It turns out that I don't have time for a lot of things these days. For the next month or so, I'm pretty much swamped, booked solid, and generally overwhelmed. Between Kingdom Management and my own ongoing attempts at the Great Work, I haven't got time for shit right now.
Fortunately, I have a lot of friends working at making the world a better place for people to do what they want and enjoy their lives. Michael Cecchetelli, author of Crossed Keys, Abraxas, Mardukite Magic and and co-author (who also put together the book) of the Holy Guardian Angel, is someone I may have mentioned before. He knows his shit, and he's now accepting applications for training in conjure magic.
In a couple of months, I'm going to be offering some courses of my own, but I am not going to be covering the fundamentals of conjuration the way he will in this course. My focus is going to be more on theory and application of techniques to completely alter your world as you see fit. It will be done using conjure magic, of course, but I'm not going to have time to teach the core techniques people are going to need.
Folks with his training will do a lot better when they get to my lessons, and I strongly encourage you to sign up right away:
Michael's experience allows him to offer useful, personal anecdotes about everything from Greek Magical Papyri and barbarous tongues to Solomonic and other typs of grimoire magic. You aren't going to find another person offering classes like this anywhere else.
I've argued before that all magic is spirit magic, and a solid course in evocation is the core of actual practice. Now's a good time to apply, his slots may already be full since Jason Miller also recommended him, but you can fill out the application now and get in line for next time.
Head for the Red: The ongoing adventures and insights of a magician's attempts to accomplish the Great Work.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Term of All that Liveth
"Term of all that liveth, whose name is inscrutable, be favourable unto us in thine hour."
Death comes to us all, and when it does, those of us left behind get to deal with the loss. It is indescribable to anyone who hasn't dealt with it. When it brushes against me, I find comfort in the following section from the Divine Pymander. I don't know how well it helps anyone else, but I think it is simple, and beautiful. It's Pymander's response to Hermes Trismegistus' question about what happens when we return to the Source from which all has sprung:
59. Pim. First of all, in the resolution of the material body, the Body itself is given up to alteration, and the form which it had becometh invisible; and the idle manners are permitted, and left to the Demon, and the senses of the body return into their Fountains, being parts, and again made up into Operations.
60. And Anger, and concupiscence, go into the brutish or unreasonable nature; and the rest striveth upward by Harmony.
61. And to the first Zone it giveth the power it had of increasing and diminishing.
62. To the second, the machinations or plotting of evils, and one effectual deceit or craft.
63. To the third, the idle deceit of Concupiscence.
64. To the fourth, the desire of Rule, and unsatiable Ambition.
65. To the fifth, profane Boldness, and the headlong rashness of confidence.
66. To the sixth, Evil and ineffectual occasions of Riches.
67. To the seventh Zone, subtle Falsehood, always lying in wait.
68. And then being made naked of all the Operations of Harmony, it cometh to the Eighth Nature, having its proper power, and singeth praises to the father with the things that are, and all they that are present rejoice, and congratulate the coming of it; and being made like to them with whom it converseth, it heareth also the Powers that are above the Eighth Nature, singing Praise to God in a certain voice that is peculiar to them.
69. And then in order they return unto the Father, and themselves deliver themselves to the Powers, and becoming Powers they are in God.
70. This is the Good, and to them that know, to be desired.
Death comes to us all, and when it does, those of us left behind get to deal with the loss. It is indescribable to anyone who hasn't dealt with it. When it brushes against me, I find comfort in the following section from the Divine Pymander. I don't know how well it helps anyone else, but I think it is simple, and beautiful. It's Pymander's response to Hermes Trismegistus' question about what happens when we return to the Source from which all has sprung:
59. Pim. First of all, in the resolution of the material body, the Body itself is given up to alteration, and the form which it had becometh invisible; and the idle manners are permitted, and left to the Demon, and the senses of the body return into their Fountains, being parts, and again made up into Operations.
60. And Anger, and concupiscence, go into the brutish or unreasonable nature; and the rest striveth upward by Harmony.
61. And to the first Zone it giveth the power it had of increasing and diminishing.
62. To the second, the machinations or plotting of evils, and one effectual deceit or craft.
63. To the third, the idle deceit of Concupiscence.
64. To the fourth, the desire of Rule, and unsatiable Ambition.
65. To the fifth, profane Boldness, and the headlong rashness of confidence.
66. To the sixth, Evil and ineffectual occasions of Riches.
67. To the seventh Zone, subtle Falsehood, always lying in wait.
68. And then being made naked of all the Operations of Harmony, it cometh to the Eighth Nature, having its proper power, and singeth praises to the father with the things that are, and all they that are present rejoice, and congratulate the coming of it; and being made like to them with whom it converseth, it heareth also the Powers that are above the Eighth Nature, singing Praise to God in a certain voice that is peculiar to them.
69. And then in order they return unto the Father, and themselves deliver themselves to the Powers, and becoming Powers they are in God.
70. This is the Good, and to them that know, to be desired.