Summer Drought Reveals Stonehenge Secret

For many years archaeologists have argued over whether or not Stonehenge was originally a complete circle. Now, thanks to a dry summer and a short hose, the question appears to be resolved.

Stones buried in the ground affect the growth of grass, long after they fall down, break, or are removed. This last summer was particularly dry in England, and those charged with maintaining Stonehenge found themselves with a hose that was too short to reach all the way across the circle. So part of it was left to dry out, which revealed a pattern of "ghost stones," areas of grass that died off faster than the surrounding turf.

"A lot of people assume we've excavated the entire site and everything we're ever going to know about the monument is known,” said Susan Greaney, from English Heritage.

"But actually there's quite a lot we still don't know and there's quite a lot that can be discovered just through non-excavation methods. It's great that people who know the site really well and look at it every day were able to spot these parch marks and recognise them for what they were.

"We maintain the grass with watering when it's very dry in the summer, but our hosepipe doesn't reach to the other side of the stone circle. If we'd had a longer hosepipe we might not have been able to see them. It's really significant, and it shows us just how much we still have to learn about Stonehenge.”

Historians have long wondered whether Stonehenge was an intentionally-incomplete circle, but countless high resolution geophysical surveys and excavations have failed to give the answer.

So it seems where high-tech archaeology failed, drought and a short hose may have succeeded. From a magical standpoint it makes sense that the site would have been built as a complete circle. The magical circle is an ancient construct, and in order to serve as an effective spiritual boundary it should not be broken. But speculative conjecture can only go so far until you need real data to fill in the gaps - pun intended.

And now it seems that we have it.

Brain Research and Meditation Methods

One of the more intriguing current trends in brain research is that over the course of the last decade or so, neuroscientists have been paying more attention to altered states of consciousness produced by "mystical" practices such as meditation. While I am not a proponent of the "mind as epiphenomenon of the brain" model of consciousness, at the same time it's clear that subjective experience can be related to neural events.

One of the more recent developments that came from this research is "mindfulness meditation," a non-sectarian meditation method similar to the Buddhist shamatha method. In this practice, thoughts are observed as they arise, and whenever the practitioner notices his or her attention being drawn to them, the attention is returned to the breath. This method produces a physiological state that researchers call the "relaxation response."

In this state, both the mind and the body are calmed. Studies have shown that the relaxation response can reduce everything from anxiety to inflammation, and that the benefits of this can be obtained after a relatively short period of practice. It should be no surprise to anyone familiar with neuroanatomy that the relaxation response achieves those results by activating the parasympathetic, or calming portion of the nervous system.

This explains in part why Theravada Buddhists who primarily practice this sort of meditation abstain from alcohol. Alcohol behaves like a stimulant in low doses because while it is a depressant, it depresses the parasympathetic nervous system before it acts upon the sympathetic, or arousing nervous system. So in fact there is a clear physiological reason why consuming alcohol interferes with Theravada practice - it undermines the primary mechanism behind the relaxation response.

In some cases, mindfulness meditation can produce the same sorts of cognitive problems that Buddhist teachers also sometimes encounter with shamatha. Again, this should be no surprise since the methods are so similar. Earlier this summer an article was published by The Atlantic discussing the work of Dr. Willoughby Britton, who is investigating cases in which the mindfulness meditation technique goes wrong.

Curses Target Thai Prime Minister

General Prayuth Chan-ocha, the new Prime Minister of Thailand, recently came to power in what his opponents have described as a military coup. Chan-Ocha has consolidated all three branches of government under his control, imposed martial law, and amended the constitution granting amnesty to his political party, which sure sounds like setting up a military dictatorship to me. Chan-Ocha now claims that his enemies are using magical curses against him, and that he has had to use spells of his own to ward them off.

Speaking at a meeting responsible for selecting members of the National Reform Council on Thursday, General Prayuth told those in attendance about the effects black magic was having on him, the Bangkok Post reported. The daily added that Gen. Prayuth made light of the black magic he alleges is being used against him:

“Today, I have a sore throat, a pain in my neck. Someone said there are some people putting curses on me. I had so much lustral water poured over my head, I shivered all over. I’m going to catch a cold now.”

Thailand and surrounding countries like Cambodia are known to have a deep black magic history. The use and practice of voodoo in Thailand, known as ‘barang’, is considered illegal in most of the country, but is still practiced by many black magic spell casters.

Another form of black magic that is performed in the northeastern part of Thailand, known as ‘ya sang’, is an old concept of black magic where poisonous plants are used with an aim to trigger abdominal disorders, intoxications, possible death, and as in Gen. Prayuth’s alleged case, bodily pain.

According to The Hindu, the Thai Premier added that he had conducted his own counter-spell ritual, which would help ward off the supernatural curses.

Just as a point, Thai barang and voodoo are completely different systems, which should have been made clearer in the article. Southeast Asia and New Orleans are a long way from each other, and the term "voodoo" does not generically mean magick, or even cursing. Media sloppiness surrounding this issue has led to a lot of confusion, even among practitioners who should be experienced enough to know better.

At any rate, given the history of military dictatorships and their use of propaganda it's hard to say whether this is true, or if Chan-Ocha is essentially accusing his opposition of invoking the powers of evil in a classic witch hunt. It is true, though, that magick is often the tool of last resort for oppressed people with no other effective way to fight back. I know that if a takeover like this happened in the United States, I'd be throwing curses at the aspiring dictator as well. I think a lot of us would.

He IS the Messiah!

Could this be yet another sign of the low-budget apocalypse? According to Philadelphia police, the Messiah has returned. Specifically, he recently launched an attack on a passing car that presumably was being driven by minions of the Beast. The driver struck back, and the Final Battle between good and evil commenced. But the Book of Revelation failed to account for the outcome, with the Savior treated for his injuries and the agents of evil escaping prosecution. The scriptural account also didn't mention anything about the Messiah not wearing pants.

On Sunday around 4 a.m., police spotted a half-naked man who appeared to have been thrown from a black sedan on the 1500 block of South Christopher Columbus Boulevard. Investigators say the 57-year-old man was lying on the ground unconscious as the vehicle fled the scene eastbound on Reed Street. The man was taken to Jefferson Hospital and treated for a cut lip. Investigators eventually tracked down five passengers inside the sedan and took them in for questioning.

After interviewing the passengers, police determined that the man, who they initially believed was the victim, was actually the aggressor. According to investigators, the unidentified man became delusional after taking his new medication while drinking alcohol. The man allegedly ran into the street while naked from the waist down. Police say the man was banging on vehicles passing by while claiming he was the Messiah.

The "Messiah" then struck a 24-year-old man who was inside the black sedan, according to investigators. Police say he then fell to the ground after the 24-year-old opened the car door. The "Messiah" allegedly tried to punch him again but the 24-year-old pushed him to the ground. The "Messiah" then chased after the other passengers inside the sedan as they returned to their vehicle and fled the scene.

So the Dark Lord has risen in Arizona, and the Son of Man has engaged the forces of the evil while pantsless in the streets of Philadelphia. The signs are everywhere - not only is the apocalypse underway, but it looks to be massively anti-climactic. Rather than the entire world being struck by global war, famine, pestilence, and death, the actual events seem to consist of a few delusional losers duking it out in the street. It remains to be seen who will win, and if, after all is said and done, anyone cares.

Fake Illuminati and the Ice Bucket Challenge

I suppose it was inevitable that Illuminati hysteria would strike the latest viral craze, the ice bucket challenge. YouTube videos are now claiming that rather than a publicity stunt to draw attention to the crippling disease ALS, the whole thing is a ploy by the Illuminati to prepare the world for mass human sacrifice. Or at least I think that's what the videos are going on about. Here's what the poster had to say:

“What if I told you that the good gesture sweeping across America called the “Ice Bucket Challenge” is actually a large ‘Ritual Purification Cleansing’ preparing for the Largest Human Sacrifice in History to usher in the Beast System?

What if I told you the latest Fire and Ice Challenges are tied to the Illuminati and New World Order’s bold Agenda of the rise of the Fourth Beast System, the Reign of the Anti-Christ?

What if I told you that depending on how you decided to “cleanse” whether having water dumped on your head or being the dumpee represented turning someone else in or giving yourself up come that time?

What if I told you the Ice Challenge was a hidden Illuminati code inviting ISIS to Ice Us?

What if I told you Obama sitting in the “Iron Throne” back in May in a “photo-shopped” White House tweet was in fact God showing us the hour we are living in according to the book of Daniel and Revelation?"

Frankly, I'd call you an idiot. Because if that load of conspiracy-mongering crap is not some sort of joke, I fear for both your critical thinking skills and your mental stability. It's classic paranoid reasoning that imparts earth-shaking meaning to random coincidences. It's like whoever wrote this picked up a newspaper and saw "ice bucket challenge," "ISIS," and "Obama" on the front page and came up with a creative essay that combined them.

Even if we assume that everything people believe about the (fake) Illuminati is true - that they're masters of mind control and so forth - why would they want to "sacrifice" their minions? Don't they want mind-controlled soldiers for the New World Order? The dodge of "but they're occultists!" doesn't fly here. Dumping a bucket of ice water on your head without any spiritual intent has no magical significance, for sacrifice or otherwise.

The more I write, the more I'm convinced that this is just a parody. At least I hope it is, because even I have a hard time believing that real people could be this dumb.

Virginia Town's Fortune-Telling Ban Repealed

The town of Front Royal, Virginia has finally moved into the current century by repealing a long-standing ban on "fortune-telling" and the practice of "magic arts." Oddly enough, the repeal proved a controversial issue for the town council, even though few other cities have such laws and the ones that do rarely enforce them. For the most part they're holdovers from a time when people were genuinely worried about supernatural influences.

For decades, Front Royal has had a code listed among its ordinances that bans fortunetelling and the practice of magic arts. Understandably, the ban's legality and use of offensive terms like "gypsies" has come under fire.

More than 50 supporters and opponents showed up at a hearing earlier this month to voice their concerns, after a local tarot card reader was allegedly asked to stop practicing her craft because it violates city code.

Monday night, the town council voted 4-2 to repeal the ban. Many Front Royal residents had wanted the ban to stay in place "out of fear" of harboring "Satanism," the Northern Virginia Daily reported.

Regulating professional fortune-telling is not necessarily completely out of line. The town of Salem, Massachusetts, for example, has a board that licenses professional psychics and "Halloween performers," and even that barely keeps the clown shoes in check. But the idea that fortune-telling of any kind should be completely banned along with "magic arts?" Sorry, but magical arts are part of my religious practices. Therefore, according to the Supreme Court, the town should not have the authority to ban them.

It also amazes me that apparently a lot of Front Royal residents are still living in the late 1980's, when "Satanism" was believed to be a real threat to actual people - as opposed to the tiny cadre of theatrical atheists and left-hand path esotericists that it in fact is. Given how rare they are, it's unlikely that even one would live in a town as small as Front Royal. And anyway, Satanists have a right to religious freedom just like everyone else. What are these folks afraid they'll do? Install a monument?

Arizona Dark Lord Curses Christians

It's events like these that make me wonder momentarily if there might be something to that fake Illuminati letter I received years ago. While the letter was obviously some sort of prank, going on about how the Son of Lucifer was stuck working as a plumber in a trailer park, it's clear that the title "Dark Lord" no longer means what it once did. Perhaps that, in and of itself, is one more sign of the low-budget apocalypse.

So here's the deal. Apparently, instead of setting in motion some sort of diabolical worldwide conspiracy involving massive financial resources held by elite banking families, reptilian space aliens wielding futuristic technology, and demons in the flesh raised from the deepest pits of hell, this "Dark Lord" burned a Bible. After urinating on it. Outside an Arizona homeless shelter. Can unspeakable evil get any sadder than that?

Eric Minerault, 22, was taken into custody late Thursday after a representative of the Yavapai Territorial Gospel Rescue Mission in Prescott called police, stating that a man was burning something on their porch.

According to the mission’s Facebook page, Yavapai Territorial Gospel Rescue Mission opened in 2013 “to offer help, hope and healing to the least of these in Yavapai County” and to “aid the homeless and poverty stricken towards a fuller, hopeful, God-filled life.”

When the Prescott police arrived on the scene, they found Minerault standing on the mission steps with a burned and wet Bible near him. Reports state that Minerault was dressed in a black and red robe and was wearing a pentagram necklace.

Police asked Minerault if he had committed the act, and he allegedly confessed, outlining that he targeted the location because it was a place of Christian worship and that he was “cursing the Christians.” When the investigation dug deeper as to the motivation behind doing so, Minerault advised that he was “dark Lord.”

Idiots like this guy are the reason a lot of serious magical practitioners have recently been railing against "dark fluff" in the occult community. This guy is no practitioner, he's just stupid and doing something offensive for the hell of it - pun intended - to show how "evil" he is. I don't have a problem with Christians running a homeless shelter; in fact, that's exactly the sort of thing they should be doing if they're being true to their beliefs. So it's the last place I would want to set up some sort of anti-Christian protest.

If this is what passes for evil these days, the forces of good clearly have nothing to worry about for the foreseeable future.

Ministering Angels

I gave the following presentation, "Ministering Angels: The Solomonic Roots of Enochian Magick" at the MNCON Midwest Ordo Tempi Orientis Convention on August 23, 2014. I had submitted it to two previous conferences, but I guess the third time was a charm.

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.

The Enochian magical system of John Dee and Edward Kelly has inspired many modern esoteric groups, including the various Golden Dawn traditions, Aleister Crowley's A.'.A.'., and the Aurum Solis. However, much of the Enochian lore developed by these diverse groups is not drawn from and in some cases directly contradicts the source material. A more accurate perspective on the original diaries may be found by approaching the system as an advanced form of Solomonic grimoire magic instead of viewing it through the lens of nineteenth-century Hermetic Qabalah. I have found that approaching the Enochian system in this way, as outlined in my two published books, Mastering the Mystical Heptarchy and Mastering the Great Table, yields a highly effective system of practical magick.