My favorite charity

So much for that mouse. 

Tomorrow, December 31st is the biggest charity giving day of the year...because people are trying to get the tax credit. That amuses me because I deal with my favorite charity everyday of the week. Yes, my favorite charity is helping take care of the homeless cat population. And as a bonus, the cats take care of the mouse problem that my neighborhood has. It is a win/win.

A Tarot Mnemonic

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Hi everyone! Welcome to another installment of that insanity that we call the Tarot Blog Hop.

(Yes, I said that. I have wrangled this thing, and it can drive any wrangler insane. And I am sticking to that opinion.)

Today's theme is Office Party. And at a Xmas office party, there is always someone who gives out a present that the only proper response is "Oh...you really shouldn't have."

And I am that guy.

I thought about sharing my latest project....but that might actually not be a white elephant.

I really like how this looks. 

Then during a reading for a friend, I caught myself using the mnemonic titles that Golden Dawn uses for the thirty-six cards that are associated with the decans of the zodiac. And the thought went though my mind, that a mnemonic is exactly the type of thing that some people will go, "Oh, you really shouldn't have."

So here is my gift to you, a completely useless mnemonic for the thirty-six decan cards (keyed to the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck and Book T of the Golden Dawn system).

The thirty-six cards that are assigned to the decans. 

The titles of the decan cards from Book T.

Wands

Two rulers oversee the creation of dominions.
Three merchants await groundbreaking vessels.
Four celebrating dancers practice perfection.
Five day-traders chaotically compete to build.
Six Caesars parade in justified victory.
Seven outnumbered warriors bravely holdfast.
Eight meteorites swiftly communicate omens.
Nine prisoners survive backstage might.
Ten looters protest selfish oppression.


Cups

Two lovers unify in harmonious mirth.
Three maidens overflow with fortune.
Four yogis mediate on passive endings.
Five mourners stress over treachery.
Six children exchange vain pleasure.
Seven dream poison perception of success.
Eight travelers moan seeking of goals.
Nine bankers brag of sins and conceit.
Ten rainbows rain down lasting pleasure.


Swords

Two hostages sacrifice to restore peace.
Three hearts lament Loki's discord.
Four coffins shelter honored causalities.
Five vultures cowardly slander allies.
Six ferries cross troubled waters.
Seven thieves spy on exhausted combatants.
Eight prisoners impulsively hammer trifles.
Nine nightmares burden with cruel despair.
Ten murderers plot disruptive ruin.


Pentacles

Two jugglers foolishly gain and lose.
Three bureaucrats design impossible infrastructure.
Four misers covet their petty prejudices.
Five beggars suffer toil and trouble.
Six patrons distribute alms.
Seven gardeners slave over miserable barrenness.
Eight apprentices carve talismans cautiously.
Nine songbirds sing of sweet increase.
Ten siblings plot over ancestor's wealth.


So there you go, one white elephant Xmas present. Yes, I know--I really shouldn't have.

But hopefully, the rest of the tarot office party is not as bad. Why don't you check out some of the other blogs by clicking on the links below.


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Vote for your favorite occultists

Ever want to see your favorite occultist get an award?

Well, here is your chance.

Until December 23, 2015, you can email your choice for the following categories to 7thphoenix@gmail.com

Among the catergories are:

Best work on demonology/necromancy
Best male occult author non-fiction
Best male occult author Fiction
Best female occult author non-fiction
Best female occult author fiction
Best anthology
Best overall occult book 1970-2015
Best occult podcast
Best occult course
Best occult research work
Lifetime occult contribution achievement award

And you can add other categories. I suggest that you add "Best occult blog" and then nominate this here blog.

Yeah, I know. There are a billion better occult blogs than mine. But you can't fault me for dreaming, can you?

Why Morgan should not have a voice in Golden Dawn

Every once in awhile, I get told that I should not have a voice in Golden Dawn. Typically, this happens right after I state my honest opinion about something or someone, and someone starts screaming that my opinion does not count because...I am evil.

The latest incident was two weeks ago. Someone asked what a certain video had to do with Golden Dawn; and I quipped that it was posted by "the Golden Dawn Imperator," therefore it was automatically Golden Dawn.

Is the joke really that bad?

The response was odd. 

First off, the creator of the video always says, "Imperator of the Golden Dawn" in his video. This has always been a sore point for me because if you don't know better (and there are lots of people who don't), this makes it sound like he is in charge of the entire system. Trust me, if he was, I would have been expelled from the tradition years ago. 

I have always thought that the proper introduction for him should be "Imperator of XYZ branch of the Golden Dawn." But as you will see, I am not even allowed to have that opinion. 

My small joke was met with an accusation that I was trying to stir up trouble. 

Now, let's be clear about something---I am a blogger. And I am probably the closest thing that the Golden Dawn community has to a professional blogger. And I am also a hostile columnist for a newsletter. As a kid, I wanted to be a newspaper columnist; and in our brave new world of blogs and dying newspapers, it was only natural for me to become an angry blogger instead. 

So yes, there is always a tone of hostility to my voice. Most people just shrug and say, "That is Morgan being Morgan" and think nothing more of it. Not this person. 

I ignored the comment. I had made my little joke, and I went back to working on whatever I was doing that day. Hours later, I came back online to discover that someone actually thought that I was stirring up trouble. 

Except that it was not me. The moderator of the group that I made had deleted the accusation that I was trying to stir up trouble.

*drumroll* And the accuser came back and made the comment again. Again, I ignored it. And again, it was deleted. And then it was reposted. 

So I am not really sure that you can say that I was the one trying to stir up trouble considering that I could not be bothered to argue back. 

And then they made this comment. 

And you say this as if it is a bad thing. 

Yep, that is right. They think that I should have no voice in the Golden Dawn community because my lodge (and Order) has always been small, and because I support the idea that if you really want a lodge in your area that you should just find three other interested people and just do it. 

In the mind of this person, only those who have Orders with thousands and thousands of members should have a voice in Golden Dawn. 

Sorry, I am the sole voice for the small lodge system, and I am going to continue to support it openly. I do not care that it undermines your goal to have everyone who is interested in Golden Dawn joining your Order, so that you can be king of the hill. 

As for the vampire fiction comment, that is just too rich. There is a whole bunch of people that keep trying to prove that Bram Stoker was a member of Golden Dawn. Why is it ok for him to be a member and not me? Oh, right, he is a famous dead white guy, and I am just an angry blogger making jokes. He can't put forth his opinion that people are doing it wrong. I can. 

And to you, mighty protector and decider of who should have a voice in Golden Dawn, I say, "Stake you!"

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Should GD leaders be talking about politics

During the current election cycle, some of the "leaders" of the "Golden Dawn" have been posting about how they feel about various political positions.


Hell, I have done it myself....though it should be noted that no one actually considers me to be a leader, or even to be a member of the Golden Dawn in the first place.


Now most of this political quibbling has been restricted to the personal walls of people. Still this has upset some people. In my case, some people have caught onto the fact that I am a stinking dirty liberal hippy---a fact that I am surprised that they have not picked up on sooner---something that they do not understand at all.


But some of these political posts have been posted to the Golden Dawn groups ran by leaders of the Golden Dawn. And there has been some backlash.


Should this stuff be posted to GD FB groups? And should it be issued inside the Order themselves?


In my opinion--no. When I joined Golden Dawn (or rather a group that claimed to be Golden Dawn, but which would have absolutely nothing to do with most of the big name GD Orders), I was told that my oath of obligation would not have anything contrary to my civil, moral, or religious duties in it. I was not asked about what religion I belonged to (but I am sure they knew that I was a wicked Wiccan witch), what political party I belonged to (at the time, I was "Republican" thanks to family tradition, but really something else), nor was I asked any of my political positions (pro-choice, pro-immigration, pro-gun control, pro-pot).


Based on the loudest leaders in Golden Dawn today, at least the ones talking about politics, I realize that I should have never been allowed into the tradition in the first place.


Yes, I am saying that it seems that Golden Dawn is far right as you can get (anti-abortion, anti-welfare, anti-immigration, pro-gun, anti-drug) based on the loudest leaders talking about politics in the system.


I am quite sure that there is a petition somewhere to get me expelled from the system based purely on my politics.


But let's be honest, Golden Dawn has a long history of leaders being involved in politics. Yes, I am talking about Mathers, who would be far right in today's politics. Therefore, yes, GD leaders can be interested in politics. And obviously, based on Mathers' politics, GD should be far right in its politics. And Mathers knew, rightfully, that politics trumped the teaching of magic.


And given the fact that the tradition claims to be Rosicrucian, a tradition that is interested in the reformation of the world, yes, GD Orders probably do have to instruct their members in the correct political positions and goals to hold and promote.


Therefore the sad truth is that, yes, GD leaders have a right to stuff political positions down their membership's throats, kick them out of groups, and to expel them if they choose the wrong political party or religion. And it is all done in the name of reformation, Rosicrucianism, healing the world, seeking out the light, and the Summum Bonum.


Fortunately, for the greater Golden Dawn community, I am not recognized as being a member of the tradition, nor is my Second Order membership recognized, and no one ever listens to me---because given the fact that I believe (oh so wrongly) the RC would be middle of the road politically, or horrors of horrors, liberal, I might actually have to trot out my pro-choice, pro-immigration, pro-gun control, pro-pot positions and exhibit them publically to offset those who are coaching their membership to take far-right positions.


Of course, if I did that, one would be advised to vote with their feet and leave all the circles and groups that I frequent. After all, that is what the original membership of the GD tradition did when its leader decided that politics was more important than magic.

How to tell if you are a secret gun control supporter

When considering the Second Amendment vs Gun Control question, ask yourself this---do you want Morgan to actually own a gun? Then proceed though your entire friend list, and then go though your entire family and everyone else you know, asking yourself do you trust these people with a gun.

If at the end of this process, you end up with at least one person that you would refuse to give a gun to because they are going to fly off the handle someday and cap somebody, then remember that you too support gun control whether you want to admit to it or not.

Gun control ideally is not about taking away everyone's guns; it is about keeping them out of the hands of people who are prone to go up in a clock tower and shooting random people because they are having a bad hair day.

Forbidden Liberal Porn

Here is some evil smut for you.

The Last American Taboo: Fucking God-Damned Liberal Hippie Gun Control.