War and Rumors of War

Within my sphere, I've felt rumblings and churnings. My friends and family, colleagues and students are feeling the winds of change, catching the acrid odor of burned nitre and sulfur wafting down the halls from the future. The general diplomatic and economic sate of the world at large has people getting ready for the things to come, and I've had a number of people asking me for advice and help, training for this coming phase of life on earth. They feel like they need to have their spiritual powers honed and sharpened, and ready for the trials and tribulations around the corner.

My standard and official response to the rumors of the end of the world are the same as they have been since Y2K failed to bring about the promised collapse of Western Civilization:

Don't Panic.

Rome didn't collapse in a day, and by the time the barbarians are at the gate, it won't be the first time you've seen them. Chances are pretty good that you'll have a lot more indications between now and the day it hits than you have had yet, it won't be surprising. Especially if you've taken Gordon's advice and honed your divination skills.

Nevertheless, after you've accomplished the above, move right along to the next part:

Be Prepared.

Do your daily rituals that you're supposed to be doing. If a spiritual apocalypse comes and the Reincarnated Warriors must step forward and take their destined places in the annals of history, they should have the following things taken care of in preparation:

Divination skills in at least one medium you can carry with you, tarot, runes, i ching, or omnimancy. See Gordon's post for more reasons to pursue this anyway. 

Full ability to channel elemental forces at will. Manifesting fireballs and ice daggers would be super cool, but for our purposes being able to direct the elemental forces to charge talismans, bring healing, and to energize our companions at need will be useful. You need to be initiated into the spheres of the Elements, and have balanced and integrated the forces they represent.

Astral Warrior Training - In the coming days, you'll have ample opportunity to wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with powers and and principalities in high places. Getting some experience wandering around the astral reflection of your area, learning to identify spying spirits, and how to drive off, defeat, or coerce enemy spirits to join you will help a great deal. Also, most of the people trying to be magicians who don't understand the Work will be really good at these kinds of cheap tricks, and there's no point in being a powerful Hermetic Magician if you get your ass beat by a White Wolf master of mental moon magic, is there? Get initiated and trained in the Lower Lunar Realm ASAP.

Working relationship with the Supernatural Assistant. You aren't going to have TIME to attain K&CHGA when the zombie apocalypse arrives. Get it taken care of now. The Supernatural Assistant can take care of the maintenance shit that you won't have time for, like protecting from spiritual forces of darkness, driving off evil spirits, and making a path through the wilderness that doesn't set off the proximity sensors of the New World Order's security forces.

Initiation into all Seven Planetary Spheres. You'll need to be familiar with the forces represented by the Seven Flames that stand before the Throne of God to be able to roll with the punches as they pour out their cups and bowls upon the Earth, if they're FINALLY going to get around to it. If they don't, being on speaking terms with them will help in so many ways I can't begin to list them here. 

Conveniently for my blog readers, and in honor of Rule 34, all these things happen to be available through my Hermetic Courses. I'll also be finishing up an Astral Warrior training guide that just focuses on getting some fun astral powers down, you know, observation, data gathering, weapon creation and empowerment, combat techniques, and mastery of the sphere that will allow you to bend the astral realm itself to entrap, bind, and destroy any enemy you happen to come across. Useful stuff for those going through that phase of their development. All the stuff I wish I'd had when I was dealing with it, that's for sure.

Oh, and the eBooks I sell wouldn't hurt either.