions. They are a cause-and-effect system, and there’s no responsiveness in them; people are different in that way, and therefore interesting to “speak with.” Additionally, he said, that humans are almost like mirrors to him, and allow him to see himself, as well as communicate outwardly.<br /><br />He spontaneously stated that he liked my vocabulary and would like to help me with my writing and marketing efforts. I thanked him and accepted that gift.<br /><br />The spirit then fell silent. I dribbled the spirit pots with whiskey, and I gave leave to depart.<br />
I said: Be thou blessed, be thou cleansed and raised. By my skills and office, I bless you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. May all impediments and obstacles standing between you and your Source be removed. (RO talks in his post a bit more about us having been ordained, so I won't go over it here.)<div>
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We then extinguished the candles and tipped over, because we'd been sitting on our heels for so long and our feet were completely asleep.</div>
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Be thou blessed.</div>
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Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-6284225447406444352014-08-30T18:16:00.002-07:002014-08-30T18:17:57.052-07:00In need of practice...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW09dwGKrfgBF5CacWmbdja2Dgw0os-mej3WCUkB7z_vCoVdf5mnrXXprHoodLYHrK7eMUzn-yoaiUh8OZTUZZiWqRp06Q4v5R5BeGKbZXVKreHWWgUQW_fcfugJOtonkRedL6wJHgxQYc/s1600/seal+of+vapula.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW09dwGKrfgBF5CacWmbdja2Dgw0os-mej3WCUkB7z_vCoVdf5mnrXXprHoodLYHrK7eMUzn-yoaiUh8OZTUZZiWqRp06Q4v5R5BeGKbZXVKreHWWgUQW_fcfugJOtonkRedL6wJHgxQYc/s1600/seal+of+vapula.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Last night was our first private working together in our new house. We have been here for two months, but have had visitors for most of that time; not at all conducive to the invitation of and conversation with the spirits. In between, we did a working together with two other magicians in which we conversed with Usiel and Ansoel about divorce shenanigans for a client. My first paid working. It was strange, and I’ll comment about it one day. Not now, though.<br />
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Our first private working, then, in our new space, was a spirit pot working. RO has some client work bound up in these, and lately gave a talk including a brief mention of their use at MNCON, an OTO convention held last weekend in Minneapolis at Leaping Laughter Lodge. A spirit pot, basically, is a particularly rich talisman that gives a meeting place between you and a spirit, a place from which the spirit can influence your physical reality. He’s written extensively on such things, have a look here:<br />
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<a href="http://headforred.blogspot.com/2011/07/spirit-pots.html">http://headforred.blogspot.com/2011/07/spirit-pots.html</a><br />
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The actual recipe for the pots were using will be in his blog post of today (he’s sitting next to me writing it, in fact… “Babe, what’s the herb we used that smells like a dirty sock?”)<br />
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<a href="http://headforred.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-dukes-are-back-in-town.html">http://headforred.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-dukes-are-back-in-town.html</a><br />
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The target for my spirit pot was a duke, as described in the the Pseudomonarchia daemonorum:<br />
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<i>"Vapula is a great duke and a strong, he is seene like a lion with griphens wings, he maketh a man subtill and wonderfull in handicrafts, philosophie, and in sciences conteined in bookes, and is ruler over thirtie six legions.”</i><br />
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Yesterday, Venus was in Leo. Additionally, of course, Friday is the day of Venus, and the Dukes are all about Venus…<br />
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My part in the working began with a ritual bath, NaCl and NaHCO3 added. I took kratom beforehand; I was interested in its effects on my scrying. Kratom is an herb local to Thailand (currently legal, but this status may soon change – keep your eye on Erowid) that is considered a mild stimulant and intoxicant. In candlelight, I sang Lutheran Te Deum, and put my head under the water and listened to the sounds of the house, the tub, my heart beating. When the water started to cool off, I got out and bound my hair in a white, new dishtowel.<br />
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RO began the Trithemian rite by calling on the Source/First Father. After that, he performed the LRP and I the LRH. After that, we returned to the script described in the latest entries. Before we donned our phlacteries, I took off the towel. RO consecrated me to the work at hand, and then he summoned Vapula.<br />
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When he entered, my head (the back particularly) became hot and slightly prickly. The crystal had in it a figure like a superposition of a hawk’s head and the skull of a big rodent. There seemed also to be a pointy tail underneath these things - a scorpion’s tail, perhaps.<br />
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Vapula made the crystal appear to be a tiny planet, complete with an atmosphere. This seemed a wonderful trick that he did just for me. Then, the atmosphere became a black aura around the crystal that throbbed.<br />
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When RO asked him if he had anything to tell us, he said, breathily, “Who are you?” Then he told RO to speak to him more. RO reminded him of other workings they had done together.<br />
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When prompted, he agreed to work with me on deepening both my learning of physical sciences and occult history and philosophy. He agreed to come when I call on him. He liked the spirit pot, and wants menstrual blood to be applied to his seal.<br />
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[I’ll have to consider that request…]<br />
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At this point, he showed me several different phases and forms of iron, including blood, before we wrapped up.<br />
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When releasing Vapula, RO blessed him and said, amongst other things, that we hoped any obstacles between V. and his Source would be removed. V seemed to like that very much.<br />
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A couple of comments on the rite: I’m out of practice and I could tell. I guess it’s like playing a musical instrument. If you play guitar and you lose your callouses, it’s hard to dive in. Perhaps worse if you play a woodwind or brass instrument and need an embouchure. <br />
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I’m also not drinking alcohol at the moment, and am as a result more sensitive about all sorts of things. The kratom gave me a terrific headache later, so use with caution. I am not going to use it again.<br />
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Tonight…more spirit pots. For those of you interested in the male-female/conjurer-seer stuff, you should know that I’ll be driving this time. I’ll report back.<br />
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Blessed be thou.</div>
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Another topic that has surfaced (again and again) is whether certain magickal organizations are inherently sexist. Under particular scrutiny at the moment are the societies that were developed in late Victorian times with a masonic structure. Certainly, when looked at with modern eyes, the people who developed these societies look fairly sexist. For their times, however, they were for the most part quite progressive. The organizations founded around the turn of the 20th Century that are still in existence also find themselves on the edge of social progress. Since they promote the double-edged sword of personal freedom and responsibility for one’s actions, these occultists are typically supportive of LBGT rights and of any sort of consensual relationship. Many are champions of civil rights of all kinds. <br />
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The “sexist” label comes into play, at least in the OTO, because of the lack of outwardly recognized female saints and the very rigorously defined roles of priestess and priest in the Gnostic Mass. Since this is the only OTO ritual that most people know anything about, this evidence can appear somewhat damning. However, there are reasons for the sexual polarity invoked in the Mass, having to do with the energy of procreation.<br />
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Descriptions of the reasons for the public silence involved in female saints and this sexual polarity of the Mass are numerous, and truly scholarly work exists to explain how this is in no way represents a sexist situation. I’m not going to go into those things, because others have done a beautiful job of it already, and if you’re going to allow yourself to have a knee-jerk reaction about the facts in the paragraph above, adding my voice to those will not change your mind. The reason I brought this up is that I wanted to address some polarities in ceremonial ritual work that have been under discussion lately. <br />
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I want to talk about the polarity that exists in the working pair of the magician and the seer. In this operative pair, the magician is the projective element, and the seer the receptive element. This is not the same as doing dishes as compared to changing the oil in the car. The latter pair of activities do not have an inherent polarity, they just both need doing. The only thing that is similar about the two pairs of activities is that there are not inherent gender assignments for either one. The relationship of the magician and the seer in conjuration is the same as an outgoing email is to the electronic answer. They form a necessary couplet, which is a communication. It is also as gender specific as this example, which is to say, not at all. It's not even a different function, it's more like a frequency shift, as in the gif of the sine waves.<br />
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To more thoroughly beat this dead horse, then, men are not inherently the projective part of the pair. Women are not naturally more sensitive, and therefore the seer. I would venture that you can’t do either at will, you need to do some homework. Some people have brought forward that I’m the seer end of the R.O. – H.F. dyad because I’m female. Folks, it’s just not that simple. My professional life is thoroughly masculine. I’m normally the only woman in the room at any meeting. About my role in magickal operations, I have been the projective part of our magickal couple many times, but prefer the receptive part because I need the practice. My “mundane” life doesn't give me that opportunity; I’m lucky to have it in my spiritual work.<br />
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In closing, I’d like to say something indirectly related. It’s been forever since I’ve written a post. I’ve been finding a new job, finding a new home in a city 1300 miles away from where I am now. And now I’m packing. Prior to that, the room that served as our temple developed a leak in the window that the landlord wouldn’t repair, making it impossible for us to use that room the way we were beforehand. I am hoping my focus returns to ritual work shortly; life isn’t the same without feeling the invisible friends at your side. Is it?<br />
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Blessed be thou.</div>
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RO and I performed a conjuration of Tzaphkiel<span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><span dir="LTR"></span><span dir="LTR"></span>,
spirit of Saturn, last night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the
first planetary working for some time, since we’ve been busy with Thelemic
things (including an invocation of Baphomet that I may describe at a later
point).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tzaphkiel is held to be the angel
of YHVH Elohim, and is connected with the sephira of Binah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The link between “understanding” as the
characteristic of Binah and patience and hidden things (a few of Saturn’s
attributes) is chiefly made through the application of silence and observation,
which will explain some of what we experienced.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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I started with a purification bath, with sea salt, magnesium
sulfate and sodium bicarbonate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made
it as hot as I could bear, as I have reported previously, and sat singing bits
of Lutheran liturgy until the water was cold, then dressed in a black robe with
my phylactery and a black filmy veil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was absolutely empty at this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
went into the temple room, where RO was finalizing the preparations of the
altar and the space, and sat down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then
we began.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQlMimkhNEoydzUYsCMAwPkRxV3MWjCx7qI7FSOi3laiPyzApVhVy5Ngns4QqDr_Oh3jbxSAFOrpqnALxYR3_IzVb5fgv54l01oKM2hSXaIfUzPI-hFotbXIlVkZohLwxGNgsXG2tOVrb/s1600/Cronus_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQlMimkhNEoydzUYsCMAwPkRxV3MWjCx7qI7FSOi3laiPyzApVhVy5Ngns4QqDr_Oh3jbxSAFOrpqnALxYR3_IzVb5fgv54l01oKM2hSXaIfUzPI-hFotbXIlVkZohLwxGNgsXG2tOVrb/s1600/Cronus_5.jpg" height="320" width="248" /></a>We purified one another with hyssop and consecrated with
Abramelin oil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then together said the
phrase from the Stele of Jeu (ΑΟΘ ΑΒΡΑΟΘ ΒΑΣΙΜ ΙΣΑΚ ΣΑΒΑΟΘ ΙΑΟ).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that we called universal forces with
the First Father prayer, and consecrated the crystal and the incense. RO then
summoned Tzaphkiel. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I then read Fr.
Achad’s Conjuration of Kronos (<a href="http://hermetic.com/achad/misc/conjuration-of-kronos.htm">http://hermetic.com/achad/misc/conjuration-of-kronos.htm</a>
).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The room began to thicken, and I put
down the veil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It made the candlelight
dance in an interesting and confusing way (meaning it was perfect).</div>
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<br /></div>
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RO then read the Orphic hymn to Saturn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The room was electric, and I peered into the
crystal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw first a mouth with a
thousand very slender and pointed teeth, and it then resolved itself into any
eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The overall sense was a quiet
expectant waiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>RO saw an old man in
the crystal, but I will leave his impressions for his blog post on the
subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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RO then stated our requests, for Tzaphkiel to open us to the
wisdom of his sphere, to help us on the path to occult wisdom and understanding.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Everything felt of quiet and patient waiting (although I
confess to being concerned about the flammability of the veil and the lack of a
strong impression) when I heard the voice:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You can take off the veil any time you want.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Of course, there was a mild joke in it about my headdress,
but it was also directly addressing our request.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently, it really is up to us.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Blessed be thou.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Photo credit: http://www..aworldofmyths.com%2FGreek_Gods%2FCronus.html</div>
<br />
Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-33818323888596061902013-11-17T13:38:00.003-08:002013-11-17T13:38:41.891-08:00"Reality" and the Observation of Unseen Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/vJG698U2Mvo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
RO and I have been talking about people and their experience of the realm invisible. He was explaining that one of the most common questions that he is asked is "how can I see spirits?"<br />
<br />
Well, I think I'll start answering this question. In the last couple of posts, I have stated that it is not a unique ability. In fact, it's a practice, not an inherent skill.<br />
<br />
So, first.<br />
<br />
Why don't you ask yourself if you think you know what reality is. I'm referring to something basic, something that we can all agree with. Is there such a thing?<br />
<br />
Lost because it wouldn't fit through the door of my new apartment was the Couch. I was sad when the movers had to donate it to a good home, because that sofa had taught me something truly useful. It was a giant brown couch. Or a giant purple couch. It's color actually depended upon the observer. My son and many of his friends would swear on a stack of bibles (or at least their current favorite DM manual) that the sofa was purple. To me, it was brown, brown like dark chocolate.<br />
<br />
What color was it "really"? It should come as no surprise that different people have different experiences of the external world, but I was certainly surprised that this effect extended to basic visual characteristics of things. The discussion of whether this is a sensor problem or a processor problem is left to a future post. The take-home lesson is that your world and my world are not the same.<br />
<br />
This effect was initially tested by Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris at the University of Illinois with a movie that is a classic test of selective attention. It proves that if you're focused upon one characteristic of a scene, you might (many people do) fail to see strange and amazing things in the scene that you HAVEN'T been told told to monitor. The youtube link above contains this video clip.<br />
<br />
So, I think that we can agree that we are unable to gather and process all the data presented to us, at least in part because of our focus. We focus on our jobs, spouses, children, pets, hobbies. This to us is "reality." In order to experience the rest of the data that we collect, but are not aware of, we must change of focus. This is not rocket science. Depending upon how deeply we are engaged with what we consider to be physical reality, it may not be easy to change your focus, but it is SIMPLE.<br />
<br />
I propose to start discussing the development of the ability to sense the invisible with a simple exercise. <br />
<br />
For an entire day, decide to experience every sound without a clear origin as being a message from a disincarnate entity. Your rational mind will hate this, most likely, so be intentional about the way to talk about it to yourself. "What if that sound means a spirit is trying to send me a message." "That faint buzzing sound might be an angel appreciating these flowers in my temple." Don't spend any time trying to convince yourself, just entertain the possibility. Lightly, if possible. Treat it as an experiment.<br />
<br />
Like I was saying in a previous post, there's a huge spectrum of information that we're exposed to every day, some of which we can't sense (parts of the EM spectrum, for example) and some parts that we can process (only a small part of our experience is used to derive our notions of "reality"). This little experiment may help to un-glue you from whatever you're used to paying attention to, and open your senses to something a little different. Some of you are doing this all the time, for others it could be the first step into a slightly enlarged world. <br />
<br />
Blessed be thou.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-3906223438587489862013-11-08T08:29:00.004-08:002013-11-08T08:29:44.411-08:00Data comparison, occultist style<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Last week, fellow occultist Brother MS
honored me with a request to take part in a double blind experiment, the
conjuration of a spirit he had recently encountered.<span> </span>He sent me the sigil (below) and a brief
description, and asked that I report back on my findings.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeW9YcaersA8yRAKB68pPdw5rMS1g3kTjTNOZ7ex27R2hlokf_15EEw8PEBcWx8oW9NgAqjDgmnXhWsHYVJv5ExeEtSWCNG3DCUNDYjfW6WW4JXXejk05fV3wg-q9cSqtFCMFiLukwvAZW/s1600/daisos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeW9YcaersA8yRAKB68pPdw5rMS1g3kTjTNOZ7ex27R2hlokf_15EEw8PEBcWx8oW9NgAqjDgmnXhWsHYVJv5ExeEtSWCNG3DCUNDYjfW6WW4JXXejk05fV3wg-q9cSqtFCMFiLukwvAZW/s200/daisos.jpg" width="148" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Daisos' sigil</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The spirit was initially encountered
during some Jupiter work during which Fr. MS asked Jove to send him a spirit to
help him with his concerns, particularly in regards to managing finances and
obtaining wealth. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span class="null">MS provided the following description of his experience: </span>“As soon as he had asked, he sat up straight as though in
trance and had a vision of the sigil and following it, a small putto appeared
wearing a dalmatic and stole, carrying a spade and sliver of a lightning bolt.
Around him, in Greek letters, appeared his name: Daisos (Δαισος).”<span> </span>A short conversation ensued between MS and
Daisos, and the day after, MS received a small loan and then later, came into a
larger sum of money that enabled him to pay off some debts.<span> </span>Daisos seemed to him like a good character to
know, and few days later, RO and I got to work, amusingly enough, without
firstly looking up the definition for the word “putto”.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Daisos was conjured using a modified
Trithemian rite and Tzadqiel as an intermediary, in honor of the Jupiterian
nature of his initial arrival.<span> </span>I felt
him first of all as a burst of heat.<span> </span>We
asked after his nature, and he was a little confused.<span> </span>He settled on something like "catalysis
that brings expansion" and "quickening," such as when a plant
germinates.<span> </span>As to appearance, he
"rode" me more than I saw him, but both RO and I saw a triangular
image in the crystal, a little foxy.<span> </span>RO had
the initial impression that Daisos was a terrestrial spirit of air.<span> </span>The spirit said that he was more comfortable
with plants than people or animals. Our experience was that of an
agricultural/botanical spirit.<span> </span>The
spirit even made reference to the three blue-purple morning glories that were
on the altar in honor of Jupiter.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Further, he didn’t seem explicitly
masculine, although he did have an expansive feel about him.<span> </span>Indeed, he had a strong childlike quality
about him: RO asked him what his favorite flavor was.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>He didn't understand this question at
all, and began (as a way to sideline the question almost) talking about how
things smell.<span> </span>I interpreted it as a
Shinto nature spirit type of entity.</span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Daisos had words explicitly directed
to MS: "needs to have heat to bring wealth, the heat that quickens"
and he showed me a seed.</span></span></span></div>
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</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXPqAc0CmNG2yo3lRB1shj7CxeG98aFjESvLfHZKRzO8lGXJmkyRtXxrBaAwinuldRivcRPAMqALLfAURwrfV5xd6Vfj6EXcenykL7DxmZ-eakgEXYW_B6PRDr4lIEcZzpTIbS-WxG6ee/s1600/daisos+drawing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXPqAc0CmNG2yo3lRB1shj7CxeG98aFjESvLfHZKRzO8lGXJmkyRtXxrBaAwinuldRivcRPAMqALLfAURwrfV5xd6Vfj6EXcenykL7DxmZ-eakgEXYW_B6PRDr4lIEcZzpTIbS-WxG6ee/s200/daisos+drawing.jpg" width="148" /></a></span></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">MS's drawing of Daisos</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Following the conjuration, we spoke
with MS.<span> </span>The amount of agreement between
our experiences was quite remarkable.<span> </span>He
agreed that Daisos was very ruddy - that was his first impression.<span> </span>MS stated with respect to the first contact <span> </span>“it wasn't so much seeing but there was a heat
and then a more concrete image of the putto.”<span>
</span>MS showed us an image of Daisos that he had drawn, below, in which the
spirit is similar to a winged cherub.<span>
</span>When the three of us were talking about the experience, I had to confess
that I hadn’t known ahead of time what a putto was.<span> </span>MS described a putto: “They're nature
spirits. Usually called 'cherubs' but that's another thing. They are basically
classic, Romano-Hellenic angels.” </span></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>MS felt as though we had achieved a very
good confirmation of the basic nature of Daisos.<span> </span>We both felt the heat, the
agricultural/botanic nature of the spirit, as witnessed first by the little
shovel.<span> </span>The mention of the seed appealed
very much to MS, as he often works with plant spirits.<span> </span>The image of the seed had been appearing
recently in dreams, additionally.<span> </span>He
confirmed the innocent of the spirit, “He's very childlike in my interactions.”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">
</span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>It was an amazing experience, and
has built a little confidence into my practice.<span>
</span>I’ll be looking for further comparison work like this.<span> </span>Thanks to Brother MS, to RO and, naturally,
to Daisos!</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">MS may well tell this story from his side in his blog, The Digital Enchiridion: http://michaelseblux.wordpress.com/ </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
</span><br />
Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-1309851734740925262013-10-31T18:09:00.000-07:002013-10-31T18:09:02.384-07:00"Psychic"?<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Someone gave me a hard time
last weekend about having claimed to be psychic. Besides mild
irritation, because I have not (nor would I) ever declared myself
"psychic," this denunciation brought up some thoughts
that I thought I would share.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br />
I began this blog with the thought that if I, a very linear and logical
person, could develop a seer's capacity, then probably most people could
do the same. The blog itself is actually an exploration into concrete
aspects of the practice. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">There, I've said
it. It's a PRACTICE. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">We live in a cold and rational world, and people
in general try to restrict themselves to that sort of "thinking" way of
being. However, that is by no means the only technology with which to
experience the world. A useful comparison
might be that of the very small range of electromagnetic radiation that
can be directly experienced by the human eye (370 to 780 nm or so)
compared with the whole of the known EM spectrum, from gamma rays to
radio waves. It goes without saying that humans can readily
see the visible spectrum easily, but the remainder of all radiation can
be detected using sensors to relay the information to the eyes and then
to the mind. Therefore, we can "sense" the entire EM spectrum, if we
have the right technology.</span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-d8Pk1qqoYqxkmOalOHNrka4AaKVacRBRuCUSYc0sCV7iGhDLVDAWeT4QmWWH1xvB0dmOQo8LT1gBWhWiEBAaEpDiO5k1RLOTHqw2HwvB_I4_sWGQRKeT4T1lz1Jj_KiJiTNvGo_Qyx3/s1600/arcata-eye.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-d8Pk1qqoYqxkmOalOHNrka4AaKVacRBRuCUSYc0sCV7iGhDLVDAWeT4QmWWH1xvB0dmOQo8LT1gBWhWiEBAaEpDiO5k1RLOTHqw2HwvB_I4_sWGQRKeT4T1lz1Jj_KiJiTNvGo_Qyx3/s200/arcata-eye.gif" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br />
Seership is something like that. Want to open yourself to different
realms? The mystical realms are yours to explore. There are the ways
that take less effort, such as entheogens and alcohol. There are
physical ways, like exercise and sex. There are ways
that have been documented by mystics throughout time, such as trance and prayer. It is very
passive and receptive, and there is great work sometimes involved in the
act of removing oneself from the path of information. A rough paraphrase from a Meister
Eckhart text: "One must agree to the flow, as it rushes
forth from the unmanifest, and be buoyant enough to keep up with its
unfolding. Nothing can snag or delay the person awakened to the simple
matter of rising to this life. The repetition of seeing involves living
life as a seer who is purified by the seeing."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br />
I bet that Eckhart was not directly discussing the issue of seers
and spirits, yet for me, his description is very pertinent. I cannot
say whether or not my experiences agree with those of other
workers, as I haven't been doing this for very
long, but as I develop the opportunity to perform these comparisons,
you'd better believe I'll write about them. Even if the comparisons don't seem to match, because...well, I never claimed to be psychic, but I do claim to
be a experimentalist. One that documents the events.</span></span>Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-90228618373789673772013-10-11T16:44:00.003-07:002013-10-11T16:44:57.147-07:00Emotional Content in Scrying<div class="MsoNormal">
Last night, it being Thursday, RO and I were doing our
weekly Jupiter ritual. This began in a way similar to the Taphthartharath
conjuration that I described recently, although it was a good deal more
formal. We donned suits, we had whiskey
on hand, we worked to Mozart’s Requiem.
Like nearly every working we do, we started with the Invocation to First
Father, we spoke the words from the Stele of Jeu (Invocation of the Headless
God), we consecrated the crystal and incense.
As I sat in readiness, RO conjured the archangel of Jupiter, Tzadqiel
and read the Orphic hymn to Jove.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlT0w0niifypMD2SkSBKzxzC4Q6zZzEcwwhAOJlNPGx3Hrp_NLAvSp3wex8oF7qbd-Im_DV2Pjjer2CGkBg8cO1wEedyQzVszKU7-UlRXOeOfcdQ0_4jpPUb2HJXaSvTBbMhyKjomzWpk/s1600/heartflames.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLlT0w0niifypMD2SkSBKzxzC4Q6zZzEcwwhAOJlNPGx3Hrp_NLAvSp3wex8oF7qbd-Im_DV2Pjjer2CGkBg8cO1wEedyQzVszKU7-UlRXOeOfcdQ0_4jpPUb2HJXaSvTBbMhyKjomzWpk/s200/heartflames.jpg" width="200" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
RO spoke to Tzadqiel of G4J as a community, who liked this very
much. A graceful dancer appeared in the
crystal, along with the heavy and electric atmosphere that we often feel. T, who felt particularly feminine, provided
me the vision of the members of the community as ballet dancers on a stage,
each a perfect diamond unto themselves, but also trying to establish choreography,
an organization. A rush of love came at
this point, indicating the depth of T’s regard for us all who are using the
forces of Jupiter to better themselves and the world. I wept with happiness, overwhelmed with the
intensity of this feeling. T. asked RO at least once to speak more about the Gents.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is the first time that my seer experience has been so dominated by an emotion. I truly felt love the way I did at church when I was a child, and not since. I continued to weep throughout the remainder of the rite.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Still weeping, I leaned over to touch one of the cats, who
had been present since the Invocation of the Headless God, purring
incessantly. As I did, an electrical and
incredibly pleasurable feeling came over me.
T. whispered "what a gift it was to be incarnated." Ah.....</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Blessed be thou.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-45477411334688632492013-09-15T06:23:00.000-07:002013-09-15T06:28:49.744-07:00"A Fragment of Underdone Potato..."- Physical contact with conjured spirits, or not?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs072evXovCLBk0NzONqOg6vOc6NvcSR4roh87M9BOl-Utmp2VDT2OKhjWUM7obAuo_dBIIFkcWIPvViOnZq8eYrtTLwj3Y7a5pUrfYc9JzHIIILmVxj4VLwAa7pPbq7-lQzJvhDf8avkn/s1600/zombie+hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs072evXovCLBk0NzONqOg6vOc6NvcSR4roh87M9BOl-Utmp2VDT2OKhjWUM7obAuo_dBIIFkcWIPvViOnZq8eYrtTLwj3Y7a5pUrfYc9JzHIIILmVxj4VLwAa7pPbq7-lQzJvhDf8avkn/s1600/zombie+hands.jpg" /></a>In the last blog post, I described my first experience where
there seemed to be a physical contact with a spirit, the spirit of
Mercury, Taphthartharath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was slightly
surprised by the intensity of the experience, and reported to be glad to be a
little more protected during this conjuration than in some others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After I published this description, there was
a comment made to RO on Facebook indicating the authoress thought I might have
been in some danger during the rite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While that is not impossible, I would say that it wasn’t likely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recall that the spirit was summoned into a
crystal situated on a table of practice, which is to say inside a circle of angels
and inside the traditional triangle.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I appreciated the comment very much, though, because it
shows that the person who wrote the remark actually experienced something of
the surprising intensity of the event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was indeed a disturbing sort of episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, I may actually not have described well that while I experienced
the spirit physically with my skin and eyes, that I did not believe that he was
in actual physical contact with my body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And, intense though it was, I don’t believe it was dangerous, or even
odd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, spirit conjuration always has
at least some degree of body-sensory inclusion to it, and I don’t believe those
experiences to have been damaging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
experiences described in this blog notwithstanding, I have a normal existence
that includes healthy human relationships, adequate self-care and a paycheck.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Besides the larger question of whether spirits have reality
external to us or not (i.e. is he “a plot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a
fragment of underdone potato” or not, with apologies to Charles Dickens), it’s
not necessary for any person or being to touch me for me to have an experience
of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some ways, the simple
version of this statement is “my eye doesn’t need to touch the crystal to see
what’s inside the crystal.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as when
one is focused, one can sense heat from another person’s body, I don’t see any
reason why this can’t be a sort of amplified version of the sensation you get
when someone is watching you. I say amplified because it occurred in a ritual
scenario when all of my senses had been turned up to 11.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another source of the “feelings” could also be that during
ritual data initially received as visual gets funneled through the imagination
and can emerge as other sensory <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This leads to such observations as “T. is slimy, dark and metallic,”
which I wrote in my magickal diary after the event was over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This sort of data handling synesthesia could
be used to explain much of spirit manifestation, including the descriptions of
the Aethyrs and the catalog of spirits in Lemegeton’s Goetia, I believe.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Blessed Be Thou</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Photo by "freewallpapers.com." Swipe if you wish. </div>
Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-82513934737508064422013-09-08T09:41:00.000-07:002013-09-08T09:41:29.884-07:00Staying close to the door...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Last night was the first time that I was actually "touched" by
a spirit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
R.O. and I conjured Taphthartharath to do some material
manifestation work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because we were
making a talisman, I didn’t have time to fully prepare myself optimally for the
experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I took a hasty bath in
complete darkness and tied my wet hair up in a white bar towel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We prepared the temple, carried in a shot of
bourbon to share with the spirits, and began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As we began the rite, I became aware of a smell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an unpleasant yeasty smell, and I
immediately ascribed it to the towel I had used to put my hair in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We purified one another with hyssop oil and
then I took the towel off to put on my phylactery (a headband embroidered with
the words ΑΟΘ ΑΒΡΑΟΘ ΒΑΣΙΜ ΙΣΑΚ ΣΑΒΑΟΘ ΙΑΟ).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The smell vanished with the towel and was at that point replaced by the
smell of the modified Abramelin oil we used to trace the beneficial sign on one
another’s foreheads.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The usual Goetic precautions were taken to prevent any
misadventures with T, and then we summoned him into the crystal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could see hints of him in the crystal, and
got the usual feeling of thickness in my shoulders that I associate with the
presence of a spirit, but I also immediately got the sensation of his
hands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were chill, lizard-like and
very large.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had the impression that
they were black or gray in color and metallic, although this was not visually
acquired data.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even whilst in the
trance, I was grateful that I was not as open as I sometimes get for this
particular rite.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It's worth noting here that my experience does not necessarily mean that the spirit was not fully contained by the circle and triangle on the Table of Practice. As many people "see" the spirits in the crystal, part of my interpretation of information coming out of the crystal seems to involve senses other than sight. Not probably very strange, but intense, to be sure. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We had a fruitful and interesting conversation with T, which
I will not document here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His hands were
on or near me during much of the rite, and I stayed very close to the surface
(i.e. normal consciousness) so that I could easily escape them if they became
too frightening or intrusive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was
a lasciviousness to the experience that was a real first for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the end of the rite, we snuffed the candles and turned
the lights on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The white candles we used
had melted dark gray wax that had dribbled down their sides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The towel had a smell certainly, but it was
not the strange unhealthy yeasty smell that it possessed as the rite
began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lastly, the remainder of the
bourbon left for the spirits had developed a white cloudy precipitate.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brrrr.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Be thou blessed.</div>
Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-35007236155840908052013-09-01T15:01:00.000-07:002013-09-01T15:01:07.418-07:00Technical Note #1: Confusion of the Sight Sense<div class="MsoNormal">
Amongst the many tools of the traditional shaman to achieve
journeys to other realities are entheogenic herbs. These are materials that seem to ease the
transition from “ordinary reality” to the visionary quality that is at the core
of the “shamanic trip.” The word
entheogen is a neologism meaning “generating divinity within” coined to replace
the words “psychedelic” and “hallucinogen,” since so many of the materials that
fall under these umbrella terms are traditionally used psychoactive plants used
in a religious or spiritual context. I
myself have not used these materials since I was in my teens, but remember well
the experiences that these plants and chemicals engender.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The experience of hallucinogens, in a very gross sense, is
similar to many other types of intoxication. There is a sense of euphoria,
sometimes a feeling of sickness. In other ways, psychedelics are different from ordinary "intoxication." There
are visual and auditory experiences that are quite out of the ordinary. The ability of the herbs to confuse and
combine sensory input in strange ways is likely the part of the experience that
feels like a journey. Most people who
have had an experience with psychedelics recall the experience of walls
“breathing,” of background noise organizing itself into conversations, and the
like. These experiences are not unlike those
that happen in the trance of the seer, so it seems reasonable to expect that
entheogens could be used to enhance the ability of the seer to either enter or
hold trance, or both.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Most of these materials are on the DEA’s Schedule of
Controlled substances, in spite of their long history of traditional use. They are therefore not practical for me to experiment
with their use in my role as seer and priestess. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These entheogenic plants and chemicals are not the only way
to have a trancelike experience, however.
A high fever will induce both visual and auditory perturbations that are
not entirely unlike those stimulated by drugs.
During a confused feverish state, I once mistook my cat, Max, for a
bear. It was this experience that made
me connect the activation of visual “confusion” with the trip-like interpretation
of the fever. I began to look for ways
to induce the visual strangeness without drugs and sickness.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The first of these experiments took place during the
initiatory rite of the Lunar Sphere to which I have referred in the previous
post. I set the altar with a series of
highly polished, curved bowls and candlestick holders, all positioned on a
round, flat mirror. Inside the top bowl,
I placed a ring with a snowflake obsidian sphere on top. That bowl was filled with holy water. Around the perimeter of the silver surfaces
were positioned four candles. The silver
bowls, when illuminated in this way, presented a dazzling and confusing array
of distorted images. Many of the bowls
possessed both concave and convex surfaces, so that although some the images in
the surfaces of the bowls had a familiar color, no details of the images could
be discerned. Some of the images
encountered during the rite were incredibly disturbing. In one instance, I encountered my own face
with only one eye. In another, I saw fixed items behind me as moving and blood
red liquid seemed to pour from one bowl to another.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the silver surfaces as only real cause for these
intense visual experiences, as the rite proceeded, the trance broadened to
auditory strangeness, complete with voices.
It was a deep and long-lasting trance experience. Could it be that “visual confusion” could be
a key to a class of psychedelic experience?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCSxawt_i1sisr2r7vJM8NAH2bAoGKBOzItxbkS7Qauiv3jJ0l4o5rOTwNq9i9v0pO6J2_bCxx0f7CrsHdiXftjdV0RvEeloqtzmkajxShXquxGU5pR_xcd1zigPHAk4rAJ1KYhic1ACy/s1600/DSCN4884.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCSxawt_i1sisr2r7vJM8NAH2bAoGKBOzItxbkS7Qauiv3jJ0l4o5rOTwNq9i9v0pO6J2_bCxx0f7CrsHdiXftjdV0RvEeloqtzmkajxShXquxGU5pR_xcd1zigPHAk4rAJ1KYhic1ACy/s320/DSCN4884.JPG" width="320" /></a>Two illustrative photos are included in this blog post. The
first is a photograph of my hand holding a concave optical mirror. Notice haw the image is upside down? The mirror also could be said to “contain too
much information,” as compared with a flat surface mirror, with a more
collimated field of view. Both of these
effects contribute to the tripiness of the ritual. The second photograph is a subset of the
altar arrangement for the initiatory rite.
Some of the surfaces shown here are concave, but some are also convex. These images are upright, but “contain too
little information,” than expected from experience with flat mirrors. Additionally, the convex surfaces yield
images that are disturbing because they appear to be bloated.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VYDc7Zj8ogkO1Y1Q0l5eGHTmRWu9v0iObLLNJCFIH6WzCqLdUFhmG3ihw0gB1Cy5m8bmcTODQ9Nolw8KMg9fgkQHzS0gEwn9p_QszBvsRn9NXHK24nyxs6_HTG_YbPZ7DKOZaOzyso6m/s1600/DSCN4882.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VYDc7Zj8ogkO1Y1Q0l5eGHTmRWu9v0iObLLNJCFIH6WzCqLdUFhmG3ihw0gB1Cy5m8bmcTODQ9Nolw8KMg9fgkQHzS0gEwn9p_QszBvsRn9NXHK24nyxs6_HTG_YbPZ7DKOZaOzyso6m/s320/DSCN4882.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These initial experiments make me wonder how much of a
psychedelic experience we can have in the absence of the chemistry, just by
playing with our own sensory input.
Preliminary results seem to indicate that, while it is unlikely to
generate the entirety of an entheogenic journey without the entheogens, one can
obtain interesting results within a spiritual or religious context by using
creative sensory confusion.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
More to come.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Be thou blessed,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Photos by Harper Feist. Please do not use without permission.</div>
Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-42831734304219820442013-08-04T10:27:00.000-07:002013-08-04T10:27:16.828-07:00Initiation into the Sphere of the Moon: Part II - Some Preliminary Results<div class="MsoNormal">
Early In July, RO and I performed a ritual wherein I was
initiated into the Sphere of the Moon.
It was a wonderfully intense experience and I observed some of the most
intense visuals ever – I fully intend to write more about that shortly, but I
wanted to actually discuss the results, which came hard on the heels of the
ritual.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since the day in early July that I requested Gabriel’s entry into the Sphere of the Moon, I have been compelled to deal with
a problem that I’ve had for many years, hyper-menorrhagia. The bleeding during my menses is so intense
that when I call the insurance nurses for advice, they tell me to go
immediately to the emergency room. It’s
frightening and inconvenient, and leads to chronic anemia. It’s also been going on for years. Doctors say that there’s no physical cause
for it, and all their recommendations for a cure are intrusive and violent, so
I have allowed it continue. Suddenly, I am
searching for a solution.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am doing due diligence with doctors and have updated my
nutritional supplements to cope, but I have also become much more familiar with
the lore of the lunar sphere.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Lunar Sphere itself is an idea out of Chaldean theology
that comes down to the hermetic magic community as the place where ideas from
God’s mind are actually brought into form.
This makes sense because of the Moon’s relationship with “increase and
decrease;” i.e. the polarities that make motion and create bodies. Macrobius says in his <i>Comments on the Dream
of Scipio</i>:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“…from the sphere of
the Moon, it acquires the strength needed to propagate by the generation and
increase of bodies. This lunar sphere, which is last and lowest with respect to
divine bodies, is first and highest with respect to earthly bodies. This lunar
body, as it were the sediment of celestial matter, at the same time is found to
be the purest substance of animal matter." (Ch.XIl) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Later he states: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The Moon is the nearest planet. She receives and transmits
to the observer the action of all the other celestial agencies.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Therefore, the Sphere of the Moon is the place where we
receive bodies upon creation – the funnel of the energy of all the higher
spheres into Earth-life – but is also sexual in nature. This is mapped onto the Kabbalah as the
sephira of Yesod and into the chakra system as Swadhisthana chakra.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An appetizer about Yesod, from Wikipedia:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The sephirah of Yesod translates spiritual concepts into
actions that unite us with God.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is often associated with the Moon, because it is the
sphere which reflects the light of all the other sephirot into Malkuth, and it
is associated with the sexual organs, because it is here that the higher
spheres connect to the earth.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It plays the role of collecting and balancing the different
and opposing energies of Hod and Netzach, and also from Tiferet above it,
storing and distributing it throughout the world. It is likened to the
'engine-room' of creation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The archangel of this sphere is Gabriel, and the Cherubim is
the Angelic order.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Yesod was taught to be the sephirah of Sabbatai Zevi.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Swadhisthana chakra is the one a couple of fingers
higher than Muladhara and is the sexual/creative chakra. It is tied with the unconscious, with
emotion, with the element of water, with the sense of taste and with sexual
reproduction. Wiki says with regard to
this topic, “The location of Swadhisthana is just in front of the spine, in the
sacral region, and its kshetram or activation point is in the pubic region.
Being connected with the sense of taste, it is associated with the tongue, and
being connected with reproduction, it is associated with the genitals.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It is often associated with the testes and ovaries. These
produce the hormones testosterone or estrogen, which are important factors in
sexual behaviour.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now it’s getting very clear how this entire concept relates
to the symptoms of irregular menses.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This chakra also pertains to unconscious desires, especially
sexual desire. Because of this, it is
allegedly very difficult to raise the kundalini shakti (energy of consciousness)
above the Swadhisthana chakra. Fully
open and operational Swadhisthana is said to bestow the yogic super-powers of
freedom from all enemies, eloquent speech and awareness of astral entities
(still looking to attribute this statement).
In kundalini yoga, there are two bandha (locks) that support the
development of the Swadhisthana chakra vajroli mudra (contraction of the
genitals) and ashvini mudra (contraction of the anus). There are also asana and various pranayama
that are recommended.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On a more mundane (but highly related) note, gushing menses
are related by some alternative health practitioners to a condition called
estrogen dominance. This is (massively
oversimplified explanation to follow) the state of the system being out of
balance with excess estrogen or deficient progesterone. Being in this condition can be caused by too
much estrogen, of course. This can be a
hormonal problem or it can be exposure to xenoestrogens. People with ordinary modern habits are
exposed to many estrogenic compounds in their environment and diet (factory
meat, insecticides, certain kinds of plastic…), so this is not an unlikely
cause. In addition, some of us are not
spring chickens anymore, and progesterone production has been measured to
decrease with age. If you’re me, the
impact of all these entwined factors is my dramatic symptom. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
An interesting thing – the liver is the chief processor
(read removal mechanism) of excess estrogen.
If it’s busy processing beer or drugs (yes, even those that the doctor gives
you), it is measurably less efficient at estrogen removal. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBGM8al1ROKDq8qgCEA7AeB5JFP-IIm5qAv4267WRPddG6WC-qkVBToJbWhD4s7Y-IQk2FlvvT0cniWj6RpGU6C3XEIBJOf1aPbWzgKXptXWgppd11-Zqeb2McWUOJYban3ADxS94QEDK/s1600/gabriel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBGM8al1ROKDq8qgCEA7AeB5JFP-IIm5qAv4267WRPddG6WC-qkVBToJbWhD4s7Y-IQk2FlvvT0cniWj6RpGU6C3XEIBJOf1aPbWzgKXptXWgppd11-Zqeb2McWUOJYban3ADxS94QEDK/s320/gabriel.jpg" width="320" /></a>So, what will I be doing about this? Well, on the mundane level, I guess I’ll be
drinking more water (i.e. fewer martinis), taking iron and using topical
progesterone. I’ll also be working
toward a more complete understanding and experience of the Lunar Sphere, and
having some heart-to-heart conversations with Gabriel.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Note: I’m not a medical doctor. If you’re having issues like this, get
information from your doctor, your body and from reliable medical sources. Don’t do what I’m doing without having
conducted your own research.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Blessed Be Thou</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
photo by Harper Feist, please don't use without permission.</div>
<o:p></o:p>Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-59826072304408459422013-06-21T17:48:00.000-07:002013-06-21T17:48:12.221-07:00young and silly, a brief diversion<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
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We have a new kitten in our house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allegedly born somewhere around Valentine’s
day, she’s now in the stage where everything is prey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The belt of my robe has fallen to her
stealth, and the stuffed Mr. Burns doll (yes, recall the Simpsons) needs to
have his stuffing put back in nearly every day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She’s wild, vital, and completely alive in every sense.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dmHbU_i4x__TQC7TDVshAfy_aZTRVAFBz96rnrk6CAsCyyOXvJQOUon6YcKsFbNn9bXYWDQtD6C-zU7iGWVQJt8m_LLEp5t9DOCx3ZcPL96gLaPJ4WAzJKYNBrItgKkJqDTQLF5RUODK/s1600/IMG_20130523_073825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dmHbU_i4x__TQC7TDVshAfy_aZTRVAFBz96rnrk6CAsCyyOXvJQOUon6YcKsFbNn9bXYWDQtD6C-zU7iGWVQJt8m_LLEp5t9DOCx3ZcPL96gLaPJ4WAzJKYNBrItgKkJqDTQLF5RUODK/s320/IMG_20130523_073825.jpg" width="240" /></a>One of her favorite toys is a laser pointer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When she bites on the things that she should
not bite, we get out the pointer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
recognizes that the appearance of the black metal cartridge precedes the fun,
and goes onto high alert when it is brandished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We use it to imitate an insect, zooming briefly on the floor and then
disappearing, only to return somewhere else soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it is invisible, the kitten sits intently,
applying every sense to the discovery of the dot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I watched her this morning, I realized she
was SNIFFING for it, hunting it with even those senses that were obviously
not (to our minds, anyway) involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How like the seer she is, I
thought.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We not only see, WE SEEK.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Blessed be thou. </div>
Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-1129692742013143982013-05-18T05:47:00.002-07:002013-05-18T05:47:36.189-07:00Reverence Thy Body<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
It should be clear from the
previous posts that my body is the primary sensor in seership. The full visual manifestation that is the
goal of some workers is not quite so important to me. It’s wonderful and amazing, of course, but
using that as the main or only goal dismisses a lot of other very interesting
and informative “data.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That reminder having been issued,
I wanted to bring a up topic that has been on my mind. I have recently received an injunction to “hold
myself chaste and reverent toward my body.”
It’s important to note up front that the origin of this requirement is
not a Christian one, it’s Thelemic. Hint: it doesn’t mean “no sex.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It also doesn’t have the sense of
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, “Or do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your
own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It absolutely does not mirror John’s
writing:, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves
the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the
world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in
possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is
passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides
forever.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And then there’s a section of
Romans: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is one origin of our
attitudes regarding our physical bodies in the modern world. As we live in a largely Christian society, we
have received the message in the womb that in the best case, your body is a
temple for the Holy Spirit, but it’s not yours.
In the worst case the body is a bad thing, something to be lived in
temporarily until we can arrive in Heaven. It is possible that this alone is reason McDonald's exists.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGQAy4IXZ7iiC-gB3uIbbvvmQDOeLZ1yTvRURgF86qP08GBLzGyUyqPRgDbOpGRmsnUT8IKYfG5xRXeqc8dqqiVUiZCO7l4ntVPqdbs97CBiRrUYE9Gu2eM3K6hGEVppr9-9zjtbAUQWh/s1600/vitruvian_man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsGQAy4IXZ7iiC-gB3uIbbvvmQDOeLZ1yTvRURgF86qP08GBLzGyUyqPRgDbOpGRmsnUT8IKYfG5xRXeqc8dqqiVUiZCO7l4ntVPqdbs97CBiRrUYE9Gu2eM3K6hGEVppr9-9zjtbAUQWh/s320/vitruvian_man.jpg" width="320" /></a>My mentor and I discussed this a
little bit, and worked up the definition that it was advantageous to control
and focus of the mind (and therefore any magickal workings) to have the body be
in proper functioning order, so as not to be distracting (at least). He pointed out that the origin of the word
“ascetic” doesn’t imply self-denial, but rather rigorous discipline (Greek askētikós subject
to rigorous exercise, hardworking). So,
for this context, revering the body and holding oneself chaste is to have
developed a physical system, including healthy sexuality, that is AT THE VERY
LEAST not in the way of your spiritual (pun, get it?) pursuits. If your body is full of pain and discomfort,
reaching into yourself for the relaxation necessary to meet with the unincarnated will be more difficult.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Chastity is another word that
carries lots of baggage. Etymologically,
this word may have it’s origins in the Latin castitatem, which means pure (N.B. not everyone agrees with me on that assignment). Pure is the state of being uncontaminated. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Crowley says this in “Chastity,”
one of the “Little Essays Toward Truth: "Chastity may thus be defined as the
strict observance of the Magical Oath; that is, in the Light of the Law of
Thelema, absolute and perfected devotion to the Holy Guardian Angel and
exclusive pursuit of the Way of the True Will.”[1]</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Of course, that is the least of
it. Your body is a juicy device that can
lead to the most intense raptures, allowing you to meld with God and gods. It all is made so much easier with a body
that is as healthy as you can make it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, then. I give you the same advice that was given to
me. Revere your lovely and delicious
body and aim it in the same direction as your mind and power, with all your
might. Next time, I'll talk more about the application of all this to seership.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Blessed Be Thou</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
[1] <a href="http://hermetic.com/crowley/little-essays-towards-truth/chastity.html">http://hermetic.com/crowley/little-essays-towards-truth/chastity.html</a></div>
Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-28896032571115508352013-04-20T07:47:00.000-07:002013-04-20T07:47:42.950-07:00Preparatio<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
By now, most of you have read RO’s
description of the technology behind the rites we do, broken down into
planning, preparatory, conjuration, communication and dismissal pieces. If you need a reminder, here's the address of his post: http://headforred.blogspot.com/2013/04/working-with-seer-tech-basics.html. The planning stage obviously involves us both, normally at similar levels of effort. However, while the conjuror’s preparatory actions are
pretty simple, involving holy water and self-annointing with Abramelin oil, my
activities here are usually pretty substantial.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My ordinary reality is very
linear. My mind is also pretty linear. Therefore, before I try to do any trance
work, I have to spend a little time getting non-linear. What I mean specifically by this is that before I fall into the “seeing” state, the
edges of reality have to soften a little, helping to minimize the constant judgment of things that float through my mind
and senses.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Those of you who have done astral
and trance work will immediately recognize that when the phrase “this isn’t
real” goes through your mind, it’s hard to get back on track. Sometimes, after
this sensation, it’s all over. Therefore
the preparations are meant to quiet that part of your mind just a little bit. It’s a totally new way to control your mind
and sense of reality, but at its basis, it is self control. It's self control without any rigid tie to your mundane expectations about how things work.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Recognizing that my mind is intimately
associated with my physical being, much of what I’m about to say involves full
relaxation of various body parts. The
muscles in my sacral spine, hips and butt are tightly linked to my emotional
state, use of imagination and ability to go into trance. Tension in this region can actually be
interpreted as light anxiety, if I am not paying attention. I have spoken to a handful of people about
this, and full relaxation of this part of their bodies leads to an open
feeling, one tinged with gratitude. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CXs7bSc6JVW2WcYWV81lxEJMJmdB85V0L2utd26uDPse49V14I4bWhh-yKGnYUnl06j4Q8E65YwXxUwtKJMV1u77zWO_jHuFLPEdDlNiz04QFuPdQG2AfFccjPhzF0-knr8y4YrzciNL/s1600/bathtub+candle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3CXs7bSc6JVW2WcYWV81lxEJMJmdB85V0L2utd26uDPse49V14I4bWhh-yKGnYUnl06j4Q8E65YwXxUwtKJMV1u77zWO_jHuFLPEdDlNiz04QFuPdQG2AfFccjPhzF0-knr8y4YrzciNL/s200/bathtub+candle.JPG" width="200" /></a>I generally do this exercise in a
warm bath that has been consecrated to the purpose with hyssop (either tea or
oil) and salts. When I have them, I put
in about a cup each of table salt, baking soda and Epsom salts. Often, I darken the bathroom, using only
candles of appropriate ritual colors as illumination. When every muscle between the bottom of my
rib cage and my knees is completely empty of tension, I move to the next step.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once I am feeling “open,” I want
to fill myself with a feeling of the sacred.
I have some chants I use to do this, but strangely, one of my favorites
is the Te Deum Laudamus from the old red Lutheran hymnal. I like it because of the way it weaves major
and minor keys. It’s also something I
have known for a long time, and it ties the very young religious me to who I am
now. I sing this in the darkness of the
bathroom, always nerdily happy with the wonderful acoustics, until I start to
talk to the Universe (meaning not to any being in particular) about being clean
and open and ready to reach past my ordinary experience. This part of the preparations varies
extensively, is ecstatic and normally ends up with me chanting and singing and
talking to myself/ me as creator god until the bath water is cold, which is the
only thing that normally ejects me from the bathtub.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At this point, I wrap my wet hair
in a white towel, put my robe on and go into the temple, where typically RO is
waiting for me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In one of the following posts, RO
and/or I will discuss the next step, the anointing with oils. This gets into the relationship between
conjuror and seer, as we consecrate each other to the Work in the temple.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Be thou blessed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1284260117183128062.post-17152022431070057082013-04-07T11:15:00.002-07:002013-04-07T11:15:45.857-07:00Seership: One Possible Recipe<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIPuippA6D-QtftJvpAWUoRjBcxhcIWzRLRMgE7BrUUDPVgnC11aQNX3L7jjMWjk7ZQjmcIJSpZlCpzLJpitrp41Yei04luqs7Bvr1PbV7LxJlsmfrMJHKEyE7sctVnXqdqm9-XSpx47B/s1600/Cleopatra_Waterhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwIPuippA6D-QtftJvpAWUoRjBcxhcIWzRLRMgE7BrUUDPVgnC11aQNX3L7jjMWjk7ZQjmcIJSpZlCpzLJpitrp41Yei04luqs7Bvr1PbV7LxJlsmfrMJHKEyE7sctVnXqdqm9-XSpx47B/s320/Cleopatra_Waterhouse.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I’ll talk more about the spirit-in-the-crystal-ball stuff soon, but this post will be a bit of a personal retrospective about how my seership came to be. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had a rough childhood, and probably developed some dissociative tendencies at that time. That will serve to partially explain why it’s relatively easy to get myself out of the way to permit occupation by gods and angels, which is how this all started for me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The witchcraft community that I was part of for many years calls this “aspecting.” However, it didn't start there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I was a kid, I loved church. I loved to sing, I loved the candles, the high ceiling, the feeling and sense of sacredness. It seemed natural to me that I was Mary at the Christmas pageant for a couple years running starting when I was about 10 years old.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I present this event in particular because it may have been when I first aspected a deity. When I played Mary in the children’s Christmas pageant, I WAS Mary. Mary was in me. People commented upon the strangeness of the thing. Looking back, that in itself was sort of weird. Means that those Lutherans actually could sense the presence of the sacred… Who would’ve thought?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So fast-forward through my years as one of the first female “altar-attendants”, my terrifying visionary experiences in church when I felt guilty about teenage problems, the time the pastor decided that he would save my soul… the end result being my apostasy from all things Christian.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Many years later, I much more purposefully learned how to contain and present the gods in public ritual when I was a priestess in the Reclaiming community. It came naturally – making my own personality quiet so that something else could enter. In those early days, I held Erishkegal, Psyche, Hekate, Inanna, and many others. With some help from my teachers, especially Shen-Tat at Coven of the Witches, I learned how to let myself go AND re-establish myself when I was finished. The last time I aspected publicly was at a pagan festival near Denver, where I was filled by Quakoralina, the Faery Star Goddess.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Often, when aspecting is done in wiccan/pagan/faery ceremony, the deity/spirit who is to be housed in the witch performing the aspecting is subject to an invitation by other celebrants (typical those who are organizing the ceremony). The idea is for the aspecting individual to open themselves to the deity in the safety of sacred space, moderated by others who are monitoring the process. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The personality of the individual is quieted during this operation, such that the deity can participate in the rite or even address the celebrants. It perhaps a form of hypnotism. This is analogous in many ways to being “ridden” in Voudou. In many cases when I was performing this purpose in ritual, I literally have no recollection of what transpired, emphasizing the point that moderators are very important.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All this is different from seership, where the personality of the seer must be close enough to the surface to be able to utilize the senses (both physical and astral) to sense and interpret the message of the disincarnate being called in the rite. There are important things in common, however: a safe environment is required, the “personality” and body must be relaxed in such a way that sensual data can be used to feel the presence of a non-corporeal entity. Interestingly, many of the basic preparations for the two things are the same, and that is what I’ll address in the next post.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Be thou blessed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">["Cleopatra" J.W. Waterhouse]</span><br />
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Harper Feisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11842777275129971400noreply@blogger.com4