Some thoughts on Daily Practices

The other day I was asked about the daily practices I do and when I do them. It was a good question to ask. My daily practices consist of a mixture of physical exercises and meditations. I think that physical exercise is an absolute must and I've always been puzzled that its not something implemented by more magicians, but I suspect that in such cases the people simply haven't realized that physical exercise is spiritual in its own right and that the importance of taking care of your body can't be understated, as your body is the medium by which you experience this world.

My physical exercises consist of Stretches followed by several Tai Chi practices, and then followed up with 5 sets of ten push-ups, 2 sets of 10 Sit-ups, and 2 sets of 10 leg-ups. I also walk on 3-5 times a week, depending on my schedule and the weather. It's not the most rigorous exercise I could do, but it keeps me in shape, and my body seems to genuinely like it.

My meditations consists of Attuning with Reiki each, Raising Psychic Heat in my body, and doing the Zeroing Meditation combined with a Taoist Breathing meditation. I also do an evening silent meditation with Kat. In the past I have done other daily practices. I change my daily practices on occasion to keep me focused and disciplined.

I find it helpful to do daily practice at specific times of the day or when specific events occur during the day. For example, Kat and I typically do our silent meditation before dinner each night and I do my daily practices in the morning, when I first wake up, or soon thereafter. Keeping on schedule helps me stay disciplined and makes the rest of the day more enjoyable because I've followed through on the daily practice.

If you do a daily practice long enough you will find that you crave it and that the days you don't do it will be days where you are less collected and focused. A daily practice brings stability, a focal point, and awareness of a person's space and time in the world.

The occasions where you don't feel like doing your daily practice are occasions that you must push through and do the practice anyway. You will always feel better afterwards and you'll know that by being disciplined you'll have accomplished the single most important thing you can do that day: You took charge of yourself and chose to be responsible in caring for yourself enough to do the daily practice you needed.

If you aren't doing daily practice in your magical work I recommend it. A daily practice builds reserves you can draw on when you need them and helps you stay focused in times of trouble.

Book Review: The Spiritual Dimension of Music by R. J. Stewart

This is a fascinating book that explores how music and magic can be brought together from a musician's perspective. The author discusses how you can use your voice, but also touches on musical theory and even types of music and instruments best suited for music magic. If you don't have a background in music some of the material will go over you head, but there's still a lot you can get from this book that can be applied to your magical practice. The author also provides some useful exercises that help implement the theories he presents. If you are a musician who practices magic I recommend this book, but if you also want a different perspective on magic this book will open your eyes and ears!

My List of Essential Occult Books

Below is a list of Occult books that I consider essential for a magician's practice. Actually not all of the books are occult per se, but all of them offer something for the aspiring and experienced magician. I have not included any of my books here, because while I would argue they are essential reads, I wanted to focus on other people's works.

Magical Ritual Methods by William G. Gray

This book has been foundational to my magical practice and is one I draw inspiration from even today. Gray explores magical concepts and practices in depth, while providing exercises and urging practitioners to experiment.

Initiation into Hermetics by Franz Bardon

Another excellent practical book that walks you through a variety of magical processes while providing exercises to help you master those skills. It should be one of the first books a magician reads.

Real Magic by Isaac Bonewits

This book does a good job of defining and describing how and why Magic works. While I don't agree with all the laws, I think its still a book any magician should read just to see how someone has developed a definition of magic through systematic work.

Defining Reality by Edward Schiappa

Not an occult book, but a must read because it explores definitions and how people develop them. It's very useful for a magician to understand the power of definitions, both in terms of life and how they apply to magic.

Relaxing into your Being by B. K. Frantzis

This book provides an excellent introduction into Taoist meditation practices and lays out the value of doing internal work for personal development, as well as developing your internal energy

Magical Pathworking by Nick Farrell

A Useful Exploration of Pathworking, hypnosis, and related techniques and how to use them for internal work and invocations.

The Magician's Companion by Bill Whitcomb

A Useful Encyclopedic reference book that comes in handy if you want to get a quick reference to an occult tool or system.

Uncle Setnakt's Essential Guide to the Left Hand Path by Don Webb

A useful guide to the left hand path practices, as well as providing an intriguing essay on initiation that is a must read regardless of what path you are on.

Kissing the Limitless by T. Thorn Coyle

This is a book of Western Magical practices that also includes internal work as a part of its core practice. It explores a person's relationship to the world via spirituality and its exercises will definitely help you evolve.

Living Magical Arts by R. J. Stewart

Another excellent book that builds off the concepts in Magical Ritual Methods, while also providing a different perspective to the core principles of magic.

I could probably recommend many more books, but all of these are a good start for a beginning magician and recommended for more experienced ones as a way of helping you fully flesh out your practice in a comprehensive manner.

Book Review: The Hidden Adept & The Inward Vision by R. J. Stewart

This is a fascinating biography about a little known occult adept named A. R. Heaver who lived in England from 1900 to 1980. R.J. Stewart shares details of this person's life as well as his own encounters with him in the 1970's. He also discusses the Avalon sanctuary, and several other fascinating details. I enjoyed the book a lot because it provided some details about R.J's work in relationship to A. R. Heaver and proved to be fascinating in terms of learning a bit more occult history. If you are learning the Sphere of Art or other related work that RJ does this book is a must, and if you are a student of occult history, you will also want to pick up this book.

Snow White Mythos in Pop Culture

I recently saw the movie Mirror Mirror. A little while back I also saw the other snow white movie that came out this year. And of course Once Upon a Time has Snow White as a main character, as well as the wicked Queen. There is a lot of focus on the Snow White Mythos, and when this kind of attention happens its worthwhile to pause and take notice. I find it fascinating how much Snow White has become popular. It shows how a story can endure and go through changes in its appearance that nonetheless still supports the original story.

From a pop culture magic perspective, the snow white mythos is prime estate. Whether its the movies or the show there's a lot being done with snow white and it's worth studying. Pop culture is about relevance. Why something is popular is based on how it speaks to the needs of the people at a given time. Snow White has relevance because it speaks to the desire people feel to come out of a bad time, but also the need to find someone who represent the hope they need to feel as they weather that bad time.

Snow White has become more relevant because people identify with the story. The princess is oppressed by the evil queen who fears her power. The princess runs away and tries to get help, while the queen does whatever she can to stop the princess. And so on and so forth. There are variations of the story which the current movies and show are presenting. And those variations are what keeps Snow White relevant. By seeing the myth retold in contemporary culture, explored in context to the demands and needs of the time, the myth is refreshed, rejuvenated, made into something relevant to the times. The myth is reborn and people's buy in to it is also reborn.

When I look at Snow White mythos right now I see strong female leads who come to the rescue of the Princes who are in love with them. I see allies who can help her, but often require her help as well. I see an evil queen who is much more than evil. I see characters people can relate to, that embody the times we live in. And that's the beauty of a mythology evolving. It provides us a chance to see the mythology change and be reappropriated by the themes of the times.

Why Magic is necessary for our spiritual practices

In Ethics and the Craft, the author argued that "Magic and Spells are a small aspect of modern Pagan spirituality and not a necessary practice" I've seen the rise of this kind perspective for a while now and it always concerns me, because in a way I think it caters to the fear that if we talk about magic then we won't be taken seriously or worse yet we'll be demonized with the stereotypes associated with the practice of magic.

I don't think of magic as an optional or small part of modern pagan spirituality. Magic is at the core of pagan spirituality and defines what pagan spirituality. To describe it as not necessary is to turn our backs on essential practices that are used to connect with the very spiritual forces that a pagan works with. Magic is necessary because it provides the practices we use to connect with the spiritual forces we work with. If we discard magic or say its optional what we are really giving away is our spirituality and replacing it with empty formulaic activities.

When you look at magical processes, you see certain practices that are universal. For example, invoking deities is a universal practice regardless of what pagan path you happen to belong to. Invocation is considered a magical technique. If you argue that magic is optional, then why do invocations? Yet pagans do invocations and its because they are an essential part of their spiritual practice. You can't take magic out of Pagan spirituality...or at least you shouldn't.

I recognize that there are pagans who don't practice magic. I realize that magic isn't considered to be an essential practice by some people, but I think discarding magic or trivializing it isn't a good idea. What are we giving away in terms of our spiritual practices when we marginalize our spiritual practices as optional?

Book Review: Ethics and the Craft by John Coughlin

I am not a Wiccan and this is a book about Wiccan Ethics. With that Caveat made, I found this book to be an excellent exploration of Wiccan ethics, both in terms of the history of said ethics and the exploration of those how ethics are applied to one's life. I also like that the author explored ethics in relationship to one's magical practice. I highly recommend this book as a useful guide to understanding Wicca and its ethics, and even as a book that may be interesting to someone who is not Wiccan but practices magic and wants to learn about various ethical systems. While I did disagree with the author on a couple points, I found that all of his arguments were well put together.

Round 3 Process of Magic Charity Special

It's time for the Process of Magic Charity Special. If you sign up for the Process of Magic class this week, I will donate half of the class fee to a charity. The charity for this round is the Amboselli Trust for Elephants. This is a charity that protects wild Elephants from poachers, and ensures that they stay wild.

The Process of Magic class offers 24 lessons, with a lesson sent out each week. Additionally you'll get a free e-book from me, as well as feedback on the homework for the course and access to an online forum for the class. If you have questions or want to know more about class, contact me.

How patterns define reality

In reading the variety of books that I am wont to read at a given time I am always struck by an awareness that each and everyone of them represents a patterened perspective of reality or how reality seems to manifest. This is true even with the fantasy and SF books I read. There is always a formula at work, a way of presenting information in a specific pattern that leads to a specific conclusion.

Awareness of patterns can help us understand what they have to offer us, but can also lead to a myopia of sorts, that only sees the pattern and mistakes it for the reality, kind of like mistaking the forest for the trees. A pattern isn't reality, so much as it is a perception of how reality manifests. It structures our awareness of reality, but it also leads to specific conclusions, while excluding other conclusions.

When we understand patterns from this perspective we can critically engage them and challenge whether or not they are actually realistic to the situation we are in. A pattern doesn't have to define reality. We can step away from it or change it, with the recognition that we are creating our own pattern in the process. In  fact, I don't think we can really live without patterns, but we can recognize their limitations and account for those limitations in a way that allows us to knowingly make changes. Every pattern is an opportunity to interpret reality, but it is our choice to rely upon that interpretation or to challenge it.

Information filtering and magic

Ever since I read the post from Scarlet Imprint about their choice to leave Facebook, in part due to information overload I've been thinking about information filtering and where it fits into magic. Scarlet imprint makes a valid point when they note that your average person can only handle so much information before s/he is overwhelmed. Back in the days when I taught social media, I saw first hand how overwhelmed most people were (and still are) by how fast social media technology progresses, but also by the sheer amount of information that is shared. It can make your head spin.

My approach to handling information involves filtering information, both in terms of importance, but also in terms of how I process information. It is easier to filter information by importance because you can simply ask whether the information is important or relevant, and recognize that a lot of it isn't. As such cutting out the information that isn't important can be effective for reducing the stress on your cognitive load. But even then you still have to process the information.

In Magical Identity I discussed how I have developed a technique where I devote a specific aspect of myself to learning and processing information about a specific discipline. Information about that discipline is directed to that specific aspect and that aspect processes the information, and also comes to the fore when the information is needed. So for example I have an aspect of myself that is focused on processing information about neuroscience. I have another aspect that is focused on processing information about small business development. And so on and so forth.

By creating multiple aspects I can effectively improve my cognitive load and process more information on a variety of topics. I can then draw on that information as needed by simply tapping into that aspect to call it forth. And when I don't need the information, that aspect goes into the background and continues to process information and provide insights as needed. Sometimes I will find myself thinking about a particular subject of interest, and the needed insight will come to mind immediately, provided courtesy of the aspect that I have devoted to that exploring that particular subject. I think of my aspects as background programs that continue to run at all times, helping me process lots of information. As such I have never really found myself overwhelmed by information.

The creation of an information filter can help you with your cognitive load. As you can tell there are different types of information filters. Creating ones that filter and then process information frees up your everyday consciousness to focus on what is important in the moment, with the knowledge that you can draw on a vast store of information as needed.

When to be wary of gifts

Mike recently made an interesting post about how physical touch can be used to get around shields. It made me think of how else someone might try and get around magical shields and what came to mind is when someone gives you a gift, it can be the perfect opportunity to attach something to the gift that is malevolent. I can even think of a personal example.

A few years back another magician sent me a couple of rattles. I was wary about accepting them because my relationship with that person had soured, but nonetheless I did. I shouldn't have. I should have remembered instead how he'd tried to harm two people I knew, as well as trying to undermine me in a couple of other ways. I think I hoped he'd changed his ways, but knowing this person as I do, I should've known better. And by accepting his gifts, I was accepting his continued influence in my life, and also whatever he attached to those gifts.

I got rid of the two rattles a year or so later after I received them and I noticed a distinct change in my environment. I also noticed that my creativity improved. Now it could be psychosomatic, but nonetheless, just as Mike notes that physical touch can be used to get magical shields, why not also include gifts given, since if the gift is accepted, what is also accepted is what the person attaches to the gift.

I got rid of the two rattles by taking them out of my house and then burying them in the Earth, making them an offering to the land and asking that anything attached to them be recycled to the benefit of the land. And I did a banishing ritual in regards to that particular person, with the desire that he stay out of my life. I didn't feel a need to do anything else, nor a desire to.

That incident did teach me to be careful about the gifts I accept from people. While I'd like to believe that most people are motivated by a genuine desire to give something freely and with good intent, I can't help thinking of the poison apple given to Snow white. It looked good, it seemed like a wonderful gift, but one bite..,and she discovered that the gift had a bite of its own. So I accept gifts, I'd prefer to accept them from people I can genuinely trust as opposed to people who might have an alternative agenda.

My history with blood magic

In Ethics and the Craft, John Coughlin briefly discusses blood magic and why people don't use blood with magic. The original reason for not using blood with magic is that the energy released isn't stable or reliable. I've found a similar claim made in Stephen Mace's book Nemesis and other Essays, where he discusses how one of the Roman emperors abused blood magic, to the point that it caused him to make rash decisions.

Blood is representative of a person's life force. We can't live without blood and so it is a powerful agent of transformation that can be used in magical work. I've used my own blood in my magical work. For example, when I made my pact with the elementals I gave them my blood and I've done similar pacts with other entities and shed blood as part of the pact. In such a case, it is an exchange of my life essence for their life essence.

I've never drawn on my blood for any other magical working, but I also know of cases where people who have chosen to donate their blood have also chosen to enhance its healing capacities with magic. Certainly a worthwhile way to utilize blood magic.

I respect blood as a fluid of life and as a symbol of life energy. I wouldn't write off drawing on it, though I think the only blood you should use is your own. I do think its important to be careful with it. Use sterilized tools if you are going to draw blood and have respect for what you are drawing on via the blood, i.e. your life force. I suggest using Lancets, though I've also used a knife in the past. Lancets are much less messy and you can get a few drops of blood from a finger and have it heal fairly quick.

Blood magic isn't something to do lightly. As I mentioned, I only use it for making pacts with spiritual entities I want to work with and I don't even use it for every kind of entity I work with. There are specific circumstances that warrant it, such as when I wanted to develop a closer connection to the elemental spirits. I reserve it for those occasions and those occasions alone.

Social Media, Technology and Magic

Recently Jason from the Wild Hunt reported that Scarlet Imprint is leaving Facebook. Scarlet Imprint offered their own explanation of leaving Facebook as well as a critique of technology. Finally here is a report on how Facebook's changes in terms of reach have affected people and businesses, specifically in terms of cost involved in order to reach your entire fan base. I don't care for how Facebook has changed the ability of a given business or person to reach his/her followers, which is why I think its important to use multiple social media, but I'm also not going to write FB off just yet.

Scarlet Imprint decries technology and social media as a dumbing down of magic and claim they wouldn't be online if it wasn't for the press. Perhaps they wouldn't be. They go on to argue that people who discuss their magical work online are diminishing their work. That's the gist of their message. It's ironic then how much modern technology they do use, but they likely have realized that a business that isn't online is less likely to be discovered.

They'd no doubt be appalled that I take a different tact. I'm one of those magicians who likes incorporating technology and pop culture into magic. I'm one of those "low" magicians. I think Facebook and other social media can be useful for sharing information and I think its good to get the information out there to people who might otherwise never be exposed to it. I even think its possible to apply magic to social media (a subject for a book). I don't think its wise to write off social media and while I think they make some valid points it all comes off as elitist. That may be a compliment for them.

I'd definitely like it if Facebook went back to letting businesses reach their fans without charging for it, but I'm still going to post on Facebook and on social media in general. After all, its thanks to social media that I have really found my fan base. Pre-social media, I honestly wondered who was reading my work and/or what they were doing with it. Social media showed me what people are doing and gave me a chance to answer their questions and comment on their work. I don't see that as a diminishing return, but rather as a chance connect with people who appreciate my work and want to stay dialed into what I am doing.

The Metaphysics of Ethics

I'm reading Ethics and the Craft by John Coughlin. It's a good read and its gotten me thinking about the metaphysics of ethics, or if you will, how ethics are enforced. Consider for example the idea that if you do something you'll get back three times what you put out. So if you do harm to someone, you'll get 3x the harm back on you and if you do good you'll get 3x the good visited on you. I've never subscribed to this particular law, but as Coughlin notes, there are people who believe it to be a literal reality, while there are others who teach it, but relate it to three degrees that are part of Wicca. I understand the latter interpretation, but the former interpretation strikes me as unrealistic. Nonetheless I could also see how it could be a reality for the people who believe in it.

So why it is a reality for those people (and no one else)? It's a reality because they believe in it, and because they will subjectively find proof to support the belief  that they will get 3x the benefit or harm, they put out. This is especially true when it comes to harm, and the reason for that is that typically harm is emphasized, in order to discourage people from doing magic for harmful purposes. That emphasis consequently encourages a fixation on the experience of 3x harms moreso than 3x the benefit.

Belief is a powerful tool in magic, but it is double edged, and the beliefs we hold can sometimes cut us, precisely because we believe them and give them power to effect our lives. This is why it is important to examine our ethics (whatever they are) carefully to really determine how those ethics impact us.

I'll admit that I am not the most ethical magician out there. I think one of the reasons I am more "ethical" in my life these days boils down to doing the internal work and working through the dysfunctional beliefs I've held that contributed to the chaos in my life. Doing that work has helped me realize how much the rules we hold ourselves to can be helpful or harmful depending on what we believe. Perhaps this is why I base my ethical decisions on situations as opposed to an overall code for living life. I look at every situation and evaluate how I will respond based on the situation and the contexts and variables effecting the situation. That makes me ethically flexible, which some people would frown upon, but I'm satisfied with that flexibility, and it allows me to factor in my beliefs in, in a way that causes me to examine how those beliefs will impact me.

The Reluctance to do magic for yourself

Recently I came across a situation where an acquaintance mentioned that s/he was hoping to buy a house, but that s/he was reluctant to do magic to affect the outcome, but was okay with other people doing magical work for him/her. I found it to be a curious statement, and puzzling in a way. Afterall s/he knew what s/he desired and had already done everything that could be mundanely done...why not tip the scales in his/her favor? Readers of my blog know that I'm not hesitant to employ magic to accomplish my goals, but I realize some people are.

I think part of the hesitancy is dependent on ethics. If you subscribe to a do no harm model of magic you may not feel you can do magic for practical purposes if you are concerned it will harm someone. Alternately if you believe that magic is only something that is done for spiritual or religious purposes you may not feel you can do magic for a practical purpose. It would be considered "low" magic after all.

I don't subscribe to either of these beliefs about magic. If I want something and I feel magic is appropriate to use to get it, I'll do magic. I do explore mundane options, but even in that case, I usually do it in tandem with magical work, on the basis that both mundane and magical efforts should support and enhance the effectiveness of each other.

But I find it interesting that there is, depending on your magical background, a perspective that argues against using magic for yourself or using it for practical purposes. When magic is used for such purposes it is frowned upon or called "low" magic, because it isn't oriented toward spiritual purposes, but it seems to me that spirituality needs a solid foundation in the material world and that magic isn't solely a spiritual force precisely because it can be applied, to good effect, to the material world. This doesn't mean I use magic for every single want or need, but I do utilize magic when a situation calls for it, especially if it'll tip the situation in my favor.

I recognize that some people are just uncomfortable with the idea of applying magic to a situation in their lives, but while magic is a means to communicate with the spiritual aspects of the world, it is also a means to communicate with the practical aspects.

What do you think? Do you use magic for practical purposes? Why or why not?

Round 3 of the Process of Magic Starts this week!

On Halloween, the next round of The Process of Magic class will start. Not sure if the class is for you? This class is for any magician, regardless of your level of skill or experience. Whether you are just starting out or have been practicing for years, this class will help you look at magic in a different way: You'll learn how to approach your practice and the principles of magic from a process perspective which will help you troubleshoot your magical work as well as design practices that are effective because they are part of a process. You will get the following:

• Access to forums where you can ask questions and learn with other students.
• Access to me, so that you can ask questions and get a response that is helpful.
• 24 written lessons sent out each week on Wednesday which includes exercises to help you develop and refine your process of magic.
• Homework to help you proactively apply the principles of this class to your magical practice and life.
• A Free E-book copy of Creating Magical Entities.
• All of this for the low cost of $80. That’s less than a dollar per lesson!

Want to learn more about the class? Contact me and I'll answer any questions you have.

Self-secret language and patterns of reality

In Darwin's Pharmacy, the author points out the following: "I want to suggest that trip reports are fundamentally scripts, what I have called elsewhere rhetorical software: linguistic, visual, musical, and narrative sequences whose function resides less in their "meaning" than in their capacity to be repeated and help generate patterns of response. They are part of the psychonautic apparatus and not a supplement to it. They are compositions that suggest, but do not exhaust what one may very well become in contact with entheogens." There are three things that interest me about this quote. One of those things is the concept of self-secret language, which I've written about before. Self-secret language is the discourse of a given community and it is language that is only understood when you've had enough experiences that allow you to understand the various terminology being used, and enables you to contribute to the community you are seeking entrance to.

What stands out to me about the quote above is that another function of self-secret language and its various artifacts is that people do need to be able to repeat them and use them to generate responses. You see this in academia, where mastering the academic language is an initiation in its own right, with the expectation being that you'll be able to successfully replicate the language and use it to generate your own responses to other artifacts in the academic field you are in. Self-secret language, when used in this way, protects the discourse from the uninitiated, while also qualifying who is initiated. The downside of such an approach is that it can also cause stagnation. This is one of the reasons academia tends to be conservative in its approach. It's also why you see a similar conservative approach in a lot of occult traditions. The traditions are preserved and the uninitiated are kept out, but the tradition progresses slowly and views potential changes as a threat, and responds accordingly.

The second thing which interests me about the quote is the concept of generating patterns of response. I've explained that above, in terms of self-secret language, but lets consider as well that a pattern of response also leads to a pattern of reality. The response is the confirmation of a discourse, but it is also what is used to discover patterns of reality that support the discourse and may even be used to generate those patterns of reality. A pattern of response sets up an expectation for what will be manifested as reality and trains the people involved to look for that reality and/or manifest it through their own actions.

There is also an ontological element that interests me about the quote, specifically the use of the word become, which is an ontological shift from one state of being to another...in this case in reference to entheogens, but it can also be applied to magical work, or really any kind of work that involves some kind of identity shift. I'd argue that self-secret language, i.e. discourse is an example of an identity shift. A person must adopt the discourse of a given discipline, and that adoption includes a fundamental change in identity, a becoming of something new through the mastery of the discourse.

And what do I really mean by all the above...It's an example of self-secret language in and of itself, a discourse analysis provided by my own experiences in academia and tempered by my interests in ontological shifts and magical work.

My Experiences with Demonolatry

I'm reading Honoring Death: the Arte of Daemonolatry Necromancy by S. Connolly. Reading it has reminded me of my early experiences with Demonolatry, in particular with Euronymous. I've written a bit about that work in Space/Time Magic, but that only touches on it a bit. I first found out about Demonolatry, in the later 1990's, when I stumbled across an e-list on the topic. I joined the e-list and learned some about demonolatry and also tried out some of the ritual work as well as adapting it to my own practices. I even have a limited edition of the Book Modern Demonolatry, which has since been expanded and changed (or so I've been told). I still refer to that original copy and it is much loved. I stayed involved on the e-list until the early 2000's and then drifted off thanks to Graduate school, but I continued my work with Euronymous after I'd disconnected from the demonolaters. I'd have to say that Demonolatry has heavily influenced my approach to working with entities in general, and Daemons specifically. Thanks to that tradition I learned to work with Daemons from a place of respect. Instead of doing traditional evocations which involve a lot of coercion and commanding, I have always approached Daemons with respect and an eye toward how we can help each other. This practice has served me well and I'm thankful that my time spent learning about Demonolatry taught me those perspectives.

My work with Euronymous has always focused around death and rebirth, which is appropriate given that he is a Daemon of Death. In that work, there is an element of sex magic included, which makes perfect sense to me as sex can be both an act of life and death all rolled up in one. Euronymous has appeared to me as a skeleton and as a lord clothed in fine clothes, with pallid skin. He has guided me through several death-rebirth rituals and although I'm at a point where I suspect I won't do such for quite a while, he nonetheless is a presence I continue to honor to this day. He has taught me that death is a transformation and a lover and nothing to fear so much as to recognize it for the potential it offers.

I have also worked with Verrier and Verine, Daemonolatric spirits of healing. They have helped me in some of the healing work I've done with others, in particular with some DNA healing, which I think is appropriate given how they represented themselves as serpents. They've made think of Aesculapius and his staff.

I've recounted elsewhere my work with the goetic spirits Bune, Marchosias, and Purson. My work with them has always been informed by Demonolatry and I think its greatly enhanced the relationship I have with them.

I'll admit that I don't incorporate the ceremonial approach that is written about in Demonolatry. Anyone who reads this blog knows that I'm more concerned about the underlying principles of a given magical act. I figure if the spirits I work with want me to work a particular way they'll tell me, but they've never really seemed to care. What has mattered to them is the sincerity of my desire to connect and work with them, as well as honor them. They in turn have honored me with their presence and work on my behalf.

Book Review: Honoring Death by S. Connolly

This book focuses on Necromancy from the perspective of Demonolatry. I'd have to say that out of all the books I've read on necromancy, I've liked this one the best, especially because of how the author suggests working with spirits and the dead, in a manner that is respectful, much like you would work with a daemon. She also offers suggestions for particular daemons a practitioner can work with when doing necromantic work. If you are interested in learning more about demonolatry, you will also learn a bit about that topic with suggested further reading also offered. Overall all this is a solid, focus book, and the author has done an excellent job presenting the topic and providing methods for working with spirits.

Another Music Magic Experiment

Kat and I are reading the Spiritual Dimension of Music by R. J. Stewart. It has several exercises in it and I've tried them out solo as well as doing them with Kat. One of the exercises involves using different tones of music to raise energy through your body, while humming and/or vocalizing the tones. Another exercises involves using vowels to set up a magical circle, with each vowel representing one of the four cardinal directions and/or spirit.

I've decided to integrate the tonal exercise into my daily practice, and may integrate the vowel exercise as well, as I can distinctly feel the energy that is raised when I do these music magic exercises. I've always had an affinity for singing (I used to be in chorus in high school) and feel that the voice is one of the most powerful tools a magician can have, if properly trained and worked with.

When I've done these practices with Kat, I've noticed an enhancement to the work I'm doing. It seems like we amplify each other's signal and consequently the magical work is also amplified.

I've taken this work and also applied it to existing music magic that I've been doing, specifically working with the Tuvan throat singing.I've tried to integrate the tuvan throat singing with the vowels and tones. I haven't had too much luck with it so far, but it does take some work. Nonetheless its fascinating work and I'll share more as I continue to try things out.

Book Review: When Why...IF by Robin Wood

I'm not a Wiccan and I mention that because it's an important caveat to this review. This book was written for Wiccans and primarily deals with ethics from that perspective. I'll admit that I didn't really care for this book. At times I found the author to be condescending. She came off as a stern mother lecturing her way-ward son about how to behave. I also didn't see a lot of commentary on magic and ethics which I hoped for. I suspect the lack of it has more to do with the fact that its a book on Wiccan ethics, wherein Wicca tends to treat magic as a secondary activity. If you're Wiccan, this could be a useful book for providing some guidance on expected behaviors.  If you're a practitioner of other Pagan religions or more focused on magical practice, this book will probably not be that helpful.

Elemental Balancing Ritual Fire Month 12

9-18-12 As this last month with Fire begins, I find myself feeling a little flat in comparison to other years. This is actually reassuring because it means that the internal work and balancing work I am doing is working. And maybe its just fire fading into embers, which would be appropriate enough. I see a year of tempering passion and raising creativity, while coming to grip with the shadows of fire. It feels good to end this elemental balancing work on a note of quiet, much like the crackle of flames that warm you in the night.

9-20-12 Something I've always recognized about my inner motivation is that part of what motivates me is proving other people wrong, specifically in regards to their perspectives about me or what I can or can't do. Undoubtedly this arose as a result of so many people trying to tell me what I couldn't do. When I was told I couldn't do something, it made me do it and do it in a way where I made it very apparent I'd done it and they were wrong. Even with all the internal work I've done I found that this is still an intrinsic motivation and I realize that I like having it as a motivation. It might seem petty, but the truth is showing someone they were wrong about me is empowering, because in the process they learn its better to let me do as I please, instead of trying to get in my way any further. I suppose it's a shadow aspect of fire in a way, but the point isn't to extinguish the shadows, but to learn how to work with them constructively, and this very intrinsic motivation has pushed me to do some awesome things, so I can't say its bad to draw on it or use it to focus my efforts.

9-26-12 I'm reading Love and Awakening by John Welwood with my wife. We read books together and then discuss them, and I've read this book once before, a few years back, but I was the only one who read it, and although I understood some of the concepts then, I find that this current re-reading is allowing me to engage and apply the concepts much more meaningfully as tools that can help my relationship with my wife, especially with how we communicate and work through any issues that arise between us. We've become very proactive and aware of our respective issues and we are able to hold space with each other and create a sense of safety, where even if we feel vulnerable, we know we can be safely vulnerable. Of course this has occurred as a result of reading a number of books on relationships and then discussing and applying what we've read to our own relationship.

At the same time, I was filled with an intense sadness the other day as I felt a sense of empathy toward people I'd been with in the past and thought about how they must have felt dealing with my issues and also with perhaps feeling unsafe with me. This doesn't absolve them of their responsibility, but recognizing how I contributed to the dysfunction on a wholly new level, one where I was putting myself into their perspective makes me sad and helps me realize why things didn't work out. It takes a lot to communicate how vulnerable you feel to someone else and if you don't feel that you can safely do that, the only alternatives are to shut down or leave the relationship. I'm sad that I helped create an environment where someone wouldn't feel safe, because how I was communicating or not communicating was causing them to feel not listened to or respected. My lesson is to take that sadness and use it as a tool to help me understand how to be a better listener, a better person at holding space so that everyone is listened to, respected, and a mutual solution is arrived at.

10-04-12 A while back I started adding push-ups to my daily exercise/meditation. I've noticed lately a distinct difference in how I feel. I feel more in shape, I feel better, and I'm liking how I look as a result. I've always included some level of physical exercise in my spiritual work as I feel my body is a temple and I want it to be in the best shape possible, but how I feel now reminds me that I really do need to keep that exercise at a certain level to fully benefit from it. It feels good to feel this in shape and I want to keep it that way.

I've been doing some further thinking about this year's work. I think for a long time I used fire (as a symbolic force) in my life to justify some of my behaviors and now I can't do that anymore, because I recognize that fire has little to do with it. It occurs to me that in general people do find ways to try and evade responsibility to one degree or another. Such an evasion is unhealthy for everyone involved and yet it's an easy way to avoid feeling vulnerable. Indeed the flipside of taking responsibility is allowing yourself to be vulnerable in that process of taking responsibility. At the same time, going overboard and beating yourself up is really a way to attack your vulnerability...to be truly vulnerable with someone and responsible involves sharing without blaming, acknowledging without judgment. Hard work, but worth doing.

10-08-12 Being vulnerable with someone who is supportive is truly a gift. It's something I've only been able to do in the relationship I'm in now, and it still surprises me. Something that the element of fire has taught me is that to truly feel the fire of love, you have to open up to someone and let them in. If you are always guarded, there will always be some part waiting for when things don't work out. But if you truly commit yourself to a person there is a realization that you are giving yourself over and not planning for when things don't work out. I feel that this year has taught me that.

10-10-12 I'm reading through old journal entries on this blog as I'm compiling them for a book project. when I read the emptiness workings in particular, I see some real progress. I'm not that miserable, empty person that I was then. I'm not feeling the abuse or sensation of being eaten up or anything else I felt back then. It's taken a lot of work, but I am much more at peace with myself than I was three years ago.

10-19-12 The neuro-biology of a human being is something that is responsible for so much of the behavior of people. I'm reading a book on the biology behind sex and how different types of sex affect the behavior of a given person. It's really eye-opening and it helps me understand certain relationship and lifestyle choices that I've made from a different perspective. At the same time, knowing how your biology works can help you anticipate it, and plan accordingly. This is something Kat and I are exploring very intentionally in our relationship and I can already see the benefits.

10-21-12 I chose my birthday celebration as my way to send off Fire. Kat through me a murder mystery party, with friends from the Magical Experiments group showing up. I remarked to one of them, who I also see in business meetings, how I must present a very different appearance during the magical experiments meeting. She admitted that there was quite a difference. For the actual party I invoked dragon by wearing a dragon ring I have and allowing him to partake in the festivities. To me, fire is a social element, as much as anything and I wanted to show my appreciation for this year's work.

Looking back on this year, I realize that my initial concern about fire being a fiery element that would amplify my emotions was based on a fear I had when I was younger. But working with fire has been illuminating (you know I couldn't resist). I have worked with the shadow side of fire, with my passion, desire, and anger, and I have also worked with fire as a purely physical force, and as a force that can represent love and friendship. I feel I have been tempered this year, and made ready fr the next year which is movement.

How I apply pop culture to the principles of magic

  My approach to integrating pop culture into magical work is one that is informed by my understanding of the principles of magic. When I think of the principles of magic I don't think of ceremonial magic or tools or other such things. I think of what makes magic work and then I think about how I can apply pop culture (or other interests) to those principles. I don't go with just any form of pop culture either.

With pop culture entities, the choice is dependent on what is really popular at the time. The truth is that most pop culture entities don't have the same staying power that your traditional entities have. They become popular for a while, hit a zenith, and then fade away. Some like Harry Potter have enough staying power that you can work with them for a while, but the majority are fads, liked one day and forgotten the next. My choice to work with a given pop culture entity is based on what that entity represents as well as what it can do. I make rare exceptions where I'll work with a pop culture entity regardless of how popular or not its, but that's based on a deeper recognition that speaks more to the influence of the entity in my life as opposed to the world at large. If I do work with a pop culture entity its because I recognize that entity has significance in a way that I find useful to further my own work.

With techniques, I get pickier. I won't draw on the description of a given technique in pop culture unless I think it'll actually connect with the principles of magic. For example, in the Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, they included appendices where they described in depth how magic was supposed to work and how it interacted with possibilities. What I read made sense and when I applied it to my own magical work, I found that it worked. On the other hand I wouldn't draw on the Harry Potter universe's approach to magic because its mostly based on a push button/spell approach to magic. There's some explanation of how specific types of magic are related to emotions, which could be useful, but for the most part magic is never really explained in depth. You wave a wand, you say a word, and it just happens.

I also don't always draw on explanations of magic in pop culture for my inspiration in magical work. The book Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud has nothing to do with magic, in an overt sense, but his explanation of how comics work, particularly how they are read and the space/time dynamics involved have inspired a couple of techniques on my part that have proven useful.

I don't use every single bit of pop culture that comes my way. There's a lot of it that I don't see as useful or relevant to magical work, but I figure the people who develop pop culture probably do some research and/or just happen to put a lot of effort into explaining their particular universe and how everything works. And I respect that and if I think it is actually relevant to how I can meaningfully practice my own magical work, I'll use it. What makes magic work isn't the tradition or ceremonies...its your understanding of how it works and your ability to implement that understanding in your life.

How identity can move past the limitation of systems

I got into an interesting conversation with a friend that I don't get to speak with often. When we do get to chat, it's like drinking an especially fine wine of intellect, because we both think in similar ways but are drawn to different angles of research, so we can provide each other perspectives and suggested materials to draw on to further our respective areas of research.

Anyway, we got into a conversation about political systems and why people don't seem to care much about the congress. I pointed out that the apathy is actually favorable for the political system that is set up. The lack of interest and occasional grumble from people is perfectly acceptable to any political system, but its when people get interested and active that politicians start to sweat. In the U.S. elections are coming up soon, but I suspect most people are only focused on the presidential race and only know of the Republicans and Democrats. The other parties have presidential and Vice presidential picks but few people know about them. The same applies for anyone running for congress.

When people talk about politics and voting they talk about voting for the lesser of two evils and the desired outcome is that people will vote for a republican or democrat. There are other choices, but to really break into this political system you need to have a lot of money (like Perot did) and even that isn't enough. Some people might argue that the Tea party is an alternate choice to the Republicans, but its mostly been folded into that party. The occupy movement made politicians nervous for a while, but then they cracked down. The other parties make occasional sounds but for the most part don't matter. Now you have CEO's weighing in and warning their employees that they'll be fired if Obama wins another four years. It's a great big system that has ideal outcomes and like any system its focus is on getting people to move to those outcomes. This system also has countermeasures in place which it employs when people try to find an outcome that isn't desired. Once people vote the ideal outcome is that they mostly ignore what occurs in the political system and if they do notice something that they grumble and wait to vote some other person in, in the hopes that something will change.

Any given system is designed to purposely limit people within it to specific outcomes. If you want outcomes that aren't part of the system, you need to leave the system, or break it, or create your own. The choice to explore identity allows you to recognize how you have been limited by the identities imposed on you by a given system. The application of identity is the creation of your own system with outcomes you've developed for yourself. It has its own limitations, but those limitations are more readily changed because you control the system. At the same time your choice to embrace identity provides you a way to leave the system provided to you by others, or to choose to voluntarily participate in such a system but from an informed perspective that may provide insights and exploration in places that system doesn't want you to go.

For example, the choice to embrace identity can allow you to consider whether the assumption of an identity as a republican or democrat or green party or libertarian really serves you and/or your interests or the interests of others. You may still choose to vote, but you might choose to vote more precisely along the lines of what really supports your vision of reality. Or you might choose to get more involved in the system of politics, or walk away or make other choices, some of which are ideal outcomes, and others of which aren't so ideal.

Or you might examine your identity within a corporate system and explore whether or not that system is really one you want to be part of, or one that you can subvert. The same applies to religious and spiritual systems.

Systems are a result of a need to organize and structure human experience along specific paths of inquiry. The challenge a given person faces is determining whether those specific paths of inquiry are ones that /she wants to explore and/or whether such paths are really beneficial to him/her. Even your own identity is a reflection of this in the sense that familial and cultural influences structure your experience and provide proscribed paths, but your choice to consciously examine your identity and work with the issues and influences that have formed it can help you break away from old patterns and create new ones that reveal outcomes and journeys that take you far from what was established for you and provide you the opportunity to discover your own identity, formed as a conscious relationship between yourself, the various systems you interact with and the universe at large.

Some Thoughts on Timing and Magic

The most recent lesson from the strategic sorcery discusses timing and magic. It's focus on timing has more to do with the time of day or planetary cycle or moon cycle than how I approach timing. I've never found traditional timing in magic to be all that relevant or necessary to magical work. When people say to wait for a waning or waxing moon to do a type of magic, I say do it regardless of when the moon is waxing or waning. If you're doing it right, it should work anyway. When someone says to wait for a specific day or time of day to do a type of magic I say that they are over thinking it and that if you're doing it right, it ought to work without having to factor those kinds of conditions. I look at that kind of timing as a window dressing of magic. In other words, its not essential to performing successful magic.

Now I get that this traditional kind of timing has been used for a long time in magical work and that some magicians can arguably point to how using such timing has helped them pull off some successful magic, because they've been able to harness sympathetic energy/forces to enhance the momentum of their magical work. It might even be argued that doing magical work at the wrong time of day increases resistance to the realization of that work. I just don't buy it as a principle of magic and the reason is that I've never found that not adhering to traditional timing to be a bad thing or to stop the effectiveness of my magical work. It seems at best to be an optional aspect of magic, and at worst to be a holdover of more traditional perspectives that obscure the underlying principles of magic. The question boils down to this: Can you consistently get a result regardless of when you do a magical working? If the answer is yes, then is this kind of timing necessary to magical work.

Now when I think of timing and magic, I think of how to time it just right so that the result comes when you need it. Timing for me is more about working with time as a whole, specifically in terms of getting things to happen at just the right time and place. I want a result to occur at a specific moment of time or when a specific condition is fulfilled. That kind of timing is precises, oriented on the understanding that the alignment of specific circumstances calls for specific responses to keep everything running smoothly. Timing as it applies to events and to opportunity is what interests me, because its opportunity which is important to magic. Opportunity defines magic to the extent that in the application of practical magic we are looking for specific opportunities. Timing plays a role in the achievement of those opportunities because for an opportunity to become more than potential you need to be at the right space and time. So when I do practical work, I always factor in timing and space. When and where do I need an opportunity to occur so that I can capitalize on it. Think about that in your own magical work and you'll find it to be very relevant to the manifestation of possibility into reality.