Astonishing Update to Secret College Invitation (Golden Dawn Witch Hunt Revealed)

by David Griffin

   

This week's announcement of the Secret College of the Adepti of the Golden Dawn caused a major earthquake in the esoteric community. Privately, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with Adepts secretly contacting the Alpha Omega from across the Golden Dawn community discretely seeking advanced R.R. et A.C. training and magical practice beyond the well known material published by Israel Regardie where other Golden Dawn orders leave off.

The corrupt Golden Dawn Chiefs and Hierophants who had been stifling their Adepts spiritual development by forbidding them access to any traditional Golden Dawn magic beyond published material have not been so happy, however. They have reacted angrily, accusing the A.O. of a whole host of things. The comments section of the Secret College article virtually exploded with hate filled posts from "anonymous" trolls.

There was clearly an initial, overly emotional reaction. This led to a few slip ups and surprising revelations. Here is a brief summary.

1. Leonard Stevens writes: "Last year Nick Farrell told me that "He had been ordered to not to associate with me, because I had aligned myself with Griffin." This statement is conclusive proof that leaders of allegedly independent Golden Dawn groups are taking orders "from other parties," further implicating the Dark Hand of SRIA polarizing and stirring strife in a totalitarian attempt to seize control of the Golden Dawn The segregationist SRIA and ORC hate and isolate the Alpha Omega because we fight for the rights of Pagans, Jews, Muslims, and Thelemites in the Golden Dawn. The below picture aptly summarizes the extreme level of manipulation of the Golden Dawn by the WASP Supremacist SRIA:

KKK and SRIA: Extremist Christianity Unmasked

2. An anonymous SRIA troll admits SRIA is forbidding Golden Dawn Adepts to come into contact with the spiritual practices beyond Adeptus Minor (5=6) coming from the legitimate Secret Chiefs.

3. An anonymous SRIA troll admits SRIA has been using SRIA archives to attack the Alpha Omega - and threatens a new book attacking the A.O. with documents from SRIA archives.

The SRIA WASP Supremacist Witch Hunt against the Pagan-led Alpha Omega is but a continuation of Centuries of persecution of Pagans and Jews by Christian and political extremists.

Jewish and Pagan Holocausts Must Never Be Forgotten!

________________________________

Help keep the Golden Dawn open to both women and men as well as to Jews, Pagans, Muslims, and Thelemites.

Join the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha Omega!

UNVEILED: Secret College of Golden Dawn Adepti

The International Conclave of Golden Dawn Adepts (held in March 2012) was a smashing success! Golden Dawn Adepts from around the world gathered together near Las Vegas, Nevada for a full week of good food, initiation, and an introduction to the advanced Second Order teachings and systems of magic recently released by the Secret Chiefs of the Third Order. Those in attendance were awed by the beauty and majesty of these magical practices.

Las Vegas, Nevada (Near Conclave Location Secluded in the  Mojave Desert)

Sadly, reports have surfaced from members of numerous Golden Dawn orders of threats of expulsion to any Adept who attended the conclave, or even who contacted the AO for more information. Although the Conclave was well attended by Adepts from 8 different countries, there were many more who would have liked to have attended, yet did not because they were afraid of expulsion from their order. Following the conclave, Nick Farrell, for example, actually bragged about having had a spy at the conclave, in order to reinforce this fear.

It is one thing when, acting out of envy, unethical leaders of Golden Dawn temples and orders defame the Alpha Omega in books and on the internet.

It is entirely another matter, however, when Golden Dawn leaders deliberately block the spiritual development of their initiates. The spiritual development of Golden Dawn initiates is a sacred responsibility. To actively block Golden Dawn Adepts in their spiritual ascension by cutting them off from advanced teachings and practices is beyond reprehensible.

To remedy this situation, following careful reflection, the Greatly Honored Chiefs of the Rosicrucian Order of Alpha Omega have decided to create a ...

... Secret College of Golden Dawn Adepti ...

... so that qualified Adepts from the ENTIRE Golden Dawn community can learn and use the advanced magical practices recently released by the Secret Chiefs without fear of expulsion or other reprisals from unethical leaders in their own temples or orders.

As a classical Golden Dawn order, we in the Alpha Omega understand the value and importance of initiatic secrecy. This includes not only the importance of keeping initiatic transmissions sacred and protected with secrecy, but also to protect the identities of our Initiates and Adepts.

Effective immediately, Second Order Adepts of ALL Golden Dawn orders and temples everywhere are invited to confidentially apply for membership in the Secret College of Golden Dawn Adepti.

As a member of the Secret College, you will be able to remain in the temple or order to which you presently belong, yet will gain access to the advanced magical practices and materials from the Secret Chiefs not available in your own order.

Rest assured that your membership in the Secret College will remain completely SECRET - as will everything surrounding your application and other involvement.

In this way, no Golden Dawn Adept will ever again be hindered in his or her spiritual development by temple or order Chiefs, more interested in personal power and control, than in the spiritual development of initiates.

All Second Order Golden Dawn members (Portal and above) can apply for membership in the Secret Colllege of Golden Dawn Adepti by using the Contact Us link here. Again, rest assured that everything surrounding your contact with the Alpha Omega will be maintained completely confidential.

Apply for the Secret College of the Adepti Now!

GH Frater Lux ex Septentrionis

David Griffin

HOGD, AO, 33, 90, 96

"Was the Christian or Hermetic Qabalah a Tool to Convert Jews to the Christian Faith? - Journal of the Golden Dawn Research Center

by GH Frater Sincerus Renatus

In studying the history of the Christian Qabalah, or Hermetic Qabalah as it is also known to us, I have often seen the argument that Christians mainly took upon them to study the Jewish Qabalah because they saw many parrallells with Christian doctrine and thus devised a plan to convert Jews to Christianity. In this respect even Giovanni Pico della Mirandola and the Platonic Academy of Florens has been accused of taking part of this Christian scheme of conversions of Jews, lately by the Trinitarian Christian and Golden Dawn student Mr. Wildoak. 

Pico della Mirandola

He repeated that old “truth” regarding Pico, who he refers to as “Mirandola”, to underline his thesis that we cannot look upon the ancient mysteries without resorting to our Christian goggles:

Look at the origins of the Hermetic Qabalah, with Mirandola and others wanting to use it to prove the existence of the Trinity and supremacy of Christianity. Naughty boys.

I personally cannot accept that the reason why Pico della Mirandola embraced the Qabalah was to convert and prozelyze jews. I just don’t buy it. Where is the evidence to substantiate such a claim? In absence of this evidence I will instead present facts that rather speaks against such a prejudicial position.

Raymond Llul

While there certainly were Christians, like Raymond Lull, who tried to use the HebrewQabalah to use it as a vehicle for conversion of Jews, it is an extreme form of generalization to suppose all Christian Qabalists only seeing the Qabalah as a manipulative prozelysing tool. It has been argued that Lull lacked any profound knowledge of the Qabalah and that he even wasn’t a Qabalist, which is to expect from someone being a fundamentalist Trinitarian Christian trying to save the souls of Jews and Muslims using their own doctrines against them. We know that he devised the Ars Magna to convert people from Islam to Christianity. We know however that Pico, on the other hand, was of a entirely different calibre. Contrarly to Lully and his ilk, Pico was a serious student of the Hebrew wisdom and in it saw traces of what we today would define as the Primordial Tradition.

I hold that Pico della Mirandola was a Esoteric Christian. And with Esoteric Christianity I mean a doctrine which has a perennial outlook on the mysteries. A Esoteric Christian is someone who does comparative studies of many different mystery systems and religions to find the one common denominator, the primal or core doctrine which underlays all temporal traditions. The very raison d’être of the Platonic Academy of Florence was to make this kind of comparative studies between Neo-Platonism, Hermeticism and the Qabalah, and to try to integrate it also with the religion of their times, Christianity. In this respect people as Marsilio Ficino and Pico Della Mirandola were true pioneers and Traditionalist heroes. These Italian reinassance philosophers and estoricists referred to a prisca theologia, the ancient theology, which they believed to be the actual source of all religion and philosophy. Today we refer to it as the Primordial Tradition; two different names for the same thing but developed or redefined in their respective cultural contexts as seen by the perennialists.

Marcilio Ficino

This means that they were anything but religious fundamentalists trying to transform or reconstruct the ancient traditions. They rather compared these traditions with each other and saw the many similarities or common threds between them. As an example, in the hypostases of the Christian Trinitarian doctrine, which was originated by Valentinus the Gnostic and originally debunked by early Church Fathers for being heretical and pagan, they saw some parallels with the Qabalistic concept of the Partzufim. However, this doesn’t mean that Pico and his friends of the Academy in the Qabalah saw a confirmation of the truth of the Christian Trinitarian doctrine as represented by the Church. I rather hold that they saw a common theme and that this all confirmed each tradition as  authentic and representing a universal doctrine. In this spirit Pico claimed that Christianity was founded largely on Qabalistic doctrines, stating that “no science can better convince us of the divinity of Jesus Christ than magic and the Kabbalah”.

We also know that both Marsilio Ficino and Pico Della Mirandola was charged of heresy by the Inquisition, despite the latter’s assurance that Neo-Platonism and Hermeticism were fully consistent with Christian doctrine as exemplified in the previous quote. In 1486 Mirandola wrote Conclusiones philosophicae, cabalasticae et theologicae in which he presented 900 theses, representing a blend of Platonism, Neo-Platonism, Aristotelism, Hermeticism and the Qabalah. The Inquisition found 13 of these to be heretical to the Christian Trinitarian faith. Pico wrote an apology entitled Mirandolani, Concordiae comitis which he later was forces to renounce. He soon fled Italy for the fear of his life. Would Pico has been a insidious manipulator, saving souls to the Christian Church, as Mr. Wildoak suggests, he surely wouldn’t have been a victim of the Inquisition. He would have been a part of it.

There is also another perspective to consider here. What if Pico simply tried to make the “jewish” Qabalalah recognized by the Church and thus veiled its old mysteries in a Christian setting, in much the similar way as the Hermetic School veiled its alchemical tradition using Christian symbols and analogies? This is in line with how the Tradition adapts and reforms its message to the current times and the cultural mindset of the people it is supposed to influence. This is often how a Tradition is saved from extinction; this is how it is kept alive and workable through the generations.

All mystery systems, all kind of esotericisms, uses mythology as a frame work. Images and analogies, and metaphors, are used to convey a secret doctrine, using the “language of the birds”. The ancient Hermeticists used Greek and Egyptian pantheons to convey their message. The medieval Qabalists used the myths of the Old Testament in the same manner. Renaissance Neo-Platonists and Hermeticists used the New Testament as well to veil their mysteries. The Sufis of the middle-east use the stories of the Quran in the same manner. This is only natural. 

It is not the same as the mysteries are interpreted through the lens of the Christian religion, as Mr. Wildoak asserts. It is the other way around; it is the Primordial Tradition – the Prisca Theologia – that uses the current religious imagery and mythology to expound its mysteries. The most obvious evidence of this is that an Esoteric or Gnostic Christian doesn’t interpret the Bible in the same way as does an Evangelist and Exoteric Christian. I personally feel myself more akin to a Turkish or Egyptian Sufi than I do with a Swedish Evangelist and Trinitarian Christian.

I hold that the “religion” and “faith” of an Esotericist is totally different from someone following an Exoteric Religion, of whatever kind. I am talking about the true “religion” of the Primordial Tradition or Prisca Theologia. I place the words “religion” between citation marks as this is not actually a religion as we normally define that word, i.e. as an institutionalised form of spirituality. It is better to simply speak of a living Tradition with has its true foundation and lineage in the ancient Primordial Tradition, presenting it faithfully enough. 

The greatest adversaries of such an Esoteric “faith” lies within the follower’s own religious sphere in which he is working (i.e. the symbol system that he has chosen or been born into). We all know about the Inquisition and what it did not only to actual pagans but also to so-called “heretics” such as Pico della Mirandola. Today we see the same tragedy happening before our own eyes in Saudi-Arabia and the Wahabi fundamentalism against the Sufi. Fundamentalists just cannot stand a syncretic or perennial view on their own religion. Christians abhors theories that prove the pagan origin of both the Jewish and especially Christian doctrines.

Therefore it is sad to see that the Exotericism of Trinitarian Christianity has started to infest the Esoteric freedom of the Golden Dawn Tradition, as has been proved recently in the de-cloaking of the machinations of the Trinitarian Exoteric Soceitas Rosicruciana in Anglia (S.R.I.A.), Soceitas Rosicruciana Civitatibus Foederatis(S.R.C.F.), Soceitas Rosicruciana in America (S.R.I.A.), and lately theOrder of the Rose Cross (O.R+C), which I refer to as “WASP supremacists” (“WASP” as in “White Anglo-Saxon Protestants”), who have joined forces to infiltrate the Golden Dawn community, placing itself as its Third Order, i.e. effectively replacing the Supernals of the essentially Pagan Primordial Tradition with the temporal and exoteric Trinitarian Protestant tradition. How sad. How very sad.

We Divide to Conquer

CORE MAGICK: "What is Core Magick?"

featuring David Griffin

In reply to Lesson 1 of Core Magick, "Anonymous" yesterday wrote:

"The technique here is not meditation by any standard usage of the term. On fact, calling such techniques meditation is a hallmark of syncretic new ageism not tradition. It has many flaws, which since I am sure will be rejected will not be mentioned. To suggest that all cultures have the chakras in the same spots is bizarre. The are differences, just look at Tibetan and Indian systems for example. One of many. I suggest Leslie goes back to the books, where she obviously concocted this little process from, not from any actual teachings from adepts or wise folk."

Last night my wife Leslie said to me,  "Sheesh. Core Magick is not even 48 hours out of the starting gate and we already have an anonymous troll throwing eggs!" 

Chivalrous fool that I am, I replied: "Don't worry, Dear, they have been throwing eggs at me now for 20 years. I will catch the eggs for you - with my face!"

So that's how I got here this morning - on my very first appearance on the new Core Magick series - standing here with egg on my face for my wife!

But what the heck is Core Magick to begin with, any way? 

Our anonymous troll friend above makes it poignantly clear that Core Magick is not "traditional." Well, if you are looking for "traditional," you are better off joining the Alpha Omega than learning Core Magick.

Core Magick is something else.

Core Magick is a concept that includes not one, but ALL magickal traditions united under one over-arching umbrella, and attempts to divest them of their culture specific contents, to examine and employ the core concepts and practices that remain.

That is one huge umrella!

And as a result, the Core Magick series here on The Golden Dawn Blog will be bringing you some amazing guests from an entire spectrum of magical traditions. We are working on getting Michael J. Harner here to say a few words about Core Shamanism. I don't want to let the cat out of the bag, but we have some really cool other guests coming up as well.

Meanwhile my wife, Leslie McQuade Griffin, is our regular science geek, together with her colleageus over at the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness, who will also be dropping by here on the series as well.

Core Magick is about the SCIENCE of magick ...

.. so it is quite important to let the science geeks have their say on this series as well.

On the other hand, when it comes to the ART of magick, there are few traditions that can compare with the Golden Dawn. There have been a number of writers and artists that have come through the Golden Dawn, which should surprise no one, since there is so much ART that permeates the Golden Dawn through and through. As a Golden Dawn Imperator, between the outer order Temple, the Vault of the Adepti, and everything that goes with it, I have half a house stuffed full of magical art.

What would happen though, if we were to drop all of the art out of the Golden Dawn? What would happen if we would drop all of the mysticism, God Forms, Divine name, etc?

What would be left of the Golden Dawn without all of the culture specific trappings?

Is there something that remains?

This is the question that Core Magick asks and attempts to answer, not only for the Golden Dawn, but for all magical traditions across the world and spanning time.

"Core Magick is a bold quest to distill the core essence out of all magical traditions and to present what remains as PURE SCIENCE."

Pure science? That's right. Pure science. Core Magick is a SCIENTIFIC approach to magick. 

I can already hear you asking:

"Are you guys nuts?"

Well - Maybe. But then again - Maybe not. It certainly is a bold endeavor!

And I am not promising we are going to succeed either. After all, with Core Magick we are attempting nothing less than to reformulate magick itself, stripped of its cultural trappings - and devoid of all mysticism and religious overtones - according to a purely SCIENTIFIC paradigm!

Science is all about trial and error. We try one experiment after the other and we develop our data into a working model. There are no absolutes in science and we are bound to wind up with egg on our faces over and over. Like I did this morning.

Speaking of which, I asked Leslie about her remark yesterday, when she wrote:

"Most people are familiar with the seven basic chakra points. These points are the same in every culture."

Her answer: "Yep. That was a bone head thing to say. That was a sweeping generalization and an over simplification."

I told her not to worry, that I would clear the matter up today and she can edit her meditation lesson later. I actually have written about this before, albeit in regard to sexuality rather than meditation, over on The Great Rite website here. Here is, more or less, what Leslie meant to say:

The sexual energy awakened with techniques of The Great Rite is the same energy known as Kundalini in India and the Chinese identify with "Chi." In the West, The Great Rite symbolizes the human energy system with the caduceus of Mercury with its two serpents entwined around the central staff. In Qabala, these serpents are transformed into the three pillars of the Tree of Life: one central pillar and two side pillars. The function of this Tree of Life is reminiscent of the balancing arms of a spiritual scale with which to achieve an internal dynamic equilibrium.  

In China, these pillars are seen as located in front of and behind the spine. These are called the meridian of Conception and the Regulating meridian. The first meridian acts on Yin energy that emerges from the sexual organs, the second meridian acts on Yang eneergy, flowing "along the spine, as though it were a pillar. Yin and Yang are the two spiritual principles that united together form the Tao, the Way of the balance of complementary opposites. "The vital energy of the universe, is distributed through secondary channels "that intersect with the top two and can be stimulated using other systems like acupuncture or acupressure.

 

In India, these two meridians are known as Ida and Pingala, the two channels on the sides and around the median channel of the spine, Sushumna, ie the path along which the "Snake" (Kundalini) rises and falls. The specific points along which the Serpents, the paths, the meridians and channels intersect, nodes correspond to energy in India are called chakras and in the Qabalah, the Sephiroth.

"All nations recognize, therefore, the existence of an energy flow that concentrates, spreads, blocks, unblocks, traveling along the spinal column and distributing itself along the pathways and centers of the nervous and endocrine systems in a system of continuous recirculation and exchange."

In conclusion, contrary to eggs thrown by our Anonymous Troll friend, Leslie does actually have a background as an initiate of traditional Hindu meditation. Leslie's adventures in India, however, are a story for her to tell, not me.

Our anonymous troll friend missed the boat on that one, but was still right about one thing. What Leslie is presenting as Core Magick is not a "traditional" form of meditation. Of course not. It is a Core Magick presentation of meditation! In other words, it was a preliminary attempt at a scientific distillation of traditional meditation techniques, stripped of their culture specific elements. 

But then again, to all of the other anonymous trolls out there:

"Please DO keep throwing eggs.

This is how science progresses!"

Core Magick: Lesson 1: "Meditation"

featuring Leslie McQuade Griffin

"I'm not a MacGregor - I'm a McQuade!"

INTRODUCTION

Hi! It is nice to meet you. I am Leslie. I think most of you are familiar with my husband, David, who has been encouraging me to share with you some of the magickal gems I picked up my adventures as an archeologiogist and anthropologist. 

As an archeologist, I have had the great fortune to work in some pretty amazing places, from the English Heritage, Eartham Pit dig in West Sussex where Homo heidelbergensis was discovered, to the Botai dig in Kazakhstan for the Carnegie Mellon Museum of Natural History, where I was told to cover up the discovery of artifacts made of bone which bore a striking resemblance to screw drivers, which would be astonishing for the time period - to the Chatan-cho dig Okinawa where we were ordered to conceal our discoveries by the Japanese government since they didn't like that we found Koreans rather than Japanese.

I left archeology when the sanctity of scientific data was was repeatedly sacrificed for political expedience. As a scientist, I wanted no part in such hypocricy.

"Take your falsified data and..."

Subsequently, as an anthropologist, I have been more fortunate. I am also an initiated witch of the Sacred Forest of Nemi (del Bosco Sacro) ancient Pagan tradition in Italy, which gives me access to the sort of informants anthropologists dream of. Being married to David Griffin doesn't hurt either, as this gives me access to the Secret Chiefs of the of the Golden Dawn's Third Order through my husband.

But let me tell you why I am here today ...

As you likely know the Alpha Omega and the Sacred Forest Shamanic Pagan tradition are initiatic, oath-bound traditions, which limits what I can share with you about them. I have, however, managed to amass a great deal of magickal knowledge from other traditions around the world I am completely free to share with you.

You may have heard of the work in the field of Shamanism of anthropologist, Michael J. Harner, who studied many different Shamanic traditions around the world, then attempted to distill the common core underlying all of them. Harner's groundbreaking work has resulted in a growing Neo-Shamanic tradition around the world. He calls this tradition Core Shamanism.

Inspired by Harner's work, I have been gathering magical techniques from many different traditions around the world, some of which I will be sharing with you here in this series on The Golden Dawn Blog. In recognition of my deep and abiding respect for Dr. Harner's work, I call this tradition I am about to share with you, Core Magick.

Core Magick and Core Magickal techniques, as we know them today, represent a huge tool kit; a vast collection of practices, beliefs, spells, deities, experiments, tools, rituals, ideas and ideals.  The material I am presenting to you spans both time and space, so don’t be surprised to see eastern practices beside western practices, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming inside Shamanic rituals presented in a Neo-Pagan format.  

I have collected, tested and used each and every one of the practices and techniques I share. I give you only the best of the best.  The years of scientific experimentation and ethnographic research have resulted in the simplest and most effective way to alter physical reality in ways that match your desires. There are no initiations, no fees, and no “busy work”.  This is the cream of what our planet has to offer.

These practices are stripped of all the cultural baggage that prevents many people from considering magic at all. Core Magick represents the synthesis of practices I learned during my travels and research as an anthropologist.  Because I worked as an experimental and ethnographic archaeologist, I had numerous opportunities to study the esoteric traditions of the various geographic regions in which I found myself.  This is the Core Magickal practice I myself use on a daily basis.  Because this information is available for the non-initiate, I have been careful to build in some safety nets to insure that as you work your way through the lessons and experiments, you don’t accidentally “blow up your lab”. 

I have taken great pains to remember the source of the things I use. This is perhaps the most interesting part of Core Magick, and one of its greatest strengths.  As we move closer and closer to a truly global culture, Core Magick represents a way to tap into the power of the magickal traditions of the planet as a whole.  Unlike other traditions that take their authority from the geographic region in which their methodology is culturally cloaked. Core Magick removes the cultural assumptions, contstraints and expectations from these powerful magickal practices and puts their methods in plain language, so that it may be grasped easily, understood accurately and practiced effortlessly.  Begin living the life you have always wanted.  It is time for you to claim your birthright and become a co-creator with DEITY.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

In my experience, Core Magick is in many ways most similar to chemistry.  In chemistry, you must be exact in your measurements, your timing, in every detail of how the experiment is performed.  Core Magick is much the same.  In order to have repeatable results, you must have repeatable actions.  Be attentive to what you are THINKING most of all as you begin working Core Magick. 

I will be teaching you the same way I learned, although you won’t have the same opportunities I had, simply as a function of time and location.  If you don’t already, I advise you to, take a moment now and find a new notebook or journal.  It is important that you keep a journal of not only your daily Core Magickal practices and results, but also what you read, odd things you notice, inexplicable feelings that may bubble to the surface.  This is a watershed moment.  You are moving from a life in which things happen to you, to one in which you make things happen.  Through careful study of your Core Magickal journal, your research notes as it were, you can easily see what works for you and what does not.  You will also be able to track the success or failure of your spells/experiments.

Everything you will learn, you learn in layers, like an onion.  Just like you first learned in kindegarten that Columbus discovered America, only to be told it was Vespucci in high school, so will you learn Core Magick.  Skipping steps will lead to an incomplete understanding of the material.  You must you take the time to fully digest and understand the “vocabulary” and methodology of Core Magick in order to do it well, so remember the age-old saying:

”The ox is slow, but the Earth is patient.”

THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT

The first thing I want you write in your Core Magickal Journal is an essay. In the essay, include answers to the following questions, in whatever order feels most natural to you.

1.   Why do you want to learn Core Magick?  What will you see in your life that will show you your Magick is working?

2.     What things are you already doing that you consider to be magickal?

3.     Do you believe in God/dess?  How does this belief effect your decisions?

4.   What are your favorite subjects or activities? What types of things are you not good at or interested in?

5.     Are you right or left handed?

6.     What is your birth information?  [Date, time, location]  Ask your mother to tell you the story of the day you were born.  Be sure to write down what she says, and ask her to clarify any details.

Write as much as you think is necessary to answer the questions.  Include extra information if it seemsrelevant.  You may even want to break up these six questions into separate, shorter essays.

I am, with these questions, asking you teach yourself who you ARE.  No one will see these essays.  Your Core Magickal Journal is solely for your use.  In order for you to make this world what you want it to be, you must understand who you are. My perspective as an archaeologist has taught me that it is only through a thourough understanding who you are that you can become the best of who you want to be.

THE FIRST PRACTICE

We will begin with meditation.  Whether you meditate now or not, I want you to use the following method.  This is not simply capriciousness on my part.  If a meditation is successful, there should be PHYSICAL sensations, and real, tangible, repeatable results.  The following is what I have found to be the simplest, fastest and most effective way to reach very deep states of meditation in a short amount of time.

1.   Do some sort of physical exercise immediately before you begin.  It can be anything from Yoga to Boxing.  You want your heart to be beating fast, to be breathing hard, and just a little sweaty when you sit down to meditate.  The pace of your breathing is VERY important.

2.     Sit COMFORTABLY facing a clean, empty, undecorated, white (or other pale color) wall.

3.     Sit with the base of your spine supported on a cushion to help keep your spine straight.

4.     Stick out your chest, and tuck in your chin just a bit.  This will take the last remaining curves out of your spine. It is important to keep your spine STRAIGHT.

5.     You can look either at the floor in front of you, or at the wall.  The important thing here is to keep your eyes open, and that they are slightly crossed (like when you try to look at the end of your nose).

6.   Other than blinking your eyes, and the paced rise and fall of your chest and stomach, you should endeavor to remain motionless.  If your leg falls asleep, ignore it.  If you itch, put your attention back on your glabella or your breathing.  Your body intends to work against you, so ignore it as if it were just another street vendor, barking for your attention.

7.    Put the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, and no matter how badly you may itch, DO NOT SCRATCH.  Do not scratch, do not move.  Be VERY strict with youself on this one.  The itching sensation is a chakra point opening.  Most people are familiar with the seven basic chakra points. These points are the same in every culture.  When the point is open, it feels like a tingling, or an itching, coolness or tickling.  To induce this feeling, take a single hair and gently draw a circle in the center of your forehead, on the glabella, or a little above it.

8.  As you breathe, breathe also through your glabella.  Understand that your glabella is very similar to the blowhole of a whale or dolphin.  To accomplish this, as you inhale, become aware of cool air rushing into and out of your glabella, just as you feel the air moving through your nose and lungs.  

9.     Make sure that when you feel your breathing start to slow, or get shallow, you pick up the pace. By now your heart rate should be slowing down, and also your breath rate.  It is important however, to keep breathing deep and full.  You are going to hyper oxygenate your blood.  This will release certain chemicals into your blood that will make it possible for you to reach deeper states of meditation. 

10. As you are concentrating on all these things, feel yourself getting lighter and lighter, floating up out of your body.  Remember, your body has an autopilot function.  It’s called sleep.  You can trust your body to take care of itself while you “go out and have a look”.

11. Pass through the roof, into the sky, through the clouds, through the atmosphere into space.  Fly past the moon, out towards the stars. 

Travel as far as you like and stay as long as you like.  Rather than set a specific amount of time for meditation, we are setting a goal.  I want you to be able to see all the stars in the blackness of the universe with your eyes open and pointed at the wall or floor. 

This method is a combination of things I learned in Kundalini Yoga, Zen Walking Meditation, Rolfing and Shamanic Journeying.

Plan on spending at least 15 minutes for exercise, and 15 minutes for meditation for your first experiment.  Gradually increase the time for both in increments of 1:1; i.e. for each minute of exercise, do a minute of meditation.  If you want to do more the first time, that is fine, but what I’m looking for in this practice exercise are the following things:

1.   Consistency – Do it EVERY DAY for one lunar cycle.  This experiment should be repeatedly tested, because science is above all else a method of predicting what comes next.  If you do the same methods twice and get the same results twice, you have shown something interesting.  Do it 20 or 30 times, and you have really learned a powerful technique for self-transformation.  You need only dedicate 28 days to this experiment after which you may choose to either continue (which I HIGHLY recommend) or not.  Remember, the benefits of meditation are cumulative, like physical exercise.

2.   Set and Setting – Where do you meditate?  Do you use incense or candles?  How do you feel? Before you begin were you distracted, tired, happy, in a hurry, etc.?

3.    Results – Can you get out of the Earth’s atmosphere into space? Can you feel your glabella?  Can you breathe with your glabella?  Do you feel like you are floating?  Are you able to ignore your Meatsuit (physical body)?  Compare this meditation to others you have had in the past.  What seems different about this method?  What happened during the meditation that could be improved upon?

4.  Documentation – Each meditation is a scientific experiment.  Use the following form for Documenting the Results of your Procedure and Consistency with this Practice.

Meditation Documentation (example)

Date:  2012 Apr 20 Tue 9pm

Practice:  DAILY MEDITATION

Goal:  To be able to meditate anywhere, anytime.

Set and Setting:  Today I decided to meditate outside. I sat in a couple of spots to find the best view of the sky, with no mountains or power lines in the way.  I also looked around to be sure no one would interrupt me.  I didn’t bring any incense, because the air here smells so good.  I did bring a blanket, pillow and bug spray.  I also brought food and water for afterwards.  I had a hassle getting out of the house, because my roommate thinks it’s dangerous to meditate outside in the dark.

Procedure:  I did my usual routine, but a little faster today, since it now takes more to get my breathing faster.  I also did 25 bodyweight squats and 10 pushups.  Then, I lay down, covered up (because it’s cold), put my tongue up and started.

Results:  It was a difficult meditation.  I found my mind wandering with lots of thoughts.  So I told each thought, as it came up, “Thank you for reminding me of that.  I will get to it just as soon as I am finished.”  My Kundalini Yoga Guru Paranjothiar taught me that trick. Once each thought had been given some love and dismissed, I was able to go deeply into the stars, turn around and see the Earth.  It seemed so small and fragile.  I opened my heart and poured love over the whole planet.  Then I heard a car come up the road, and it jarred me out of meditation.  I had been there for 40 minutes already, so I packed up and walked back to the house.

Next Time:  I will go a little further away from the road.  I will leave the food, because I think it attracted bugs.  I will also bring my back-jack, because lying down made it hard to stay awake.  Also, I couldn’t find my usual internal “landing spot” at the beginning of my meditation, probably because of the new location. 

Other:  I really need to get better at letting outside distractions go.  I think a lot of that has to do with feeling slightly self-conscious about meditating outside my usual spot in the house.  It is important for me to let go both of my self-consciousness, and of my attachment to my usual place of meditation.

Meditation Documentation

Date:

Practice:

Goal:

Set and Setting:

Procedure:

Results:

Next Time:

Other:

THE FIRST READING LIST

In each reading list I provide you, there will be more than you can read.  Choose what looks interesting to you.  As you read, write notes in your journal. Your notes might include things like:

·      Information you think is important to remember for later

·      Quotes you want to remember

·      Your opinions about what you are reading

·      Questions you would like to ask me

I expect you to pick at least one and finish as much as you can before the next full moon.  In fact, the previous work is best completed in one lunar month.  So, have a look at what the moon phase is right now.  Repeat the meditation experiment every day for one lunar cycle.  Be consistent.  This is part of what makes meditation hard for most people. Meditation is a way of engendering the self with self-trust.  You trust in your decisions and stick by them, like your decision to meditate every day.  You trust your body to take care of itself while you while you are meditating.

All the books I recommend are available for free at the links I have provided for you.

SUGGESTED READING LIST

The Lazy Man’s Guide to Enlightenment by Thaddeous Golas

Real Magic by Issaic Bonewits 

The Power of the Witch by Laurie Cabot 

The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harner

A Dictionary of Symbols by J. E. Cirlot

The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot

A Bestiary of Internet Witch Hunt Trolls

by Guest blogger

VH Frater A.A.

Rosicrucian Order of A.O.

We are living in a world of juxtaposed digits; in a duality of Black & White, Off & On, 1 & 0.  This mess of disjointed logic apotheosizes Either/Or/Not/And striving to delimit the knowable.

Cast adrift on this unformatted sea of noise, the depersonalized post-modern seeks purpose. 

Deprivation invites the digitized wanderer to fall for easy solutions; to define itself in the shattered mirrors of fashion, fad and fantasy; to swallow ever easier lies.

In numberless chat rooms, on blogs and pages by the score, the Reconstructed Self struggles to assert a measure of independence.  However, while faked pictures cover false views with forged identities, only the DISCOURSE itself provides lasting meaning.

Encrypted interactions add a final touch of opacity to the already obscured self-image, providing an extraordinary rendition of the common existential state – a devastating lack of self-knowledge.

Personae become 2-Dimensional caricatures demanding instant gratification, yet ephemeral in their impact.

“You can be whatever you want to be” becomes the battle cry of the Reconstructed, along with “it is whatever I say it is – because it is I who say it” and then all that is required is a pinch of “going with the flow” and a dash of “staying in the present” to complete the transformation of untruths into cherished positions.

By sacrificing attention span upon the altars of the god of sound bites, the lies are made to appear real in the very moment of their assertion by the Reconstructed, with all contrary evidence conveniently forgotten in the next clock pulse.

From this root stock of spiritual immaturity and grasping materialism, certain traits are developed to defend the nascent Mask from the most damaging evidence – for the wearer must avoid confrontation with what lurks within, behind the façade… 

This archetypical knee-jerking and defensive posturing is cut from the same cloth of delusion, however desperately and colourfully applied.  In the heat of flame the varieties of Internet Troll strut their fleeting sense of identity, ignorant of its utter banality!

There is a veritable bestiary of Internet Flame Trolls out there, and we have seen more than a few of them engaged in recent skirmishes on our borders!

We are in a fortunate position in the current Witch Hunt to have a few strong opponents who exhibit some of the classic archetypes, and a mix of weaker ones to observe spinning lies into their version of “Reality.”

 “Higher Moral Ground Troll”

This is often called of the “Holier Than Thou Troll”.  It claims the “Moral High Ground” perpetually, while remaining classically two-faced about it and doing nothing to demand similar standards from supporters.

It makes it easier to throw rocks at opponents if one can find a hill to stand on, so this variety of Troll manufactures a hill, and then gleefully pelts the opponent while proclaiming moral superiority.

When this bullying behaviour is noted, this Troll will generate evasive arguments in an attempt to prove that it has simply been misunderstood, or even misrepresented.

The more transparent the Troll’s behaviour becomes in the spotlight of tenacious opposition, the more this Troll will attempt to take ownership of words and phrases that it uses to paint itself in a good light, while seeking to make a set of stock negative phrases stick to the opponent.  If continually challenged for this hypocrisy it will claim that opponents are being abusive, and may flounce out of the debate, or otherwise end it.

In essence, this boils down to endless repetition of: “I am a good person, you are a bad/misguided one” and there is no bringing this Troll back down to earth.  This variety of noisy Troll can easily take things personally and start to stalk the object of its ire across multiple fora.

 “The Pit-Bull Troll”

This one can be counted on to go for the jugular – constantly!  It will ALWAYS have the last word if it has to remain glued to a keyboard for 36 straight hours to get it.

The fighting style is one of constant jabs.  This Troll aims to wear out the opposition with bandwidth, and DRONE.  It is quite machine like. In fact an AI could model it very easily, as it also constantly adopts the best argument of the opponent, then applies it with similar words attached, but yet more vehemence.  In attempting to take ownership of the opponent’s territory, and throw it back at them with unremitting vitriol, the Pit-Bull Troll displays some characteristics of a more evolved cousin, the Mirror Troll (see under.) 

Another weakness of this Troll is that the incapacity to change tone makes it appear very two-dimensional, and even supporters switch off after short exposure.

The Pit-Bull Troll is very useful as a sparring partner for those who may find it hard not to fall into the trap of becoming angry, and flaming…  as more than any other variety, it attempts to create an angry response so that fellow Higher Moral Ground Trolls will have ammunition to fire.

Note the typical tone of voice in a Pit Bull Troll’s wording; it is often very much DECLARATIVE.  This Troll states it like it IS, and keeps stating it like it IS, because it obviously IS that way, “to any decent human being” etc. etc. etc.

It is a tirade of is-ness, and demands for recognition that the Troll’s reality is the One True Reality.  Many fundamentalists share this voice.  The lack of relativism in the Pit Bull Troll’s tone is part of what labels it.

“The Mirror Troll”

It takes a certain level of toughness to play this Troll game well – it is so fundamentally dishonest that not everyone has what it takes to morph into a true Mirror Troll.  It also does require considerable variety of tone and emphasis, or the reflection will not be convincing. 

The Mirror Troll also uses the Higher Moral Ground position extensively, in efforts to raise the distorted reflection as the REAL position, and cast the opponent as representing a debased perspective.

At best this troll is hard to answer as when the Mirror Logic is very well applied, the opponent would only be refuting their OWN original argument in the process of attempting to subdue this thief. 

The Mirror Troll has a surprisingly powerful style IF the opponent is equally dishonest, or otherwise cannot demonstrate their honesty. The Mirror Troll can be very effective against much stronger dishonest opponents.

However, it can all fall apart when the ground over which the Troll is attempting to take ownership, is honestly and simply defensible…  then the mirror cracks.

At the end of the day, this Troll is complementing the opponent via the aggressive takeover of their perspective, even though it must twist that perspective in order to further its own warped objectives.  Deployment of Mirror Trolls indicates a serious lack of good arguments in the enemy arsenal.

 “The Scholar Troll” or “The Expert Troll”

This one frequently has an Expert Complex.  In general terms the Expert Troll is just a pain in the neck to deal with.  Monomaniacal focus on their subject is used as an excuse for putting others down.  More kudos is then gained with a bit more sharing of “scholarly output” with supporters…  then it is “OK” to go on the attack once again.

Expert Trolls are not usually committed to spending a lot of time on the battlefield as they have “important research” to conduct.  (And they may well.)  This can make them very short and nasty.

The Expert Troll may educate himself in one of the other styles if it thinks it can use it to sufficiently satisfy the handlers that it is “doing enough” and thereby not have to spend so much mental energy on the substance of the engagement…  in short, the Expert Troll will tend to be LAZY in battle.

This type of Troll is only of use in protracted combat if the issues involve the pet topic of their obsession (they often score higher on the obsessive-compulsive axis.) 

Expert Trolls are easily bought off by access to information that furthers their Intellectual Quest.  Their preferred food is mouldy old documents with extra servings of dust!

It is a dangerous Troll archetype for one engaged in more advanced spiritual work, as it can make it very hard to let go of the Rational Soul…  generating delusion on top of obsession. 

Expert Trolls often become a liability for their handlers, and are sacrificed for small positional advances in the middle game.

  

 “The Nice Troll”

This Troll can be genuinely funny, and really wants to be liked.  When there are disagreements it can be quite passive-aggressive, and whining.  The Nice Troll is inconsistent and can’t be trusted to stick with anything for very long.  This Troll often doesn’t really even appear to know itself all that well.  It may not know that it is a Troll!

The lack of a solid core to the creature makes it hard to engage solidly. 

The risk with Nice Trolls is that if too much heat is applied they will win many sympathy votes.  The niceness is often genuine.

The Nice troll does not like to be shown up for being a Nasty Troll – as that might cause it to suffer rejection, whereas it really just wants to be loved.

Sometimes, the Nice Troll is just not sufficiently committed to the Cause, and has yet to fully engage in a more energetic Troll Mode.

This type of Troll is a follower not a leader.  Give it too much attention and it may get ideas beyond its station.  Typically, it may adopt characteristics of the Expert Troll, and at worst, also display some Slime Troll traits.

 “The Slime Troll”

Do not expect a direct answer from this Troll.  Do expect to be stabbed in the back and to see a look of exultation on the Slime Troll’s face as the dirty deed is carried out.

Innuendo, misdirection, skewed words suggestive of a thousand interpretations that MIGHT be an attack on the enemy position…  these build on pseudo-scholarly foundations with quotes and references, and other passive aggressive weaponry.

This is a cowardly Troll.  It hates to be caught out at its nasty little games.  It will seldom come out to fight alone, and generally stays in a safe place with a clique for supporting fire.

This is the Troll of “why did you think I was attacking you when I didn’t even name you” and deserves no more respect than it offers.  At worst it is capable of writing whole books full of political attacks, while tarting these up as some variety of intellectual affair, then accusing the damaged parties of misrepresenting its works!

The hypocrisy of the Slime Troll is quite breath-taking and more than anything else characterizes its combat method.

LVX!

Fr. AA