Heavens Within Earth

 Ave, First off.....I'm no Puritan. I'm a huge fan of sex and its healthy expression. I'm a 31 year old American fellow; I practically grew up on the interwebz, and that means plenty of nudity and porn. Especially during my relatively barbaric early twenties. Lots of men my age will tell you they never enjoyed porn, or rarely watched it when they were young. These men are filthy,  filthy liars. It didn't become so mainstream because it was watched so seldom. There may be the occasional gent who avoided partaking, but I give him no credit; that sort of avoidance, built on fear of discovery and hidden shame, is shameful in itself. Like with most things, better to dare, be burnt, and learn than to sit in front of the fire with a trembling cowardice in the face of overwhelming curiosity. Just stay off of /b on 4chan, and you'll come out alright. The issue with pornography isn't a Moral issue. As long as everyone involved is a willing participant, mor...

Ave, So....this is something that's always bothered me a bit, which I'm going to go ahead and address now. There is a consensus in the Golden Dawn that all use of intoxicants or entheogens is completely negative and terrible, and will result in horrid and deleterious consequences like possession, a weakening of the will, service to the Old Ones and the rising of Great Cthulhu......you get the picture. I think there are a couple of reasons this is so, and I think that unfortunately they are not primarily based on effectiveness in Magic.  Because Golden Dawn Magicians use entheogens pretty often (mostly unaware that they are doing so, much in the way Roman Catholics are unaware of the Ceremonial Magic they witness once a week) and there is a long standing tradition of doing so in the Western Mystery Tradition. Within my Order we teach that using intoxicants as a substitute for discipline is unacceptable, and with good reason. My superiors within the Order are quite clear...

Ave, I've had an interesting last couple of weeks; I've been doing a fair bit of energetic exploration (although not enough full on ceremonial), and have found myself in a bit of an odd place. The vast majority of the Magic I perform at this point in my life is informed by the Golden Dawn, but not actually the traditional rituals. My rituals for raising and balancing the LVX  are rooted in the visual/vibrational method of the Middle Pillar, but aren't actually the Middle Pillar. My ritual for summoning the Archangels and gently invoking the balanced Elements is rooted in the methods I learned performing the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram, but again, are not actually the Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram. Hardly a single ritual has been left unscathed in my personal practice. Although I've evolved my personal system in directions  that are improvements for my own development and system of magic, I recognize the rituals I learned from the Golden Dawn as foundational to m...

Ave, One of my gentleman-sorcerer friends (the good Jack Faust, who's excellent blog may be found here )has been working on further tuning up the visuals he has going. This being the interwebz, that means fun with programming languages. As a web designer/developer I regularly have to stare at flickering screens searching for errors in the code that I write, and spend even more time searching around for code I can use to solve problems/add features to clients' websites.(This is when I'm not working my regular job as a Chef/Manager). It never occurred to me until recently that I should get Magic involved in this process. Hermes, God of Communication, is perfect for this. If you find yourself stumped take a moment to request his help. Below is a quick method I use: Light a sweet-smelling incense. Say the following prayer to Hermes, whilst meditating upon an image of him: Orphic Hymn to Hermes Angel of Zeus, son of Maia, you judge every competition. Good shephe...

Ave, So, I'm in a strange position as far as my development in the Alpha et Omega go. I've completed the Outer Order work, having balanced and brought into awareness the forces of the Four Elements, the 12 Signs, and the Planets Saturn, Luna, Mercury, and Venus within my life and personality. It has been brutal and beautiful. There is of course regular maintenance necessary...don't think for a minute you can balance a force within your self once, and then forget it. Regular maintenance is required, but the nudges are gentle and light in comparison to the first time. There was a point when I would dread moving forward into the next Grade, knowing all the upheaval in my life that would come with it. As I've progressed, the changes have been more gentle; turns out that when you're paying attention, you notice that there are  many opportunities to learn the primary lesson an element/force may teach you. The longer it takes for you to figure it out, the grosser and m...

Ave, Fra Jack Faust has a new blog space, which is definitely worth checking out here.  Also, check our Fra. Gordon's blog here.  I think these fellows are great examples of where modern Magic is going, or should be going. Lots of deep thinking, lot's of practical work. I especially enjoy that Jack has studied Neoplatonism and Astrology--dude is setting a good example for the young'uns. If you don't know anything about the Neoplatonic/Hermetic world view, you have no business calling yourself a Magician. Sorcerer, maybe ...but definitely not Magician. And Heavens knows, not Wizard. You may not accept it, but you need to know of it, because that is where the roots of our Magic in the West lie. "Tech" is not enough. On that note, if you are interested in learning this stuff the right way, check out Frater RO's new course . He's been up and down the Spheres (and has documented a good chunk of it), and that's the only kind of person qualified to ...

In the modern Magical world view, it is common (from what I have observed) to view the Elements as a force operating below or separate from the Higher; we speak of Elementals existing on their own plane and as part of our own, but rarely consider that the Elemental Virtues penetrate the Heavenly Planes as well, being part of God itself on All levels.  There is a tendency to view the Planetary and Astrological forces as "higher", and the Elements as the visceral, manifesting force. I think this sort of thinking is rooted in over-simplification, not just of the Traditional world view but also the Qabalistic view that is more studied in the Western Tradition these days. The inter-penetration of existence by the Elements, whose virtue is expressed differently depending upon the Soul in which it manifests, is made clear in the Traditional texts. Henry Cornelius Agrippa teaches: " It is the unanimous consent of all Platonists, that as in the original, and the exemplary world...