Drinkers

As I complete my first full year of abstinence, I have been struck by the prevalence and tenacity of drinkers. Everyone I know drinks, friends, acquaintances, family, co-workers--and they are quite aggressive about drinking, as though it is a tribal rite, a custom enshrined in religion, and indeed it is in the Holy Eucharist.

I perceive among them the psychic force that enslaved me for so many decades of my life, to my detriment. It is black magic, demonic in nature, although few accept this, because the world views alcohol in a benign light, as it does many forms of evil. Evil approacheth with a fair face and speaketh with a silver tongue, laying an arm around thy back as if in friendship, while clutching a poisoned dagger.

As the months have passed, and many friends have offered me free drinks that used to be my favorites, I wondered whether I would fold. Not even. I am not even tempted. I smile.

No one knows my secret. Almost a year ago, I performed an I.O.B., half-thinking "what am I even doing?", but it worked just as certainly as the earth keeps me on her surface. Of course the groundwork was already laid down. There had been a welling of resistance to alcohol building up in me for many years. Read this blog and there are numerous posts against alcohol.

It should not bother me that other people are trapped in the clutches of this old ugly demon, but they are, and it is a cold satisfaction knowing I enjoy the better way. I would prefer they be better, too, and be stronger and brighter. I will be dead before too long, and the people I observe are the ones who must carry on. England's whole problem is drink, nothing but drink, and they drink because they lost their spirituality, as all people do. Those who reject Spirit embrace spirits to fill the void inside them. In doing so, they open up a gateway into their lives for demons to talk through them and to use them for purposes of malice. Is this so very hard to see?

Of courses, atheists aren't alone in tipping the bottle, although they are the lion's share. Have never known any atheist to remain sober for any great length of time, certainly not more than a month. As to Christians and Jews who drink, I have to wonder what kind of relationship they have with religion, what kind of understanding. Diminishing the Will and inviting any and all comers to enter does not seem like a very wise move for one who professes to believe in the Unseen. The Muslims have it right on this issue, I regret to say. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Little Innovations

Tiny innovations that may seem insignificant make all the difference in spicing up activities that have become routine, chore-like. One of the wonderful aspects of Donald Michael Kraig's book is that he opened the door to precisely that. He invited the reader to innovate, to experiment. This is the way to avoid the boredom and mindlessness that is spiritual death. The mind has to remain engaged, because it is so accustomed to being so. It must be given something to do. If not, daydreaming or otherwise wandering of attention ensues. The practice loses significance, meaning. One might as well not practice at all in that instance. Creativity must be employed, given the green light. There is no one right way.

Reading about the foibles and little failures of the originators of G.D. practice was at first disillusioning and disheartening, but then upon reflection, liberating, because it means there is no one formula, but there are formulae, and the human beings of a hundred years ago were just that, human beings, not that much better on balance than any of us, and certainly less, now that they are dust. I think there is more room for innovation than many suspect, and that hidebound adherence to tradition has pitfalls. A framework helps, but upon the framework, many different colors can work.

Look Beyond the Human Factor

The most distressing thing about religions and other spiritual systems are what I call the human factor. Get humans involved, stuff gets messy. I just get nauseated thinking about some of the shenanigans I read about from time to time, done by erstwhile "spiritual" leaders supposedly in touch with their "Higher Selves" and/or divinity. Just a big "Hmph!" comes to mind. Self-delusion, more like, than divinity. But I imagine that Republicans must get nauseated too, if they ever examine their Republican idols up close. Trump, for instance. If I were a Republican, Trump would give me great unease.

I've suffered heartache learning all the backstory to the Golden Dawn in its various incarnations and revolutions throughout the last century and up to the present day. I wish I could read about calm, wise, mature leaders, but instead I read about petty, vindictive, selfish drama queens just striving for power and control over others. But you know, humans will be humans, and in point of fact, the early organization was composed of actual drama queens, that is, people involved in theatre. Of course they would opt for drama in every facet of their lives. That is their bread and butter, their chosen mode of living. So, those that followed appear to have been cast in the same mold, no?

I think I have to separate the system from the people espousing it. The people are often bickering, fighting among themselves, because let's face it, that's what we humans do. Maybe that's what we humans do best, is to fight among ourselves. The idea of cooperating is really strange and foreign, isn't it? Some liberal, hippy nonsense brought on by marijuana, right? So let's compete, why don't we, argue, fight and be at each other's throats all the time, because we don't really want to get along, do we?

For my own part, I think spirituality is best kept private, even secret to an extent, because it is at risk of great disillusionment and disenchantment when other people get involved. Always and forever, people strive to make a damn living out of spirituality, and that's where all the problems come in--with the money!

Spirituality, Why?

One big reason, seldom mentioned, for belief in God/gods, spirits, and other entities not corporeal, and the desire to communicate with them and nurture relationships, is that our fellow human beings prove, in the long term, unsatisfactory in one way or the other. Who among us has a friend that is trustworthy in all matters? Reading the biographies of famous and not-so-famous folks from a hundred years ago, I am struck by how much treachery, deceit and backstabbing is commonplace. Confide in one's closest friend, and those confidences become marketable. Little or nothing is kept secret, people always look to what can profit them or cast them in a better light on the stage. The truth is probably closer to the observation that no one has any friends at all, only acquaintances that find one useful for one purpose or another, for a temporary period of time in the present.

Humans being faithless and fickle, the thinker turns to the nonhuman, divinity or at any rate higher emanations from the Universe that can instruct, enlighten and ennoble. One can analyze such practices ad nauseum, but in the end, if they are useful, then common sense councils practice. Perhaps a great many things that humans say and do are not based upon reason or upon anything that can stand up to the cold light of scrutiny, but we do them anyway. Humans are animals facing down approaching pain and death not far off in the future.

In regards to religious and spiritual practice, I repeat the Wiccan creed, "An' if it harm none, do wot thy will." That is a mighty and comprehensive moral code compressed into a few words. Harming none includes self, of course, and all human beings, and some Wiccans even include animals, and some extend the "franchise" further to plants and even the planet Earth, although I do not know how we can harm the planet. Harm ourselves through pollution, perhaps, but the planet cares not, I think. Even if all life perished, mighty Earth would still be around.

I think if everyone abided by the above creed, then the human species would come out of our present problems all right. I love the simplicity of it, so much better than a weighty book or complex moral code. Nine words. An excellent litmus test for any decision. I think where other religionists would dispute would be that they have additional Commandments, and want to redefine "harm" to mean more complicated forms of harm. I suppose there is a lot of room for debate over the meaning of that word. So much argument boils down to semantics. What does "harm" mean? Then, too, what is "will?" How does one know what one's will truly is, and is one competent enough and well-informed enough to make decisions? I suppose no one sentence will ever satisfy, nor any one religion, but the human race demands a buffet of religions, lots of variety to choose from at all times. Some people change religions like they change clothes.

At any rate, I feel at peace in Churches and with Christianity, but also with the Wiccan and related practices. I am more at peace with spirituality and religion than I have ever been. I think it is due to being exposed to so many good people that really believe. One judges by one's experiences, and I have known many good believers.

Best Dream of 2018

I had my best dream of 2018 last night, best because it was vivid. I was at a party, and by that I mean a pleasant social gathering with good and gentle folk, and I was seated beside a large and talkative, crafty woman with many ideas and much wit, who was talking to me about things I no longer remember upon waking. It is often the case, that I dream of being talked to, even at great length, and when I awake, can remember naught but the faintest outline, or possibly a single phrase. I do recall one of her friends bringing me a good drink (non-alcoholic, quite naturally, as I no longer indulge in intoxicants), and then she turned to me and with some charming witticism, induced me to rise and fetch her a drink. She said she liked a soda called "The Bossman," which I recognized as a sweet citrus carbonated soda.

Upon waking, probably due to allergies, this being ragweed season, I thought she might be my boss, for one, a natural enough assumption, or else a thought-form based upon the detritus floating through my mind, and possibly an amalgam combining my boss with a charming personality I watched on YouTube not long ago, a young, black woman talking about her religion, Wicca, in mild, gentle and reasonable language. I liked her and thought she was smart.

I don't recall anything of deep or profound meaning in the dream, but I did enjoy a rather nice conversation with an interesting entity in my dream, even if I remember little more than a dozen words of what was said! (And of those words, some permutation of "fetch me a drink" was the gist!)

I do think one of the most potent attractions in the practice of Wicca and other minority religions is quite simple and based in psychology. The mere fact that a religion does not have many millions of pushy advocates on its behalf is the attraction. That it can be practiced in solitary is quite useful. That it is adaptable and open to a certain degree of experimentation and improvisation is almost unique. Christianity and Islam have both become rather stodgy by comparison, full of rules and group-think and group-activities. The room for personal revelation and personal relationships to the Divine seems limited and dismal in those religions, which surrender spiritual power from the individual to the shaman. Where power and politics get involved, spirituality flees. Also there is the fact that, being new, Wicca has not accumulated, yet, such a large number of terrible scandals, and may it never do so, but I fear, in time, it too will succumb to human frailty, as humans do what humans sometimes do, which is to fail. Yes, everyone and everything suffers a setback once in a while, that is the nature of things.

I am more an admirer of Wicca than a practitioner. The ambivalence I feel for Nature is the main reason. Wicca is really tied to Nature, to the observance of days on a calendar and a rather sentimental and emotional regard for things living and dead. The great outdoors and to a lesser extent, environmentalism, both political and personal, are both key to understanding and participating in the faith. I have never cared a fig for the phase of the Moon and doubt I could start now. To me, the Moon and indeed the planets are abstract notions. I admire them rather vaguely and am aware they are there, and like to learn about them, but don't really see them as influencing me that much. After all, they are material. If the Moon could influence me, then how much more so could the floor beneath my feet, and perhaps I should study the phases of the floor, and learn what angle it lies at, and the composition thereof. No, I dwell in the realm of thoughts and really always have and never liked camping or spending too much time in the rough. I hated going camping in Scouts. I like all of the conveniences of civilization and the wondrous artificial comfort zones we have created with our science. Science is the magic of the material plane we dwell in, whereas magic is of the spirit.

Of course, another big attraction to Wicca for many women is simply that there are many female Wiccans, and the relatively smaller number (I imagine) of male Wiccans tend to be feminists or at least open to the notion of equality between the sexes. I do not know what qualifies a man to be termed a feminist in the eyes of a female feminist; perhaps no man could qualify. It is true that some feminists really are down on men, but this is probably because of the misbehavior of so many men, the brutish louts, who behave with reckless criminality and abuse and outrage the gentle sex. There must be some reason that all the wars have been waged by mostly men, and mostly men inhabit the prisons of the world and do the violent crimes of the world. That reason has to do with testosterone and the negative aspects to it that are reinforced by culture and upbringing. I am not sure what the solutions may be, but the best, it seems to me, is to evolve a sexless mortal, with neither gender, for what need have we of gender, if a laboratory offers a better option. But that is far into the future, when I have already checked out, I think.

Thought I'd Seen It All

On YouTube tonight, I learned that the couple behind the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn is for Trump (and even watch InfoWars/Fox News pretty regular). They went over the top, dressing as the Prez and the First Lady, although they didn't go to the trouble of putting wigs on. Political theater in a series of videos supposedly about the occult.

I guess they want to be timely and relevant and reach out to a market niche, right-wing, American occultists. I wonder how big that market niche is and how lucrative. I wonder if they are the occult's Diamond and Silk. Maybe that is how their prosperity spell really works.

I haven't heard them say anything I disagree with on magic, yet. I actually like them on a personal level. Charismatic, after a fashion. I don't like the emphasis on "war" though. Conflict sells, of course. They have launched a magical war to counteract some clown that practices black magic against Trump voters. Why give the turkey more attention, is my reaction. First I ever heard of the clown, and this couple are jumping up and down getting excited and angry about the absurdity. Just relax, such a poseur could not possibly muster the power of a mustard seed. Absurd, the whole thing. I also don't like their use of the term "war". It seems every other headline on Fox News has "war" in the title. You know, these United States have had about enough wars as it is. We could use peace to rebuild the country, with all these failing roads and bridges and poor Internet service. Certainly the last couple of wars we had have been total wastes. Even Trump himself agrees on that score. I certainly do agree with Trump that we would have been better off not getting involved in Afghanistan or Iraq. Another of Hillary's little failings, her support of these expensive wars. Siding with the Republicans brought her no benefits, no Republican votes. Bad move politically. Might as well have gone full Progressive and opposed the wars. No war would have placed the country in a better position to pay for health care.

Certainly, no one can fault their little ritual desiring freedom for all of humanity. They seem pretty open-minded. Certainly more appealing than the politician they support. I have to question their judgment in following Alex Jones though. I couldn't imagine quoting that guy in any context. I also find their histrionics tedious. Channeling emotion doesn't make one seem either sincere or powerful. More like, TV preacher. Calm down, Jethro.

I think they suffer from a case of overreaction. A constant diet of right-wing media, coupled with their lifelong focus on magic and their messianic desire to save the world, results in this street theater where they are "saving" Trump from bad witches and, I imagine, bad Hollywood. I'm not sure why Hollywood is so bad, or appreciably worse than other industries, I guess because Hollywood is a liberal power center that donates to Democrats, is why Hollywood is bad. Certainly a lot of television shows are not worth watching, but when has that not been true? Most books are not worth reading, for that matter. I suppose in their view, academia must be bad too, and of course unions and minorities--anyone that donates to the baddies, the Dems.

They do take great pains to differentiate "bad" witches from "good" witches. Well, to the average American, it's all nonsense or else dangerous self-delusion. You know what, Trump can protect himself, he doesn't need that much help, he is a pretty skilled magician in his own right, and I mean that in every sense of the word. I can think of a lot of other causes that are worthy besides helping someone rich and powerful. Which brings to mind the distinct possibility that all their theatrics might be serving their little prosperity spell. Nothing is ever spoken about the corruption and dishonesty so apparent in Trump himself. If you want to present yourself as fair and balanced, it helps to admit that which is true, and concede that your support of this or that politician is nuanced. Instead, they just play partisan politics, no objectivity other than a token objectivity, thin and dubious. Come on, you are Republican shills, trying to reach out to New Agers and flip them red.

In the end, everybody has to be taken with a grain of salt, even the supposed teachers.

On other levels, besides the political--which, I don't know why they had to go there in the first place, quite bizarre, as though they want to get on TV and are looking after their pet ambitions--I dislike their tendency to muster fake emotion. At any rate, it just rings false. They are mimicking these guys on TV. I guess that is the whole point of going on YouTube, because TV is where the money is. They get on Fox News, they get a lot of money.

Also, there is a tendency they have to repeat themselves. The broken record syndrome. Make your point, move on, don't keep harping on it again and again like Fox News. I really think they learned all their presentation techniques from Fox News. Same point, regurgitated fifty times over in fifty different ways.

The other thing that grates is a new tendency I have observed to employ profanity, like bulls--. O.K., that is not the worst profanity ever, but it is sloppy and brings to mind drinking and belching. I know everyone does it these days on both the left and the right. Everyone is wrong. I am like a lone voice crying out in the wilderness, few people hold to the old standard anymore, but I believe in a certain level of decorum, but this holds even more so when discussing the holy.

I'm pleased to note, however, that they seem to be O.K. with gays, which hasn't always been the case with these occult orders. Specifically on their web site, they state they do not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. That is a relief, because gays get enough heat from the various right-wing religions. They are also not racist, needless to say. That all sounds good to me. About damn time, too. Although, it may be that they just don't want to turn off potential customers. There is probably less money to be had in homophobia these days than in tolerance.

What's off-putting is that they are hardcore conspiracy theorists, joined at the hip, it would seem, with Alex Jones of InfoWars. Making a lot of outrageous claims without much in the way of evidence. You know, evidence is important. Without evidence, everybody can be guilty. I suppose astral, psychic thinkadees informed them of such things--well, one can be mistaken. It is important to retain the critical faculties when evaluating messages and information gathered from the astral. Our senses and reasoning are not lesser in value. We were gifted with reason ... for a reason.

Every show, besides the obligatory -New Age- -Magic- Golden Dawn- -Spiritual Work- -Witchcraft- ...there's this recurrent theme of, oh, how put-upon poor little old Trump is, the innocent one, can't the media lay off of all his lies, deceit and corruption? Let the goodly Saint Trump lie, cheat and steal all he wants, because after all, he is a Saint. The Golden Dawn has sanctified his horns. Oh yeah, Trump rides a Unicorn and farts perfume. Disgusting. They take the Holy, put it in the toilet and mingle it with Trump. Must be nice, finding a way to make magic pay in real cold hard cash.

Hopefully, one day these two will confess their relationship with politics and quit using New Age beliefs as a ploy to get attention. Religion is not your whore. If you are about spiritual advancement, then be about that. Sounds to me like they are just about padding their own pocketbooks by talking all the time about how put upon poor billionaire Trump is. They prostitute their knowledge in the service of darkness. They are not the first and by no means will be the last. This is exactly why many masters of old insisted upon secrecy and did not wish to share knowledge with everyone. Eventually some bright fellow figures out a way to commercialize, cheapen, use for base and tawdry ends. It always happens.

In the beginning, when I watched the two, I thought, ah, they believe what I believe, maybe I will learn something from them. Now, I think, these two buffoons believe otherwise, my beliefs are not at all like theirs, they wish to talk only about Trump and about Republican politics, that is their religion. They do not have any spiritual thoughts in their bodies. So in my mind they are no different than the televangelists and others that seem to make a business out of spirit. I suppose it beats working for a living, eh?

Donald Michael Kraig's Great Work

"Modern Magic" was Kraig's Great Work, just splendid in every way, and so far above texts that came before. I have found it of immense practical value. Every chapter is an eye-opener, packed full of exciting information and ideas. Every writer seems to have one great work, and that was his. I don't know of anything that even comes close.

Lowly

Seems one cannot escape the influence of Lackluster Lowly (my nickname for A. Crowley). That he was gay doesn't cut mustard with me. You know, just because someone belongs to the same tribe, does not mean they escape criticism. I prefer a straight guy any day of the week if he comports himself well with dignity and ethics, as opposed to a gay that does the opposite. Lackluster Lowly did some bad things that we know about, and probably a lot of worse things we don't know about and would rather not know about. Frankly, I'd prefer he were straight, so as not to besmirch the noble gay tribe. Fortunately, straight know-nothing homophobes like Donald Tyson are under the misapprehension that Lackluster Lowly was straight. Good. Keep on thinking that.

Well, turns out, Lackluster Lowly made important contributions, or at least they are widely accepted and taught by the big-time magicians that have written the best books for the reading masses. Whether you pick up with Donald Michael Kraig, Donald Tyson or anybody else, you're likely going to see them quoting Lowly not once, but a dozen times. I just deal. I will even learn and practice his stuff. Why? Because it has been adopted and accepted, that's why, and I don't see anything better available at the present time. It is passable and purported to actually work. So, the options before me are either forge my own way or adopt what the teachers have to offer. I figure, go with the teachers, at least when starting out, because it is just possible they know what works.

Intellectual Rigor and the Church

The reason modern-day religion is in trouble is that modern-day man is better educated, and intellectual rigor substantially higher than the Middle Ages. Yet most religion remains mired and pretty much unchanged since the Middle Ages, with but a few concessions for say, sex and sexuality. All things must evolve with the race, religion is no exception to the rule. Our understanding has increased, yet the Church treats its adherents like children, and its priests exploit the children, not merely for sexual gratification but for money, power, and influence.

I resent the Church of my youth. They didn't teach me zip about spirituality. They were havens for bullies, really. Nothing spiritual about them, in no way, shape or form could they bring anyone closer to God by a dust mote. They just said, God is love, so pray a lot. How to pray? Just clasp your hands together, close your eyes, and talk to Jesus. Oh, and memorize all the names of the Books of the Bible. Study the Bible a lot. Well, you know what, the Bible is primarily a history and not really that great as far as spiritual instruction goes. A whole lot of Thou-Shalt-Nots and Fear-Me-For-I-Am-All-Powerful. Well, if God's such a Bad Ass, then I guess he doesn't need the likes of me to support him. The truth is that all of the truth is simply not present and accounted for in that book. It is partial. There is a lot that is missing. And much is open to misinterpretation. The Bible has opened the door to as much mischief as good.

I don't think modern Churches have much to do with spirituality. I sense only a very dim background hum in a Church. It is nothing like what can be known directly. True religion seems only possible on an individual and private level. The minute people start talking about God, there seems a dilution. Something goes wrong. Money and greed become big factors. Then people try to out-do each other in outward piety. There is a lot of posturing. Social games are played. Real growth just does not happen. Instead, once a week, lectures on rather mundane topics. Nothing to really enhance spiritual power. No real methodology, nothing that works on a personal level. All is designed simply to enhance the power of the institution. As for the individuals, screw them. Get their money, their allegiance, even their genitals, apparently.

Problem is, modern man is smarter than he used to be, so all the things that the churches got away with in the past, well, they can't get away with them anymore. The jig is up. People see. Things get reported.

Sad that churches have profaned what is really beautiful and profound. Real religion should be maintained on a personal level. Those incapable of doing that, due to stupidity or immaturity, I suppose they do need churches, as it is better than nothing. Perhaps there should be a catch-all last resort for the morons.

Tribute to Donald Michael Kraig

I was saddened to read that Donald Michael Kraig passed from this carnation in 2014, according to the bio in his book that I am reading. A check on Wikipedia shows the cause to have been pancreatic cancer. I never heard of the thing until Steve Jobs got it. Don't care about Jobs, do care about Kraig. I like him, based on his writing style and content. He makes magic accessible, without casting down thorns to sting minorities, like some magicians do. Magicians are only human, and of course some succumb to the usual biases and prejudices that plague all of humankind, but Kraig was different in having no real biases about anything, he was the type of guy that would just accept the whole menu as presented by the waiter and of course he had his favorites, but he wouldn't complain about the other selections and put them down. His writing is very good, and he sounded like a fellow one would want to invite to dinner--every night. I may indeed have to collect all his books. I was also saddened to hear that the widow asked for funds back in 2014 to help with medical and funeral expenses. It appears that even a prolific, successful and active person in the creative and performing arts has trouble gathering together enough funds to take care of medical contingencies. Really medical care in this country is a mess, with much waste and much cost, too much cost indeed for the average person to bear when something bad strikes. But such are the times we live in.

I am glad that he took the time to perfect his Great Work, which I think Modern Magick is, by releasing the third edition. It truly is a Great Work, in part because of his affable style and accessibility. He comes across as warm, not cold like some writers. I look forward to reading it many times over through the years. It is almost like he survives in a sense--so many people will be imagining his voice in their minds for generations to come. I think that in time, his book will sell a million, and the 150,000 copies sold figure will be a distant memory. It is ironic, but oftentimes authors achieve their greatest success posthumously. I have long appreciated that writing and other creative arts are a method, accessible by all, to achieve a limited form of immortality. The ego may not survive, but the will does, as do thought-forms, ideas, opinions. All these things persist through writing, and although not physical at all, they can achieve even greater influence than the one that produced them.

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Addendum, 8/28/2018:

To my dismay, I have since learned that Kraig stole an occult skrying technique from learned magus Carroll "Poke" Runyon. Kraig published the technique in his book "Modern Magick," failing to give credit to Runyon as Runyon deserved and, over the years, requested. I think the theft was an unintentional oversight, innocent of malice, in the First Edition, but due to growing animosity between the two men, when the truth became evident, even then Kraig failed to make amends in the Second and Third Editions, which is most regrettable. Now the drama associated with this intellectual property theft is convoluted and would require many pages of text to recount and cost me several hours to unravel, but is also illuminating, because it reveals a human moral failing that jars with the pursuit of White Magic and belies the high moral claims Kraig makes in his book, rather exposing a bit of hypocrisy, and that in his own book and in his own words. A sad footnote to an otherwise great book and great author. I would have advised Kraig to write an entire page in his Third Edition, not to scold Runyon, as Kraig did, but to praise and credit the learned man, who has not enjoyed half the publishing success that Kraig has, for the matter was petty and trivial and likely the result of miscommunication. Yet Kraig chose otherwise.

The choice of pride and arrogance over right is detrimental to Spirit and, along with the general tone of the book, leads one to suspect that the author valued the material over the spiritual. I suppose most of us do. Certainly compromises must be made in order to get ourselves a living. It does not seem practical to apply the highest moral standard to every act, else we would perish or have our lifespan severely reduced. I do not trust in the providence of justice. I think I would be sacrificed in short order. Yet there are some things, I think we can sacrifice for the greater good without undue loss or suffering.

How to Ward Off a Hare-brained Occultist

A cross is effective against vampires, and some Christians get frightened by a simple pentagram, so what scares a hare-brained occultist?

Well, I brought up Science, and a popular scientific experiment, and Lordy, that occultist cleared out. Science is their cross, their pentagram. The notion that all their fancies will be proven false, and they will be made a laughingstock scares them away.

Wise is to avoid conflict with Science, by co-opting it into one's beliefs, as I believe the Catholic Church has been doing for the past hundred years. Science revises Man's conceptions and understanding of all things, including magic. It is unwise to hold magic as a special egg immune to the overwhelming penetrative power of scientific inquiry. Why can the two not be as one?

Fever

Influenza does make me wiser, in the ancient meaning of the word. That may be its only benefit. Nice that there is a positive mingled in with so many negatives. To take advantage, it is necessary to sleep long and undisturbed. The more bed rest, the better. Flu is wasted on those who play video games or sit at the computer all day.

The Splendid Serenity of the Dead

My little familiar, Fra, is angry whenever I drink. But she doesn't understand. Thinking's overrated. We drink so as not to think. Or to think less. That is all.

I think, today, people think far too much, and that is why there are problems in the world. Most problems are the result of people over-thinking.

Now, tell me, what problems do rocks have? Trees? Water? Fish? Perhaps trees and fish do have problems, after all, but the problems only result from thinking--aspiring to survival, to prosperity, to reproduction, and so forth.

Were living things to emulate the dead, and not think, then they would be equals of the dead and share in the splendid serenity of the dead.

Book of Enoch

I've been reading the Bible lately, or rather, the forbidden books, the Apocrypha, which are new to me. The Book of Enoch, specifically, which was canon until the Dark Ages. I am impressed by the similarity between Biblical tone and that of rap music. So much energy is expended establishing a mighty ego; I am the Lord Thy God, etc. I do not know why a powerful entity would need to descend to such theatrics. I am not impressed by rap music, either. I suspect most rap musicians would cry like a baby if they get stubbed their toe.

Many Spirits are named in Enoch, but it is, so far, difficult to take Enoch very seriously; I suspect it is a tome designed with an ancient, forgotten political agenda, rather than a spiritual one, like a goodly portion of religious scripture, if we are honest.

Sadistic Religion

The attraction of harsh, dogmatic, judgemental religion, like most strains of Islam, and some strains of the other religions, for some people has little to do with the spiritual. Such faith is hostile to spirituality. Instead, some people view religion as a rule-based system for sado-masochistic role-play. For them, it is fun, pleasurable, giving a new lens to their life-experience. Politically, they seek "religious liberty" to indulge in their sado-masochistic role-play. There is a considerable attraction for such people in a well-defined system to denigrate both themselves and others, to spread derision upon all and everything, and obtain pleasure through suffering and the infliction of suffering, while reserving all their devotion for a hidden entity, a Master unseen. Their actual god is Thanatos, son of Night, whose history with H. Sapiens is long and storied, but they are ignorant of the name, and suppose it is another entity, that out of respect, they dare not name. They dare not name, because the name is known, and is not conducive to trust. Ultimately, what they crave most of all and look forward to is dissolution from this world.

Dyslexia of Spirits

"Many threes," "four at the end," and a "a three-long sequence," showed in a found crystal. But the drawing had, instead, many fives, a four at the beginning rather than the end, and, yes, a three-long sequence, not of thirties, but of fifties. The failure, rather than being worthless, hints at accuracy tinged by dyslexia. Observe that the Arabic Three, with a single line transposed, resembles the Five, an effect most pronounced on old-fashioned calculators. And looked at from a mirror, or upside down, it is not obvious whether a number is at the beginning or end. Therefore, a better strategy is to choose not just the revealed number, but possible interpretations of it, given the risk of transposition.

Outcome of Lottery Number Divination Experiment

One thing's for sure, spirits ain't good with numbers.

If I Won a Million in a Lottery

If I won a million dollars in a lottery, after taxes and fees, then most would have to be put away for the future. I would try to preserve most of it in bond funds, so that I could enjoy a decent income every year and no longer have to work for a living. That is not to say, I would quit my job. I probably would keep working, because let's face it, a million bucks ain't what it used to be. I happen to love my job and the people I work with, anyway.

I'd put, say, $600,000 into savings, so that a modest 4% annual return would result in $24,000 a year. Nice to get 24 grand for doing nothing, eh? Stock funds are all well and good, but why risk it if you don't have to?

The other $350,000, I'd spend on furnishing a fabulous house, not a mansion, mind you--but I could afford a nice 3,000 square foot brick home in a hilly area, and surround it with a high fence for security, in case the bottom drops out and the world goes crazy. One never knows. I wouldn't want to live too far out in the sticks, but nearby to my favorite amenities: the police, fire department, and hospital. I like police, I like firemen, and I like doctors. Those are really the necessary professions in a society.

I'd tithe 5%, or $50,000, to worthy individuals who need a bit of help, friends and relatives that need a new car, say. I'd prefer direct contributions to individuals rather than giving to big organizations, because organizations can be like a black hole, and one never knows where the money goes.

What's interesting to me about the lottery is treating it as an experiment into the art of divination. If it were possible to divine a future event, such as a lottery drawing, then that has certain implications, the first being that the future is either predestined and knowable by some beings or else maleable by them in some way. An entity would need to be either powerful or prescient to predict a winning lottery number. Treating a lottery purchase as an experiment also has the advantage of limiting exposure. Of course, the mathematical odds against winning a lottery are so great, that a lottery is an extremely poor, even stupid investment. The only way it can be considered, in my view, is as a divination experiment, and for that purpose, only one ticket is required, not many. If a single purchase fails to win, then it follows that the experiment failed, end of story.

What People Don't Understand About the Lord of the Rings

The Lord of the Rings saga is a Spiritual parable. Without an understanding of the Spiritual, there is no understanding. There are layers within layers. Some things are clear, and other things are hidden. It is a great work, but only those that believe in Spirit accept it as such.

Almost Like Magic

Reflecting upon the world-currents that caused me the most grief, I can identify three, over the course of my life.

One: the Soviet Union. When I was a boy, we all expected to be blown up in nuclear war. That was the norm. Not only would mankind be reduced by death and radiation to half-breed mutants, but the world would become largely uninhabitable. I thought about this and prayed about it, too. Now the Soviet Union is gone, and for a while it looked as though things would be hunky-dory in that neck of the woods, but then Putin came along. Evil has a way of reinventing itself. H. Sapiens remains upon the brink. Future generations must cope with the possibility of annihilation.

Two: homosexuality. Again, when I Was a boy, I reckoned I should kill myself, because I was the only one in the world that way. That was real and that was an almost-was. Maybe in an alternative Universe, I'm not around anymore. But in this Universe, I have a strong survival instinct that outweighs the social anxiety. I brooded over this many a night and longed for a world that was different. What surprised me is that the West changed. Not the savage parts of the world, but the civilized, good and Christian West. Now, I can actually talk to priests, police officers, politicians, teachers, and neighbors about my husband. There is no need to hide. Secrets are unnecessary. That, to me, is amazing, and a miracle really, and I wonder whether it is some kind of collective white magic at work. I never expected all of this to transpire in my own lifetime. The speed with which change occurred is what surprises me. Our race, and by that I mean H. Sapiens, is awakening from a long nightmare of ignorance.

Three: marijuana. When I was a teenager, this plant was considered a heinous crime, due to hysterical propaganda that millions of people really believed. It is hard for people today to fathom the power of the Great American Drug War, which focused almost exclusively against marijuana. There are a lot of good people that were put into prison just because of that plant, but millions more were kicked out of school, fired, lost custody of their children, or other things, all because of a plant that is gentler than liquor. I was evangelical for the truth and had no patience with the lies. I told everyone I knew what I perceived to be the reality. Due to the efforts of many, marijuana is legal in some states and sold in retail stores. I never expected that to happen in my day. The lies that were manufactured to keep it illegal have lost their potency, and H. Sapiens is awakening to the wonderful and hopeful Truth. Even in my lifetime, it is possible marijuana will be legal in all of the West and that it will replace, to a large extent, that vile substance, the curse of our race, the product of Death, alcohol.

I think that each of us can perceive trends and racial thoughts that are shared by many and that is why it is possible to make predictions about the future of our civilization.