A bird-watcher Robin Brown is suing the Broward State Attonrney's Office for being arrested over a sage smudge stick. Actually, the lawsuit states "negligence and malicious prosecution" as well as "public humiliation, mental pain and suffering." Yes, she got arrested for possession of a smudge stick---sage.
Brown was bird-watching one day in March 2009, and used a smudge stick during the course of her outing that day for praying and giving thanks. On the way back to her vehicle, she met a couple of people; one from the Sheriff's department; the other from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Explaining that she was bird-watching, she opened up her backpack to show them her binoculars and bird manual. That is when the sheriff's deputy spotted her smudge bowl and sage.
Ok, obviously this woman is not a criminal. If you are a criminal, you never open up your backpack in front of the cops...you don't give them an excuse to arrest you.
A field test gave a positive for marijuana. But she was not arrested that day. The smudge stick was sent to the lab for testing. Ninety days later, Brown was arrested at work, very publicly.
Her lawyer in the course of defending her learned that the smudge stick was never actually tested by the lab. When it was finally tested, the lab concluded that the sage was not marijuana. Charges were dropped. Gee, shouldn't this have been tested before she was arrested?
Honestly, I do not think that Robin Brown will win her case, which is currently in appeal.
But what I would like to point out is that something like this could happen to many of my readers. Most kitchen spices will give a false positive in a marijuana field test. And how many of us have walked around with a smudge stick in our backpack or purse? I am guessing many of us.
It is just another one of those sad events that make the cops look like complete morons when it comes to dealing with alternative religious practices.
You can read the original newsreport that I used as a reference on The Palm Beach Post News website.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Why is Crowley taboo
One of the comments to my previous post (about having read Crowley on occasion) brought up the question of why some Golden Dawn members and leaders loathe Aleister Crowley. (I am using the word "loathe" because I like the word, and I think their feelings go well beyond "dislike" and "hate.") Here are some of my current thoughts about the question.
One, Crowley is a hard act to follow. The man produced a lot of material. And he was producing material until the end of his life.
Two, Crowley was an occultist and seeker all his adult life. It was a lifestyle, not a temporary act with a definite goal on the end.
Three, Crowley published---a lot. He also stole material and published it as his own. Plus, he produced new things too.
Four, Crowley followers are not good followers. Thelemics are more goats than sheep. Some of them are slightly dark (possible understatement), and all of them are argumental.
Five, Crowley was anti-secrecy. At least when it comes to the teachings.
Six, Crowley was anti-guru and Order. The AA is built more like a resistance movement than a fraternal Order.
Seven, Crowley thought his system was better than the original Golden Dawn. And maybe, he was right...in a sense.
Eight, his followers tend to think that his way of doing things are the best way. And they loudly say so.
Nine, his system produces people who declare themselves prophets. They tend to declare new laws. Thelema and the Book of the Law was merely the beginning of heretics and radicals.
Ten, Crowley was truly running a non-profit organization. Crowley often had a real day-job.
Bottom-line, you do not want people who follow Crowley or use him as a good example in your organization. Especially if you are looking for sheep that need looking after. Thelemites are dangerous to anyone managing a "shut up and follow" Order.
One, Crowley is a hard act to follow. The man produced a lot of material. And he was producing material until the end of his life.
Two, Crowley was an occultist and seeker all his adult life. It was a lifestyle, not a temporary act with a definite goal on the end.
Three, Crowley published---a lot. He also stole material and published it as his own. Plus, he produced new things too.
Four, Crowley followers are not good followers. Thelemics are more goats than sheep. Some of them are slightly dark (possible understatement), and all of them are argumental.
Five, Crowley was anti-secrecy. At least when it comes to the teachings.
Six, Crowley was anti-guru and Order. The AA is built more like a resistance movement than a fraternal Order.
Seven, Crowley thought his system was better than the original Golden Dawn. And maybe, he was right...in a sense.
Eight, his followers tend to think that his way of doing things are the best way. And they loudly say so.
Nine, his system produces people who declare themselves prophets. They tend to declare new laws. Thelema and the Book of the Law was merely the beginning of heretics and radicals.
Ten, Crowley was truly running a non-profit organization. Crowley often had a real day-job.
Bottom-line, you do not want people who follow Crowley or use him as a good example in your organization. Especially if you are looking for sheep that need looking after. Thelemites are dangerous to anyone managing a "shut up and follow" Order.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
I used to read Crowley
Every once in awhile, I have to admit that I used to read the works of Aleister Crowley. This tends to get me some black looks in Golden Dawn circles. The official word from on-high is that Crowley is a taboo subject---not that I have ever been much on obeying the edicts of the upper echelon, hence the occasional admission of past guilt.
Am I still guilty of reading Crowley? I am in Golden Dawn---what do you think?
Crowley has been placed in the biggest traitor category, thanks to his publishing of some of the early Golden Dawn rituals and teachings---but he also provides us with a baseline of what was actually being done at the time that he was in the Golden Dawn. In fact, he is the baseline that all students of the system can locate.
Crowley has been placed in the category of the biggest charlatan---but we actually have evidence that he was actually working the tradition, even after he officially left the system.
Crowley has been placed in the category of the biggest show-off that Golden Dawn ever produced---are we really sure that is true anymore?
Crowley has been placed in the category of one of the worst things to happen to occultism, but how many of us started off reading him?
There are some that believe that we should automatically reject the applications of anyone that admits to reading Crowley. I am not one of those people.
Am I still guilty of reading Crowley? I am in Golden Dawn---what do you think?
Crowley has been placed in the biggest traitor category, thanks to his publishing of some of the early Golden Dawn rituals and teachings---but he also provides us with a baseline of what was actually being done at the time that he was in the Golden Dawn. In fact, he is the baseline that all students of the system can locate.
Crowley has been placed in the category of the biggest charlatan---but we actually have evidence that he was actually working the tradition, even after he officially left the system.
Crowley has been placed in the category of the biggest show-off that Golden Dawn ever produced---are we really sure that is true anymore?
Crowley has been placed in the category of one of the worst things to happen to occultism, but how many of us started off reading him?
There are some that believe that we should automatically reject the applications of anyone that admits to reading Crowley. I am not one of those people.
MTGN Trulhu the Thing on Trumps Head
Normally, I try to keep real-world politics confined to my rarely-updated political blog, Bag Full of Tricks (where you can see the bottom half of the artwork of this particular card). But this was 1---too good of an idea to toss into the "too late to do" waste-basket, and 2---I think that some of my readers here would get a laugh out of it. This card is another of my Magic the Gathering NOT series (note that it is the Elections 2012 Torture Set and not my yet-to-be-named mocking the Golden Dawn internet community set). The idea for the picture came when I realized that I would rather vote for the thing on Donald Trumpt's head than the man himself. Then I realized that the thing on his head reminded me of something out of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu fiction. Then Trump decided he would rather not run for President---as if that would stop me from using this idea. Trulhu is a Legend (because Trump thinks that he is a legend, and I hope that there is only one of him---I also hope that there is only one of those things that he wears on his head). Trulhu, the thing on Trump's head is a 7/7 creature that costs two black and two blue mana to summon. On every upkeep, the controller places a counter on Trulhi; these counters can be removed when Trulhu is tapped (I forgot to add the tap symbol---opps), and add one colorless mana to the player's manapool for each counter removed. The big drawback is that every time Trulhu is tapped, one damage is done to its controlling player. The quote is actually based on a real Donald Trump quote, except that I tossed in the part where souls are involved in the deal making. "Deals are my art form. Other people paint beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry. I like making big deals, preferably involving people's souls." Here is to the long Presidential season that we are facing here in the States---I hope that we survive it with minimal damage.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Some random thoughts on Tarot
It is World Tarot Day. Therefore, I thought I would give my readers some random thoughts about the Tarot.
The best way to color your own Tarot deck (whether BOTA, Golden Dawn, or other) that I have found is colored pencil. But the best way to study the color scales is using water-color paints. Unfortunately, water-color paints are not exactly user-friendly when it comes to actually using a Tarot deck to do readings.
The worst thing that has happened to one of my Tarot decks is a cup of tea---literally. It was during a reading that I was doing at a local coffee shop for someone. The second worst thing is either a cat attack or wax dripppings.
I was using Tarot cards for magic spells before any of the books came out on the subject. I have never been able to get any of the published Tarot spells to work for me---I have to design my own spell to get them to work.
Tarot reading for a living...well, it is like finding something slimy in your sock drawer. It is a gig that I would prefer not to do on a regular basis ever again. Most of the readings I did fell into the category of "I have already made up my mind, so justify my decision for me" which are hardly the type of people that you want to be reading for.
Tarot did not start out as a tool for spiritual development. Sorry. It was a game first. Then it got used for vulgar fortune-telling. Then a game again. Some use as literary imagery. Some more game playing followed. Then it became a spiritual development tool.
I once saw a list of Magic the Gathering cards for a deck based on the concept of the Tarot. I do not think it would have worked well in actual game-play.
My ideal Tarot deck would be a Franken-deck, a Tarot deck using a card from this deck, a couple of cards from that deck. When I do readings, the cards you see on the table might not be the cards that I am seeing in the back of my head.
The Tarot and the diagrams of the Golden Dawn rituals and lectures are related. They are like two halves of the same coin. The Golden Dawn teachings about the Tarot are still in their infancy.
My favorite book about the Tarot is by Mouni Sadhi. It uses the French Levi order of the trumps. It also ties Tarot into everything else occult-ish that the author could think of.
I have a small suitcase of Tarot decks. And a shelf full of Tarot books. I worry about any occultist who doesn't have a small Tarot collection.
If you have a random thought about the Tarot, feel free to leave it in the comment section. Remember I do not approve of advertisements in my comment section (I had a few ads for plumbers dumped into a recent Quote of the Day post).
The best way to color your own Tarot deck (whether BOTA, Golden Dawn, or other) that I have found is colored pencil. But the best way to study the color scales is using water-color paints. Unfortunately, water-color paints are not exactly user-friendly when it comes to actually using a Tarot deck to do readings.
The worst thing that has happened to one of my Tarot decks is a cup of tea---literally. It was during a reading that I was doing at a local coffee shop for someone. The second worst thing is either a cat attack or wax dripppings.
I was using Tarot cards for magic spells before any of the books came out on the subject. I have never been able to get any of the published Tarot spells to work for me---I have to design my own spell to get them to work.
Tarot reading for a living...well, it is like finding something slimy in your sock drawer. It is a gig that I would prefer not to do on a regular basis ever again. Most of the readings I did fell into the category of "I have already made up my mind, so justify my decision for me" which are hardly the type of people that you want to be reading for.
Tarot did not start out as a tool for spiritual development. Sorry. It was a game first. Then it got used for vulgar fortune-telling. Then a game again. Some use as literary imagery. Some more game playing followed. Then it became a spiritual development tool.
I once saw a list of Magic the Gathering cards for a deck based on the concept of the Tarot. I do not think it would have worked well in actual game-play.
My ideal Tarot deck would be a Franken-deck, a Tarot deck using a card from this deck, a couple of cards from that deck. When I do readings, the cards you see on the table might not be the cards that I am seeing in the back of my head.
The Tarot and the diagrams of the Golden Dawn rituals and lectures are related. They are like two halves of the same coin. The Golden Dawn teachings about the Tarot are still in their infancy.
My favorite book about the Tarot is by Mouni Sadhi. It uses the French Levi order of the trumps. It also ties Tarot into everything else occult-ish that the author could think of.
I have a small suitcase of Tarot decks. And a shelf full of Tarot books. I worry about any occultist who doesn't have a small Tarot collection.
If you have a random thought about the Tarot, feel free to leave it in the comment section. Remember I do not approve of advertisements in my comment section (I had a few ads for plumbers dumped into a recent Quote of the Day post).
QoD VH Frater AM Reveals the Training of Ninja Kittens
Oh no, someone spotted my evil plan to train Ninja Kittens. VH Frater AM reveals the pounding of the war-drums as people take sides in the Garden Gnome and Troll-Doll War of 2011.
"But an even more disturbing turn of events was noted when Morgan Eckstein recruited some Neo-Pagans, Druids, and Witches to train Evil Troll-Doll defending Ninja Kittens to specifically counter Mr Farrell's attack puppies. Folks there is some very disturbing video footage here. These Colorado Golden Dawn Intoxicated Neo-Pagans are vicious. Beware of the hideous growling and vicious behavior of these Ninja Kittens and the severe trauma imposed upon the attack puppy."
But it does not matter that my activities have been revealed. Bwahahaha! I will still get Nick and his little pups too.
"But an even more disturbing turn of events was noted when Morgan Eckstein recruited some Neo-Pagans, Druids, and Witches to train Evil Troll-Doll defending Ninja Kittens to specifically counter Mr Farrell's attack puppies. Folks there is some very disturbing video footage here. These Colorado Golden Dawn Intoxicated Neo-Pagans are vicious. Beware of the hideous growling and vicious behavior of these Ninja Kittens and the severe trauma imposed upon the attack puppy."
But it does not matter that my activities have been revealed. Bwahahaha! I will still get Nick and his little pups too.
Errands are Work
Instead of working today, I decided to run errands with my wife for her jewelery business (I am sort-of a manager and advisor for it). It is not like I was actually going to work on any of the three projects on my desk (one which people are already worried about simply because of the working name of the project)---in fact, it I would have stayed home I would have probably decided to complain about something that boiling on the blogosphere (something I should leave alone until my own work in that area is done---no need to make enemies before I absolutely have to [the enemies are just natural outcome of the work---some people will agree; others will hold an impronto witch-burning]). So, first we went to Mile Hi Ceramics to pick up some porcelain (fifty pounds worth---I got to do the carrying), some small stilts, and a kiln brick. Then we went to Xpedx to pick up some card stock to make into jewelry cards; we also picked up some small boxes for packaging purposes. I have been to Mile Hi Ceramics before; on occasion, I have brought things there (they have small low fire goblets that just need glazing and firing). This was my first time visiting Xpedx---it was a zine publisher heaven (so many different types of paper). And because I did weigh in on a decision or three, the errand running did count as work (after all, I am sort-of the business manager for the jewelry business).
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