Star Wars 40th birthday (geeky occultism)

On the 25th of May forty years ago (1977), Star Wars premiered in movie theaters. I, personally, was not allowed to see it--because I was only twelve, and my parents thought that it would rot my brain--that and I was only taken to the movies that they wanted to see. It is not until sometime after 1984 that I saw the movie (I wish that I could be more exact, but I can't remember the year that I first got cable TV).

The extent of my Star Wars geekiness is an unfinished project called "Stars Wars in Poetic Form."

But there are those people...

Swish, swooch, buzz...

...including a mass market kabbalist, who seemed to really embrace Star Wars fandom. Seriously, a kabbalist used Star Wars symbolism to explain kabbalah. I think it was the elder Berg (Kabbalah Centre) who did it (but I can't be sure because I have misplaced my copy of the book--actually two volumes).

And he was the first. Since then, "Jedi" has became a religion (at least, for Discordians filling out government forms)--and some occultists claim to be on the Jedi side of the Force while their enemies are obviously evil Sith. I wish I was making this up...but we have all seen the self-proclaimed Big Name magicians photoshop their faces onto Star Wars pictures (to be fair, they like all popular culture stuff--I think that they believe that it makes them seem cool and trendy).

Plus, I am quite sure that every one of my readers have seen someone recite the Yoda quote in an occult discussion, "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

And the new Star Wars movies have just encouraged this behavior--with some odd results. For instance, one Big Name magician who loves being a Jedi, also teaches sex magic...given that the prequel movies (I to III) are actually f***ing canon, how the hell do you teach sex magic and still associate yourself with the Jedi?!?

Myself--I will admit that I might have incorporated the idea of the Force in how I describe the web of life, but that may just be me seeing a pagan/mysticism concept in a popular film.

And for those who wonder how much of a Star Wars fan I am--well, I haven't seen any of the new movies yet (I haven't even bothered to see if the local library has copies).

Yes, I must be treated as a source of pestilence--run away! run away!

But enough about Star Wars, Charlie Brown. It is time to refocus on Godzilla.

Sealing the directions using IAO (reblogged from Nick Farrell)

Nick Farrell wrote: For a while I wondered why in the Sepher Yetzirah it refers to God by the name יהו instead of the more traditional tetragrammaton. This might be because the writer was using the name in Greek IAΩ. This name was the name given to the Tetragrammaton in the Greek translation of the Old Testament but was also a name given to Jupiter and was a mystical cry in the mystery rites. IAΩ was the letters of the sun, moon and Saturn in Greece, but it was also the first, middle and last letters of the alphabet. Translating it back into the original Greek it starts to make sense in that context.

He looked forward and sealed the East, with A I Ω.
He looked to the right and sealed the South, with Ω I A.
He looked behind and sealed the West, with Ω A I.
He looked to the left and sealed the north with A Ω I.
He looked below and sealed the deep, with I Ω A.
He looked above and sealed the height, with I A Ω.

Read the rest of the post "WMT (Western Mystery Tradition) Kabbalah is no longer my personal magical system's backbone" at http://www.nickfarrell.it/kabbalah-and-me/

Elohim Gibor is not peaceful (spells for Paris)

Consider your intent before you cast that spell.

Public Service Announcement: Today, I have seen a lot of solutions put forth about the tragedy in Paris. One included an a magical operation to protect Paris. This ritual included the use of the divine name Elohim Gibor. This name is not peaceful energy; it is martial energy. It is fine if you think that the answer is More Guns!!! or you fancy yourself an occult knight leading the forces of freedom. But it is not ok if you are aiming for peaceful solutions. Don't be fooled---Elohim Gibor is violence, and is like pouring gasoline on a fire. If you are after violence--fine--but I think that maybe you should consider using a different Power Word.

Aleph spelt in full

Because it is better to indulge in gematria studies than rant about Satanists not being Wiccans, I present to you the Hebrew letter Aleph spelled in full...

...and twice spelled, and three-fold spelled, and four-fold spelled, and five-fold spelled...

...and no, I was too lazy to do the six-fold spelling out in full because it involves one hundred and forty-four Hebrew letters spelt out in full.

Aleph simple value: 1
Aleph spelled in full "filled": 111
Aleph double spelled "double-filled": 270
Aleph triple spelled:  963
Aleph four-fold spelled: 2790
Aleph five-fold spelled: 7453

Aleph spelled in full to the fourth degree.

Aleph spelled in full to the fifth degree. 

The Shem Grimoire by Nick Farrell (Book Review)

Table of contents page from the Shem Grimoire.

The first thing that a reader needs to know about this book is that this book is not for beginners. This is not a history of the Shem ha-Mephorash and the evolution of its associated angels, nor is it heavy on theory and philosophy. No, this is a grimoire with just enough history and theory to orient a Zelator Adept Minor (Z.A.M.) before turning them loose on actual working with the Shem Angels.

The second thing that a reader needs to know about this book is that it is meant to be used. One of its center pieces is a ritual to actually get in contact with a Shem angel (one of the 72 angels created from the so-called 72 lettered name of God...which actually has 216 letters in it, but who is counting?). There is also an interesting Middle Pillar ritual, complete with head movements inspired by Abraham Abulafia (a mystic of the Kabbalah bent).

(I might write a blog entry about the rituals contained in this book after I work with them for awhile. Or maybe not...it is always hard to tell with me.)

Having worked with some of the Shem angels previously (using a combination of techniques grabbed from Golden Dawn, the Franz Bardon school, and ancient paganism), I mainly focused on the listings for the angels--the place I start with most books that list the uses and powers of spirits that I have previously worked with...because if they get that section wrong, then I have to wonder about the accurancy of the rest of the material.

Based on Nick Farrell's descriptions of the Shem angels, I am confident that he has actually worked with them. While there are minor differences in the functions of the angels as Farrell describes them compared to my own experiences, the differences are so insignificant that one can see that they are based on differences in perception of the operators involved, and not ignorance.

But one does not have to have extended working experience to double-check the general function of the angels. One of the things that I learned while working with the Bardon system was that the angels ruling the important positions of one's birth chart has a certain amount of influence over the individual. If one sits down with their birth chart and look at the position of their rising sign and their planets, one can often see how those planets and sensitive points of one's birth chart is colored by the influence of the angels that rule those astrological degrees. (This is a point that Farrell also mentions in his book--he suggests what order one might want to work with the angesl ruling one's birth chart.)

(Important note--remember to round up when doing this. For instance, Leo 20 degrees, 33 minutes is actually the 21st degree of Leo, not the 20th.)

Take for instance, the position of Mercury in my own birth chart, Leo 20 degrees, 33 minutes. This places my Mercury, the planet of communication and writing, in the section of the zodiac ruled by the Shem angel Meheshiiah (Mem-Heh-Shin-Yod-Heh). Given that I am one of the less evolved types, the influence of this angel tends to be more dubious and negative than positive. One of the things that Farrell says about Meheshiiah is, "There is little in the way of conciliation about him and Meheshiiah is unhappy to make a peace which does not involve total capitulation." Many people who have dealt with me will nod knowingly at this point, because I will not accept partial peace offerings, preferring to remain at war with people instead--a trait that often shows up in my writing.

I am giving this book five out of five stars.

The Shem Grimoire is limited to two hundred hard-cover copies, and is available from Lulu. 

[Disclosure: This review is based on a pre-proof stage file copy given to me by the author for review purposes.]

Tarot Love

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Welcome to this edition of the Tarot Blog Hop. Today's topic is Love. And while there is a part of me that wants to talk about romantic card spreads--it is a really small part and easily beat up by the part of me that loves collecting Tarot cards and pictures of decks that I do not own yet.

One of the things that I really love about Tarot is the sheer amount of artistic creativity that has been poured into the Tarot over the last few decades. In part, this has happened because of technological advances--in fact with the advent of print-on-demand, I expect there to be an explosion of new artistic Tarot decks (some of which will only sell a handful of copies...and so it goes).

So let's take a look at some of the artwork that people have done Tarot-wise.

For the purposes of this post, I am resorting myself to the Sun card--I could have chosen any of the cards to feature today, but I recently saw a version of the Sun card that really made me want to talk about the Sun card. So here goes...

Vampire Tarot.

This version of the Sun card from the Vampire Tarot I find very interesting. Most Tarot decks portray the Sun card in a hopeful positive manner. Not this deck, this version is, well exactly how a vampire would look upon the sun, as a destructive force and quite life threatening.

Now, while the Vampire Tarot version of the Sun made have determined the choice of card today, don't blame that deck completely for my choosing of this Major Arcana for our tour today.

From the Secret Tarot.

The Secret Tarot is my current deck of choice to read with. And it has one of the most creepy Sun cards in it. Now, maybe I am just super-sensitive, but I want to say that there are a lot of creepy Sun cards out there--aka lots of naked children. Is it just me? Or are there a lot of creepy Sun cards out there? (Feel free to answer that one in the comment section.)

From the Sephiroth Tarot.

This one is not as creepy...unless you find naked angels creepy...which some people might. I do like this deck because it has a (faulty) cheat for remembering where the Major Arcana are located on the Tree of Life.

The artwork is quite nice on this version (Un Mei, I believe that it is from); plus there is a small lion cub--you must love lion cubs, especially if you are like me and work with Bast on a regular basis.

This card is from an Oracle deck--the Madame Endora, I think. I like it because of the mix of Egyptian and the art style. Therefore, while Oracle decks are not really Tarot decks (or that is the answer that I am using today), I am including this card in today's tour of Tarot artwork.

This card from the Adflatus deck (?) is a little busy, but cheerful. I am not completely comfortable with the lower half of the card, but it does have its own particular meaning as you probably can quickly grok.

The direction of the zodiac wheel in this version of the Sun card--from the Gilded Tarot--might disturb some people. Especially those people who like to argue about the placement of the zodiac in a Golden Dawn lodge.

It is a mouse-kangaroo...a mouroo...a kanouse...a whatever. I like it--it is whimsical.

Here is another whimsical Sun card. This one is from the rather expensive Hello Kitty Tarot deck. Should kids play with Tarot cards? Maybe, maybe not. But if you own a copy of this deck, the answer is a screaming Nnnnoooooo!!! (This is one of the most expensive decks that I have looked at in recent days.)

What version of the Sun card is my favorite? Oh, that is just a silly question, isn't it? My own version, of course.

After all, what type of artist would I be if I did not like my version the most of all? Of course, I may never finish my Monkey Tarot deck--but darn it, this version of the Sun card is my all time favorite Sun card.

So what version of the Sun card is your favorite?

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Binary shabtis (31-HP Day 7)

[A quick note to the readers from the Ultimate Blog Challenge: In Ancient Egypt, it was believed that the afterlife was much like the living world--tending fields, making beer, raising cattle, etc.--with there being plenty of work to do. In the living world, the Pharaoh had servants to preform these duties. The shabtis (stone and clay figurines) are meant to be the servants of the Pharaoh (and the richer Egyptians) in the afterlife, activated by a prayer to which the shabti would answer, "I will do it; verily I am here when thou callest." This concept may have made its way into the Jewish legends of the Golem (another entity that is made of clay. Essentially, a shabti is a servant. Now onto today's poem...]

Busy today, very, very busy,
So many pixels to lift,
So many pages to read,
So many posts to release,
Too much to do alone.

Hail, binary shabti!
I need information!
"I will do it, says shabti.
I will send forth spiders
And find the information for you."

Hail, binary shabti!
I need to post while away!
"I will do it, says shabti.
Store you excellent post
And I will send it forth at the appointed hour."

Hail, binary shabti!
I don't want to talk to angry girlfriend!
"I will listen, says shabti.
And tell her that you are busy...
...even if all you are doing is watching TV."

Hail, binary shabti!
I need to make some money!
"Good luck with that, says shabti.
Outside of taking order and collecting money,
There is not much I can do for you, you lazy git!"

Counting the letters in Exodus 14 (Shem ha-Mephorash)

Most Golden Dawn students know that the Golden Dawn uses the Shem ha-Mephorash to create 72 angelic names that are associated with the 36 decans (and to 36 of the minor arcana of the Tarot)--two per decan and aforementioned Tarot card. And most of them also know that the Shem ha-Mephorash is created by writing out three lines from Exodus 14; three lines that each has 72 letters.

But are they aware of how rare it is to find three lines of 72 letters each, one right after other? I am not sure...in fact, I am not even aware of the rarity of the occurrence myself. It is towards that end that I counted up the letters in each of the sentences in Exodus 14 the other day.

(I tried to find a online source for the information, but I could not figure out the proper keywords to punch into a search engine to convince the web spiders to give me a quick answer--hence the counting of the letters the old-fashioned way.)

So the letter count for each sentence of Exodus 14 (provided that I did it right--do they make a large print Hebrew Bible?--please do not quote me on this without double-checking the count) is as follows:

Exodus 14:1--18 letters
Exodus 14:2--71 letters
Exodus 14:3--41 letters
Exodus 14:4--69 letters
Exodus 14:5--80 letters
Exodus 14:6--23 letters
Exodus 14:7--38 letters
Exodus 14:8--62 letters
Exodus 14:9--78 letters
Exodus 14:10--78 letters
Exodus 14:11--71 letters
Exodus 14:12--79 letters
Exodus 14:13--96 letters
Exodus 14:14--21 letters
Exodus 14:15--41 letters
Exodus 14:16--57 letters
Exodus 14:17--63 letters
Exodus 14:18--42 letters
Exodus 14:19--72 letters
Exodus 14:20--72 letters
Exodus 14:21--72 letters
Exodus 14:22--50 letters
Exodus 14:23--49 letters
Exodus 14:24--60 letters
Exodus 14:25--71 letters
Exodus 14:26--57 letters
Exodus 14:27--76 letters
Exodus 14:28--67 letters
Exodus 14:29--49 letters
Exodus 14:30--58 letters
Exodus 14:31--71 letters

Eyeballing this small sample, I would guess that finding three sentences of the same letter count one after another is pretty rare. But I could be wrong--after all, I have not counted all the other sentences in the Hebrew Bible yet.

Supernatural golem

[While this post may be something that seems more suitable for my seldom updated nerd blog, I am posting it here...because if you read this blog on a regular basis, you should be a Supernatural fan...or at least, golems and Nazi necromancers.]

Tonight, I had a rare chance to watch one of my favorite television shows--Supernatural. The scheduling of this show conflicts with my wife's need to have quiet in the house by a certain hour of the night, so that she can sleep (long story...do you really want to hear about my wife's sleeping disorder?); therefore, I have only seen first three espisodes of the season (...because people tell me that it is wrong to download the show from the torrent sites). And those three espisodes only because they were the ones that I found for free on Hulu.

We were watching Arrow tonight (the only espisode that I have seen all season--again, my wife has more control over what I watch than I do) when I saw the ad for tonight's Supernatural espisode, and I just had to see it.

A golem! Nazi necromancers! How could I possibly miss it?!

Oh, my wife wanted to watch the news...I decided to watch it anyway on the TV of fuzz (cheap TV that I might have grounded a black magic attack though a couple of years ago...provided that it was a black magic attack...it just might be a c*** TV and a super-duper delusion that I annoyed someone special).

And it was a great espisode!!!

Yes, I know--Supernatural never gets the lore right. But it is television--when did TV ever ever get anything right.

Especially their version of a Jewish descendent of a Rabbi, who loves bacon and smoked up a mystic instruction book...there is no way that could be a honest representation of the grandson of a Jewish mystic, right? That character in no way resembles any of the Jews that I have ever worked with (*wink, wink*).

Anyways, if you haven't seen the eighth season espisode of Supernatural "Everyone hates Hitler," I suggest that you do provided that you like tales about talking golems and Nazi necromancers. And if you don't--well, why are you reading this blog?!

Memory problems part 1

Ok, I will admit it---I have a few memory problems. And no, I do not believe that it is early onset Alzheimer's disease either (that comment is directed at a friend who d*** well knows who he is). I first became aware of these problems a few years ago, though I view them less as a problem than other people do.

For instance, I remember very little of my life before certain dates. It is either brain damage from an head injury or simple suppression of unpleasant memories. I am betting on the suppression part, though I have taken more blows to the head than I like to think about.

Other people have memories of high school and the people they went to school with; I have few memories of that time period. Oh, if I really think about it, I could draw you a map of the school. But don't ask me to name my teachers, for I can only name two of them. And forgot me recognizing someone from high school without heavy prompting...the exception being a handful of people.

Why the difficulty here? Well, outside of classes, I really did not interact with more than a handful of people. Most of the time, I was too busy dealing with another drama. So it is not so much a memory problem as the simple fact that there are no memories to actually access in the first place.

Now, we have a myth that everything that we experience is stored in the brain. This is not true. There are several stages where memories can get lost between the experience and actual recall of the memory. For instance, if you don't get a good night sleep, you can lose a lot of potential memories as they are transferred to short term memory to long term memory.

Of course, my short-short term memory is like swiss cheese when it comes to certain things. I have a devil's of a time with phone numbers. It is not that I can't remember phone numbers; it is that I can't remember them in the manner most people do. For me, someone firing off a seven digit phone number leads to a blank look on my face. My very own phone number is not remembered as a seven digit number, rather it is remembered as three numbers. For instance, I remember the last four digits of it as 66 and 84; there is one more step there, but you get the idea.

A few years ago, a friend caught how I rememebered a phone number that I dialed every day. She noticed that I could not remember the number unless my hand moved as if I was actually dialing the number. The memory of the number was actually stored in my muscle memory, and not in the normal usual place.

And that is something I always wonder about magical workers in general. Where are we storing our memories in the first place? For instance, according to occult theory, everyone has an astral body, and everyone astral travels (ok, I do know a theory that argues different, but it is a testing theory). Yet few people remember astral traveling on a regular basis before they get trained to astral project. And that includes people who have been witnessed by other people.

If you cannot remember astral traveling, then as far as you are concerned, you have not astral traveled. Much of learning to astral project is not figuring out how to leave your body as much as it is learning to be able to recall that you did so in the first place.

Look sometime at the number of energetic bodies that occult theory says that we have. Each one of these bodies potentially has its own set of memories. What is in our head is more than the circuits of the meat suit that we are wearing, or at least it should be if we are a magician. Which means that the memory problems that I am aware of are merely the tip of the iceberg. And that makes alzheimer's look like a welcome change from my normal experiences.

Comment to Frater AIT (Geometry and the Western Tradition)

Once again, there is a comment I would like to make; but because of the silliness of web browsers and quarks of blogspot, I can't. For some reason, some blogs slip the security (prove that you are a real human) response box behind a another box where you can not actually see it and/or use it.

In this case, it is just a quick note to Frater AIT (Heavens Within Earth) post about Geometry and the Western Tradition.

I personally have done some private work with this. It was an interesting experience to take college algebra with a decade-plus Golden Dawn experience under my belt. Some of the equations and what they do are mystical for me. It was especially true when a tutor (in the Community College of Denver mathlab) explained to me why we can not divide zero by zero, an explaination I automatically associated with Ain Soph Aur.