Princess Cleo does the clean sheet dance

One of my weekly tasks is to wash the sheets. (I tend to do housework while thinking about what I am currently writing.) And every week when I put clean sheets on the bed, Miss Princess Cleo does her littel happy kitty dance that the bed has clean sheets.

Miss Cleo is one of the rescue cats. She was the daughter of Sandy, the queen of the feral colony that we inherited when we brought the house. As a kitten, she broke one of her hind legs; it got infected and had to be removed--which is why she became an indoor cat. Most days, I can tell that she started out as a feral cat; she is a little demanding.

Going to the Hearthstone Community Church's Open Full Moon ritual tonight; it is a blue moon. My wife is staying home; she has to trim pots and herb jars. Some of them will end up at Spiritways; others will end up on her Etsy store, Celtic Soul Jewelry and Pottery.

Witch trials and the survival of paganism

Troll Cat reminds me that it is my opinions that are going to get me burned at the stake.

[This post has been censored in the name of peace...provided that you can have peace and actually disagree with people.]

When I was younger, I believed in the myth that nine million witches and pagans were killed during the great European Witch Hunts. And that the esoteric tradition had been successfully hidden through the use of the oral tradition among covens and lodges.

Today, I do not believe this.

Instead, I believe that the Witch Hunts were primarily Christian on Christian violence; the targets were heretics and property owners who had lands and wealth that the Church and secular authorities wanted. In other words, the Witch Hunts were not about destorying a pagan religion--rather it was about the Church and secular authorities being greedy; the Witch Hunts were driven by economics and the need to control the Christian religion. And it extends past the Church and government, for there was a reward given to people who turned in witches; greed drove the accusations more than fear.

And the numbers killed were much lower than the nine million that is generally cited by those who still insist that they were really a hunting down of actual pagans.

Now, let's be honest: one death in the Witch Hunts was one too many. Among the victims were women, many of them widows, who just happened to have property that other people wanted. The Witch Hunts were wrong.

But the fact that the Witch Hunts happened is not proof that pagan and esoteric traditions managed to survive underground. It is merely proof that people back then were willing to use the Bible to commit acts that go against the love that Christianity claims to be about, much like there are people today who are willing to do the same.

I do believe that some of the customs of the pagan religion survived. But not in the oral tradition, and not in the Book of Shadows copied hand to hand. No, the surviving bits of the pagan religion consists of ideas and customs that were absorbed by Christianity. Many of a Saint is built from the gods and goddesses that the Christians overthrew. These ideas affected magic and alchemy. The ideas also made their way into the Witch Hunting Manuals--but considering that a Witch Trial was done by the Manual, with an ample dose of torture, no confession can be trusted as proof that pagans still existed.

And these ideas were written down...or at least, enourgh of them were, that when the nineteenth century thinkers started to react against Victorian England, they had something to work with. The bones of British Traditional Wicca, as well as the ideas that formed the Golden Dawn and several other lodge systems, can be found in English literature and grimoires.

Yes, I am a British Traditional Wiccan. The type of Wicca I practice comes from England, not Europe. If we waited for Europe to reclaim its pagan heritage, we would still be waiting. The revival of paganism is a British event, not European.

(For the record, the pagan survival in the Norse lands extended to 1000 CE...but we cannot touch that stuff because of the little mess that happened during the first half of the twentieth century.)

What changed my mind about the Witch Hunts and survival of the pagan religions? The evidence I have been exposed to. My mentor in college was a medievalist--I have read more than my fair share of medieval texts. And before I stepped into college, I hunted down information all on my own--the Witch Hunting Manuals are tedious to read.

BTW is a product of Britian; it is a brand new religion.

So why do so many people believe still in the survival of paganism through the oral tradition, and that the Witch Hunts were actually hunting witches? Simply because they are trying to prove that their religion is older than Christianity and that they are still in danger of being burned at the stake by people who believe otherwise. I understand why they must defend their version of history, for it is a psychological need; but the evidence that I have seen says that their version of occult history is just a myth.

(If you want to change my opinion, provide actual proof.)

Google bait this

This is a picture of Peregrin Wildoak and Mitzy Gaynor.

One of the things that I need a score card to keep track of is exactly who Peregrin Wildoak is, and exactly who are his sock puppets. In fact, it has gotten to the point where I wonder if I am actually a real erotica writer and professional student who is taking a semester off to work on his business, or if I am just a delusional sock puppet who thinks that he should be writing bad sex scenes involving trolls and half-dressed Adepts while studying for the GRE simply because he has fallen behind the washing machine.

I figure that it is only a matter of time before I learn that I am Peregrin Wildoak's sock puppet.

In the interests of keeping my sanity, well what's left of it, I am going to be starting a campaign to convince Google that my cats are Peregrin Wildoak and Mitzy Gaynor. After all, there are no "real" pictures of Peregrin or Mitzy anywhere, therefore it should be easy to fool Google into thinking that I have two tribble eating cats who write about gun control and the bad food that is served at the local KFC. I suppose that they could argue about who is really a servant of Eris, and whether there is intelligent life on earth, and if one should wear a fez and bowtie to a Golden Dawn lodge meeting--you know the really important stuff; none of that unimportant stuff like unrevealed teachings and lore that just bores people to death. No, they will be all about strife and war, and never mention peace and harmony and how it takes a ***** to ascend into a solar body.

And yes, this is just a wild attempt to get all their Google love and deny them readers. Think of it as me doing the world a favor: everyone loves cats and Peregrin and Mitzy would make great cats.

Astrology for Yourself (Book Review)

One of the problems that I have with the Golden Dawn material is its general lack of good instructions on astrology. Now mind you, I understand that there are a ton of books out there on astrology; this is as true today as it was in the Stella Matutina days. But for an organization that is supposed to teach occultism and magic, you would think that there would be more.

(This is speaking from the viewpoint of classical [pre-1940s] Golden Dawn and Stella Matutina; it has no bearing on what the modern GD groups are doing. And please note that when you start talking about the "initiated" form of RR et AC astrology--you can fit all the published information on a dozen pages.)

So I am always looking out for possible astrology course books. And a couple of weeks ago, I encountered a new one--well, new to me, that is.

Astrology for Yourself: A Workbook for Personal Transformation--How to Understand and Interpret Your Own Birth Chart. Douglas Bloch and Demetra George.

This is a book that I brought for just a couple of pages. Most of the book's information can be found in other basic astrology courses. But I like the journal aspect of it. And let's be honest--some of the ideas, such as the Moon Phase Wheel, just beg to be expanded and used with other aspects of astrology. (The Moon Phase Wheel could used in one of the Adept Minor subgrades if you are doing a subgrade style course.)

I highly recommend Astrology for Yourself to anyone who is still searching for a supplimental text for their astrology studies.

[Full disclosure: This review is based on a copy that I personally brought.]

QoD Joseph Campbell on the goal of the Hero's Journey

"[The end of the hero's journey] is not to identify oneself with any of the figures or powers experienced. The Indian yogi, striving for release, identifies himself with the Light and never returns. But no one with a will to the service of others would permit himself such an escape. The ultimate aim of the quest must be neither release nor ecstasy for oneself, but the wisdom and power to serve others."

--Joseph Campbell

Esoteric Dry Erase Board August 2012

What is currently on my dry erase board.

One of my Facebook friends just posted how she just brought her daughter a dry erase board for school, and remarked that she was thinking of getting one for herself for studying purposes. And looking for an idea for a blog post that would not get me into trouble (as if there is such a thing), I decided to take a picture of what was currently on the dry erase board in the ritual workshop.

As you can see I am doing something with the seven ritual layers, as well as the Tetragrammaton, elements, zodiac, and the Tree of Life. There is also two of the Sp. Solis plates and an Algiz rune on the board...probably not related to the other two projects. Or maybe they are--it might be a secret if they are related.

QoD Blavatsky on the responsibility of teachers and gurus

[Note: The following quote does not neccessarily reflect the opinions of Morgan Drake Eckstein or the BIORC.]

"[There] is one important fact which the student should be made acquainted. Namely, the emormous, almost limitless responsibility assumed by the teacher for the sake of the pupil. From the Gurus of the East who teach openly or secretly, down to the few Kabalists in the Western lands who undertake to teach the rudiments of the Sacred Science to their disciples--those western Hierophants being often themselves ignorant of the danger they incur--one and all of those 'Teachers' are subject to the same inviolable law. From the moment they begin really to teach, from the instant they confer any power--whether psychic, mental, or physical--on thier pupils, they take upon themselves all the sims of that pupil, in connection with the Occult Sciences, whether of omission or commission, until the moment when initiation makes the pupil a Master and responsible in his turn. There is a weird and mystic religious law, greatly reverenced and acted upon in the Greek, half-forgotten in the Roman-Catholic, and absolutely extinct in the Protestant Church. It dates from the earliest days of Christianity and has its basis in the law just stated, of which it was a symbol and an expression. This is the dogma of the absolute sacredness of the relation between the god-parents who stand sponsors for a child.* These tacitly take upon themselves all the sins of the newly baptized child--(anointed, as at the initiation, a mystery truly!)--until the day when the child becomes a responsible unit, knowing good and evil. Thus it is clear why the 'Teachers' are so reticent, and why 'Chelas' are required to serve a seven year probation to prove their fitness, and develop the qualities necessary to the security of both Master and pupil."

---H. P. Blavatsky, Practical Occultism (Important to Students)

*"So holy is the connection thus formed deemed in the Greek Church, that a marriage between god-parents of the same child is regarded as the worst kind of incest, is considered illegal, and is dissolved by law; and that absolute prohibition extends even to the children of one of the sponsors as regards to those of the other."

Kicking around not reading a blog

The Secret Chiefs have voted.

As many of my regular readers know, I try to keep up with all the Golden Dawn related blogs on the internet. It is not as hard as it sounds...there are not that many of them in the first place.

But lately, I have been considering not reading a certain Golden Dawn blog. One, I am finding that I need a chart or scorecard to keep all their claims straight. Two, the things they say about me makes me violently upset. Three, if the things that they say about me are not true, well, I find myself doubting everything else that they say.

I need a chart to keep it all straight.

So as an early birthday present, I think that I am just quit reading that particular blog. I understand that they are the Golden Dawn community, and everyone else is just a noisy outsider...but seriously, I do not remember the last time I read their blog and did not feel upset about what they were saying. It is not worth it.

And honestly, I do not think that they will miss my readership either. They say that they want to be left alone; and do not want me or anyone writing about them, so not reading them will help me not write about them...well, in the sense that I will never realize that I am writing about them (for some reason, everything that someone writes which disagrees with them and their opinions is taken as a conspiracy against them).

Yes, I know: in order, not to write about them, I would have to completely quit writing about Golden Dawn and my opinions in the first place. And well, that is not going to happen. I figure that they are going to continue to accuse me of various things; I just do not want to have to read about how they think that I am busy trying to destory them.

To my critics

I do not care what you do. I am going to continue being awesome.

Do I need to say more?

Golden Dawn peace and harmony in Nevada 2013

[Full disclosure--This is NOT an endorsement. This post is merely sharing news and information of possible interest to the Golden Dawn community.]

For those of you who are unaware of the official HOGD/AO blog and its leader David Griffin, or have stopped reading that particular blog for one reason or another, Griffin's Order is going to be doing another peace and harmony gathering next year. It will happen March 29-April 9, 2013--outside of Las Vegas, at the HOGD/AO Isis-Hathor Temple in Pahrump, Nevada. And at this one, the Third Order is releasing new magic for the Outer Order. Everyone in the Golden Dawn community is invited.

If you are interested, please go to Griffin's blog for more information.

[Full disclosure--Repeat, this was NOT an endorsement. This is merely me doing my job as a Golden Dawn blogger, nothing more.]

Black Cat Appreciation Day

Onyx is a feral cat.

Today is Black Cat Appreciation Day. One of the things that I find sad is the fact that black cats have a harder time of getting adopted than other color cats. Over the years, I have only owned one pure black cat, Charlie (who passed a couple of years ago). I have also taken care of another, Onyx, who is the daughter of the feral cat couple that was the cornerstone of the little feral colony that came with the house.

Now, I have owned several mainly black with white highlight cats: Lucifer, Anubis, and Apollo. Anubis has his white placed in such a way that in many pictures, he appears as a black cat.

Anyways, be nice to black cats--they are my friends; I like them better than I like certain humans.

Charlie was an indoor cat with feral tendencies.

New pottery available

Last week, my wife completed some more pottery. This batch included several corked herb jars, as well as a half dozen mortar and pestles. All of these are available for purchase through her Etsy store--Celtic Soul Jewelry and Pottery. At the moment, she is only able to sell stuff to those living in the United States and Canada (someday, we hope to overcome the international shipping problems).

The first video here is two of the small corked herb jars that my wife makes. They are glazed with Oasis Blue and decorated with small jars.

The second video is of two Cobalt Blue Mortar and Pestles. They are food safe, as well as dishwasher safe. My wife has been making mortar and pestles for fifteen years. The mortar and pestles are very durable--I had one that was ten years old (before a certain cat decided to break it). She has several different glaze colors available.

My personal opinion is that a person should have three mortar and pestles: one for food safe herbs; one for poisons (anything that you are not sure about--non-cooking herbs); and one for resins (I prefer smooth bottomed mortars for resins, but have also used grooved for things as Temple Incense).

Truth in labeling

Australian highest court has upheld the law that says that cigarette companies can no longer display their logos on cigarette packages--all cigarette packages will be a drab olive color with great big government warning on it (I would put up a picture of what a cigarette pack will look like in Australia after the beginning of 2013--but it kinda grosses me out).

Now, imagine what would happen if all Golden Dawn Orders had to do this. There would be no struggle over trademarks...because trademarks would be useless. Instead of promotional copy that claimed that an Order was the best and/or the only Golden Dawn Order that was real and/or humane, one would see a giant warning that one should think twice about joining such a group in the first place.

One would end up having to decide what Golden Dawn Order to join based on things like:

Do you want to become more like the worst lunatic in the Order?
Is there a lodge of the Order located within reasonable travel distance of your house?
Are the fees reasonable?
Does their sense of humor actually make sense to you?
Do you think that you are safe in the same room as these people?

You know, common sense things--things that you ask about other social organizations and gathering places. And these questions would be spurred on by the warning labels that an Order would have to put up in the first place.

Here is probably the one that I would use:

I think that it is relatively truthful.

But there are others. Here is the one that one of my critics would love to see everyone use...provided that they did not have to use it.

Sorry, if I am a troll, so are you. I imagine that a warning such as the following would also meet with their disfavor.

Of course, just printing these warnings on our websites and literature would not be enourgh. These warnings need to be on ALL of our materials and tools. For instance, we could print warnings on the Tarot cards and call it truth in advertising.

Of course, let's be honest. No one really needs these warnings, do they? Just like I do not need to see gross pictures on cigarette packages. But hey, some people think that you need to be warned away from Golden Dawn, especially the bad Orders (you all know who they are--all the GD groups other than the one you are in), so let's start doing it. The sooner we can keep people out of the Golden Dawn Orders, the sooner that they can join some reasonable and completely safe group...like the Scientologists.

And the website troubles continue

So I tempted today to fix some of the problems with the new website for Bast Temple. (My regular readers will remember that we were forced to switch website hosts.) And it was one of those days that I feel that the service that the old host is trying to make us switch to is just too much trouble. (Actually, they are owned by the same company...so one could argue that it is just the same host with the just a higher price.) The current problem is that one has to log in through several forms to get to the actual dashboard for the website...and if you forget a password (and they all have to be different), then you have to wait hours for the reset to occur.

Makes me glad that I set up an official blog for Bast Temple because it looks like it is what we are going to be using for awhile...because I am thinking that we need to use a better web hosting service...or at least one that does not make me want to beat it with a stick.

[If you are in Denver Colorado, or thereabouts, and want to apply for membership in Bast Temple, remember that you can apply through the official blog or by sending an email to basttemple at msn dot com. Just because the web hosting service is causing me grief does not mean that the lodge has disappeared--we are still doing initiations and rituals, as well as holding meetings and lectures.]

Breaking News: The Startling Truth about Internet Cat Pictures

Revealed at last--the reason the internet has so many cat photos on it.

Breaking News! This just in. The Amazing Golden Dawn Newshound, Morgan Drake Eckstein, has uncovered a conspiracy that affects all of you. Please sit down as he reveals the shocking truth about why there are so many cat photos on the internet.

This story is being told by a digitual journalist (blogger), erotica writer, and leader of the smallest Golden Dawn lodge in Denver, therefore you know that it is the absolute truth.

"I left the house for awhile. I leave the house often during the day to do other things. And like always I left the cats at home. It is just something that you do. And yes, the computer was on. Sort-of. It was in sleep mode."

"Then I come home to discover that one of the cats is on the computer. And on Facebook. The cat was sharing cat pictures on Facebook using my account. Pretending to be me. The traitor! I wonder what else he does on the internet while I am away. Does he run a Nigerian scam? Does he belong to dog-hate groups? He must be doing other things that I disapprove of when I am gone. Sharing cat pictures on the internet must be only the tip of the iceberg. Here I am, wondering why people keep telling me that I share too many cat photos. And I am like, I don't share that many. And now, I learn that my cat is on Facebook, pretending to be me, sharing cat photos as if he was me. It is wrong, I tell you, completely wrong."

Now, being the fair minded journalist that I am, I asked my cat for a response. And you know it is the truth, because as a digitual journalist, erotica writer, and leader of the smallest Golden Dawn lodge here in Denver, I would never lie and just make something up to make someone look bad--would I?

The cat replied, "You dirty rat! Liar! I was just leaning on the computer key board. You were right there. So was your wife. Quit twisting around what happened to make yourself look good. You know that you spend hours on the internet, cruising Facebook, looking at cat pictures. Don't try to blame me for your cat fetish. And quit twisting my words around. I bet that you kiss dogs with that mouth."

After that I asked the cat if he could forgive me and live in peace under the same roof.

To this, he replied, "Maybe if you buy me fresh shrimp every night, I can. But I don't know--I still think that you might secretly love dogs."

So now, you my loyal readers know the truth. Cats are the ones who are sharing too many cat photos on the internet. Not I. Because I would never think of blaming the type of behavior I do on someone else. And you know that you can trust me because I have a blog.

"You are a dog-kissing liar!" replied the cat.

My favorite charity

We support Trap-Neuter-Return programs.

One of the questions that a global Rosicrucian has to struggle with is: Who should recieve my compassion and charity? We swear to help "heal" the world; but unless we are a member of the medical profession, our oath focuses more on healing the minds and general conditions of the world than it does the physical well-being of individual bodies.

Part of the question that we must struggle with is the fact that the entire world is in trouble. There are more people who need help than there is help available; you will never run out of people who need help. You can always give more...until you have nothing left to give.

(Jeff Goins talks some about this in his book Wrecked: When a Broken World Slams into your Comfortable Life.)

So we must decide where to focus our attention. Some people choose to focus on the global level, or the needs of the citizens of other countries. And that is ok.

I, on the other hand, chose to focus more locally. Part of the reason for this is simply the fact that I grew up poor. I was one of those kids who ended up eating free school lunches, and ate stuff from the local food banks. And if I was not redirected to another charity, I would probably be focused on helping a local food bank.

But I got side-tracked into a different type of charity and healing work. A type of healing work that does not involve human beings. That is right; I ended up working with cats.

How it happened was simple. When my wife and I brought our house, it came complete with a feral cat colony. The problem with feral colonies is that unless someone becomes their care-taker, the cats in a colony will continue to breed and overpopulate an area. This results in many deaths by stravation and disease among the poor cats caught in the situation.

The easiest way to deal with the problem (besides people not abandoning un-fixed and fertile cats in the first place) is to control the colony. Relocation does not work because more feral cats will just move into the area if a colony disappears; the same thing happens if you completely destory a colony. The only way to control a colony is to take care of it. And the first step in caring for a feral cat colony is to neuter and spay the existing members of a colony.

Once my wife and I became aware of the feral cat colony, we started to rescue the kittens who could be tamed, and fix the cats who could not be. Several males had to be put to sleep due to disease. Since then, we had to do several more rounds of trap-neuter-return. We also have to make sure that the colony gets fed--ask me about my cat food bill; it is like feeding a four-legged army.

The two cats in the picture that accompanies this post are two of the cats that we rescued as kittens two years ago when a new round of feral cats came into our neighborhood. They are really sweet cats. You really cannot see it in this picture, but both of their left ears are nipped (this is to let colony care-takers and other people know that these cats have already been fixed). We did not originally think that the two brothers would be tamable, but they seem to like being petted, fed, and allowed to lay on the sofa. I would be hard-pressed to tell that they were originally ferals if I did not already know.

So that is the type of charity that I am involved with--a local cat charity. It is not better than those people who work with people, either locally or internationally. Nor is it worse. It is just the type of charity that I am best suited to work with. And in the end, that is what determines the type of charity and healing a Rosicrucian does--the personality and skills of a Rosicrucian determines the type of healing that they do. Therefore, a difficult question turns out to be very easy to answer once one knows oneself.

Let's be clear about something

I would like to be clear about something. I give David Griffin, the HOGD/AO, and its membership, the same amount of respect that I feel they give me. I do not need to be part of a vast and evil conspiracy to dislike the HOGD/AO; I merely need to read the things that they say about me. And because I never foresee them treating me with more respect, I never foresee myself treating them with more respect either. I am not sure how I can make it any more clearer than that.

Diversity in Golden Dawn and paganism does not mean automatically having to agree with the opinions, official statements and lessons given out by David Griffin, the HOGD/AO membership, and their Third Order. And it sure does not mean that I have to treat with upmost respect those people who treat me like some deranged lunatic and claim that I have done things that haven't even crossed my mind yet.

As I said, I do not need to be part of a conspiracy to act as if I do not like you--I merely have to respond in the exact same manner that you treat me and other people. The simple truth is that there is no need for an anti-HOGD/AO conspiracy; all one needs is a bunch of people who dislike you for being a know-it-all who has absolutely no idea that sugar catches more flies than vinegar. Scary, isn't it?

And then the monkeys took over the Pentacles

Three of Pentacles--Material Works (Monkey Tarot 2012 MDE)

Welcome to the Tarot Blog Hop for Lammas 2012. These readers who are doing the blog hop probably came from Jera Babylon Rootweaver's Tarot Taxi blog. My regular readers...well, let's just say that the Golden Dawn lounge in the Lunar Insanity Ward is quite lovely this time of year.

The theme of this particular Tarot Blog Hop is Pentacles: The Fruits of Harvest.

Lately for me, the fruits of harvest involves a lot of monkeys. First of all, the Sun card from the last Tarot Blog Hop caused a friend of mine to suggest that every Tarot card needed a monkey in it. Second of all, I am helping to illustrate a set of children stories...with monkeys.

The particular card for this post, the Three of Pentacles (Material Works), sums up some of my thoughts about work. The AE Waite/Pixie Smith version of the card shows a craftsman working while a monk and a hooded man look on. I always felt that they were supervising the craftsman.

One of my on-going questions about the Three of Pentacles is how the craftsman is getting any work done at all.

The invasion of monkeys into the Tarot that I am sketching finally gave me the answer. The bosses are too busy fighting among themselves to supervise the laborer.

This may seem strange to some of you, but it makes sense to me. Then again, I am one of those artistic types. A few years ago, I was a member of a crafter co-op. I remember one meeting where instead of discussing how to get business in the door, the discussion descended into how not to upset the customers. (Some of the artists were considering displaying some racy art.)

Let me be clear--they were worried about upsetting customers that they did not have yet. And that they were not going to get because they were more concerned with matters other than getting people into the craft show.

Let's be honest, there are a lot of people who get upset with artists: business-people, religious and spiritual leaders, lawyers, the poor who believe that artists make too much money, etc. And they all want to censor the artist and creative types...for the good of other people.

(No one ever thinks about what is best for the artist. And everyone always know more about what art is supposed to be like than the artist does. Seriously?!)

Even worse is when the artist starts to censor themselves because they fear that they might upset someone. A form of artist (writer) block occurs when a creative person starts to censor their work before it is even created to please the angry masses. And you cannot please everyone.

In the end, the only person an artist can make happy is themselves. One has to let one's critics fight among themselves on what elements of one's art is the most offensive. One should not censor one's work for the sake of one's critics, who are probably going to be unhappy, no matter what one does. And it goes without saying, do not read what your critics have to say...it will just make you feel bad.

So yeah, monkeys are invading my work and telling me that my critics are just unhappy poo-flingers. Who am I to argue with imaginary monkeys?! Needless to say, it is a rather strange harvest this season.

Next up on the Tarot Blog Hop is Andrew McGregor talking about patience and the suit of Pentacles. If there are any broken links in this blog hop, please click here for the master list.

[Update: July 2013: Due to differences in sales expectations and business philosophy, in early July 2013, I ceased to be involved in the Turtle Monkey project.]