Miscellaneous stuff

Well, I've been not writing the Practically Agrippa series all week long! Hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have.

Seriously, my brain power's about kaput, but I'm planning a reload this weekend. Maybe I'll get to it Saturday and schedule the series to come out through the week. Five basic rituals based on five chapters shouldn't be too hard. Maybe something not based on chapters, but on subjects even. Self-Initiation, Conjuration, Remote Viewing, Divination, and I dunno, Agrippinian Chaos Magic, what the hell.

I'm test flying a new initiation procedure on a somewhat informed and charmingly willing victim. Those of you who experienced my Solar Sphere Initiation failures (your fault, you didn't do the follow up Work), or if you're one of the folks that burned out while I was having you Samekh your way into the Sun, you're aware of the issues that arise in jumping directly into a Solar initiation right out of the gate. So I'm experimenting with a new method to soften and loosen up some of the crap that turns into flaming projectiles when you go straight to the Sun. In the Alchemical process, the Black Stage comes from steady, lower-temperature heat applied to the base material. The negative crap rises to the surface in preparation for burning into White ash in the White Stage. Maybe pushing folks into the Sun out of the gate isn't as efficient, so I'm starting sub-lunar now.

If he lives past tomorrow, I'll eventually publish the methods.

Everything happens for a reason... really.

I'm really too tired for this right now, but it's either respond to Jason's (and now Fr. BH's, and now Monsignor Rossbach's) post, or copy-paste yet more text from a word doc into a spreadsheet that will be morphed into yet another word doc in a few weeks.

Clearly, I am predestined to write this now.

In my comment on Jason's post, I began with my favorite expletive. "Bullshit!" It's totally apt for a number of things I run into in life. I'm adept at recognizing it. I am a Taurus. And I believe firmly that bullshit makes the flowers grow, but then again, I'm a predestinationalist. The bullshit is there TO make the flowers grow, on PURPOSE.

Now, I'm not just a predestinationalist, I'm a full-fledged Calvinist. TULIP, five points of Calvinism, baby. I waffle on limited atonement on occassion; right now I suspect the internet-runners that are as bright as a bag of hair when it comes to white horses being horses have no fucking soul. Overall though, Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Iressistable Grace, and Perseverance of the saints, that's me at the core. It seems pretty out-dated in this new-fangled world that has so blithely accepted the illusion of free will. I don't really care how hip it is.

Long ago, and far away, I got a Vision. The Universe stretched out before me into infinity, and I saw that everything was moving like clockwork, together in perfect harmony. I saw that "now" unfolded endlessly before me, according to all that had come "before." I saw the Angels dancing and singing and doing their thing, I saw the demons laughing and playing and doing their thing, and I saw crowned above it all a King. Who smiles all the time. (Good Omens reference, 13 points if you got it.)

Cabalists of the GD persuasion might say I received a Vision of the Mechanics of the Universe, the spiritual vision of Yesod. I wouldn't argue, but I'd also point out that it wasn't just the engine parts that I saw, but also the harmony of the movement, and the role of mankind as an angel working in harmony with all other things. There was the Vision of the Harmony of the Universe mingled in with it, the Vision that they assign to Tiphareth in the Sun. Its father is the Sun, and its mother is the Moon (Emerald Tablet reference, score 7 points for that one). And on their Tree of Life, the path between is Samekh, as in the Liber, and there's a damned good reason.

Now I don't pretend that it doesn't SEEM like we have free will. I don't use it as a cop out or anything that the ignorant so often accuse me of. The ignorant will say, "if it's all predestined, nothing I do has any meaning..." All I can answer is that everything you DO has meaning because it is in complete accord with the rest of the harmony and mechanics of the spheres and their entities. It wouldn't unfold the way it's supposed to without you.

The marvelous thing about it is that we have the illusion of free will. It seems like we get to make our own decisions. Smarter folks than I have argued and pondered the implications. Fr. S.L. is consistently using dice theory and other mathematics to demonstrate that even though only one thing can happen at any given moment experientially, that doesn't mean a thousand (well, 36 sometimes, if I remember right) other things COULDN'T have happened... He's quite convincing.

But I just know he's wrong. I saw it. I live it. I don't get left empty in the acceptance of that at all, instead it's really cool. It makes me eager to discover What Happens Next (Great and Secret Show reference for 22 points). I live in ignorance of the future, and I know that the way it unfolds is by my actions. Even though my decisions are predestined and are a given, I remain ignorant of what they are and am able to experience them as if I actually made a difference. And I did. It's through our choices that the divine plan set in motion and locked in stone at the beginning of time unfolds. And that's awesome.

When some relatively local nut went on a rampage and shot some Amish kids in a little school house in Pennsylvania a couple of years ago, someone suggested that I go in and tell them that the fact that their kids were killed is beautiful and part of god's plan, let's be all joyous that our children's blood is on the walls. His issue was that evil, bad shit, and suffering are part of the overall harmony too. I'm sorrowful, a tone that brings pain and longing for freedom and oneness, on his behalf, for the bitterness he carries over the idea that he's meaningless if he wasn't the only part of himself making the choices he makes. But that's beautiful ... too.

Why does any of this matter? Why are we stuck reaping the consequences of actions we didn't set in motion? How is it fair?

It ain't. It's just life. Sometimes it feels good and sometimes... not so much.. Two adult friends had grandmothers go into the hospital in the past week. One is recovering from surgery on the flesh suit, and one is recovering from her time in the flesh suit. Both are every bit as much existant as they were before. The difference is that part of one is done with her time here, part of one is still finishing up some shit that has to be done. Who got the better end of the deal? The one that doesn't have to drink metamucil to take a dump ever again, or the one who gets to hold her great grandchildren a couple more times? Who knows?

The reason it seems so fucking unfair to free-will believers is that they just don't have a perspective on life from the standpoint of ETERNITY. Ultimately, if half the shit we know is right in our hearts is really right, we're all going to be hanging out in the Elesian Fields, the Summer Lands, Heaven, New Jerusalem, and maybe the Mormons really do get theri own planets where they are Gods and their many wives become their choirs of angels. Doubt it, but it could happen. Point is, everyone knows it's etter to stay alive while we're here, and even better than that once we're gone.

But I guarantee that anyone (even me, I'm no perfect schmo who lives what I'm saying all the time) who is suffering, sad, angry, depressed, anxious, or upset has SOLID lost sight of eternity, and needs a refresher course pretty badly.

Where's the proof? Somewhere between the Moon and the Sun. It's right there. Samekh. Temperance. Art. And it's beautiful.

(If you got all the points and caught the reference of your final score, score youreself another 376!)

Mercury Retro and Practically Agrippa

Couple things to point out, I don't have a lot of time.

First, there's some neat graphics about the current Mercury Retrograde that shows where mercury is relative to the Sun throughout this retrograde. Interesting interesting stuff:

http://www.alphalifetrends.com/MercuryRetroGraphs-Jan09.pdf

Second, I've started writing up some practical magical rites and rituals based on Agrippa's information. Someone pointed out that the tables of information don't tell you how to do the magic. Oopsie!

So, I'll write five or ten simple rituals that demonstrate how to use the Three Books of Occult Philosophy in practical magic, focusing on both Ascension magic and mundane manifestation magic. To begin, I'll start with the elements, then the planets, the geomantic and other planetary figures, and some Angel magic. Most likely I'll focus on books 2 and 3, but who knows?

Why they Live

Do you ever wonder why the stupid fucks get to live? The ones that just don't get it?

They're all made "in the image of god," they all have the potential to accomplish the Work, and between now and eternity, they will all come to grace/enlightenment/attainment/unity with god, or whatever. Eventually. SOMEfuckingDAY.

It would take way too long to kill them all. The logistics alone are overwhelming. The ethics are questionable. And the smell of the cities afterwards...

Those are the two reasons I usually come to in my contemplation of why the pinheads get to breathe. I find myself contemplating this when I read about how it takes months to figure out that a white horse is not a horse, and what that means, and how it applies to life. It's a big fat giant "No fucking shit!" when you get to the "right" answer.

I struggle with humility. I get prideful and arrogant. I get knocked on my ass when I argue with my betters because I think I know better than they do. It happens a LOT.

Why?

Because the world is full of morons! Folks with all the spiritual awareness of a bag of hair. Less, because at least the spirit of the bag of hair is aware. Most folks want to drink their cold Coors Light and catch a rerun of Mork and Mindy, and they're fine people, but do you think they know that logic and rational mind is there to point out that there's something bigger than the sum of the parts?

These are the things I usually think about when I try to figure out why muggles are here.

But tonight, I had a brilliant flash of insight! I finally "grok" what is going on, and the purpose of people like that! Without them, there would be no oil refined into gasoline or plastic, there would be no playstation, no guitar hero, and no flushable toilets. There would be no Network Operating Centers, no Data Warehouses, no fiber-optic networks. There would be no dynamic IP, no electronic fund transfers, and no online banking.

They're here because...

Someone has to keep the internet running!

Spirit Pots... er... bottles

The local occult book shop sells these neat little Egyptian Perfume Bottles. They're made of hand-blown glass, and are really pretty. Ever since seeing them, I've wanted to make one into a spirit pot. They look a bit too much like a Genie bottle to pass up.

I bought some in bulk, and I'm grinding the herbs now. I'm going to be putting together everything you need for a Goetic Spirit Pot (bottle) for a Duke of the Goetia. I've got a blend of Venusian herbs that I use with Bune, which I'll put into the bottle. You'll also get a blank copper talisman forged in a Venus hour that you can inscribe with the spirit's seal of your choice.

The following table lists the Dukes of the Goetia, and links to their seal on Joe Peterson's www.esotericarchives.com web site. The links are to his bookmarks on the page, and some of them aren't perfectly accurate; you may have to scroll up or down a bit to get to them.

As you can see, the Dukes are pretty handy fellows to have on your side. If you're interested in purchasing one or more, please visit my Products and Services page at the Rufus Opus web site. I have ten total available.

Duke	Powers
2. Agares	Makes them run that stand still, fetches back runaways, teaches languages and tongues, destroys dignities (supernatural and temporal), causes earthquakes
6. Valefar	Is a good familiar, but tempts magician to steal
8. Barbatos	Opens treasures sealed by magicians, divination, reconciles friends and those in power
11. Gusoin	Tells of things past, present, and to come, shows meaning of all questions you ask, reconciles friends, gives honor and dignity to any
15. Eligor	Discovers hidden things, knows of things to come, of wars, how soldiers will and shall meet, causes Love of Lords and great persons
16. Zepar	Cause women to love men, bring them together in love, makes women barren
18. Bathin	Knows the virtue of herbs and precious stones, transports men suddenly from one country to another
19. Saleos	Causes love of women to men and men to women
23. Aim	Sets cities, castles and great places on fire; makes one witty, gives true answers to private matters
26. Buné	Changes places of dead, causes spirits under him to gather together on their sepulchres, gives riches to a man, makes a man wise and eloquent, gives true answers
28. Berith	Gives true answers of things concerning the past, present, and to come, turns all metals into gold, gives and confirms dignity to men
29. Astaroth	Gives true answers of things present, past, and to come, can discover all secrets, declares how spirits fell, reason he fell, teaches Liberal sciences.
41. Focalor	Kills men, drown them in waters, overthrow ships of war
42. Vepar	Guides the waters and ships laden with armor, causes seas to be rough and stormy, and to appear full of ships, he causes men to die in three days with putrefying sores and wounds, and causes worms to breed in them
47. Vual	Procures love of women, tells things past, present and to come, procures friendship between friends and foes
49. Procel	Speaks mystically of hidden things, teaches art of geometry and liberal sciences, makes loud noises of running water, warms waters, discovers baths
52. Alloces	Teaches astronomy and liberal sciences, gives good familiars
54. Murmur	Teaches philosophy, makes dead people appear before magician to answer whatever the mage wants to know
56. Gemory	Tells of all things past, present and to come, of hidden treasure and what it lays in (where it is?), procures love of women young and old
60. Vapula	Teaches handicraft professions, philosophy and other sciences
64. Flauros	Gives true answers of things past, present, and to come. Talks of divinity, creation of the world, falling of the spirits, destroys and burns enemies, will not let magician be tempted by any spirit or otherwise
67. Amduscias	Causes trees to bend and incline, gives excellent familiars
71. Dantalion	Teaches arts and sciences to anyone, declares secret councils of anyone, knows thoughts of all men and women, can change them at will, causes love, shows true similitude of anyone wherever they are in the world