The other day, I was talking to someone who was trying to impress me. And in desperation (I guess), they mentioned how many groups that they have been in over the space of their esoteric career.
(Ok, "career" is probably not the right word to use here. But I can't think of a better one off the top of my head. Free feel to make suggestions in the comment section.)
Poking at it with a stick, I learned that they have never got past first or second stage in any group. So in Wicca, think First Degree (maybe); in Golden Dawn, think Zelator (maybe).
Exactly how many times though Neophyte does it take to become an Adept?
(Hey, I hear that groan from the peanut gallery.)
Truth be told, it does not matter how many times you went though Neophyte, or your Year and a Day, if you do not get much further than that.
I have several Neophyte Grade experiences, and you only hear me talk about two of them. And you only ever hear me talk about one Year and a Day. I had more than just these three, but these are the only ones that matter to me or anyone else for that matter. I don't think that I mention all the groups I have been in over the years.
Likewise, I have been exposed to several correspondence courses. Again, how many do you actually hear me mention?
(I sometimes think that I have seen everything that might make its way into a correspondence course. Then I get surprised by something.)
Truth of the matter is that it impresses no one when you tell them how many groups you have been in, or how many courses you have studied (or in some cases, paid for and never opened).
What we are curious about is what is the highest level you have obtained. And we do not want to hear you brag about it---we want to see proof in your actions and skills. Anything else and we suspect that your Grade is merely a peice of paper (if that) and that you might not be worth our time and trouble.
Of course, I could be wrong. Maybe there are people impressed by it. What do I know? After all, I am the person standing on top of a soapbox.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
Discordianism on "Them"
THE FIVE ORDERS OF DISCORDIA ("THEM")
Gen. Pandaemonium, Commanding
"And behold, thusly the Law formulated: IMPOSITION of Order=escalation of Disorder!" [H.B.T.; The Gospel According to Fred, 1:6]
The seeds of the ORDERS OF DISCORDIA were planted by Greyface into his early disciples. They form the skeleton of the Aneristic Movement, which over emphasizes the Priniciple of Order and is anatagonistic to the necessary compliment, the Principle of Disorder. The Orders are composed of persons all hung up in authority, security and control; i.e., they are blinded by the Aneristic Illusion. They do not know that they belong to Orders of Discordia. But we know.
1. The Military Order of THE KNIGHTS OF THE FIVE SIDED TEMPLE. This is for all of the soldiers and bureaucrats of the world.
2. The Political Order of THE PARTY FOR WAR ON EVIL. This is reserved for lawmakers, censors, and like ilk.
3. The Academic Order of THE HEMLOCK FELLOWSHIP. They commonly inhabit schools and universities, and dominate many of them.
4. The Social Order of THE CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR CONCERNED CITIZENS. This is mostly a grass-roots version of the more professional military, political, academic and sacred Orders.
5. The Sacred Order of THE DEFAMATION LEAGUE. Not much is known about the D.L., but they are very ancient and quite possibly were founded by Greyface himself. It is known that they now have absolute domination over all organized churches in the world. It is also believed that they have been costuming cabbages and passing them off as human beings.
A person belonging to one or more Order is just as likely to carry a flag of the counter-establishment as the flag of the establishment---just as long as it is a flag.
From Principia Discordia compiled by Malaclypse the Younger.
Gen. Pandaemonium, Commanding
"And behold, thusly the Law formulated: IMPOSITION of Order=escalation of Disorder!" [H.B.T.; The Gospel According to Fred, 1:6]
The seeds of the ORDERS OF DISCORDIA were planted by Greyface into his early disciples. They form the skeleton of the Aneristic Movement, which over emphasizes the Priniciple of Order and is anatagonistic to the necessary compliment, the Principle of Disorder. The Orders are composed of persons all hung up in authority, security and control; i.e., they are blinded by the Aneristic Illusion. They do not know that they belong to Orders of Discordia. But we know.
1. The Military Order of THE KNIGHTS OF THE FIVE SIDED TEMPLE. This is for all of the soldiers and bureaucrats of the world.
2. The Political Order of THE PARTY FOR WAR ON EVIL. This is reserved for lawmakers, censors, and like ilk.
3. The Academic Order of THE HEMLOCK FELLOWSHIP. They commonly inhabit schools and universities, and dominate many of them.
4. The Social Order of THE CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR CONCERNED CITIZENS. This is mostly a grass-roots version of the more professional military, political, academic and sacred Orders.
5. The Sacred Order of THE DEFAMATION LEAGUE. Not much is known about the D.L., but they are very ancient and quite possibly were founded by Greyface himself. It is known that they now have absolute domination over all organized churches in the world. It is also believed that they have been costuming cabbages and passing them off as human beings.
A person belonging to one or more Order is just as likely to carry a flag of the counter-establishment as the flag of the establishment---just as long as it is a flag.
From Principia Discordia compiled by Malaclypse the Younger.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Who's needs are more important?
Last night at the Open Full Moon ritual, I encountered one of those strange ethical dilemmas that make me think for hours on end...without coming to a satifactory conclusion. You know the type. In this case, I was easedropping...I am a writer and I cannot help doing so...plus I just got done talking to this person about Golden Dawn.
Without going into details, the bottom line in this case is a conflict of needs. One person's needs are in direct conflict with another person's needs. This brings up the whole "How do you figure out who's needs are more important?" dilemma.
In this case, there would be no way to be able to have both people as members. One of them has to lose...that is how much of a conflict there is.
Fortunately for me, I do not have to really worry about this dilemma. There is a Trump in play here. One of the people is already a member; the other person is only an applicant.
It may not be fair, but the needs of a current member outweighs the needs of a potential member. It does not matter how valuable the applicant could be; it does not matter what they bring to the table; the Trump stands. It does not matter how useless the current member is; it does not matter what they don't bring to the table; the Trump stands.
Of course, this may not be true of all lodges. This may just be a reflection of the lodge culture that I came up the ranks in. Maybe in a system where only the Co-Chiefs have any say in the matter, the more valuable person would win.
(Please note that this applicant may or may not be more valuable than the current member; it does not matter; the Trump still stands either way. I have my own opinion who is the more valuable person, but that does not matter; the Trump controls what will happen in this decision. It could be my own needs involved, and it would not matter; the Trump would still be in play.)
Bottom line is that lodges are supposed to serve their membership. It is not the potential membership that they work for, but rather those who are already in the fold.
Now some people will call this unfair. After all, this Trump is enforced by the voting process of the lodge which is controlled by the current active membership of the lodge...enlightened self-interest would so kick in here. This is just one of the more darker aspects of how lodge culture works.
Someone can scream all they like that the system should serve the needs of everyone. But it doesn't and probably can't. We are bound by no law that says our membership should be open to everyone...and in this case, I am glad of that because there would be no way to meet the special needs of both parties. Sad, but true.
Without going into details, the bottom line in this case is a conflict of needs. One person's needs are in direct conflict with another person's needs. This brings up the whole "How do you figure out who's needs are more important?" dilemma.
In this case, there would be no way to be able to have both people as members. One of them has to lose...that is how much of a conflict there is.
Fortunately for me, I do not have to really worry about this dilemma. There is a Trump in play here. One of the people is already a member; the other person is only an applicant.
It may not be fair, but the needs of a current member outweighs the needs of a potential member. It does not matter how valuable the applicant could be; it does not matter what they bring to the table; the Trump stands. It does not matter how useless the current member is; it does not matter what they don't bring to the table; the Trump stands.
Of course, this may not be true of all lodges. This may just be a reflection of the lodge culture that I came up the ranks in. Maybe in a system where only the Co-Chiefs have any say in the matter, the more valuable person would win.
(Please note that this applicant may or may not be more valuable than the current member; it does not matter; the Trump still stands either way. I have my own opinion who is the more valuable person, but that does not matter; the Trump controls what will happen in this decision. It could be my own needs involved, and it would not matter; the Trump would still be in play.)
Bottom line is that lodges are supposed to serve their membership. It is not the potential membership that they work for, but rather those who are already in the fold.
Now some people will call this unfair. After all, this Trump is enforced by the voting process of the lodge which is controlled by the current active membership of the lodge...enlightened self-interest would so kick in here. This is just one of the more darker aspects of how lodge culture works.
Someone can scream all they like that the system should serve the needs of everyone. But it doesn't and probably can't. We are bound by no law that says our membership should be open to everyone...and in this case, I am glad of that because there would be no way to meet the special needs of both parties. Sad, but true.
Friday, February 26, 2010
BNW: Farrell is started his own Order
Well, the big news of the week is that Nick Farrell is starting his own magical Order, The Magical Order of Aurora Aurea. I have nothing else to add to this, other than to say it will be interesting to watch how it unfolds. Personally, I will be only watching from the sidelines---I have my plate full between university classes, maintaining a relationship and a couple of friendships, and the Inner Order course that I am taking. Oh, and the occasional freelance writing and lodge meeting that I engage in. I just do not know where I would be able to hack out another hour or two a day (every day of the week) to do yet another course.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Discordianism on The Law of Laws
Discordianism on
The Law of Laws
(Being an Account of the Law of Laws)
(1) All laws are incorrect, except those which are correct.
(2) All incorrect laws are correct, except those which are not.
(3) All correct laws are incorrect, inasmuch as they are not correct, but correct, inasmuch as they may be.
(4) All laws that may be correct are correct, unless they are otherwise.
(5) There are always five laws.
From the Apocrypha Discordia compiled by Hif Wholines de Rev Dr Jon Swabey
The Law of Laws
(Being an Account of the Law of Laws)
(1) All laws are incorrect, except those which are correct.
(2) All incorrect laws are correct, except those which are not.
(3) All correct laws are incorrect, inasmuch as they are not correct, but correct, inasmuch as they may be.
(4) All laws that may be correct are correct, unless they are otherwise.
(5) There are always five laws.
From the Apocrypha Discordia compiled by Hif Wholines de Rev Dr Jon Swabey
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Interesting Middle Pillar Post
Frater AIT did a post on the Middle Pillar and the fountain circulation that Zelators might find interesting over on his blog: Heavens Within Earth.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Myth-reading Bibliomancy
One of the things that disturbs some people is my tendency not to take things seriously. For some reason, I consider having fun a necessary part of my life. I also consider it a part of my magical practice. I figure if you are going to be bored to tears with your magical practice, then you are not going to do it for long; but that may just be a bad personal opinion---we will have to check the comments later to be sure about that one.
My mom had a Magic 8-Ball hidden in one of her dresser drawers. I think she kept it because her sister gave it to her. I used to secretly mess around with it. One thing I discovered was to have respect for even the silliest divination methods. It is possible to have respect for a divination system, even when you are being amused by it.
Recently, I have been working with bibliomancy again. Today, it is often felt that the only proper book to use for bibliomancy is the Bible. This is not necessarily true. And if it was, I would be in big trouble because I find readings done with the Bible lack a certain connection for me. I was reminded of this the other day while reading Adam Bede. When Dinah, one of the characters of the novel, opened up the Bible, she may have been sure what God wanted her to do...but I am not sure exactly how she came to that conclusion using the particular passage quoted.
It may be that using the Bible for bibliomancy does not work for me simply because I do not have a really deep connection with the Bible. My connection has deepen over the years, thanks to my involvement in Golden Dawn. But let's be honest, I only know enough to pass my exams (same holds true for the Bible as Literature class I took last semester; I passed the exams, that is all that counts).
I am more prone to going to Robert Asprin's Myth Adventure series for advice and guidance than I am to the Bible. I have read the first book of the series, Another Fine Myth, at least a dozen times.
And recently I have been using a two volume collection of the early novels that was published by Meisha Merlin Publishing (before Meisha Merlin went out of business) for doing bibliomancy readings.
I find some of my results interesting, though I am sure that many will claim that I am myth-using the system. For one thing, I consider the entire paragraph my finger lands on (not just the sentence) to be part of the reading.
Here are three examples of some of the results that I have gotten. I will not tell you how I chose to read these results, for that would just open me up to accusations that I am myth-reading them.
Question: What is an Adept?
Answer (from Sweet Myth-ery of Life):
At this point, I had to admit that I was more confused than ever. It seemed that everyone I talked to had a different view of marriage, which wasn't making my decision any easier. One thing everyone seemed to agree on, though: A bad marriage could be a living Hell.
Question: Did S.D.A. (Fraulein Sprengel) actually exist?
Answer (from Myth-ing Persons):
Of course not. You can always get more gold. What can't be replaced is time. We all know Skeeve here has a long way to go in the magic department. What the rest of you keep forgetting is how short a life span he has to play with...maybe a hundred years if he's lucky. All I'm trying to do is get him the maximum learning time possible...and that means keeping him from using up most of his time on nickel-and-dime adventures. Let the small-time operators do those. My partner shouldn't have to budge away from his studies unless the assignment is something really spectacular. Something that will advance his reputation and his career.
Question: Do angels only tell the truth?
Answer (from Myth-Directions):
"No," the troll declared. "The only acceptable solution is to trounce those blighters soundly at their own game. I trust you'll allow me to fill a position in your team?"
So there you go, probably three of the most strangest bibliomancy answers that anyone will ever admit to recieving. And if they are not, point out my myth-statement in the comment section.
My mom had a Magic 8-Ball hidden in one of her dresser drawers. I think she kept it because her sister gave it to her. I used to secretly mess around with it. One thing I discovered was to have respect for even the silliest divination methods. It is possible to have respect for a divination system, even when you are being amused by it.
Recently, I have been working with bibliomancy again. Today, it is often felt that the only proper book to use for bibliomancy is the Bible. This is not necessarily true. And if it was, I would be in big trouble because I find readings done with the Bible lack a certain connection for me. I was reminded of this the other day while reading Adam Bede. When Dinah, one of the characters of the novel, opened up the Bible, she may have been sure what God wanted her to do...but I am not sure exactly how she came to that conclusion using the particular passage quoted.
It may be that using the Bible for bibliomancy does not work for me simply because I do not have a really deep connection with the Bible. My connection has deepen over the years, thanks to my involvement in Golden Dawn. But let's be honest, I only know enough to pass my exams (same holds true for the Bible as Literature class I took last semester; I passed the exams, that is all that counts).
I am more prone to going to Robert Asprin's Myth Adventure series for advice and guidance than I am to the Bible. I have read the first book of the series, Another Fine Myth, at least a dozen times.
And recently I have been using a two volume collection of the early novels that was published by Meisha Merlin Publishing (before Meisha Merlin went out of business) for doing bibliomancy readings.
I find some of my results interesting, though I am sure that many will claim that I am myth-using the system. For one thing, I consider the entire paragraph my finger lands on (not just the sentence) to be part of the reading.
Here are three examples of some of the results that I have gotten. I will not tell you how I chose to read these results, for that would just open me up to accusations that I am myth-reading them.
Question: What is an Adept?
Answer (from Sweet Myth-ery of Life):
At this point, I had to admit that I was more confused than ever. It seemed that everyone I talked to had a different view of marriage, which wasn't making my decision any easier. One thing everyone seemed to agree on, though: A bad marriage could be a living Hell.
Question: Did S.D.A. (Fraulein Sprengel) actually exist?
Answer (from Myth-ing Persons):
Of course not. You can always get more gold. What can't be replaced is time. We all know Skeeve here has a long way to go in the magic department. What the rest of you keep forgetting is how short a life span he has to play with...maybe a hundred years if he's lucky. All I'm trying to do is get him the maximum learning time possible...and that means keeping him from using up most of his time on nickel-and-dime adventures. Let the small-time operators do those. My partner shouldn't have to budge away from his studies unless the assignment is something really spectacular. Something that will advance his reputation and his career.
Question: Do angels only tell the truth?
Answer (from Myth-Directions):
"No," the troll declared. "The only acceptable solution is to trounce those blighters soundly at their own game. I trust you'll allow me to fill a position in your team?"
So there you go, probably three of the most strangest bibliomancy answers that anyone will ever admit to recieving. And if they are not, point out my myth-statement in the comment section.
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