Most of my faithful readers know about Inominandum (Jason Miller)'s book, Protection and Reversal Magick. Either you read his blog, have read the book yourself, or you remember me mentioning it a while ago.
After speaking at Thelesis (an AWESOME experience that I'd GLADLY do again), I found myself suffering all the symptoms of being hexed. I don't know if I offended an attendant, or if my Christian presentation upset the OTO Egregore (The Christians to the Lions! is a Crowleyism that runs deep in Thelema, from my own experience, although NOT at Thelesis, they were truly a great group of folks).
I like to think it was an Ordeal. I took on the mantle of Hierophant in a more active way, and the Powers that Be saw fit to test my mettle to demonstrate to me that I need to be aware that if I'm going to teach things of a spiritual nature, I can expect a spiritual test to demonstrate I have the right to do so.
However, the most probable cause was simply Mercury going retrograde the day after the Thelesis lecture.
Anyway, whatever the cause, I ended up in exactly what Jason describes in his book as a "crossed condition." It was relatively easy to fix, once I recognized the symptoms, and things immediately got better after a quick ritual. Having read his book gave me the ability to figure out that something wasn't working right and a clue about what to do to fix it.
If you haven't already, you really should buy and read this book. It also provides some insights into a method he uses to work with Hekate that would be really useful to people looking for a way to use traditional grimoire magical techniques in a more pagan friendly way than is sometimes presented in the classical grimoires themselves.
Head for the Red: The ongoing adventures and insights of a magician's attempts to accomplish the Great Work.
Eh I get that too after presenting places. For me it's more of a colossal energy expenditure to actually get the presentation running and make sure that people are not bored by the material. (It doesn't help I am usually going over EVERYthing I need for the presentation to make sure that it is complete and pretty much difficult to sink. (The 'tornado' at FSG last year only cut me short because folks had to shelter.))
ReplyDeleteDude seriously! While I love Jasons book ( I think we own a few copies) I am not so sure that you are being cursed by the ergregore of the OTO. We have a hard time organizing a BBQ, a good group cursing would be A LOT of work :) I just don't know if we are up for it :)
ReplyDeleteSince I know the exorcist of Choice for the Southern California Catholic church, I doubt the curse thing seriously.
Happy Saturn and Mercury in retrograde!
An Egregore is the intelligence of a Group, like the US has an Egregore, the GD has an Egregore, it's the spirit that "rules" an organization. Organizations are the manifestation of an Egregore, the people-aspect of it.
ReplyDeleteThe initiations, in a way, help attune the initiate to the resonance of the egregore as a whole.
I in NO WAY suspect the people of Thelesis of coming together for a group working against me. :) They have sent me many kind emails. That wasn't what I meant at all.
The Spirit of the OTO manifests in many ways. Sabazius is its current outer head manifestation. DuQuette is another manifestation. You are a manifestation. That doesn't make you pawns of the Egregore, but each of you influence and are influenced by the Egregore.
An Egregore doesn't need the individual members to come together to curse something. Curse might not even be the right word. I consider it a disonance, so I like "crossed condition" better than "curse."
Christianity and Thelema have an ... antagonistic relationship. I was just considering as a possibility that I might have carried a bit of that antagonism away with me in my sphere.
RO I know what an ergregore is and I was making a joke. Well sort of... we really do have a hard time organizing a BBQ. I have empirical proof.
ReplyDeleteI have seen a few ergregores triggered and you really do have to seriously hit them to get a response. Most of those have been long and drawn out not swift. They will protect themselves, but I cannot see how your talk would have done such a thing. I mean really you are not trying to harm it and you are not trying to join it, so you would generally not even hit the radar. No offense.
I would speak only for myself when I say that it is the dogma that is the issue. It is that same issue, I suspect that keeps you from church on Sunday. That sort of shit from either side just gets in your way with the Divine and must be removed. Or not. Your choice.
Being up in front of a crowd of people talking about magical success attracts the Evil Eye. Where a blue bead or a catseye ring next time. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks much for the help with my problematic situation. Much better now.
ReplyDeleteWill send you a little un-crossing. Easy one... psychic line pretty powerful.
I would suggest that you drink some decaf coffee to help it go in.
Seriously. Drink your decaf, watch your conditions uncross.
P
Rufus, while all the points you made are valid, I get the feeling that there was probably at least some self-cursing going on on your side of things. This need not have been deliberate or even a present issue. Just getting up there and doing the great lecture that you did may have stirred up a lot of old unresolved issues about Christians vs. Pagans, magical orders, magick itself, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe crossed condition may have been around for years and is just now resolving itself. The fact you did it right before Mercury went retrograde means you stepped into an area of communication where things were, literally, at a standstill. It was brave, but such things have reprecussions, you know? :)
David, you're probably right to some extent. I want to be really cler I don't "blame" Thelesis at all, or the people. I think it's really just Merc Retro that had the impact it did. The more I look at the subject matter of the "crossed condition," and how it manifested at the time, the more convinced I am that it was just a particularly bad backlash from Merc Retro this time around.
ReplyDelete