Review - Glamour of the Spheres by G Antra

Glamor magick is usually thought of a niche discipline that involves projecting illusions into the minds of others in various situations. Whether to improve your overall general charisma, or to make yourself more attractive as a romantic relationship partner, the parameters of this art are limited to such circumstances. But this is false reductionism. Glamor magick is the magick of perception, and perception is the foundation of how we experience the world. As such, this art has many further applications that usually go unexplored.

Glamour of the Spheres by G Antra opens up the world of glamor magick to its full potential. G has presented on the subject at Leaping Laughter Lodge's Grimoire Bazaar in Minneapolis and the Babalon Rising festival in southern Indiana, and has considerable expertise in the field - along with an experimental, scientific approach to the work that I find many practitioners lack. It does no good to merely speculate on the effects of rituals, since as we all should know many "pretty patterns" in magick just don't work when subjected to real-world conditions. Emprical testing is essential, and as I have previously written I wish more practitioners would test their personal work like this and make it available for peer review.

Glamour of the Spheres mixes glamor magick with planetary magick, a refreshing combination that I have not previously come across. It covers the basics of planetary work, the attributions and powers of the planets, and glamor rituals for each of the planets. These are not limited to presence and appearance. For example, the "Lips of Mercury" spell that can be performed using lipstick or lip balm facilitates communication and helps each word that passes your lips be better understood and carry deeper meaning. This is perception, too, and goes far beyond mere surface attraction.

All these rituals are constructed using a system of energy work that I was exposed to when I first attended the Babalon Rising festival back in 2023. It focuses on energy going out from your projecting hand and returning to your receiving hand, which is an idea found in many systems of energy work. What's different, though, is how this energy work is integrated into the rituals themselves. A simple example would be holding your petition to the spirit (the energy you are sending out) in your projecting hand while you hold a talisman (which will receive the energy) in your receiving hand as you perform the ritual.

This is a very simplistic example and the rituals in the book make use of this technique in more involved ways. Having experimented with variations on this method over the last several years, I can confidently say that it has improved the effectiveness of my Qigong energy practice to a substantial degree. The traditional model of accumulating and then discharging Qi becomes far more effective when projecting/receiving becomes a more dynamic, flow-based process, like the difference between a static spark and an electric circuit. My practice did previously include application of some flow-based methods, but the version outlined in Glamour of the Spheres makes the process more explicit and deliberate.

For all these reasons I highly recommend Glamour of the Spheres. It is a fresh and expansive approach to a subject that is rarely covered in much depth, and even if you are a person like me who does not generally wear makeup or use cosmetics, the techniques can be adapted for rituals involving personal care products, articles of clothing, or even more traditional planetary talismans carried on your person. Pick up your copy today!

G Antra's Linktree can be found here covering Twitch, Instagram, Threads, and many other social media outlets.

Slapping Down The Simulation

I have written previously on what I consider to be the extremely dumb "simulation argument," the contention that the universe we live in could be some sort of computer simulation akin to the world of the film The Matrix. The argument itself, originally formalized by philosopher Nick Bostrum suffers from a basic mathematical flaw that for some reason never gets brought up - classic "gambler's fallacy." Bostrum's argument is essentially that if it is possible to build a true simulated reality, it is likely that a huge number of them would be created. Since that huge number is bigger than one, the number of "real realities," it is more likely than not that we live in a simulated universe.

This is pretty much the same thing as saying that if you do a hundred coin flips and get sixty heads and forty tails, it is more likely that the next flip will be heads. But this can easily be shown to be false with a simple experiment. Each flip is independent, just like each member of the collection of different realities would be. If this were not true, you could use something like Bostrum's math to, say, win a bunch of money at a roulette wheel. If anybody out there can experimentally show this is possible, I'll listen to what they have to say. Otherwise I completely fail to understand how anyone can fall for "the simulation" if they know anything at all about probability.

But according to this article, the probabilitic issues are not even the worst of it. According to a new mathematical proof, it is actually impossible to simulate the physical universe by computational means. It shows that the answer to the first question in Bostrum's argument, whether or not it is possible to create a simulated universe inside a computer, is no. The laws of physics cannot simply be generated by a computer algorithm, no matter how complex that algorithm is.

Dr. Mir Faizal, Adjunct Professor with UBC Okanagan's Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science, and his international colleagues, Drs. Lawrence M. Krauss, Arshid Shabir and Francesco Marino have shown that the fundamental nature of reality operates in a way that no computer could ever simulate. Their findings, published in the Journal of Holography Applications in Physics, go beyond simply suggesting that we're not living in a simulated world like The Matrix. They prove something far more profound: the universe is built on a type of understanding that exists beyond the reach of any algorithm.

Liber Shemesh

Liber Shemesh is a solar invocation combining elements of Aleister Crowley's Liber Resh vel Helios and liber V vel Reguli. Crowley explains in Liber O that following the general (that is, Lesser in his parlance) rituals of the pentagram and hexagram, the next step is to perform a Preliminary Invocation. Elsewhere he writes that this preliminary invocation step identifies the magician with the divine, and it is this identification that allows them to conjure spirits successfully.

Along those lines, Crowley experimented with modifying the Stele of Jeu from the PGM into the Bornless Ritual, published in the Crowley/Mathers edition of The Goetia in 1904. He would later adapt his Bornless Ritual into Liber Samekh, a similar ritual designed to be performed daily over a six-month period to facilitate the knowledge and conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel in a procedure that he believed to be analogous that of the Abramelin operation.

In the 1920’s Crowley developed Liber V vel Reguli, which he described as “an incantation proper to invoke the Energies of the Aeon of Horus, adapted for the daily use of the Magician of whatever grade.” When I first started looking into Liber Reguli, I was struck by its structural similarities to Liber Samekh and to the Greater Ritual of the Pentagram for Malkuth, the version of the GRP that employs all four elemental pentagrams.

As I discussed in my article on the Greater Ritual of the Pentagram, you always do the Greater Ritual of the Pentagram for something, either one of the four elements or the sephira Malkuth. The Malkuth version, which is often found in books describing the ritual, uses pentagrams for all four elements drawn to their corresponding directions. This version is specific to Malkuth and does not served as a "souped up" Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, since the Greater Ritual of the Pentagram is alway specific and the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram is always general and foundational.

Via Solis Libra Elixir Rite - Year Nine

Today's post is the full script for the Libra Elixir Rite that we will be performing tomorrow, Tuesday September 30th, at the Leaping Laughter Ritual Workshop. We will be starting 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 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.

Poor Oppressed Christians - The Book!

The Wild Hunt has an article up about a new book called The Pagan Threat. I'm not going to post a link to the book because I have no interest in giving it traffic from the blog, but a simple web search should turn it up if you really want to check it out.

Basically the point of this book is to try and frame Paganism as some kind of existential threat to Christianity and by extension to America as a whole. That prompted me to re-use the graphic above, to point out that Christianity is by far the majority religion in America and is not even remotely under threat from the tiny percentage of Pagan believers in our population.

Back in 2017 I posted an article sourced from the Pew Forum Religious Landscape Study looking at the percentage of Christians in the United States. I further broke the current research at that time down to identify "Poor Oppressed Christians" - Christians who, despite being part of an overwhelming majority of the population, feel that they are somehow under attack by basic things like laws protecting civil rights for members of all religions.

Since I haven't covered this topic in a while, I'll clarify a bit. Being a Christian doesn't make you a Poor Oppressed Christian. I have no issues whatsoever with people adopting Christianity as their spiritual path if that's what works for them. What makes Christians count as Poor Oppressed is when they insist that they deserve special priviliges in civil society that they deny to anyone who believes differently than they do. This article, which shares this one's graphic, lays this out in more detail.

I haven't taken a look at Pew's research on religious identity since 2017, so it seems reasonable to give it another look for 2025. As this chart shows, it remains true that Christians are a large majority and, statistically speaking, Pagans are practically non-existent.

Wait, It's Today?

This story shows just out of the loop I have been on weird and religious news of late. According to this one guy on TikTok the Rapture is today! Or tomorrow! Apparently it's the end of the world, folks. Again. Because it's not remotely like these predictions come out all the time, the world never actually ends, and all involved wind up looking ridiculous. I could be wrong this time, though, seeing as one guy on TikTok is such a authoritative, unimpeachable source.

The viral claim by Joshua Mhlakela, who says Jesus personally revealed the date of his return in a divine vision, has led some followers to sell possessions and prepare for what they believe is the end of days. The Rapture is a belief held by many evangelical Christians in which Jesus returns to take true believers to Heaven before a period of tribulation on Earth.

The one thing I will say I appreciate about this prediction is that it apparently is not another re-hashing of William Miller's calculations. Miller was responsible for predicting the end of the world in the mid-1800s based on a highly contrived method of interpreting scripture. Most pastors who come up with dates start with Miller and then tweak the calculations to arrive at some future date which becomes their prediction. At this point, though, it's been done so many times and has failed so many times that the logical conclusion should be that Miller was just wrong. Unverified personal gnosis is not necessarily better, but it's refreshing to see.

The term "rapture" does not appear in the Bible, but the concept is largely based on interpretations of passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. Some Christians believe the Rapture will occur before a period of global tribulation (pre-tribulationists), while others expect it to follow that period (post-tribulationists).

The phenomenon, which has gained momentum through TikTok under the hashtag #RaptureTok, centers around Mhlakela's assertion that the Rapture, when faithful Christians will be taken up to heaven, will align with the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, which falls on September 23 and 24 this year.

Rosh Hashanah does happen every year, so the question immediately becomes why this year. Nothing in the article really goes into that. Maybe there are reasons, but maybe it's just part of the alleged vision with no other support offered for why it's happening this specific time around.

The prediction has prompted a wide range of reactions, from genuine spiritual anticipation to open skepticism from religious scholars and mainstream pastors. Mhlakela first shared his prophecy in an interview with Centtwinz TV and on YouTube, claiming that Jesus appeared to him and declared he would "come to take my church" on September 23 or 24, 2025, aligning with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

This assertion, though not grounded in any definitive scriptural timeline, resonated widely, particularly among evangelical TikTok users. Some pointed to signs in Revelation 12 and various astrological alignments involving the constellations Virgo and Leo as evidence that prophecy was being fulfilled.

So as always, we'll see. And by see, I mean that when the world is still here after the 24th with no sign of Jesus' return, we'll rack up one more wrong prediction by yet another pastor who somehow thought that they had the answer. Either that, or I suppose we won't be here to rack up much of anything. I mean, are random guys on TikTok ever wrong?

Seb-Hed Ritual for 2025

Today's post is the full script for the Seb-Hed Ritual that we will be performing tomorrow evening, Saturday September 20th, for the Autumnal Equinox at Leaping Laughter here in Minneapolis. The Seb-Hed is based on a rite of renewal practiced for the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, updated with modern ritual forms and so forth. It invokes the balanced energies of Set and Horus, who in ancient times represented Upper and Lower Egypt. Doors open at 6:00 PM with the ritual to start at 7:00 PM.

0. The Temple

The Set altar is in the North, and Horus altar is in the South. The material basis is placed on each altar; red wine or juice for Set, white wine or juice for Horus. A statue of each deity is placed on the corresponding altar. A third larger altar with a chalice is placed between them. The invoking wand and banishing dagger are placed on this central altar.

I. Opening

Officiant performs the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram using the banishing dagger.

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 Set-An, the secret Black Flame that burns in every heart of man and in the core of every star, as we issue the call to our own awakened nature, arousing the coiled serpent about to spring.

All: XEPER (pronounced KEH-fer)

Officiant: We take refuge in Har-Wer, 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: ABRAHADABRA

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 are done; but there is that which remains. To this realization we commit ourselves – pure and total presence.

All: So mote it be.

Officiant performs the Comselh Ananael Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram using the invoking wand, replacing ARARITA with SOTHIS. This is because the rising of the star Sirius (Sothis) preceded the annual flooding of the Nile, which is when the original rite of renewal was performed in ancient Egypt.

Vis Solis Virgo Elixir - Year Nine

Today's post is a full script for the Virgo Elixir Rite that we will be performing tomorrow, Tuesday September 2nd, at the Ritual Workshop. We will be starting around 8 PM.

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.