Monday, December 19, 2022

Auto-Talismanic Ritual for 2022

We will be performing the Auto-Talismanic Ritual for the 2022 Winter Solstice tomorrow evening, Tuesday December 20th, at the Ritual Workshop. Doors open at 7:30 with the ritual to begin around 8 PM.


0. The Temple


The temple is set up with an altar in the center, on which sits the Table of Art. A pitcher filled with wine or juice is placed in the center of the Table. The banishing dagger, invoking wand, and bell chime are placed on the altar. Magus wears white and Sophia wears black. Throughout the ritual, Sophia and Magus face each other across the altar, moving appropriately throughout the various ceremonial forms.


I. Opening


As each person enters the temple, they are handed a glass filled with salt water. Once all are present, Magus takes up the banishing dagger and performs the Star Ruby.


Sophia: We take refuge in Nuit, the blue-lidded daughter of sunset, the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night sky, as we issue the call to the awakened nature of all beings, for every man and every woman is a star.


All: MAKAShANAH.


Magus: We take refuge in Hadit, the secret flame that burns in every heart of man and in the core of every star, as we issue the call to our own awakened natures, arousing the coiled serpent about to spring.


All: ABRAHADHABRA.


Sophia: We take refuge in Heru-Ra-Ha, who wields the wand of double power, the wand of the force of Coph Nia, but whose left hand is empty for he has crushed an universe and naught remains, as we unite our awakened natures with those of all beings everywhere and everywhen, dissolving all obstacles and healing all suffering.


All: AUMGN.


Magus: For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.


Sophia:: All is pure and present and has always been so, for existence is pure joy; all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass and are done; but there is that which remains. To this realization we commit ourselves – pure and total presence.


All: So mote it be.


Friday, December 2, 2022

Were They Becoming Living Gods?

Back in 2014, online magick personality E. A. Koetting was arrested on methamphetamine and weapons charges. Koetting's "Become a Living God" online presence more recently took a huge hit after one of his fans decided to make a pact with a demon that involved him killing young women in exchange for winning the lottery. In a classic case of "that's not how any of this works," the disturbed fan did not in fact win anything and just went to prison.


Oddly enough, though, it seems that a group of Buddist monks in Thailand may have also been fans of this whole "Living God" thing. Or at least they were fans of the meth. From Vice:


A small Buddhist temple’s entire abbey of monks was defrocked, dismissed, and sent to rehab this week after every one of them tested positive for methamphetamine.


All four monks at a temple in Phetchabun province's Bung Sam Phan district, in central Thailand, were forced by police to take urine tests on Monday. All four of them, including the abbot, failed.


The monks were subsequently sent to a health clinic to undergo drug rehabilitation, local official Boonlert Thintapthai told AFP, leaving the temple without holy men and raising concerns among local worshippers that they wouldn’t be able to conduct “merit-making”—that is, donating food to monks as a good deed.


It’s not clear why police targeted this particular temple, nor these particular monks, to test for drug use—but the action comes amid a broader national campaign to tackle the trafficking of illicit substances.


Personally I don't have a problem with people using substances to produce altered states of consciousness. From what I understand, though, meth is just a super-addictive stimulant without much in the way of effects that I would consider even bordering on spiritual. Anyway, my understanding is that Buddhist monks aren't even supposed to drink alcohol, so I would expect meth to be right out.


Meth apparently does make engaging in boring tasks for long periods of time easier, which maybe says something about what life at this particular temple was like. Or maybe doing it was just a lot more fun than sitting around meditating all day. Whatever the case, their "Living God" habit clearly caught up with them - like it usually does.


Monday, November 28, 2022

Sagittarius Elixir Rite - Year Six

Today's Magick Monday post is a full script for the Sagittarius Elixir Rite that we will be performing tomorrow, Tuesday November 29th, at the ritual workshop. We will be starting the ritual around 8 PM.


0. The Temple


The ritual space is set up with an altar table in the center. The bell chime, banishing dagger, and invoking wand are placed on the altar. In the center of the altar is placed a cup of wine for creating the elixir, within the Table of Art corresponding to Sagittarius. The sign Sagittarius is attributed to the power of “Transmutations." It is also the only sign attributed to a vision, the "Vision of Universal Peacock." This vision is a significant step in alchemical processes. Transmutation is a general power with many applications, since in a sense all magical operations represent attempts to transmute or transform some aspect of yourself, the external world, or both. So any intent along those lines would be in harmony with the power of the sign. The Via Solis Elixir Rites were written by Michele Montserrat in 2010 for the Comselh Ananael magical working group.


I. Opening


All stand surrounding the altar. Officiant inhales fully, placing the banishing dagger at his or her lips. The air is then expelled as the dagger is swept backwards.


Officiant: Bahlasti! Ompehda!


Officiant then performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. All rotate accordingly.


Officiant: We take refuge in Nuit, the blue-lidded daughter of sunset, the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night sky, as we issue the call to the awakened nature of all beings, for every man and every woman is a star.


All: MAKAShANaH


Officiant: We take refuge in Hadit, the secret flame that burns in every heart of man and in the core of every star, as we issue the call to our own awakened natures, arousing the coiled serpent about to spring.


All: ABRAHADABRA


Officiant: We take refuge in Heru-Ra-Ha, who wields the wand of double power, the wand of the force of Coph Nia, but whose left hand is empty for he has crushed an universe and naught remains, as we unite our awakened natures with those of all beings everywhere and everywhen, dissolving all obstacles and healing all suffering.


All: AUMGN


Officiant: For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.


All: All is pure and present are and has always been so, for existence is pure joy; all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass and done; but there is that which remains. To this realization we commit ourselves – pure and total presence. So mote it be.


Monday, October 31, 2022

Scorpio Elixir Rite - Year Six

Today's Magick Monday post is a full script for the Scorpio Elixir Rite that we will be performing tomorrow, Tuesday November 1st, at the Ritual Workshop. We will be starting around 8 PM. I will also be posting a video of the ritual later on the Leaping Laughter YouTube channel, which can be found here. I'm way behind on videos, but am looking to catch up soon.


0. The Temple


The ritual space is set up with an altar table in the center. The bell chime, banishing dagger, and invoking wand are placed on the altar. In the center of the altar is placed a cup of wine for creating the elixir, within the Table of Art corresponding to Scorpio. The sign Scorpio is attributed to the power of “Necromancy." Note that this refers to work with the spirits of the dead, including ancestors, rather than magick involving dead things such as body parts and so forth. The Via Solis Elixir Rites were written by Michele Montserrat in 2010 for the Comselh Ananael magical working group.


I. Opening


All stand surrounding the altar. Officiant inhales fully, placing the banishing dagger at his or her lips. The air is then expelled as the dagger is swept backwards.


Officiant: Bahlasti! Ompehda!


Officiant then performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. All rotate accordingly.


Officiant: We take refuge in Nuit, the blue-lidded daughter of sunset, the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night sky, as we issue the call to the awakened nature of all beings, for every man and every woman is a star.


All: MAKAShANaH


Officiant: We take refuge in Hadit, the secret flame that burns in every heart of man and in the core of every star, as we issue the call to our own awakened natures, arousing the coiled serpent about to spring.


All: ABRAHADABRA


Officiant: We take refuge in Heru-Ra-Ha, who wields the wand of double power, the wand of the force of Coph Nia, but whose left hand is empty for he has crushed an universe and naught remains, as we unite our awakened natures with those of all beings everywhere and everywhen, dissolving all obstacles and healing all suffering.


All: AUMGN


Officiant: For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.


All: All is pure and present are and has always been so, for existence is pure joy; all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass and done; but there is that which remains. To this realization we commit ourselves – pure and total presence. So mote it be.


Tuesday, October 11, 2022

Praxis Behind the Obscure Interview

Yesterday evening I sat down with Ryan at Praxis Behind the Obscure to discuss Mastering the Thirty Aires. We covered some of the differences between the modern approach of scrying Aethyrs and the original function of the Aires, which was to serve as a powerful system of political and zodiacal magick. We also digressed into various topics related to Thelema and magick in general.


Monday, October 10, 2022

Via Solis Libra Elixir Rite - Year Six

Today's Magick Monday post is a full script for the Libra Elixir Rite that we will be performing tomorrow, Tuesday October 11th, at the Ritual Workshop. We will be starting around 8 PM. I will also be posting a video of the ritual on the Leaping Laughter YouTube channel, which can be found here. I'm behind on my videos and also need to get the Virgo Elixir up too, but I should be getting that done soon as well.


0. The Temple


The ritual space is set up with an altar table in the center. The bell chime, banishing dagger, and invoking wand are placed on the altar. In the center of the altar is placed a cup of wine for creating the elixir, within the Table of Art corresponding to Libra. The sign Libra is attributed to "Works of Justice and Equilibrium." So those sorts of intents are most appropriate, and as this is a general and highly adaptable power, it can be used for many different purposes, from obtaining justice in the external world to balancing your internal magical energies and/or spiritual perceptions. The Via Solis Elixir Rites were written by Michele Montserrat in 2010 for the Comselh Ananael magical working group.


I. Opening


All stand surrounding the altar. Officiant inhales fully, placing the banishing dagger at his or her lips. The air is then expelled as the dagger is swept backwards.


Officiant: Bahlasti! Ompehda!


Officiant then performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. All rotate accordingly.


Officiant: We take refuge in Nuit, the blue-lidded daughter of sunset, the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night sky, as we issue the call to the awakened nature of all beings, for every man and every woman is a star.


All: MAKAShANaH


Officiant: We take refuge in Hadit, the secret flame that burns in every heart of man and in the core of every star, as we issue the call to our own awakened natures, arousing the coiled serpent about to spring.


All: ABRAHADABRA


Officiant: We take refuge in Heru-Ra-Ha, who wields the wand of double power, the wand of the force of Coph Nia, but whose left hand is empty for he has crushed an universe and naught remains, as we unite our awakened natures with those of all beings everywhere and everywhen, dissolving all obstacles and healing all suffering.


All: AUMGN


Officiant: For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.


All: All is pure and present are and has always been so, for existence is pure joy; all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass and done; but there is that which remains. To this realization we commit ourselves – pure and total presence. So mote it be.


Monday, September 19, 2022

MASTERING THE THIRTY AIRES SEPTEMBER 22ND!

All of you have been so patient with me on this, and believe me, I appreciate it. It's finally time. Mastering the Thirty Aires will be released September 22nd. Not next year, this year. Like in three days. If you want to pre-order from Amazon, you can do so here.


Mastering the Thirty Aires is Book III of my Mastering Enochian Magick series and covers the system of the Aires or Aethyrs, the final major component of the Enochian magical system received and documented by John Dee and Edward Kelley in the 1580's. As with the previous two books in the series, I stick with attributions drawn from the Dee diaries themselves but also include various modern techniques such as pentagram and hexagram rituals within the context of a straight-forward ritual template.


The original system of the Aires or Aethyrs was not intended to serve as a sort of scrying map for "rising on the planes" and the like. It certainly can be used in this way, and Aleister Crowley did so to great effect as recorded in The Vision and the Voice. The original intent was for the system to be a complex and highly powerful system of political magick. The various Aires are linked to particular Parts of the Earth, and by opening the corresponding Aire followed by the corresponding Part, the magician can influence events within that region.


The system is interlinked with zodiacal attributions, and thus can be thought of as the zodiacal portion of the Enochian material, with the Heptarchia Mystica comprising the planetary portion and the system of the Great Table the elemental portion. Thus, with the release of this book, my Enochian series now covers the full set of fundamental qualities employed in the practive of the Western magical tradition.


Again, thank you all for hanging in there. It's been a long road getting here, and I hope you all will find that it was worth the wait.


Monday, August 29, 2022

Via Solis Virgo Elixir Rite - Year Six

Today's Magick Monday post is a full script for the Virgo Elixir Rite that we will be performing tomorrow, Tuesday August 30th, at the Ritual Workshop. We will be starting around 8 PM. I will also be posting a video or the ritual later this week on the Leaping Laughter YouTube channel, which can be found here.


0. The Temple


The ritual space is set up with an altar table in the center. The banishing dagger and invoking wand are placed on the altar. In the center of the altar is placed a cup of wine for creating the elixir, within the Table of Art corresponding to Virgo. The sign Virgo is attributed to the powers of "Invisibility, Parthenogenesis, Initiation." Magical invisibility is more about avoiding being noticed than transparency, parthenogenesis can be used to create artificial spirits such as the servitors made by chaos magicians, and initiation is a general power that can be employed to set in motion just about anything in your magical or mundane life. So those sorts of intents are most appropriate. The Via Solis Elixir Rites were written by Michele Montserrat in 2010 for the Comselh Ananael magical working group.


I. Opening


All stand surrounding the altar. Officiant inhales fully, placing the banishing dagger at his or her lips. The air is then expelled as the dagger is swept backwards.


Officiant: Bahlasti! Ompehda!


Officiant then performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. All rotate accordingly.


Officiant: We take refuge in Nuit, the blue-lidded daughter of sunset, the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night sky, as we issue the call to the awakened nature of all beings, for every man and every woman is a star.


All: MAKAShANaH


Officiant: We take refuge in Hadit, the secret flame that burns in every heart of man and in the core of every star, as we issue the call to our own awakened natures, arousing the coiled serpent about to spring.


All: ABRAHADABRA


Officiant: We take refuge in Heru-Ra-Ha, who wields the wand of double power, the wand of the force of Coph Nia, but whose left hand is empty for he has crushed an universe and naught remains, as we unite our awakened natures with those of all beings everywhere and everywhen, dissolving all obstacles and healing all suffering.


All: AUMGN


Officiant: For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.


All: All is pure and present are and has always been so, for existence is pure joy; all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass and done; but there is that which remains. To this realization we commit ourselves – pure and total presence. So mote it be.


Thursday, August 25, 2022

Good News for Christian Furries

An article from Religion News Service about Christian furries has been making the rounds lately on the Internet. Apparently, Christian furries worry about their religious communities rejecting them because they are furries, and at the same time fear the furry community rejecting them because they are Christian.


All the same, Christians in the furry community are cautious about who knows about both their furry and faithful selves. Christian furries interviewed for this story, including leaders of the group that calls itself the Christian Furry Fellowship, asked to be anonymous, fearing “doxxing” from within the largely secular furry community for their Christian identity and ostracization from their professional lives for their furry hobby.


“My furry friendships are a blessing,” said one CFF organizer with a red fox fursona who asked to be called “F.” “And for that reason, I am sad to see so much grief within the fandom that could be helped by the knowledge of the Lord.”


Founded in the late 1990s on internet chat forums, CFF is a ministry that views furry fandom as a mission field. In 2010, CFF members converged on Anthrocon in Pittsburgh. Another leader, who asked to be referred to as “AD,” described the 10 days he spent picking up members in their hometowns to share the event with 4,000 other furries in the David L. Lawrence Convention Center as one of his “most dear memories.”


While I'm not that familiar with furry fandom, from the perspective of being an occultist I think that have some good news for these Christian furries. A similar dynamic exists in the magical community. There are occultists who are down on Christianity, and others who point out that much of the Western Esoteric Tradition is rooted in Christian ideas - even though it generally rejects Christian orthodoxy.


So here's the good news as I see it - nobody really cares that you're Christian. If you've explored various spiritual traditions and have decided that Christianity is right for you, that's great. Go for it. Practice your religion as you see fit. But there is a caveat - nobody wants to be evangelized or preached at or have to deal with conversion attempts. That's as true for occultists as I imagine it would be for furries.


When you are "sharing your faith" with others and that faith happens to be conservative Christianity, what you are literally saying is "I can help you, but only if you follow all the rules of my religion." According to the article, many furries are LGBTQ+ folks, which means that those rules are going to require them to reject who they are. And I'm sorry, but nobody is going to be down for that. As a Christian, the best thing you can do in those situations is nothing at all.


The basic problem with conversion-oriented Christianity is not that it's Christian, but that it's annoying. If you really feel like a fundamental tenet of your faith is to recruit everybody, those beliefs essentially turn you into that friend who's in an MLM and wants you for their downline. And just like with MLM's, most of us who aren't already involved really aren't interested.


Monday, August 8, 2022

The Magick.TV Interview

Yesterday I sat down for an interview with the folks at Magick.TV. We talked about my experience with Enochian magick, the approach I take to teaching it in my books, and the differences between how common ritual forms are traditionally taught and my operant field method.


My thanks go out to the folks at the channel - it was a fun interview and hopefully one that will prove informative to viewers as they develop their magical practices.


Enjoy!


Friday, August 5, 2022

Leo Elixir Rite for 2022

Here is the video of the Leo Elixir Rite. The donation link is here.


The sign Leo is attributed to the Strength/Lust card in the Tarot, and to "the power of training wild beasts" in Liber 777. This doesn't just allude to training animals - it also includes working with conditioning of whatever sort. Leo can be invoked to change even long-standing conditioned behavior patterns and to cultivate new habits that better serve your will. It can be used to work with the unconscious "programming" created by reinforcement throughout our lifetimes. In addition, intents corresponding to any quality attributed to Leo by astrologers will also work as appropriate intents for this operation.


Enjoy!


Thursday, August 4, 2022

Alex Jones Is Toast

Or at least that's the outcome I'm pulling for, and a recent screw-up by his attorney has now made that outcome more likely. Jones is on trial over promoting the ridiculous conspiracy theory that the Sandy Hook shooting was staged. His remarks prompted his fans to harrass and threaten parents grieving over the loss of young children, which is flat-out deplorable. While I understand that mass shootings are politicized on both sides of the gun control debate, that has little bearing on the nuttiness of suggesting that these parents murdered their own children as part of a government plot, or that their obviously-dead children were somehow still alive.


Cracked has a surprisingly good overview of the events in question, which you can find here. Jones was sued by the parents and lost the case, and now a jury is trying to determine how much he should pay. His case was not helped when his inept attorney accidentally sent important evidence of Jones' pattern of lying about, well, everything really. He previously claimed under oath that he had no text messages about Sandy Hook, but his attorney sent all his cell phone records to the plaintiffs. The records prove that Jones lied.


Jones, who was the sole witness for the defense during the trial, did not fare well Wednesday as he was cross-examined by the plaintiffs' attorney, Mark Bankston. In a remarkable moment, Bankston disclosed to Jones and the court that he had recently acquired evidence proving Jones had lied when he claimed during the discovery process that he had never texted about the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting.


Bankston said that Jones' attorney had, in an apparent mishap, sent him two years of cell phone records that included every text message Jones had sent.The cell phone records, Bankston said, showed that Jones had in fact texted about the Sandy Hook shooting. "That is how I know you lied to me when you said you didn't have text messages about Sandy Hook," Bankston said.


Monday, August 1, 2022

Via Solis Leo Elixir Rite - Year Six

Today's Magick Monday post is a full script for the Leo Elixir Rite that we will be performing tomorrow, Tuesday August 2nd, at the Ritual Workshop. We will be starting around 8 PM. I will also be posting a video or the ritual later this week on the Leaping Laughter YouTube channel, which can be found here.


0. The Temple


The ritual space is set up with an altar table in the center. The banishing dagger, and invoking wand are placed on the altar. In the center of the altar is placed a cup of wine for creating the elixir, within the Table of Art corresponding to Leo. The sign Leo is attributed to "The power of training wild beasts." As I interpret it, this power is related to working with conditioning of whatever sort, yours or that of others, in accordance with your will. The Via Solis Elixir Rites were written by Michele Montserrat in 2010 for the Comselh Ananael magical working group.


I. Opening


All stand surrounding the altar. Officiant inhales fully, placing the banishing dagger at his or her lips. The air is then expelled as the dagger is swept backwards.


Officiant: Bahlasti! Ompehda!


Officiant then performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. All rotate accordingly.


Officiant: We take refuge in Nuit, the blue-lidded daughter of sunset, the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night sky, as we issue the call to the awakened nature of all beings, for every man and every woman is a star.


All: MAKAShANaH


Officiant: We take refuge in Hadit, the secret flame that burns in every heart of man and in the core of every star, as we issue the call to our own awakened natures, arousing the coiled serpent about to spring.


All: ABRAHADABRA


Officiant: We take refuge in Heru-Ra-Ha, who wields the wand of double power, the wand of the force of Coph Nia, but whose left hand is empty for he has crushed an universe and naught remains, as we unite our awakened natures with those of all beings everywhere and everywhen, dissolving all obstacles and healing all suffering.


All: AUMGN


Officiant: For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.

All: All is pure and present are and has always been so, for existence is pure joy; all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass and done; but there is that which remains. To this realization we commit ourselves – pure and total presence. So mote it be.


Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Spell Failure

These days I don't put up many articles about African witchcraft. For a while I did, but the same basic themes kept coming up - some poor outsider in the community who was accused of witchcraft for no clear reason, and then run out of town or killed by an angry mob. I also put up a few posts about lawmakers trying to rectify the ongoing situation, and how fundamentalist Christians were usually the ones egging the mobs on. It got old, and it got sad, and it was hard to say how much things were really changing and how quickly.


But here's a story out of Kenya that's more embarassing than tragic. A woman accused of stealing money from her employer went to a professional magician for a spell to keep her from getting arrested. Unfortunately for her, the spell was a bust. Police showed up in the middle of the ritual and hauled her off to jail. When police arrived, the magician kept up his chanting so that they would be unable to see the suspect (who was right there in the room) but this likewise proved ineffective.


Detectives have arrested a woman suspected to have stolen Sh4 million from her employer three weeks ago. The suspect, according to the Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti, was nabbed at a witch doctor's house in Gachie, Kiambu County, during a ritual to help her evade arrest. She was accompanied by her husband as she sought protection from police arrest. "The detectives arrived in time as the suspect was being immersed in a basin containing a concoction of blood drawn from a dead fowl, whose features resembled those of a cockerel," Kinoti said.


"Upon noticing the detectives, the elderly witch doctor pronounced endless incantations in an attempt to keep them at bay, but that did not deter the sleuths from executing their mission much to the bemusement of Mwelu, who had closed her eyes expecting the sleuths to vanish. She couldn’t come to terms with reality after the in-charge of the operation told her ‘mama bado tuko hapa vaa nguo twende (We're still here, put on your clothes and let's leave)."


This is a good point to segue into a word about how invisibility spells work. They are sometimes misunderstood as magick that bends light around a person and makes them impossible to physically see. The truth is that they work by directing the attention of others away from you or your target. With an effective invisibility spell you really can walk through a crowded public space without anyone taking notice of you. They physically see you, but the spell prevents them from paying attention to or remembering you.


On the other hand, these spells won't fool a security camera because they don't affect the light around you or how it refracts. They also won't generally work in a situation where the people you are trying to disappear from know where you are and specifically come looking for you. A really good invisibility spell might have worked if the suspect had actively tried to hide, since these spells can influence others to overlook particular hiding places, but otherwise the suspect was pretty much guaranteed to be caught.


Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Another Satanic Panic Source

As I have covered previously here on Augoeides, the "Satanic Panic" of the 1980's and early 1990's largely originated from porn. This is why so many of the things "Satanists" were accused of aren't real techiques of magick or occultism, and why magicians looking into those claims don't understand how their alleged rituals even worked. They didn't, because real magick had nothing to do with the panic. It was all about fabricating accounts and accusations based on material presented in "Satanic pornography" from the 1970's.


The New Yorker has an article up that explores yet another piece of the puzzle that I previously knew nothing about, a Mormon housewife named Beatrice Sparks. Sparks was a literary fraud, kind of like James Frey and other recent authors who have passed off made-up stories as memoirs or factual accounts. The New Yorker article is a review of a recent book by Rick Emerson that discusses Sparks' work.


Sparks published a book called Go Ask Alice in 1971. Sparks claimed that the book was a real diary kept by a teenage girl and that she merely "edited" the text. The book was presented this way to the media and, of course, became a huge bestseller - because the market rewarding writers for fraud is practically a cliche. At any rate, the book tells the story of a young girl's descent into horrific drug addiction and ends with an author's note describing her alleged death by either suicide or accidental overdose.


Go Ask Alice provided fuel for the drug war of the 1970s, as it implied that the lurid and exaggerated events of the book were "what the kids were up to" or something like that. It was Sparks' next project, though, where this story moves into Augoeides territory. Sparks was contacted by a family who wanted her to edit and publish their son's diary, who had died by suicide at the age of sixteen.


A few months later, Sparks was back in the diary business with “Jay’s Journal.” She claimed, in the book’s introduction, that a woman had read an article about her and then called to ask if Sparks might take the journal of her son—a deceased sixteen-year-old who’d had a genius-level I.Q.—and use it to expose the dangers of witchcraft. Accepting this solemn task, Sparks sorted through the boy’s possessions, interviewed his friends and teachers, and organized his journal into more than two hundred entries. A small disclaimer on the copyright page indicated that “times, places, names, and some details have been changed to protect the privacy and identity of Jay’s family and friends.”


Sunday, July 24, 2022

Blood of Christ

Europe is littered with alleged relics from early Christianity. While it is hard to say how many of them are genuine, one that is considered among the most holy is an ornate box contgaining two vials that are supposed hold the blood of Christ from the crucifiction. Recently the Dutch church that housed the box was robbed, and the relic were stolen along with a collection of other atrifacts. But the box was soon returned with the vials intact.


On June 1, thieves stole ancient artifacts from the Fécamp Abbey, a historic church in France. The artifacts included dishes, a gilded copper box covered in religious art, and most notably, two vials supposedly holding the blood of Christ, collected during his cruxifiction, Artnet reported.


After the artifacts were stolen, detective Arthur Brand told Artnet that he began receiving anonymous emails from a person saying they were in possession of the valuable relics.


The thieves most likely hid the art at a friend's house after learning that it was bad luck to steal religious artifacts, Brand told ArtNet. The friend then emailed him asking to return the artifact, Brand deduced. "To have the ultimate relic, the blood of Jesus in your home, stolen, that's a curse," Brand told AFP.


Brand told the email sender to leave the art at his doorstep and waited in his home for a week until he heard the doorbell ring. He told Artnet News that he didn't see anybody outside, but saw the box on the ground and ran downstairs. He then notified Dutch authorities.


Whether stealing the vials actually cursed anyone is not known. I can see where the thieves might have taken the box because it looked valuable, and only later discovered that they had a priceless religious relic they could never sell. Curse or no curse, I can also see where a Christian would fear some sort of judgment for stealing the literal blood of Christ. Then again, maybe it did take something paranormal to get the thieves to return the relic, and finding out what that was mioght show whether the relic actually has some sort of cursing power.


At any rate, the relic is a piece of history and I'm glad to hear it was returned rather than disappearing or turning up destroyed. I'm sure the church is happy about it too. As for the other stolen artifacts, though, the thieves remain at large. When they're caught, I hope that Dutch police ask them about curses, since I would be very curious to hear why they decided that the box had to be returned and what led up to that decision.


Thursday, July 21, 2022

Because Bigfoot

An Oklahoma man recently charged with murder came up with one of the most unusual self-defense claims I have ever heard. He admitted to killing his fishing partner, but explained that it he had to do it because the man was summoning Bigfoot to kill him. I was previously unaware that summoning Bigfoot was even a thing, and in this case it's likely a product of the killer's mental state and nothing to do with any "summoning" that the victim was attempting.


Larry Sanders, 53, stands charged with first-degree murder after allegedly admitting first to a family member and later to police to killing his noodling fishing partner Jimmy Knighten, who Sanders claimed wanted him dead by the hand of the mythical monster Bigfoot. Noodling is a popular fishing technique used in the southern United States to catch a fish by sticking one’s hand in its mouth.


The local sheriff, John Christian, told local media that Sanders “appeared to be under the influence of something” when he told police he had struck, strangled, and then drowned Knighten. “So, his statement was that Mr. Knighten had summoned ‘Bigfoot’ to come and kill him, and that’s why he had to kill Mr. Knighten,” Christian told local reporters.


And now I totally want to know how all this was supposed to work. If we assume that Bigfoot is a real and physical animal, summoning and controlling one would probably fall under Leo, "the power of taming wild beasts." If we also take Sanders at his word - and to be clear, it sounds like that's maybe a bigger "if" than whether or not Bigfoot exists - his friend would have to habe been some sort of wizard. Without real magical skill summoning Bigfoot won't work, and regardless of magical skill, nothing is going to happen if there's no Bigfoot out there to summon.


But regardless of what Sanders thought was going on, this seems like a really weird conclusion to leap to. "I feel like my friend is acting suspiciously. Clearly he's summoning Bigfoot to kill me!" And as a point, you can't always expect a spell to die with the caster - any operation anchored to an external object like a talisman will endure after the caster's death. But I digress a bit there. At any rate, we probably will never know what exactly happened in the lead-up to this murder. But my guess is that it must have been pretty weird.


Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Cancer Elixir Rite for 2022

Here is the video of the Cancer Elixir Rite. The donation link is here.


The sign Cancer is attributed to the Chariot card in the Tarot, and to "the power of casting enchantments" in Liber 777. Enchantment is a general magical technique by which you can draw or "magnetize" just about anything into your life, and as such is a highly versatile powwer with many practical applications. In addition, intents corresponding to any quality attributed to Cancer by astrologers will also work as appropriate intents for this operation.


Sorry this took so long to get done. I had to resolve some audio issues with my recording setup, but they should be fixed now. Thanks for your patience.


Enjoy!


Thursday, July 14, 2022

Not That Kind of Bomb

Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney is one of the few Republicans in congress willing to stand up to Donald Trump. While I disagree with her on almost every issue, I will say that I respect her for doing what so many others in her party refused to do, both in standing up to the former president and serving on the commission investigating the events of January 6th. For anybody who doesn't know, Liz Cheney is the daughter of former Vice-President Dick Cheney who served under George W. Bush.


Another fact I know with great confidence is that she's not a witch.


Apparently, though, a fan of Cheney described as "crazy" by Wyoming law enforcement thinks she should be. A suspicious package recently arrived at Cheney's office, and her staff feared the worst. The bomb squad was called in to check the package for explosives and found nothing. When the package was opened, it contained a book on witchcraft and another book on "absolute power" along with a newspaper article and two weird handwritten notes.


Cheney’s Riverton employee on June 30 received a package addressed to Cheney, according to a report by the Riverton Police Department. The employee, whose name is redacted from the report, originally thought nothing of the package, until she noticed a strange message scrawled on its outside.


“Pelosi/Cheney 2024 ‘To win a sword fight you must not care if you live or die’ Lancelot-First Knight Movie released 1995,” read one of the cryptic, hand-written messages on the package. “A Special 4th of July Surprise. Pitcher Get Ready, Batter up. Not Guts No Glory AOC Knows!” the writing also said. Cheney’s employee brought the package, which had been in the back of her car, to the police department. Adjacent businesses were evacuated. RPD redacted the sender’s name from the police report but included a harsh assessment of him from Montana law enforcement.


Friday, July 8, 2022

Magicians Are Not Criminals

One of the most disturbing events in the recent history of esotericism was the so-called "Satanic Panic" of the late 1980's and early 1990's. Back in 2015 I covered a bizarre law enforcement training video from the period that associated nonsense like graffiti pentagrams (that is, stars) with serious criminal activity. The period was a disaster for anybody who had even a passing interest in the occult and caught the eye of investigators. As just one prominent example, in the HBO documentary series Paradise Lost you can see courtroom footage of Damien Echols of the West Memphis Three being convicted of murder on the basis of merely having an interest in Aleister Crowley.


DNA evidence eventually showed that the murder committed by someone else entirely, but the West Memphis Three nonetheless spent eighteen years in prison - all because of the idea that people who use magick are criminals, so evidence of interest in magick is evidence of a crime. And that brings me to today's story out of Phoenix, Arizona. A new initiative is underway to help law enforcement identify occult practices employed by Mexican drug cartels. While it is true that cartels use magick, this quote from the article makes me nervous.


"They use prayer, icons or candles as a tool to facilitate criminal activity such as for drugs, human smuggling and weapons," Almonte tells the Tribune. "Officers frequently run into these icons and items of their spiritual underworld and they don't know what they're dealing with. We want to make officers aware of these indicators of criminal activity so they can know what to look for that also can lead to other avenues in an investigation."


The Tribune notes that as recently as last month, Mexican drug cartel violence was found in the Valley when a 38-year-old illegal immigrant was found beheaded in his Chandler apartment after stealing 400 pounds of marijuana from a drug cartel. Candles and a Ouija board were reportedly found at the scene, which -- along with the beheading -- Almonte says is "just another day at the office."


The problem here is not that cartels don't really make use of occult practices - it has been thoroughly documented that they absolutely do. The problem is treating anyone who has items related to esotericism as a criminal. Magical items are not "indicators of criminal activity." They are elements of spiritual and religious practice and need to be treated as such in the eyes of the law. If police searched my home, they would find more magical paraphernalia than you can shake a stick at. Does that make me a cartel member? Of course it doesn't, any more than somebody who spray-paints a pentagram on a tree is engaged in human sacrifices.


Wednesday, July 6, 2022

Georgia Guidestones Bombed

All the way back in 2012 I posted an article here on Augoeides about the Georgia Guidestones, a monument erected in rural Georgia by a mysterious rich guy in 1980. The Guidestones have figured prominently in conspiracy theories usually advanced by conservatives about some sort of "New World Order" that apparently made the bizarre decision to post its entire secret agenda on stone tablets for everyone to read.


This sort of paranoid thinking always amazes me - evil villains who are supposed to be so smart that principled Americans stand no chance against them, but so dumb that they give away the plot immediately to anybody who can read letters on a stone monument. And that paranoia now seems to have peaked. Today a bomb was detonated at the Guidestone site, causing significant damage to the monument.


The preliminary information indicates that someone detonated an explosive device at around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations.


GBI officials said officials with the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office found the explosion destroyed a large portion of the structure. The Elbert County Sheriff's Office asked the GBI to assist with the investigation.


The guidestones sit on a site 7 miles north of Elberton on Georgia Highway 77 and are often referred to as an American Stonehenge.


In my previous article, I talked about how this whole thing was basically a rich guy posting his ideas on a monument, and that was it. I noted that the statements on the stones range from ridiculous to unworkable to watered-down meaningless platitudes, and wrote up my own set of similarly nonsensical principles. I talked about how conservatives freaking out about the message on the stones was silly, and how paranoia surrounding them was entirely misplaced. But a recent investigation by John Oliver's team at Last Week Tonight set me right. The stones really do have a sinister origin, but not for the reason conservative conspiracy theorists think.


Monday, June 27, 2022

Via Solis Cancer Elixir Rite - Year Six

Today's Magick Monday post is a full script for the Cancer Elixir Rite that we will be performing tomorrow, Tuesday June 28th, at Leaping Laughter Lodge in Minneapolis, MN. Like the last few elixir rites, I will also be posting a video of the ritual on the Leaping Laughter YouTube Channel after the event. The channel can be found here.


0. The Temple


The ritual space is set up with an altar table in the center. The bell chime, banishing dagger, and invoking wand are placed on the altar. In the center of the altar is placed a cup of wine for creating the elixir, within the Table of Art corresponding to Cancer. The sign Cancer is attributed to "The power of casting enchantments." As I interpret it, this is related to the ability to magnetize or draw things into your life in accordance with your will. So those sorts of intents are most appropriate. The Via Solis Elixir Rites were written by Michele Montserrat in 2010 for the Comselh Ananael magical working group.


I. Opening


All stand surrounding the altar. Officiant inhales fully, placing the banishing dagger at his or her lips. The air is then expelled as the dagger is swept backwards.


Officiant: Bahlasti! Ompehda!


Officiant then performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. All rotate accordingly.


Officiant: We take refuge in Nuit, the blue-lidded daughter of sunset, the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night sky, as we issue the call to the awakened nature of all beings, for every man and every woman is a star.


All: MAKAShANaH


Officiant: We take refuge in Hadit, the secret flame that burns in every heart of man and in the core of every star, as we issue the call to our own awakened natures, arousing the coiled serpent about to spring.


All: ABRAHADABRA


Officiant: We take refuge in Heru-Ra-Ha, who wields the wand of double power, the wand of the force of Coph Nia, but whose left hand is empty for he has crushed an universe and naught remains, as we unite our awakened natures with those of all beings everywhere and everywhen, dissolving all obstacles and healing all suffering.


All: AUMGN


Officiant: For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.


All: All is pure and present are and has always been so, for existence is pure joy; all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass and done; but there is that which remains. To this realization we commit ourselves – pure and total presence. So mote it be.


Friday, June 17, 2022

Gemini Elixir Rite for 2022

Here is the video of the Gemini Elixir Rite. The donation link is here.


The sign Gemini is attributed to the Lovers card in the Tarot, and to "the power of being in two or more places at the same time, and of prophecy" in Liber 777. As I interpret it, the former refers to out-of-body experiences and the like, and the latter has two potential meanings. The first is the ability to see into the future, the psychic ability of precognition. The second relates to prophetic consciousness, generally in the context of working with and experiencing the presence of a deity. In addition, intents corresponding to any quality attributed to Gemini by astrologers will also work as appropriate intents for this operation.


Enjoy!


Monday, June 6, 2022

Via Solis Gemini Elixir Rite - Year Six

Tomorrow, Tuesday June 7th, we will be performing the Gemini Elixir Rite at the ritual workshop starting around 8 PM CDT. The full script is below if you would like to review it before the event. I will also be posting a video of the ritual on the Leaping Laughter YouTube channel, which can be found here.


0. The Temple


The ritual space is set up with an altar table in the center. The bell chime, banishing dagger, and invoking wand are placed on the altar. In the center of the altar is placed a cup of wine for creating the elixir, within the Table of Art corresponding to Gemini. The sign Gemini is attributed to "The power of being in two or more places at the same time, and of Prophecy." As I interpret it, the former is related to astral work and the latter is related to precognition in all its forms, the ability to see into the future. In a mystical sense, it also corresponds to prophetic consciousness in general. Therefore, these sorts of intents are most appropriate. The Via Solis Elixir Rites were written by Michele Montserrat in 2010 for the Comselh Ananael magical working group.


I. Opening


All stand surrounding the altar. Officiant inhales fully, placing the banishing dagger at his or her lips. The air is then expelled as the dagger is swept backwards.


Officiant: Bahlasti! Ompehda!


Officiant then performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. All rotate accordingly.


Officiant: We take refuge in Nuit, the blue-lidded daughter of sunset, the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night sky, as we issue the call to the awakened nature of all beings, for every man and every woman is a star.


All: MAKAShANaH


Officiant: We take refuge in Hadit, the secret flame that burns in every heart of man and in the core of every star, as we issue the call to our own awakened natures, arousing the coiled serpent about to spring.


All: ABRAHADABRA


Officiant: We take refuge in Heru-Ra-Ha, who wields the wand of double power, the wand of the force of Coph Nia, but whose left hand is empty for he has crushed an universe and naught remains, as we unite our awakened natures with those of all beings everywhere and everywhen, dissolving all obstacles and healing all suffering.


All: AUMGN


Officiant: For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.


All: All is pure and present and has always been so, for existence is pure joy; all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass and done; but there is that which remains. To this realization we commit ourselves – pure and total presence. So mote it be.


Thursday, May 12, 2022

Taurus Elixir Rite for 2022

Here is the video of the Taurus Elixir Rite. The donation link is here.


The sign Taurus is attributed to the Hierophant card in the Tarot, and to "the secret of physical strength" in Liber 777. This power corresponds to vitality, health, healing, and so forth. In addition, intents corresponding to any quality attributed to Taurus by astrologers will also work, whether they are related to physical strength or not.


Enjoy!


Monday, May 2, 2022

Via Solis Taurus Elixir Rite - Year Six

Tomorrow, Tuesday May 3rd, we will be performing the Taurus Elixir Rite at the ritual workshop starting around 8 PM CDT. The full script is below if you would like to review it before the event. I will also be posting a video of the ritual on the Leaping Laughter YouTube channel, which can be found here.


0. The Temple


The ritual space is set up with an altar table in the center. The bell chime, banishing dagger, and invoking wand are placed on the altar. In the center of the altar is placed a cup of wine for creating the elixir, within the Table of Art corresponding to Taurus. The sign Taurus is attributed to "The Secret of Physical Strength," and therefore intents related to strength, healing, vitality, and so forth are most appropriate. The Via Solis Elixir Rites were written by Michele Montserrat in 2010 for the Comselh Ananael magical working group.


I. Opening


Officiant inhales fully, placing the banishing dagger at his or her lips. The air is then expelled as the dagger is swept backwards.


Officiant: Bahlasti! Ompehda!


Officiant then performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.


Officiant: We take refuge in Nuit, the blue-lidded daughter of sunset, the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night sky, as we issue the call to the awakened nature of all beings, for every man and every woman is a star.


All: MAKAShANaH


Officiant: We take refuge in Hadit, the secret flame that burns in every heart of man and in the core of every star, as we issue the call to our own awakened natures, arousing the coiled serpent about to spring.


All: ABRAHADABRA


Officiant: We take refuge in Heru-Ra-Ha, who wields the wand of double power, the wand of the force of Coph Nia, but whose left hand is empty for he has crushed an universe and naught remains, as we unite our awakened natures with those of all beings everywhere and everywhen, dissolving all obstacles and healing all suffering.


All: AUMGN


Officiant: For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.


All: All is pure and present are and has always been so, for existence is pure joy; all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass and done; but there is that which remains. To this realization we commit ourselves – pure and total presence. So mote it be.


Saturday, April 30, 2022

Ritual Night Talk for April 29th

Here is the video of the latest Ritual Night Talk, on planetary magick. The planetary work link is here, the Greater Ritual of the Hexagram link is here, the Chart Victor link is here, the Simple Electional Timing link is , and the donation link is here.


The basic symbol sets of Western magick are three - the elements, planets, and signs of the zodiac. Each of these sets represents a complete system in and of itself. Planetary magick is a common schema found in various historical grimoires, and the powers of the planets include most of the sorts of powers people are looking for when doing practical operations - prosperity, love, success, revenge, and so forth. Planetary spirits generally work more slowly than elemental spirits, but they tend to be more powerful overall.


Enjoy!


Sunday, April 24, 2022

Ritual Night Talk for April 23rd

Here is the video of the latest Ritual Night Talk, on elemental magick. The Greek Esoteric Doctrine of the Elements link is here, the Greater Ritual of the Pentagram link is here, and the donation link is here.


The basic symbol sets of Western magick are three - the elements, planets, and signs of the zodiac. Each of these sets represents a complete system in and of itself. Elemental magick is sometimes considered "beginner" magick, in that it is the first symbol set magicians generally work with when following the teachings of magical orders. But elemental magick is also powerful in its own right, and should not be overlooked or dismissed. Since it is a complete system, you can do anything with the elements that you could do with a planet or a sign.


Enjoy!


Monday, April 18, 2022

#WizardLife

I know that usually I post serious magick articles on Mondays, but this story was too good to pass up. When you're out on the town and feel like trespassing at a hotel that you previously have been banned from, make sure to pack your wizard wand. You know, because reasons. I should also add that even though this is a local story, I have never heard of this person and don't know who they are.


A Twin Cities man faces assault and trespassing charges after threatening a hotel employee with a “wizard wand,” court documents show. Skylar Eros Dupree Thomas, 29, of Woodbury is charged with fifth-degree assault and trespassing, both misdemeanors, according to a criminal complaint.


Just after midnight Friday, Bloomington police responded to a Hyatt Place hotel on a report of a person with a weapon. The suspect, identified as Thomas, told police he had a “wand.” “From previous calls, [the officer] knew that the defendant was referencing a stick that had been fashioned into what looked like a wizard’s wand,” the complaint states.


Investigators said the wand was about 16 inches long and “had a hard, pointed metal part at the end and it has a knife-like appearance.” The employee who was threatened told police he immediately recognized Thomas when he walked into the hotel, because Thomas had previously received a trespass notice. The employee asked Thomas to leave, “but [Thomas] argued with him and called him racial slurs.”


Eventually, Thomas left the building, with the employee following. When they made it outside, Thomas pulled out the “wand” and approached the employee. The employee pulled out a handgun, for which he had a conceal and carry permit, the complaint states. Thomas eventually fled the scene. He is due in court next month.


Due to the difficulty of casting instantaneous magical effects, bringing a wand to a gunfight is never smart. Sure, you might be able to get off a curse or two, but that usually won't prevent you from getting shot. Your opponent will just regret it later - you know, as long as you survive.


Threatening people with magick is also entirely other than smart, whether you have a wand or not. Any time I get threats from another magician it immediately tells me that they're completely full of it, because if they could really do what they were threatening they would just cast and be done with it. That's what I do.


I've seen some complaints lately to the effect that social media has been diluting magick to the point where there's whole a lot of dumb, useless, and potentially dangerous advice out there - and while I don't think practicing magick is nearly as dangerous as some folks claim, any advice that tells you to counter a gun with a wand clearly falls into the "dangerous" category.


At this point I have no idea what Thomas was trying to do, or why he thought his wand would be effective in this situation. If I do find out, though, you all will be the first to know.


Saturday, April 16, 2022

Aries Elixir Rite for 2022

Here is the video of the Aries Elixir Rite. The donation link is here.


The sign Aries is attributed to the Emperor card in the Tarot, and to the power of consecrating things in Liber 777. This is a general power that can used to consecrate anything to any particular magical force, so it has a wide range of applications. In addition, intents corresponding to any quality attributed to Aries by astrologers will also work, whether they are related to consecration or not.


Enjoy!


Monday, April 11, 2022

Via Solis Aries Elixir Rite - Year Six

Today's post is a full script for the Aries Elixir Rite that we will be performing tomorrow, April 12th, at the Tuesday ritual workshop starting around 8 PM CDT. I will also be posting a video of the ritual on the Leaping Laughter YouTube channel, which can be found here.


0. The Temple


The ritual space is set up with an altar table in the center. The bell chime, banishing dagger, and invoking wand are placed on the altar. In the center of the altar is placed a cup of wine for creating the elixir, within the Table of Art corresponding to Aries. Items to be consecrated may be placed on the altar by any of the attendees, as Aries is attributed to the Power of Consecrating Things. Other intents attributed to the astrological qualities of Aries are also appropriate for this operation above and beyond consecration. The Via Solis Elixir Rites were written by Michele Montserrat in 2010 for the Comselh Ananael magical working group.


I. Opening


All stand surrounding the altar. Officiant inhales fully, placing the banishing dagger at his or her lips. The air is then expelled as the dagger is swept backwards.


Officiant: Bahlasti! Ompehda!


Officiant then performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. All rotate accordingly.


Officiant: We take refuge in Nuit, the blue-lidded daughter of sunset, the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night sky, as we issue the call to the awakened nature of all beings, for every man and every woman is a star.


All: MAKAShANaH


Officiant: We take refuge in Hadit, the secret flame that burns in every heart of man and in the core of every star, as we issue the call to our own awakened natures, arousing the coiled serpent about to spring.


All: ABRAHADABRA


Officiant: We take refuge in Heru-Ra-Ha, who wields the wand of double power, the wand of the force of Coph Nia, but whose left hand is empty for he has crushed an universe and naught remains, as we unite our awakened natures with those of all beings everywhere and everywhen, dissolving all obstacles and healing all suffering.


All: AUMGN


Officiant: For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.


All: All is pure and present are and has always been so, for existence is pure joy; all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass and done; but there is that which remains. To this realization we commit ourselves – pure and total presence. So mote it be.


Sunday, March 20, 2022

Office of the Readings for 2022

Happy Thelemic New Year, everyone! It's that time again, for the Office of the Readings.


For the last two years we have been limited to doing the Office of the Readings online. This year, I am pleased to announce that they will once again be presented in-person at Leaping Laughter Lodge, the Minneapolis local body of Ordo Templi Orientis. Getting back to business as usual for in-person events has been a long time coming, but it is a very welcome state of affairs.


This post will remain the top article here for the duration of the Thelemic High Holy Days, from March 20th to April 10th. The Rite of the Office of the Readings is performed for all of the readings beginning on March 20th.


Because of events at Paganicon this weekend, we will be reading the Prologue of the Unborn preceding the regular two readings for tonight, March 20th, and those readings will follow the Invocation of Horus. Our standard practice has been to read the Prologue on its own on the evening of March 19th, but that was not possible this year due to our activity at the convention. Otherwise, this is the version that we did for a number of years prior to changing some of the readings up more recently.


Rituals


The Invocation of Horus

The Rite of the Office of the Readings


Readings


March 20 - Saturn/Earth, The Universe


Liber VII, Prologue of the Unborn.

Liber LXV, Cap I.

Liber VII, Cap II.


March 21 - Fire/Spirit, The Aeon


Liber LXV, Cap IV.

From The Four Zoas by William Blake.


March 22 - Sol, The Sun

Liber VII, Cap IV.

From A Mithraic Ritual Translated by GRS Mead.


March 23 - Pisces, The Moon


Liber VII, Cap VI.

From Dark Night of the Soul, Book II, Cap 8 by San Juan de la Cruz.


March 24 - Aries, The Emperor


Liber Tzaddi vel Hamus Hermeticus.

From the Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu, Cap 37 and 39.


March 25 - Mars, The Tower


Liber VII, Cap I.

From Liber CDXVIII, The 16th Æthyr.


March 26 - Capricornus, The Devil


Liber A'ash.

From Liber CXI, Cap 174-175.


March 27 - Sagittarius, Art


Liber DCCCXIII, Cap VII.

From The Vision of the Universal Mercury by G.H. Frater S.R.M.D.


March 28 - Scorpio, Death


From Liber Arcanorum.

From Liber CXI, Cap 192-194.


March 29 - Water, The Hanged Man


Liber LXV, Cap III.

I. N. R. I. by Frater Achad.


March 30 - Libra, Adjustment


Liber Libræ.

Selections from “The Spiritual Guide” by San Miguel de Molinos.


March 31 - Jupiter, Fortune


Liber VII, Cap III.

From Liber CDXVIII, The 20th Æthyr.


April 1 - Virgo, The Hermit


Liber VII, Cap V.

The Emerald Tablet of Hermes by Hermes Trismegistus.


April 2 - Leo, Lust


Liber Stellae Rubeæ.

From The Daughter of Fortitude Received by Sir Edward Kelley.

April 3 - Cancer, The Chariot


Liber Cheth vel Vallum Abiegni.

Maha Prajnaparamita Hridaya Sutra (The Heart Sutra, Buddhist text. Translation by the Kuan Um School of Zen).


April 4 - Gemini, The Lovers


Liber LXV, Cap II.

From Liber DCCCXXXVII, The Law of Liberty.


April 5 - Taurus, The Hierophant


Liber LXV, Cap V.

From On Christ and Antichrist by Hippolytus, Cap 2.


April 6 - Aquarius, The Star


Liber DCCCXIII, Cap VI.

From The Thunder, Perfect Mind (Gnostic text).


April 7 - Venus, The Empress


Liber VII, Cap VII.

From Liber CDXVIII, The 7th Æthyr.


April 8 - Luna, The Priestess


Liber AL, Cap I.


April 9 - Mercury, The Magus


Liber AL, Cap II.


April 10 - Air, The Fool


Liber AL, Cap III.


If you would like to perform this series and have questions, feel free to e-mail me here. All Office of the Readings posts may be viewed here. Our Office of the Readings series is based on this ritual series by the Companions of Monsalvat.


Thursday, March 17, 2022

Pisces Elixir Rite for 2022

Here is the video of Tuesday's Pisces Elixir Rite. The donation link is here.


The sign Pisces is attributed to the Moon card in the Tarot, and to the powers of bewitchment and casting illusions in Liber 777. This includes spells like "glamors" that influence the perceptions of others, and also counteracting and protection from such operations. Pisces also rules the qualities that you will find related to the sign in any book on astrology. Those sorts of intentions should work fine with this ritual as well.


Enjoy!


Monday, March 14, 2022

Via Solis Pisces Elixir Rite - Year Five

Today's Magick Monday post is a full script for the Pisces Elixir Rite that we will be performing tomorrow, March 15th at the Tuesday ritual workshop starting around 8 PM CDT. I will also be posting a video of the ritual on the Leaping Laughter YouTube channel, which can be found here.


0. The Temple


The ritual space is set up with an altar table in the center. The bell chime, banishing dagger, and invoking wand are placed on the altar. In the center of the altar is placed a cup of wine for creating the elixir, within the Table of Art corresponding to Pisces. The sign Pisces is attributed to the powers of "Bewitchment" and "Casting Illusions." So this is the power that you would call upon to cast classic magical operations such as "glamours" and the like. Spells that act directly on your own mind or those of others would also qualify. And, since magical powers are descriptive, not prescriptive, this can be scaled up to include all sorts of contemporary issues in our society. The Via Solis Elixir Rites were written by Michele Montserrat in 2010 for the Comselh Ananael magical working group.


I. Opening


Officiant inhales fully, placing the banishing dagger at his or her lips. The air is then expelled as the dagger is swept backwards.


Officiant: Bahlasti! Ompehda!


Officiant then performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram.


Officiant: We take refuge in Nuit, the blue-lidded daughter of sunset, the naked brilliance of the voluptuous night sky, as we issue the call to the awakened nature of all beings, for every man and every woman is a star.


All: MAKAShANaH


Officiant: We take refuge in Hadit, the secret flame that burns in every heart of man and in the core of every star, as we issue the call to our own awakened natures, arousing the coiled serpent about to spring.


All: ABRAHADABRA


Officiant: We take refuge in Heru-Ra-Ha, who wields the wand of double power, the wand of the force of Coph Nia, but whose left hand is empty for he has crushed an universe and naught remains, as we unite our awakened natures with those of all beings everywhere and everywhen, dissolving all obstacles and healing all suffering.


All: AUMGN


Officiant: For pure will, unassuaged of purpose, delivered from the lust of result, is every way perfect.


All: All is pure and present are and has always been so, for existence is pure joy; all the sorrows are but as shadows; they pass and done; but there is that which remains. To this realization we commit ourselves – pure and total presence. So mote it be.


Bell chime.


Friday, March 11, 2022

Ritual Night Talk for March 8th

Here is the video of Tuesday's Ritual Night Talk, on psychic senses. The donation link is here.


A large amount of online discussion and debate surrounds the question of how best to perceive and interact with spirits. Spirits communicate by psychic means, but the psychic senses that accomplish this are usually internally "mapped" onto various combinations of physical senses. This mapping is highly individual, meaning that some people might perceive a spirit visually, others auditorily, and still others by kinesthetic means. The key to effective spirit perception is to understand how your personal psychic senses work, and from there develop techniques that fit your own combination of senses.


Enjoy!