The Cultural Value of Pop Culture Magic

Among other books I'm reading, I'm reading a lot of pop culture studies books as research for Pop Culture Magic 2.0. In several of the books the authors make some relevant points about how the concept of pop culture is treated. Pop culture is considered to be low culture, culture of the masses, something which is frowned upon as being not relevant or serious to our times, as compared to older works that are considered high culture. Shakespeare, for example is considered high culture, even though when he wrote the plays they were considered pop culture. The point to consider here is this: What makes one cultural artifact valid or another invalid as more to do with social agendas than the actual artifact. This is relevant to pop culture magic in the sense that the dismissal of pop culture magic is at least partially derived from cultural standards used to judge pop culture as not relevant because pop culture doesn't fit the agenda of the people deciding what is or isn't culturally valuable.

I admittedly have my own agenda. I find pop culture to be relevant and insightful in regards to the times we live in, and in the magical and spiritual work people do. I think that integrating pop culture into magical work makes a lot of sense because of how pop culture informs our awareness and experiences of the world. When I see the occasional negative reaction to pop culture magic, what I really see is a reactive reinforcement of cultural standards, usually done without being consciously aware of that reinforcement. And in cases where it is done with a consciousness awareness of that reinforcement, what strikes me most is what I perceive as fear on the part of the person. The fear that pop culture will overshadow and replace what they find to be culturally valuable.

What keeps culture alive and relevant is how people interact with it and make it a part of their lives. This is true for older cultural artifacts as well as contemporary cultural artifacts. Thus it can seem that pop culture is in competition with older cultures, and thus the response is to decry it, make it less valid and valuable. However I think that pop culture doesn't have to be in competition with older cultures and can actually inspire people to learn more about older cultures. For example, while Marvel's Thor is not the Thor of Norse mythology, he is derived from that Thor. People who enjoy the modern day presentation of Thor may become curious to learn more about the Norse version of Thor as a result. The same could be argued for Greek myths. The Zeus of Percy Jackson isn't the same as the Zeus of Greek Myths, but how many people have been exposed to Greek mythology as a result of Percy Jackson?

Another concern is that people might take cultural concepts from older cultures and corrupt them by applying them to contemporary culture. There is some validity to this argument. A cultural concept from an older culture will have contextual meanings and associations specific to that culture which may not carry over or apply to contemporary culture, let alone pop culture depictions of contemporary culture. On the other hand, something worth considering is if applying a classic cultural concept to contemporary culture might allow people to learn more about those values who might not otherwise be exposed to them. There aren't easy answers to this particular conundrum, but I'll admit that part of what I think pop culture can be is influenced by the cultures of the past and acknowledging and consciously bringing that influence to bear could be good for all of us.

I think it's useful to examine our own biases and recognize what informs them. The education system is slanted toward presenting "high" culture and valuing that culture over contemporary culture. How then does that effect our own biases and opinions when it comes to pop culture? If we value a certain type of culture over another, what are the standards and values informing that decision and how have we come to that decision? I'll admit that in my case I've always been fascinated by pop culture and its various expressions. I see value in it and through it discover new ideas for my magical work. That other people feel this way as well tells me that pop culture magic has more lasting value and can bring something to magical work and indeed spirituality that could be useful to explore. Knowing our biases as we go into that exploration is important, just as it is important to understand the biases that inform other people's perspectives and opinions about pop culture and its place in magical work.

The continued evolution of my non-anthropomorphic magical work

I recently came across a blog post on pagan square which explored two meanings of anthropomorphism. The author argued that anthropomorphism wasn't necessarily an error and argued that classifying it as such negated the benefit of being able to relate to deities in a manner that was representative of the emotions and attributes that people could relate to. She went on to note that it was possible to derive two meanings in anthropomorphism. One meaning would argue that divinity has human form and physical characteristics of humans, which she felt would be an anthropomorphic error. The other meaning is that a deity, entity, etc., has human like consciousness and she felt that making this assumption was not an error. I disagree, because I find that when you attribute human consciousness, feelings, motives, etc., what is really happening is that you are seeking to control the relationship with whatever you are connecting with.

It makes sense in a way. If I ascribe certain types of behaviors to an entity, in order to work with it, it makes the experience feel safer. The problem is that assuming you understand the consciousness of a non-human by ascribing human values to it really misses out on actually connecting with the entity. In a lot of my recent work I've moved away from an anthropocentric model because I've come to recognize how limiting and problematic such a model is. At the same time, what I have found interesting is how some of the previous work I've done nonetheless set the stage to connect with entities I'm working with in a non-anthropomorphic manner. For example, I've been revisiting my work with neurotransmitters.

When I initially did the work with neurotransmitters I sought an anthropomorphic connection. In other words, I wanted them to appear before me in a shape I could recognize and communicate with me in a way that was humancentric. In those workings I'd ask for a symbol I could use to evoke the neurotransmitters. In my recent work I've gone back and approached the work in a manner that is focused on experiencing the neurotransmitter as it works instead of trying to sanitize it by making it seem human. While the neurotransmitter exists in my body, it doesn't mean it shares the same consciousness, values, feelings etc. When I've done the recent non-anthropomorphic work with the neurotransmitters, what I've discovered is that the symbols I'd previously been given actually are actually the experiences I'm having. In other words, the neurotransmitters provided the experience of them as symbols. In the current work, I'm experiencing them and yet finding that the experience mirrors the symbol. It's quite fascinating, but even in this case I don't assume an anthropomorphic consciousness at work, but rather a sharing of the experience in a way that would make sense to my anthropomorphic consciousness.

All of my other magical work has also been around a non-anthropomorphic approach, which focuses on being open to the experience without interpreting the connection from a human perspective. I can acknowledge, as a human, that my experience will occur through my senses and awareness of those senses, but I do my best not to place human values on what I'm connecting with. Instead by being open to the experience as it occurs I can connect in a way that is genuine and allows for mediation of the entity being connected with. I'm not blocking the connection with my human biases and interpretation. This mediation of the entity is stronger as a result, allowing the magician to establish a deeper relationship based on the authentic experience instead of the biases of the magician.

For example, the recent spirit cord work I shared about the lunar work I did involved working with the Ashim, which are the angels of the lunar realm. I didn't assume the angels would appear to me with wings or harps. In fact, I didn't assume they would appear to me at all, and in fact they didn't. My experience of them involved feeling them as they transported me to the lunar realm. By not going in to the working with anthropomorphic assumptions and biases, I was able to connect with them and be aware of them as they worked with me, without assigning values and consciousness to them that didn't necessarily fit them.

I see anthropomorphism as an extension of the tendency to apply psychology to magic as a way of explaining. Anthropomorphism makes magic seem safe and easy to handle, because it's all in your head. The problem with that approach is that takes the magic out of magic. It's just a head game then, easily explainable in terms of behavior, but lacking real depth. Anthropomorphism conveniently applies human behavior to experiences to make those experiences more palatable, but it stops us from really allowing ourselves to be moved by the magic we are working or the entities we are connecting with.

Book Review: The Sacred Cross: A Transformational Spiritual Tool for Life by Anastacia Nutt

This book teaches a stillness technique called the Sacred Cross. The author does an excellent job of balancing the conceptual aspects of the technique with practical exercises used to integrate the technique into your spiritual practices. She also provides some excellent suggestions for how the technique can be used in concern with other spiritual practices you are doing. I've found the book helpful as I've worked with the sacred cross technique and have adapted the technique into my ongoing spiritual work on a daily basis. If you are wanting to learn a useful stillness technique, this one will resonate with you and be very helpful.

The Value of Cursing

I spent my high school years in York, PA. One of the rare, interesting places in the area is Rehmeyer's hollow. In the early 20th century, Rehmeyer, who was a hex magician, was killed by another magician, Blymire, who claimed that Rehmeyer had cursed him. Killing Rehmeyer didn't seem to do Blymire much good, given that he ended up in jail for his efforts, but if you visit Rehmeyer's Hollow you can tell that whatever happened there left a permanent mark on the land, because it's a pretty spooky place. I remember driving there late at night, and doing a lot of my early formative ritual work in the hollow. It was and still is a place that I have fond memories of and on the exceedingly rare occasions I happen to be in York, I make a point to visit the hollow.

When I was an angst ridden teenager, I did the occasional curse, really as a way to feel empowered in situations where I didn't feel I had much power otherwise. However in more recent years I haven't performed a curse and I find it interesting to encounter the occasional occult book, which discusses curses in a manner where it's clear that the writer is pretty serious about actually using them. My own response to reading this has also been enlightening, because I consider the idea of doing a curse to be a waste of time and effort. This is in part because something I've come to realize about people in general, myself included, is that we are our own worst enemies. The way I figure it, someone I genuinely dislike is someone who is already cursed by just being them and having to deal with their own issues (or not deal with them as the case may be). I realize that this attitude is also reflective of a lot of the internal work I've done, especially around the dissolving practice, which has allowed me to strip away a lot of the dysfunction and consequently also makes me re-evaluate where I want to put my energy and time.

A couple of years ago, I decided to do a banishing ritual that involved some people from my past. Even though I hadn't been in touch with any of those people for a while, they brought up such feelings of anger and hurt and I realized they likely would've been thrilled to know they'd continued to push my buttons. And I knew that if I did a curse, it would really just be feeding the anger and hurt. I'd be cursing myself as much as them and I just didn't see the point. So I did this banishing working, where I vomited up those feelings and released what I was feeling. Since then I've felt much happier and focused on what really matters, which is doing my own work and experiments and also helping people out, which is something I find a lot more empowering.

I look at cursing and what I see is an ego game. I'm pissed off at so and so for saying or doing something I didn't like, so I'm going to mess that person up. That's what it boils down to. And all that said I've been the occasional recipient of a curse as well, and what I've taken away in those cases is that I have more power over that person than anything they could do to me, because I've gotten them so worked up that they feel the need to try and do something to me...and by doing they are really giving me their sense of power. Actually that's true in any situation where a person gets worked up enough to try and do something. Of course you take appropriate pre-cautions. I do my daily work each day and part of doing that daily work is making sure I've got my bases covered, but even so in that situation where they are trying to do something to me, who really has the power? The person who is throwing the curse might feel like they've got the power, but they're giving it all away instead of taking a moment to really examine their own perspectives and roles and why they are so invested in a situation that they let it get to them like that. As for me, I'd rather just walk away and focus on doing what's important. I'd rather focus my time and energy on what calls to me then wasting it on someone else.

Lunar and Sacred Cross Workings

My current magical work has focused on continuing to work with the Spirit Cord, specifically in relationship to some space/time magic and Lunar workings with the Ashim, as well as integrating a new daily meditation, the Sacred Cross, which I've been using as a stillness exercise. I've been finding that stillness work in general is creating a deeper foundation for my space/time magic work, which makes sense because what it does is create a very specific state of mind that allows a person to experience space and time differently. The work in the Sacred Cross technique involves directing your consciousness both inward and outward, inward to yourself and the Earth and outward to the cosmos, and then bringing all of that into yourself and creating stillness from it that connects you to the rhythm of the universe.

Part of what I like about the Sacred Cross work is that you are initially using the beating of your heart to move yourself into that altered space of consciousness. When you can draw on your own rhythms to help you move into a specific state of mind, it really teaches you to be aware and appreciative of what your body can share with you, as well a how your body can open you up to experiences with the world at large. Since I've started doing this working regularly, it's enabled me to hit deeper states of consciousness, as well as enhancing the other stillness work I'm doing.

With the spirit cord work I've been doing an exercise where you walk the silver and gold stairs of the sublunar realm to connect with the Ashim, which are the Lunar angels. The gold and silver stairs are part of the journey a soul takes when it dies and when it reincarnates, but you can also consciously work with the Ashim. The work I've been doing with the spirit cord has involved bonding the lunar energy to the cord for purposes of connecting with the Ashim, but doing this work has also taken me into some interesting directions. Each time I've done the working I've connected with a being which has instructed me about the journey of souls, both as it relates to this planet, but other places as well. I've also been given access to a library of sorts, where I've encountered my higher self, or guardian angel, who has shown me a book, which is about my lives, specifically parallel timelines, where I don't experience those lives directly, so much as I learn about them and the choices that were made to create those time variants of this life. What's interested me most in this aspect of the working is how I might integrate the contents of the book into the spirit cord, or if the spirit cord could be considered analogous to the book.

I also did a lunar working where I connected to the archangel Gabriel. We discussed the spirit cord work, space/time work as it relates to the spirit cord and then he reached out and touched my brow. I felt him attune me and then he told me I should do the spirit cord wrk in relationship to the other planetary and archangelic energies as I continue the work I'm doing at this time.

I still have some lunar workings from the Spirit Cord to do, but I'm doing the work slow and steady. I'm not in any rush to be anywhere...it's more about understanding and mastering what you're working with, instead of trying to get somewhere fast. Nonetheless doing this work is quite fascinating and I find myself enjoying getting back to my roots as it were by doing some of this work and considering as well how I can integrate it into other projects I'm working on.

Book Review: Making Comics by Scott McCloud

If you want to write comics or create art for comics or do both this book is essential. And if you're a writer of prose, I still recommend this book because it'll help you appreciate writing from a different angle. If you enjoy reading comics books and want to know what happens on the creation end of them, then this book is a must read. There are some excellent ideas, and McCloud does a great job of providing readers a chance to peak behind the curtain and understand what happens when you make comics. This is also an inspirational book...it will get you to think differently. I've been inspired by it not merely in terms of writing or art, but also in other areas of my life, including my spiritual practice because of how the concepts in the book get you to look at the world differently.

Book Review: Missing Microbes by Martin Blaser

In this book the author explores the ramifications of the overuse of antibiotics in both the the health and food industry and how this overuse is effecting the microbial systems within our bodies. It's a fascinating book that will open your eyes and get you to think carefully about your food and medical choices, as well as how you choose to give birth, and other such decisions. The author also shares the various studies he's been engaged in and provides solid information on how the changes in our microbial systems are contributing to the rise of super bacteria as well as new diseases. If you're interested in understanding the biology of your body, this book will be eye-opening.

Book Review: Divorcing a Real Witch by Diana Rajchel

In this book, Diana explores the topic of divorce and what t do when you are a Pagan (or married to one) and are about to go through the process of divorce. She walks readers through that process as well as exploring how people come to that decision. What I like in particular about the book are the rituals she shares and ideas she has for how to make a clean break of it, and make the divorce as easy as it possibly can be. I wish I'd had this book when I had my divorce. Reading this book will help you make sense of your divorce, find empowerment, and move on from the relationship you are leaving. And it can also be a good book for couples to read, to help them have some conversations that may need to occur, especially if you are in a rocky phase of your relationship.

Life Skills and Magic

Recently John Beckett posted about poor magicians being poor magicians because of the chaos in their lives. Some of the responses to what he wrote ranged from agreement to arguing that he was making statements from a place of class and privilege. Shortly after John wrote that post, I found another post by Frater Barrabbas, which may or may not have been a response to John's post, but which I like because of the some points he makes about wealth and success as it relates to the practice of magic. Jason Miller weighed in on John's post and makes the point that a magician can be good at magic and still be bad at handling life skills. John Beckett wrote another post in response to Jason's, where he essentially agrees with Jason's take on the discussion. All of it makes for fascinating reading, in relationship to a few topics: Wealth Magic and its efficacy and place in the magician's life, the definition of success and what that really looks like, and finally defining the relationship between magic and living a "good life". So here's my take on this conversation...

Being good at magic and being good at life are not necessarily one and the same. They can be linked together, but they don't automatically go together. I have known many magicians in my life who are good at magic, but nonetheless live chaotic lives. In fact, I'd argue that sometimes their very skill at magic actually contributes to the chaos in their lives. Why? Because so much of practical magic is reactive magic, done as a response to situations and problems that occur in the life of the magician. I used to be one of those magicians. A problem would come along and what would I do? Look to magic to solve the problem. I'd do a magical working and the problem would be resolved, for that moment. Eventually the problem would show up again in a different guise, but nonetheless similar enough that if I knew what to look for I could recognize it for what it was. It took me years to realize something significant about the problems and chaos I was dealing with in my life: I contributed to and helped create the problems I was dealing with. I lived my life by reaction and consequently practiced my magic by reaction. And there are many magicians who do approach magic in just that way. It works great for the short term, but has little long term value.

The secret to wealth magic is that you figure out what you really want and make that the drive of your life. But what you really want needs to be greater than just meeting materialistic needs. It needs to speak something deeper within you, something that connects you to other people and to the world at large. It's that drive which will fuel your actions, bring you success, and help you design your life. Without that drive, you'll be like so many other people, caught in the minutiae of life, being ground away because some deep part of you is unsatisfied. So what is it you really feel called to do? What is it that brings you deep satisfaction? What is it that allows you to contribute not just to the well-being of your own life, but also to other people and to the world at large? Take the time to explore what you feel called to do and make that the focus of your life's work. Just remember one thing: If you choose to pursue what you feel called to do, don't assume it'll be an easy road to travel. It can and does take a lot of work, but if it's worth doing, you'll do the work because you know doing it will be fulfilling for you.

In my other business, I'm a business coach and what I teach my clients to do is run their business by design instead of by reaction. This same practice applies to living your life. When you plan by design, what you are doing is determining what you want for your life and what you will need to do in order to achieve what you want. Seems simple enough, but its a lot harder to execute than you'd think because so much of what people think they want is short term desires, material desires, etc., and curiously enough its actually harder to stay motivated and focused on achieving short term desires, because of how transitory they are. What I really teach my clients is how to reach past the short term desires and get in touch with what they are called to do, get in touch really with their core values and ideology. If you aren't in touch with your core values and ideology its hard to plan your life (or business) by design because you don't really know why you are doing what you are doing.

However it's not enough to define what you feel called to do. If you really want to pursue your calling, then be proactive and plan for it by design. Look at what actions you will need to take in 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, a year, etc., to get to what you want. Define each area of your life that will need to change and develop action for each of those areas. If this sounds systematic, it is, because when you apply a systematic approach to your life, you start to prioritize what's really important and cut out what isn't important.

Planning by design also means you take a critical look at your life (or business) and examine who and what is in your life as well as analyzing your own behavior and actions. Are you happy with your life? Are you happy with your relationships? Are you happy with what you are doing? All of these are good questions to ask, but you have to be honest with yourself in regards to the answers. Most of you have to recognize how you contribute to the state of your life. If you aren't happy with where your life is you do need to acknowledge and own your part of it. You can't control everything around you, but you can control your reactions and responses to situations. In fact one book I'd recommend reading is The Magic of Thinking Big, because it teaches you how to look at any situation you are in and find a way to make the situation better or make it work to your benefit. It's one of the best books on wealth magic, that isn't overtly about wealth magic. It teaches you the real power of positive thinking, which isn't the law of attraction schlock that's out there, but instead is focused on acknowledging the environment and circumstances you are in and looking for the available opportunities that will help you achieve your goals.

Planning by design also means you look at the material aspects of your life and determine what you need to support your calling. It doesn't mean you have to make a 7 figure salary to be wealthy, or even that money or material wealth should be your primary focus. It does mean you define what you need and you make sure you can get it, and you also learn the necessary skills to keep it and sustain it. A lot of people mistakenly assume that wealth magic is about money and how much you have, but that's short term thinking once again rearing its head. Unless you know what you'll use the money for and how you'll use it, it doesn't matter. Defining how you'll use money and what you'll use money for is far more important because then you understand money is a means to an end and as such your focus is on achieving the end and using money for that purpose instead of simply trying to acquire money.

Along with planning your life by design, I recommend also doing some internal work. Internal work isn't just getting clear on your core values or what you feel called to do. Internal work also involves working through your internal chaos and dysfunction. We all have it, to one degree or another. Internal work teaches you how to diffuse your reactions, work through your triggers and as a result control your responses. It takes a lot of work, but it is worth doing because of the clarity it brings to your life. Don't be surprised though if in doing this you change the relationships you have in your life. In the decade I've been doing internal work, a lot of my associations changed. As I worked through my internal chaos, it caused me to look at the circumstances of my life and the people I associated and make changes to both, based on what I felt would be healthy and supportive for me accomplished what I feel called to do.

Magic by design is good magic. Part of planning my life by design is utilizing practical magic in a proactive role. Instead of simply reacting to problems with magic, why not look at how you can integrate magic into your life design? For example, my work with the goetic Daimon Bune has involved getting his advice and suggestions on what resources I need to develop a successful business. In the years I've been working with him my businesses have improved quite a it thanks to his advice. Another example of proactive magic has involved learning to work with my body and the microbial life within in it to optimize my health. Practical magic doesn't have to be reactive, and when used from a design perspective, it makes it easier to navigate around potential problems instead of having to react to them. When you use magic from a design perspective, you are actively shaping your life around your life purpose, around what you feel called to do. That's how you mix life skills and magic in order to come out ahead.

Since we're on the topic of wealth magic, check out the latest podcast interview with yours truly by Occult Sentinel where we discuss wealth magic, identity, and other concepts relevant to the post above.

The Process of Magic Round 9 starts in one Week!

Magic is a process that changes you and your relationship with the world, if you understand how the process works.

In this 24 lesson class, we will explore what the process of magic is and how it applies to you and your magical work. If you’re looking for a different perspective on magic that explores the underlying principles of how magic works, instead of focusing on the tools, ceremonies, and other optional features, this class is for you. Here is a testimonial from one of the people currently taking the class:

I have been reading and experimenting with magic and the occult for over five years and it seemed like I was going off in too many directions, without a map to guide me. I felt like I was spinning my wheels. This course helped me focus, without tying me into any particular Religion or belief system. If you are looking for a course that builds a foundation for your understanding and practice of Magic, this is the one! - G. Marlett

And here is a series of blog posts that another student has written as she engages in the work we are doing in the class:

Entry 1

Entry 2

Entry 3

The process of magic teaches the fundamentals of magic, by taking apart various practices of magic and exploring how those practices work and then teaching you how to personalize such practices. To learn more and to RSVP go here.

Work with instead of swimming against

Shauna Aura Knight recently posted a series of blog posts about her definition of magic. She'd written the posts because she's currently taking the process of magic course and one of the exercises involves students defining what their definition of magic is. I think her responses are very thoughtful and demonstrate the kind of engagement that's really important in understanding magic.  Here is her first entry, second entry, and third entry. A little while back I wrote something about magic, which is integral to this blog post, but also to my own definition of magic and how I think magic works, when it comes to practical applications of it: "The genuine experience of magic is something which changes you and your relationship to the universe. It’s not a result. It’s an ongoing relationship that informs how you experience the world and your place in it, as well as how you change it."

In her second post, Shauna makes several interesting points abut magic and why people do magic:

Some of our ancestors certainly spent a lot of effort making offerings (including the occasional human sacrifice) to appease the gods and shift the weather, or end a war. Do I think it works like that? Not really. I think that everyone stays a lot calmer when we feel like we’re doing something. We humans just don’t cope with the idea that the earth could shrug and we’re wiped out and we have no control over that. So I think in some cases, magic becomes an illusion of control.

and:

Magic works really well for changing myself. It works well for changing the consciousness of myself and others where I have that influence. But the more specific external physical results I want, the more I’m swimming upstream against the nature of physics. Or, the more physical work I’m going to need to do to take it beyond just my intention and my will.

and in part 3 she noted:

I think that, with magic, we want proof. We want flash. We want miracles.  And when we don’t get those, we wonder what magic is. When we see how magic works, it doesn’t seem very flashy…or, we realize how unimportant the flash really is.

All of these points she makes are good ones and again I'd suggest reading her entries in their entirety because it'll give you some food for thought about magic. I agree with Shauna that for so many people, what they want is proof that magic is real. They want Hollywood magic, but what they don't realize is that magic is a process and that it is subtle. The majority of magical work I've done has usually involved a build-up of actions and energy toward manifesting a possibility into reality. Rarely is it instantaneous, but the results happen when I need them to, because I've planned that into the working. And as I mentioned in a recent post on high magic, sometimes what we want is to feel connected and to also feel like we made a difference, even if how we're trying to make that difference is a symbolic gesture as opposed to real actions.

I do believe magic can generate physical results. However I think the way those physical results are generated has more to do with turning possibility into reality than anything else. When you think about it, turning possibility into reality is what practical seems to be about. Magic is stacking the deck in your favor, but for that to happen involves working with what's possible and selecting the possibility you want to manifest into reality. Some possibilities are easier than others to manifest. As Shauna notes, the more external physical results you want to generate, the more you swim upstream against the nature of physics (as we know it anyway). For example, if you want to throw a fireball, you're going to have change the laws of physics (or create some technology). If you want to telekinetically move an item, you've come got to come up with the energy to make it happen. And that energy isn't just changing the physical environment but also accessing the possibility of tossing a fireball or moving an item with your mind.

I prefer not to swim against the stream. I prefer to work with what's around me. Part of working with something involves learning about it. For example, if I'm going to work on the microbial level of my body, I'd better do some research into what that looks like, so that I at least have an idea of what I'm working with and how factor that into the magical work I'm doing. If I want to do a weather magic working, I'm going to research the weather system I'm in, so I understand the possibilities available.

I look at practical magic in terms of possibilities. What are the available possibilities? What are the variables that effect those possibilities? What can I work with to make the possibility to turn into reality? Viewed in this way magic isn't full of flash or glamour, but it works really well in terms of turning possibilities into reality. I work with what's around me, instead of swimming against it. I don't need to swim against anything to get what I want and I'm always in favor of creating the path of least resistance toward achieving my goals.

On a different note Lilith Dorsey interviewed me on her blog about divination.

How Pop Culture spreads Magic

In Spirit Speak by Ivo Dominguez Jr, the author shares an interesting cosmology of the different levels of Deity forms in a diagram, which also shows the context of where humans fit into the picture. At the top you have a unitary being, which you might think of as the universe. It encompasses everything. Then you have mediators of that being which include such beings as deities, angels etc, all of which perform specific functions and channel specific aspects of the unitary being into the universe in a manner that is more comprehensible to us. Then you have ancestors, dis incarnates, etc., and finally the humans at the bottom. It's a pretty fascinating cosmology and you see some of it in other models of esoteric practices, but what I really found fascinating is that I've seen the same model presented in Raymond Feist's Riftwar series.

The Riftwar series is a fantasy series written by Feist over the last 2 or 3 decades. He doesn't really get into the cosmology of it until the Serpent War Saga, but in that saga the characters discuss the nature of magic, the universe and deities and what's presented is fascinated because it discusses how the deities are mediators of the universe, while also being shaped to some degree by their interactions with mortals, and specifically by how the mortals mediate or comprehend them, which brings up an interesting point to consider about mediation. Mediation is a two way street. While we our opening ourselves up to mediate a force, we nonetheless are also bringing to bear our own perspectives about that mediation. In that sense mediation is an interpretation of the force being worked with.

In any case, as you read Feist's series more of the cosmology is revealed. The universe is treated as an entity in and of itself that learns from everything that exists within it, while the various deities are representative of forces and concepts mortals deal with. Some deities are further removed than others and as a result the mortals interact with the lesser deities in order to connect with the greater deities. All of this is similar to the cosmology that Ivo describes in his book. With that said, there is one distinct difference and it's this: Feist's work is a work of fiction, while what Ivo is describing is his actual system of spirituality. Nonetheless, there is a sharing of esoteric concepts in the fiction, and it is doen in a manner that plants seeds in the reader and helps them understand the concepts if they later encounter them in esoteric non-fiction. Certainly as  read Ivo's description of his cosmology, it made more sense to me because I saw certain elements of it expressed in what I'd read in Feist's fiction that were similar to what Ivo described.

Pop culture can be used to convey esoteric knowledge and secrets in a manner that may not be fully accurate, but nonetheless presents enough information for people to get something out of it. In Paranormal Media, Annette Hill notes that paranormal media such as books, shows, etc., is becomingly increasingly popular in mainstream culture, and certainly if you look at the profusion of television shows, paranormal books, and other types of esoteric themed media, what you see is an increasing interest in occult topics. Frankly, I think this a good thing, as it enables esoteric techniques and concepts to be shared with people who may not identify as occultists now, but may be open to exploring magic in their lives. And of course what you read in pop culture can also inspire magical experimentation, as it has in my case.

Pop culture is a viable medium for sharing esoteric concepts and secrets with people who aren't necessarily practicing magic at this time. That such information is becoming increasingly prevalent speaks to the fact that it fulfills a need for our society at large that likely can't be met through mainstream religious practices, which are less about empowering individuals and more about presenting a top down approach to spirituality that expects people to lessen themselves for the deity they worship.

Book Review: Paranormal Media: Audiences, Spirits, and Magic in Popular Culture by Annette Hill

In this book, the author discusses the growing interest in the paranormal and how the media has cultivated and fed this interest. She also examines the role of the audience in paranormal media and how that audience simultaneously provides skepticism and belief to paranormal media. It's a fascinating book which explores how contemporary culture is increasingly exploring the paranormal, magic, and other topics as a way of understanding the mysteries of the universe. If you're interested in paranormal studies or want to understand why the paranormal is becoming increasingly popular in mainstream culture, this book will provide some answers and also show how contemporary audiences are engaging with the paranormal.

The Need High Magic Fulfills

I've been thinking a lot about "high" magic lately, magic done for the purposes of connecting with the divine, for communion, and in some traditions as a way of mediating spiritual forces into the world at large. Specifically I've been thinking about the need high magic fulfills for the person/people practicing it. Part of what's prompted this thinking has been the consideration of my own experiences with high magic. The conclusion I've come to is that high magic, ritual magic, or whatever you want to call it fulfills a deep need: the need to connect with something deeper and larger than ourselves. Call it a deity, call it nature, call it what you want, what we get from such a connection is a deep need met that speaks to a desire to connect with the universe.

This need isn't written about or pointed to in magical texts and I'm sure that some people would argue with me about that need I'm suggesting is fulfilled, but in my experience, I find that people in general choose to take action based on what something will do for them. This isn't to say they don't want to take action for more altruistic reasons, because that certainly can be an element for why they are doing a magical working, but I've never encountered a person yet who hasn't done something without at least some type of gain for themselves. The gain may not be material, but its still there. And when I think about high magic and the purposes of doing magic, what I see is this deep need for connection being met.

We do this high magic ritual to connect with a spiritual being, to get information, or whatever else, but also to establish we are not alone. Or we do a ritual to respond to a crisis, to save the planet or a person or whatever else, but in part we're doing it because as people, as a community we need to find some way to feel connected to each other, to who or what we're doing the ritual for, and to feel a sense of control even if there may not be any control to be had. It's a deep need which goes unstated, but its worth stating it, if only to recognize that it is there, and to develop an informed awareness that allows to knowingly integrate and use that need in our magical workings.

I think that if we were to openly acknowledge that need it would also allow us to critically examine magical workings we do and ask ourselves why we're really doing them. For example, doing a magical ritual to stop oil pumping from a broken line into the ocean is not really an effective form of practical magic, but if we examine the underlying need for it, what we find is a desire to connect with the Earth, to somehow feel we can do something for the Earth. All well and good, though I'd suggest taking more practical mundane action to help out, such as looking at lifestyle choices or cleaning up litter or changing your carbon imprint, would be a better way to serve the Earth. And if you still feel the need to connect to the Earth via ritual magic, then do that magic with the recognition that you want the connection, because that will in and of itself change the working, and you might just get an experience that provides further direction for what you can actually do to help.

When we examine our magical practice and get real about why we are doing what we are doing it lets us have a deeper experience with magic. We aren't fooling ourselves and saying we're doing this working strictly for this reason, but acknowledging that there is something we need from the working ourselves that allows us to process an event or feel a sense of control where perhaps there isn't any. And then we can look and actually determine what we can do about the situation and take action accordingly.

Build the foundation to Build your Practice

 

I'm reading The Sacred Cross by Anastacia Nutt. She makes an interesting point about beginner techniques. A practitioner can be in a real hurry to "learn" a beginning technique and move past it to the more glamorous practices without developing the necessary repetition of practice that informs the use of any technique. The result is that the person over extends and finds that their foundational knowledge and practice are lacking, which can cause problems for the person, as well as bringing him/her back to the necessity of starting over again. It's something I've seen happen before with other magicians and it is a trap that weeds out people who aren't doing the necessary foundational work to build their practice into something reliable.

In my own practice, I'm always looking for ways to improve my foundational knowledge. I figure that even if something seems basic, it probably isn't, because even with the most basic exercise you can uncover layers of experience if you are willing to work it on a daily basis. Daily practice brings with it a way to get to the heart of a technique and make it into an experience that moves you and establishes patterns that allow you to work with your internal energy and with the energy of the cosmos and underworld in a manner that reveals a way to foundationally connect yourself to the universe. Think about a daily practice you do. How long have you done it? How has that practice changed over time? How have you changed as a result of doing the practice? How has your experience of the world changed as a result of doing the practice?

A broad foundation supports the more advanced practices you do and allows you to go in deeper with them because of the discipline you've learned by doing the basic practices. When I first started practicing magic I spent a couple years just practicing the core essential skills of daily practice. The daily work allowed me to explore how magic applied to my life, how it fit with everything I did. It taught me to live magic, as opposed to just doing it for a holiday or to solve a problem. With a strong foundation of practice you live magic because it is part of your everyday life. You are doing it to deepen your connection to the world, to the inner contacts, to the universe, and everything else between.

Living magic is the point of doing the foundational practices. It's not reactive magic. It's intentional, focused...an exploration that leads to more mysteries. All of my experimental work has come out of doing the daily work, because of the insights I've gained in doing that work. It's fair to say that a lot of the experimental work happens during the daily work, because I understand how to take the daily work and turn it into an opportunity for experimentation. The daily work also leads to doing more involved work which may not happen everyday, but when it does happen requires that base level of experience be up to snuff in order to effectively do the more advanced working.

Your daily work builds up your magical muscles as it were. If you don't do the daily work it's not as easy to advanced work and there can be consequences if you aren't ready to do the work, because the daily work isn't even just about building your magical muscles, so much as its about teaching you how to prepare yourself to do the deeper work. A lot of the daily exercises that seem repetitive and boring come in handy when you need to use them in the course of doing more advanced work. For example, my stillness practice has been very helpful for helping me reach deeper states of altered consciousness as well as clearing my mind of distractions. It's a simple practice, but the benefit of the practice is that those abilities are on hand for situations where I need them, both magically and mundanely. Look at your own work. Do you have the foundation in place to support the deeper work you'd like to do? Does that foundation help you in your everyday experiences? If so then you know you're applying that daily work in ways that are paying off and helping you build a strong practice in your life.

Two perspectives on Mediation

Until a couple years ago I never came across the word mediation in context to occultism. However in some of my more recent readings, I have come across the term and it was interesting to note how the term is used and what it means in the esoteric sense of the word. I thought I might share the perspectives I came across on this blog, and then share my own thoughts on the topic.

In Spirit Speak by Ivo Dominguez Jr, Mediation is defined as the following: "In mediation, communication takes place through what appears to be a blending of consciousness between the mediator and the Spirit. In truth it is better described as communication by the use of resonance and mutual induction that results in the replication of pieces of each other's consciousness. One of the components of mediation is the highest form of clairsentience where there is no visible seam between sensing and knowing."

In Living Magical Arts by R. J. Stewart, Mediation is defined as the following, "Mediation is the function of a priest or priestess; a mediator is one who intercedes or acts as an interface between Divinity and humanity... In magic, however, mediation has more precise meaning, based upon the important truth that we all contain Divinity or the original Being within us, just as we are all contained within the Being of the universe. In true mediation, any individual may reach deeply into the states of consciousness where transhuman entities are met... In mediation, a human acts as a focus or gateway for the consciousness of such transhuman being."

If we look at both definitions we see some similarities. Mediation involves a connection with an inner contact or spirit being, where information is exchanged, but also where the spiritual force of the being is transmitted through the person to the world. you are simultaneously invoking the spiritual contact and evoking it by transmitting it to the sacred space you are working in.

One key aspect to understand about mediation is that it going inward to establish contact with the inner contacts. What this means is that we understand that to make a connection we have to find the connection within. William Gray, in Magical Ritual Methods, discusses this in context to using ritual sounds in magic. He explains that while we are making sounds, we aren't just transmitting those sounds to the environment around us, but also to our consciousness, and helping our consciousness become receptive to connecting with the Inner Contacts. The sound is used to condition us, to put us into a space of altered consciousness where we can interact with the spiritual forces we want to connect with. Mediation is an extension of this idea, fully describing what occurs when we mesh our consciousness with the inner contacts we have access to.

For that matter, symbols perform a similar function, providing a focus for the magician that allows him/her to connect with what the symbol represents. One of the reasons I paint is to create personalized symbols that represent the mediated connection between myself and the spiritual entities I work with. The paintings are representative of the meeting and mediation of my consciousness with the consciousness of the spirit being I'm working with.

In thinking about mediation, one conclusion I've come to is that mediation can extend past connecting with an Inner Contact. Mediation can actually involve a connection with the universe...and that when we perform a magical working where we want to manifest tangible results to change the world around us we necessarily need to bring that change to the universe and mediate it. For example, in chaos magic, a magician uses a sigil to represent a specific desired outcome. The sigil is seeded into his/her subconscious with the goal being that it'll gradually maturate into our consciousness and in that process of embodiment bring about the realization of the desired result...however we could take it a step further and not only note that it's seeded in our subconsciousness, but also seeded in the universe and mediated by the act of gnosis the chaos magician achieves when charging and firing the sigil. The sigil is brought to the universe, and the magician mediates a changed universe where the possibility of the sigil exists as a reality. This changed universe is then embodied by the magician and brought back into everyday consciousness where it becomes manifested as the new reality. This has been my experience with practical magic work in general and it shows how the principle of mediation can be usefully applied to achieve more efficacious results in the workings of the magician.

Book Review: Spirit Speak by Ivo Dominguez Jr

This is a book you should read more than once, because with each reading you will uncover something new. This book is written with a variety of audiences and experiences in mind and what you uncover in one reading will change as a result of the experiences you have with the material and with your spiritual life. Certainly this book will be one of the books I keep in my library as a must read text that guides my own spiritual development. Ivo simultaneously imparts complex ideas in a manner that is approachable for all, while also insuring that the reader gets the right level of information for his/her level of experience. This is not something most writers could do, but Ivo does it admirably. If you're only looking to buy one book on magic this year, this should be the book.

The Process of Magic Round 9 Starts May 21st

Magic is a process that changes you and your relationship with the world, if you understand how the process works.  

In this 24 lesson class, we will explore what the process of magic is and how it applies to you and your magical work. If you’re looking for a different perspective on magic that explores the underlying principles of how magic works, instead of focusing on the tools, ceremonies, and other optional features, this class is for you. Round 9 starts on Wednesday 21st. To learn more about this class and what you'll learn visit: The Process of Magic

Reincarnation and Resting on Your Laurels

 

I'm reading the Old Sod, which is a biography of William Gray. One of the themes that comes up in the biography is reincarnation. Apparently Gray's mother believed that she was the reincarnation of a lover of Eliphas Levi and and one of the initial teachers of Gray believed he was a reincarnation of Eliphas Levi. For that matter I seem to recall that Crowley believed he was a reincarnation of Eliphas Levi. I've never really understood the fascination with reincarnation or why people feel compelled to claim they are the reincarnation of famous person x, but nonetheless it seems that it's been quite fashionable to claim you're the reincarnation of someone, as if that somehow passes on legitimacy. The problem I have with reincarnation, as it applies here, is that even if you are the reincarnation of person x, it doesn't matter because you aren't that person anymore, and an investiture in a past incarnation is an attachment that could be quite unhealthy.

For example, lets say you believe you're the reincarnation of Aleister Crowley. How will you ever measure up to that previous incarnation? I think that such an identification can lead to a resting on the laurels of someone else, without really challenging yourself. I was this person in a previous life and now I don't really need to apply myself because of that. It's ridiculous, because even if you are the reincarnation of such a person, you aren't that person now...and it shouldn't really matter.

I've never been interested in figuring out who or what I might have been in a past life. It's the past and right now I'm Taylor Ellwood and that's all that matters. I'm here to have experiences, learn and share and live for as long as I have life. And when I inevitably slip the mortal coil and go onto wherever I go to, that which is Taylor Ellwood will be subsumed to the primal essence that underlies it all and be returned to the universe...and should that essence be reincarnated it will be as someone else with new experiences to have, new things to learn, and new things to share. I hope that future person won't have the hubris to claim it used to be me or feel a need to return to this life.

I suspect that reincarnation matters to some people because they want to feel that some aspect of their personality lives on in later lives, but your personality is temporary and holding on to it as a form of attachment, brings with it all the foibles and faults that person had, without any guarantee that you'll necessarily have the skills and gifts the person had. It should be enough to be who you are, and let that being speak to the experience you are having now. Whoever you were is gone...now is your moment...embrace it as an opportunity to be in this moment, to learn and to let go of false attachments that do no good and will ultimately only hold you back.

How you can rewrite function in magic

In a previous post I defined function as an action that is supposed to occur within a process, in order to move that process along. I wrote another post where I used an example to explain how functions work in a magical process, namely as actions that lead to or connect with other actions that move the process along. Now we're going to explore how to rewrite a function in a magical process. When a process of magic doesn't work the way you expected it to, then you need to examine the functions of that process and likely rewrite them. A function is really the description of the action and how it ought to work. It is your understand of that action and how it executes a principle of magic in order to fulfill the process. Thus what you are rewriting or changing with the function is your understanding of that action and how it ought to work.

It's important to recognize the distinction of rewriting a function based on description as opposed to action. The action performed may change as a result of how we change the description, but we are changing the description so that we understand how the action works and can accordingly perform it to realize the process. When a process doesn't work, its usually because the magician doesn't fully understand what is happening. That lack of understanding allows for variables in your magical process that can change what happens. In a sense, what understanding does is define the path of possibility and lock it in, so understanding is not only important in terms of knowing why actions occur and how magical principles inform those actions, but it is also important in terms of locking out unneeded variables and possibilities.

When you rewrite a function, you first examine it in terms of what ought to happen and ask why the action didn't happen the way it ought to have. What you'll likely discover is that the function doesn't connect to the next function in a way that is understandable. We humans need to know how something connects in order to fully accept that it will connect. And this mean that the connection needs to be logical or rational. It could be irrational, but it needs to make sense and if it doesn't make sense what that demonstrates is a lack of understanding of what the function is supposed to do and how what occurs fits in with everything else happening in your magical process.

Once you discover what the issue is, you need to rewrite the function. This involves changing what occurs when the function is executed so that it connects to other functions and makes sense to you when doing so. What this reveals to us is just how important it is for a given magical process to make sense to us. If it doesn't fully make sense, some part of us will reject it and that is what will truly sabotage the magical working. This isn't a matter of psychology, as much as it is a matter of comprehension. The way we comprehend the world and our own actions necessarily informs the magical work we do. To neglect that or assume it doesn't matter is to reject a crucial element of the magical work: Ourselves and how we execute the magical work through the functions we perform and our understanding of those functions. I don't think this aspect of magic is discussed enough or if it is, its fashionably written off as being psychological, but I'd argue it's not psychological. It is a recognition that the magician is at the core of the magical process, and that his/her understanding of that process and the functions of the process is a key part of what makes the magical process work. S/he may understand the process and functions in different ways, spiritual, psychological, informational, etc., but however you categorize the understanding what matters is that s/he can can connect the process to the result in a manner that makes sense and enables him/her to execute the process and manifest the magic into change that transforms reality.

The Equation of Working with Entities

Sometimes, in my approach to process and applying it to magic, I like to look at a given process in terms of an equation. An equation elegantly lays out the dynamics of a process, demonstrating what it takes to make that process work. When we explore the process of working with an entity (spirit, daemon, etc.) the equation we are using to describe the process of that work is based on the relationship we have with the entity, as well as our understanding of the relationship the entity has with the universe. I'd argue that our understanding of what a given entity does is subjective, because our understanding is situated through a human perspective and in general what you see written about entities has more to do with the type of relationship they can have with a person than has it to do with what their relationship is to the universe. When you do see their relationship with the universe written about it, it's written in a way which is very mechanistic, as if the entities were cogs in a machine. Again, I think this understanding of their role in the universe is subjectively biased and as such may not be as accurate as it could be.

I've written previously about my decision to take a non-anthropocentric approach to my work with entities, including the work I'm doing with the microbiota within me. The reason I've taken that approach is that I've realized that to really understand and work with entities I need to be wary of applying the subjective lens of my human based consciousness upon them. Even with entities like the Goetia who could be argued to have an anthropomorphized form, it's important to recognize that they are likely taking that form because it is expected of them or because they recognize its the easiest way for us to conceptually understand them. One problem with such imagery is that it can create a false impression of an entity. For example, modern day imagery around angels usually involves a human shaped being with wings on its back. Sometimes you'll even see cute baby angels with smiling faces. However, if you've had contact with an angel, such an image bears little truth to the reality of the angel and holding onto such an image allows us to only connect with the angel on a superficial level (if we connect with it at all).

If, on the other hand, we recognize that our perspectives and awareness of entities are limited we can open ourselves to experiencing them more directly. This can have its own dangers. My own experience of working with angels hasn't typically involved the modern day imagery, but rather has involved feeling their presence. When I feel the presence of an angel I feel its force, its function...in other words I feel what it embodies and does for the universe and my relevance to that entity is very minuscule, based on a criteria which essentially asks: "Is this encounter relevant to my function?" If the answer is no, then the angel isn't going to waste time on me. If its yes, it'll put some time toward me, as it relates to the function it performs. The danger in such an experience is that if the person isn't ready to handle such an encounter it can throw them for a loop. In that sense, the safety that imagery and visualization provide is this: You have a less direct encounter with the actual presence of the entity and what it represents. That imagery provides a filter or screen of sorts, which helps your mind, energy, etc. process the experiences you have with the entity, whereas if you take a more direct approach, you are working with a more primal form of entity and this can be overwhelming if you are not used to doing such work. To work more directly with an entity involves allowing your subjective preconceptions and filters to fall away and open yourself to experience the feeling of the entity, the feeling of the force it embodies and represents. To do this carefully, I suggest gradually working toward that experience, as I share with an example below:

When I worked with the element of fire for a year, I gradually evolved my practice to move away from working with the associations and attributes used to describe fire, to working with fire as a direct primal force. The shift away from attributes and associations was useful because it allowed me to realize how much I'd anthropomorphized fire. When I didn't work with the anthropomorphic aspects of fire, I experienced fire as an element in a direct manner that was humbling (always a good thing imo) and allowed me to come away with a much more nuanced understanding of fire as a force of nature. I didn't think of fire in terms of sexuality, passion, or anger. I experienced fire as a force of heat, warmth, and destruction, as well as rebirth. However this process took the better part of a year to achieve. First I had to recognize the limitations of the imagery, associations, and attributes that usually went hand in hand with fire. Then I needed to open myself to working more directly with fire by asking if I could experience it as a raw primal force. I was cautious in making that request and what I did was work daily with fire via my meditations and other daily practices, but I would only allow myself to go so far as I felt I could handle what I was experiencing. If I felt the experience was too much I backed off from it and did appropriate banishing and aftercare. By taking such a gradual approach I was able to get comfortable with that raw experience of fire and consequently understand it in a different way that I'd not had access to before. I apply a similar approach to working with entities.

Let's bring this back to the equation part of this post with two thoughts to entertain. The first thought is this: What you put into the relationship with an entity is what you will get from the relationship with the entity. We can take that statement a number of different ways. For example, how we approach an entity shapes its interactions with us. If we approach an entity with fear, then it will undoubtedly recognize that fear and draw on it to shape the experience with you. Similarly if you approach the entity with respect, the entity will recognize that and factor it in accordingly. Similarly if we approach the entity with a specific image, attribute, or association in mind, it will respond to and use that image, association, or attribute (though not necessarily in ways we'd expect). Entities don't necessarily have a fixed form. They will appear in whatever way is most effective to work with you, and I'd argue they may also choose a more experiential model if that's appropriate for working with you. Likewise what you bring to the interaction influences what they bring to the interaction. If you give respect, you are more likely to get respect, but don't assume that will automatically happen and be aware, as best as possible, what you are bringing into the equation.

The second thought is this: An equation has a defined result. A relationship can also have a defined result. Be clear on what you really hope to get out of the interaction with the entity you are working with. If you are clear on your intentions and clear on the ideal result than it can help you determine if you should even contact the entity. In my magical work, in general, I always define the result. By defining the result I can determine what, if anything I need to employ. Defining the result doesn't guarantee you'll get the result, but it certainly makes it much to work with an entity because you can present it with what you are hoping to accomplish with its aid.

Finally, I suggest trying the non-anthropomorphic approach to working with entities. I find it to be more effective because it strips away the masks and allows you to work with the entity on an experiental level that is not always present when anthropomorphism is employed. While that direct experience brings its own risks with it, it also enables the magician to get a much better grasp of the entity, not only in relationship to the magician, but also in relationship to the universe.

Spirit Cord Experiments

Since I took R. J. Stewart's class on the Spirit Cord, I've started reading his book on the topic and I've continued doing my own magical work with it.  Some interesting experiences have happened as I've worked with the cord. I've integrated my work with it into my daily practice, as part of my experimentation, but I've also worked with it in relationship to entity/spirits work and dream work and in each instance have found it quite useful. The spirit cord also has some applications for space/time magic, which I think will be useful in my continued work with that area of magic.

Daily Work - I've integrated the cord into my daily work, with a specific purpose in mind. When I do my daily meditations I wear the cord and I send part of the meditation into the cord, for the cord to remember. Specifically I send part of my altered state of consciousness into the cord, so that when I do the meditation the next time, I can call upon the remembered state of being to slip more easily and quickly into that state as I do the daily work. Each time I've done this I found that it has been quicker and easier to enter into specific states of awareness and consciousness associated with the daily work I do. I've done some of the daily work without the cord and noted that it doesn't come as quickly, taking the usual amount of time it would have prior to me using the cord.

Entity/Spirit Work - One of the ways the cord can be worked with involves utilizing it to make a stronger connection with spirit guides you are working with. I recently did some with a couple of entities and as part of that work I incorporated the bonding ritual that is used with the cord. I've found that doing so does seem to add an a dimension of connection because the cord essentially "remembers" the relationships you've forged with other beings. When I wear the cord in the midst of doing magical work with a given entity, I draw on the memory of the connection as well as the actual work I'm currently doing to re-connect with the entity and I've felt a stronger connection as a result.

Dream Work - I've taken to wearing the cord every other night when I sleep. I do one night on and one night for several reasons. First I want to determine if there is an actual difference in sleep and dream work experiences when I wear it vs when I don't wear it and secondly if there is such a difference I also want to consider the need for deep sleep vs dream work, as dream work doesn't necessarily provide as full a night of sleep as the body might need. So far, what I've discovered is when I wear the cord at night I have very vivid dreams and I can recall the dreams in the morning, whereas when I don't wear the cord, I don't typically remember the dreams or remember very little.

Space/Time Magic Work - The spirit cord operates on the principle of connection, but also of memory. Both principles are integrally tied to time and space. Memory is fairly obvious, in that the cord is used to remember states of being, entities, etc., but the connection principle also applies because is used to connect, to measure one distance from another, or one time to another. The cord also serves to establish continuity and keeps that continuity alive through its use and memory aspects. An interesting exercise that Stewart includes in the book is to attach the cord to a peg in the ground and then try to move with it. What you'll find is that you can move toward or away from the peg (which could be considered linear time) or you can move in a circle around the peg, which is a rhythmic and perhaps non-linear version of time. He actually suggests doing this in relationship to understanding time.

I'm still reading the book and working through the exercises, but I find that this practice has already enriched my ongoing work immeasurably. There's a lot I'm getting from doing this work as it relates to my own interests, but also doing the work as part of a magical tradition that I am integrating into my life. I look forward to sharing more as I continue to do the work and experiment with it.

My problem with demons

Recently Josephine McCarthy made a post about entities, including demons, which demonstrated a problem I have with how Western Occultism, particularly Western ceremonial magic traditions depict demons. In her post, she depicted demons as malignant entities that want to harm people. The problem with this depiction is that its based on Christian beliefs about what demons are and when magicians draw on that perspective about demons, what are they doing is drawing on Christian concepts to describe something. That alone should make any magician question whether its accurate or justified.

If we look at the word demon, we discover that its derived from the Greek word Daimon which originally meant spirit of wisdom. When Christianity came alone, the Christian leaders had a vested interest in depicting the spirits of other religious practices in a light that made those spirits seem evil or corrupt. Thus the word demon came along. And the medieval grimoires that discussed such entities depicted them in that way because the authors were Christian and knew they had to do so if they didn't want end up burned on the stake. Perhaps they even really believed what they wrote, but we need to critically question it, factoring in the political, religious and historical context that has been used to present the information.

In Western ceremonial magic, there is an uncritical acceptance of the word demon and the description used to define such beings. That uncritical acceptance leads to evocation practices where an entity is summoned and compelled to do something by calling on the names of other entities and threatening them with those entities. Now I don't know about you, but if I was coerced in that manner I'd be pretty unhappy about it too.

My own experiences with demons has never been negative. I do refer to them as Daimons, using the proper terminology. And I work with them. I don't coerce them into doing something they don't want to do. I don't strike bargains where I exchange my soul in exchange for material delights. What I do is develop relationships with them, much like I would with any other spiritual contact I make. And much like any such relationship, what I contribute and what they contribute defines the relationship. However I want to note I've never suffered any adverse effects as a result of working with Daimons. If anything, they've enriched my life and spiritual practices.

I think its high time the magical community recognizes that the word demon and all of its associated meanings comes to us from a religion that has demonized our practices. Do we really want that perspective in our magical practice? Do we even need it? In my opinion, we don't and I find that its counter-productive to getting effective magical work done.

Edit: Josephine published another article on her blog where she clarified her perspective and did a great job of defining the magical work involved.

Some thoughts on teaching magic and where money fits into it all

Recently I came across this post by Josephine McCarthy about Magic and Money. She had some interesting points to make about teaching classes on magic and how when money is brought into the equation it changes the dynamic. In particular she noted that some magicians try to make teaching classes their main income stream (which imo isn't a very good business model as I'll explain further below) and that the material they teach sometimes ends up being modified in order to please the student (a bad idea in my book) or modified to be more commercially viable.

I have started teaching weekend intensives, so when I read this post it gave me a lot to think about. I'm just starting out, designing my classes and putting a lot of thought into what I'll teach and how I'll teach it. Above all I'm mindful that what I teach is something that could have a deep effect on the people choosing to learn from me so I know I need to be prepared to guide them carefully, while also encouraging them to experiment (which is my preferred approach to magic). I've written a number of books on magic and I have taught smaller classes. I've even developed a correspondence course, which thus far has seemed to have been beneficial for all the people taking it. Still I know that as a teacher I'm taking on a responsibility to my students that is significant and must always be considered. I'm also taking on a responsibility to the material I'm teaching because its something which needs to be accurately conveyed.

I don't think that teaching classes is the most effective business model out there, which is why it's not my main stream of income (and likely never will be). Much like writing a book, the monetary return you get from teaching classes is not as significant as you might think. When you write a book, you have to factor in not only the time spend writing and promoting the book, but also the time spent researching for the book. The royalties you receive don't even begin to cover the amount of time spent writing the book. This is why its really important to be clear on why you are writing the book. You are writing it because you feel that you have a message you want to share. You feel a calling to write that book and you realize its more important to write it than not to. You also recognize that unless it becomes a bestseller you're unlikely to make back your investment of time and effort. The same applies to classes.

With a class you need to factor in time spent prepping class materials, as well as the cost of said materials. You also have to factor in the cost of the place you are renting, the cost of food and gas (and possibly lodging) the time spent traveling to and from the class, and the actual teaching of the class itself. And if you're like me and you believe in providing actual follow up teleconferences free of charge so that people can ask questions and check in with you about their experiences, then that's additional time that's being provided. As such the actual cost of a class doesn't necessarily net the amount of profit that you might think it would, especially if you also know that you can only teach to a certain class size and still effectively present the material. Of course there are ways to minimize some of these costs, especially with modern technology, but if you're like me and you actually prefer to teach face to face and perhaps also know that some things can only be conveyed in such settings then you are less likely to use such means to teach your classes.

I feel called to teach the classes I'm teaching. I know my classes aren't for everyone and that what I'm teaching will necessarily involve a certain level of experience on the part of potential students, especially with what I wish to teach. I know that I need to stay true to what I'm teaching because it's something I want people to be able to use to change their lives and to evolve as spiritual and human beings. I do feel justified in charging for my classes because of all the costs I've mentioned. It's not the best model for bringing in income, which is why I have a few other income streams, but what that income allows me to do is cover the costs of teaching the classes, presenting at conferences, and travel without dipping into my main income stream which goes toward paying bills. I believe that the cost is an equivalent exchange for my services, an energetic exchange if you will.

Teaching classes isn't really about the money. The money covers the costs involved to go and teach those classes, but what teaching the classes is about is being able to share specific information, concepts, and practices with people that want to learn those practices. Of course they can pick my books up and read them, but at a certain point, if you want to go deeper it can be useful to have that face to face connection. I myself am taking classes from a spiritual mentor which I think is well worth the cost because what I am getting from the direct experience is something that is much deeper than just reading the books would have provided. It is important to me that I also provide that same depth to my students. I want to honor their needs, but also honor the teachings I share so that what they get is something which authentically conveys the deeper mysteries while also honoring their journey in this world and all others they touch.

Book Review: Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers: Exploring Participatory Culture by Henry Jenkins

This is a collection of articles from Henry Jenkins, over the span of his career as a media academic. Some of the articles are good, others are less impressive, but overall he provides the reader some for thought about the evolution of pop culture studies and pop culture in general. This is a useful book for exploring some of what pop culture studies is about and providing some context as to how the academic study of pop culture has evolved as pop culture and technology have involved. It's limitation beyond the fact that it's a collection of articles, is that some of the material can already be found in the author's other works in a more comprehensive form.

Function is a lot like conjunction junction in magic

I recently wrote a post about function and its role in magic. In it I defined function: "A function, in and of itself, describes a specific action that is supposed to occur within a process as well as why it occurs in the process in way it does." I also explained that function, as it relates to spirits, describes the essence of those spirits and what they are supposed to do. Some of the responses I got to the post asked me to go into a deeper explanation of function and how its supposed to work in magic and that got me to thinking about function and what came up initially as a way to explain function is the old school house rock tune "Conjunction Function, What's your function?" If you've never watched it, you should watch it because it's just that awesome. If you watch that video, it actually explains the concept of function quite nicely, but I'm still going to explain it in my own way as well.

The first thing I'd note about functions is that to some degree they are subjective. You use a function to describe an action and how it ought to work. Functions can also be likened to the attributes you associate with a component of magic, again with the understanding that the attribute, as a function, is describing how the component ought to work or how it ought represent a principle of magic.

The second thing I'd note about a function is that its a connector. Functions are specific actions, which when executed lead to other functions which perform specific actions and so and so forth...get the picture? Basically a function connects to another function when executed properly. And if it isn't executed properly nothing happens. Usually when a function isn't executed properly its because the people doing it don't understand why they are doing it or don't have a clear understanding of the principles involved. In my experience, to make a function, you have to understand why you are doing what you are doing and understand the principles involved. That lack of understanding translates into what you are doing and sabotages the working. Let's provide a specific example or two that helps demonstrate function.

One of my recent workings involved invoking Vinea, a Goetic Daimon. I was doing this invocation to make initial contact with him so that I can do further work with him in the future. Here's what happened. Step one: I briefly look over his name and sigil, to memorize the sigil and to make sure I know how to pronounce his name. The functions at work in this step are memorization (which will lead to another function) and Pronunciation (which will lead to another function). Both of these functions are the foundational functions used to set up the initial ground work of the invocation. Each function performs a specific action. Memorization imprints the sigil into my mind to be recalled when I need it, while pronunciation allows me to learn how to say the name for when I do my invocation chant.

Step 2: I lay down and get comfortable with my head against a pillow. I close my eyes and visualize the sigil, and mentally I say Vinea's name three times. The functions at work in this step are relaxation, visualization, and mental chanting of the name. Relaxation performs the action of getting you into a space where you aren't focused on your body so you can actually focus mentally and spiritually on connecting with the entity. Visualization performs the action of recalling the sigil and using it as a visual marker to focus on connecting with the entity. The mental chanting performs the action of building up your energy, while also creating a an auditory link between you and the entity. Think of it as providing a path to connect you and the entity to each other.

Step 3: I whisper Vinea's name three times, then I say it louder 3 times, louder again 3 times, then I shout it 3 times. While saying his name, the sigil turns into a shape that is representative of him. The functions at work in this step are sonic chanting and visualization. Sonic chanting as a function builds on the initial auditory link you created with the mental chanting. It increases the resonance of the connection, establishing a way for the entity's energy to connect with yours through the pronunciation of the name. The visualization as function builds off the previous use, but in this case is also an indicator that the entity is connecting because he's choosing to appear to you in place of the sigil.

Step 4: I commune with Vinea. We essentially have a conversation which involves an exchange of images and words, as well as coming to an agreement (if we can) of how we'll work together and what we'll do for each other. The function in this step is the communion. It's a function that occurs on both ends and requires both parties to participate.

Step 5: Assuming an agreement is made I follow through on my end by doing agreed upon actions and Vinea follows through on his end. I won't spell out the functions here because this step occurs after the invocation has happened, but I mention it as an example of how functions lead into other functions past the actual working.

So as you can see functions are a lot like conjunction junction. They make connections. One function leads to another, which leads to another, and everything is pull together to produce a process that works. That process makes the magic happen, as long as you understand the functions and what they ought to do or rewrite them to work the way you think they ought to work (but that's another post altogether).

Here's a link to my recent radio interview with Mainstreet Radio about Wealth Magic and my newest book.

Narrative flow and magic

I'm reading Making Comics by Scott McCloud. It's a fascinating book that explores how to write/draw comics, but of course there's also magical applications, if you're willing to look for them. For example he discusses comic book panels quite a bit and how the arrangement of them is used to shape the perceptions of the reader, but also how taking one or two panels out changes the story. And that got me thinking about how you could use panels as visual representations of magic and rearrange them or get rid of some or include new ones in order to explore potential time variants or to change a space and the identities associated with that space. According to McCloud you change the story when you remove a panel...and if you think about your own life as a story, then you can apply the same idea to the narrative of your life. Write out your life or create panels and then make some changes. It doesn't just change your perspective...it changes the experience of the narrative. 

One of the key points he makes is that you can direct the narrative...that what is paid attention to or what causes a distraction can be predicted and used in writing a comic. This is also true in writing. The way words are used and even the format of the text can set up pacing for the book. For example, if you use a lot of dialogue you're usually trying to move the narrative along. The same applies for action sequences. Now if you apply this to magic, think about why you are doing magic. You're typically doing it to make a connection, create a change, or work through your internal crap. Ask yourself how you are directing the narrative. What are you paying attention to and what aren't you paying attention to? What could you change that would allow you to discover what you aren't noticing?

I've only read the first chapter of this book, but what it reveals in terms of telling stories can be applied to magic precisely because magic is a story as well. A lot of the ritual work we do is done to tell a story as much as it's done for other reasons. We are using magic to act out the current situation and what we want to change and then imprinting that story on reality as a way to provide the specific possibility a path for manifestation. Seems simply enough, but the story aspect isn't considered in terms of a narrative that can be changed, unless we actually think along those lines. When you do a magical working or ritual, consider how you are putting it together. What are all the elements involved? What elements could you change, add, or remove and how would that change the story you are trying to tell? How would it change the working you are doing if the story is changed?

The narrative flow of a given magical working is an arrangement. You cut out what doesn't fit, and you put into place what does fit. Then you tie all those elements together and you tell a story to reality that embeds the possibility you desire into yourself as the magician and reality as the recipient. The result is a manifestation of magic. Pretty simple really, but its made complicated by the attachment people have to descriptive elements which are really just placeholders to describe something they represent. If you understand what's represented, you can get rid of the place holders and work directly with the source. Making Comics is actually an excellent example of that principle because while it overtly discusses how to create comics, if you treat it as a meta text, which I've done in this article, you can also use it to understand certain principles that cut across disciplines and you learn to work with those principles directly as a result, because you're getting to look behind the curtain and actually examine how those principles work. That look behind the curtain teaches you to think about and work with magic differently because you recognize so much of it is arbitrary, set up a certain way because of the given agendas of the people who came up with whatever they came up with. Once you recognize that, you stop relying on the arbitrary aspects of magic and start exploring what really works because you want to see behind the curtain. And IMO, that's really the best way to learn magic. No one, myself included, can tell you with complete authority how magic works, because we're all putting our own spin on it. That's why I tell people to personalize their understanding of magic. I can describe how I think magic works, how I know it works, but you have to discover for yourself how it works.

Book Review: What Video Games have to teach us about learning and literacy by James Paul Gee

This is an intriguing book that explores what video games can teach people about how we learn. The author develops 36 principles of learning which can be found in video games and shows through both personal experience and interviews with gamers how these principles work. In that process he also makes some interesting connections between identity, meaning and learning. What I found most useful about this book is how it got me to think about identity in a different way than I'd previously conceived it. Highly recommended to anyone who is interested in how we learn.