Let Them Not Hijack our History

I have been contemplating a post about this for a while but somehow never got through with it. However, due to recent events and a blog post by Nick, I decided to do this little post now.

For quite a while I have been interrested in Germanic (heathen) culture and history. Main reason may be that I am German and a history nerd. As a magician, I am also interested in the mythology and magic of my ancestors. However, a lot of bollocks is to be read about both, history and magic when it comes to the ancient Germans. But that is not the main point of this post. Our history was hijacked by nazis and racists. Thus, whenever you show an interrest into the old Germanic culture, you are automatically linked to these nutheads. Nazis use the ancient Germans to found and justify their claims of a strong, "clean" (as in racial clean), dominant German culture which should still be leading Europe and I guess the world. Add some new age esoteric rubbish (note that the term "esoteric" is a swear word in German - or close to it, for good reasons) and you also get a link between Germanic tribes and Atlantis. I am not going into a debate about ideology or what some think about what ideology means and is. But I am pissed to the highest levels, that you can not discuss Germanic culture, religious practice or anything else related to the past without getting suspicious looks - if people are friendly with you.

I do envy people in England, Ireland, Scottland etc for their awareness of the ancient past and history. If someone there is interrested in celtic culture, no one would think that they are nazis or racist. A reason why it is different here is of course the abuse of the Germanic history by the Nazis throughout the time of the 3rd Reich. This history burned the past and puts anyone who shows an interrest into Germanic history (unless it is a pure accademic interrest) into context of what happened between '33 and '45. This made it easy for the Nazis and Neonazis to take over this part of German history (the Germanic one). It is a shame indeed. And often enough people who run pages about Germanic histiory or culture allow or use content which supports this public view (like, why to use Fraktur font in a Germanic context, or black-white-red coloring?).

The same we see in the Golden Dawn community. In Greece some idiots abuse the name Golden Dawn (well, the Greec version but it always gets translated into GD) for their political agenda and the community can do nothing but change the names of their orders or temples. Media would be happy to make a link between facists and occult "secret" orders and "weird" rituals.... Unfortunately some people within the GD community published posts making such links while at the same time claiming to protect the "GD" (most likely less the community and more the desired "dominance" of their order).

There is not much one can do unless the entire community would stand up making a stong statement that there is no link between those Nazi groups and the GD as an occult tradition. The least we can do is to ban those who make such links or propagate any such ideas at first sight!

Let them not hijack our history!!!

First Visit at Schlag Library - getting Linage

Yesterday I had a first visit at the Schlag Library. The Library is located in Schlag’s former house, which is quite interesting. I have to say that I am amazed about the stuff one can find there. I have only been in one of their rooms and got stuck at one shelf for two hours and cannot imagine what else there might be.  

I found a lot of original manuscripts related to various Rosicrucian Societies  and other manuscripts and documents. 

There was an annex to this page which explained that "yoga alone is not already Alchemy"... how revealing...
 
Unfortunately there is no way to search for such documents, you have to go through binders and binders and see what they contain. In that case, I will certainly spend a lot of time there. 

The downside is, it is only available once a week with prior request for admission.  Normally you have to specify what you want and they get it for you. I could convince the Lady in charge to let me go on a quest on my own, something that is rather helpful in a library like that.

I also found first editions of various books, including this one of The Book of Thoth hand numbered 109, and with an inscription by Crowley.   

That obviously means that he once held the Book in his very own hands. Now, I believe that this gives me some serious and direct linage - obviously.

In later visits I hope to find some stuff to write about here.

In L.V.X.
Arcad

Back from Life and some Plans

The odds of mundane life have cleared up a bit and although still pretty present I shall be able to concentrate on the important things more now.

I have plans for a few posts, some of which were started over a year ago and I hope I will be able to finish them soon.

In the meantime I found access to a nice collection of occult works, originally started by Oskar R. Schlag . He assembled one of the most important private libraries on the esoteric field. He was a medium, interested in the occult and a well known psychotherapist. He co-operated with Jung,  also giving him access to his collection of esoteric and occult works.

Apparently there are some interesting rare manuscripts regarding Alchemy originating from the 17^th and 18^th centuries amongst other really interesting things. There also is quite some stuff regarding the Golden Dawn in there and I am looking forward to examine the documents he collected.

I am looking forward to some interesting stuff and hopefully quite some material to write about…..

The Universe in an Eggshell

It´s been a while. Unfortunately the mundane world keeps me in its evil claws and so I am somewhat reduced in my activities . I try keeping up my daily routines as good as possible since I am getting much needed energy out of the rituals.

Over at MOTO Peregrin posted a very interesting thingie which was followed by an interesting little discussion. Today I came across this one and it somehow fits to that post so I thoujght I share it here. The story is posted in various places without the author's name but it seems that the original story comes from Andy Weir .

"The Egg"
by Andy Weir

You were on your way home when you died.

It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me.

And that’s when you met me.

“What… what happened?” You asked. “Where am I?”

“You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.

“There was a… a truck and it was skidding…”

“Yup,” I said.

“I… I died?”

“Yup. But don’t feel bad about it. Everyone dies,” I said.

You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. “What is this place?” You asked. “Is this the afterlife?”

“More or less,” I said.

“Are you god?” You asked.

“Yup,” I replied. “I’m God.”

“My kids… my wife,” you said.

“What about them?”

“Will they be all right?”

“That’s what I like to see,” I said. “You just died and your main concern is for your family. That’s good stuff right there.”

You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn’t look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “They’ll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn’t have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it’s any consolation, she’ll feel very guilty for feeling relieved.”

“Oh,” you said. “So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?”

“Neither,” I said. “You’ll be reincarnated.”

“Ah,” you said. “So the Hindus were right,”

“All religions are right in their own way,” I said. “Walk with me.”

You followed along as we strode through the void. “Where are we going?”

“Nowhere in particular,” I said. “It’s just nice to walk while we talk.”

“So what’s the point, then?” You asked. “When I get reborn, I’ll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won’t matter.”

“Not so!” I said. “You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don’t remember them right now.”

I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. “Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It’s like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it’s hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you’ve gained all the experiences it had.

“You’ve been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven’t stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you’d start remembering everything. But there’s no point to doing that between each life.”

“How many times have I been reincarnated, then?”

“Oh lots. Lots and lots. An in to lots of different lives.” I said. “This time around, you’ll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD.”

“Wait, what?” You stammered. “You’re sending me back in time?”

“Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from.”

“Where you come from?” You said.

“Oh sure,” I explained “I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you’ll want to know what it’s like there, but honestly you wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh,” you said, a little let down. “But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point.”

“Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don’t even know it’s happening.”

“So what’s the point of it all?”

“Seriously?” I asked. “Seriously? You’re asking me for the meaning of life? Isn’t that a little stereotypical?”

“Well it’s a reasonable question,” you persisted.

I looked you in the eye. “The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature.”

“You mean mankind? You want us to mature?”

“No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect.”

“Just me? What about everyone else?”

“There is no one else,” I said. “In this universe, there’s just you and me.”

You stared blankly at me. “But all the people on earth…”

“All you. Different incarnations of you.”

“Wait. I’m everyone!?”

“Now you’re getting it,” I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back.

“I’m every human being who ever lived?”

“Or who will ever live, yes.”

“I’m Abraham Lincoln?”

“And you’re John Wilkes Booth, too,” I added.

“I’m Hitler?” You said, appalled.

“And you’re the millions he killed.”

“I’m Jesus?”

“And you’re everyone who followed him.”

You fell silent.

“Every time you victimized someone,” I said, “you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.”

You thought for a long time.

“Why?” You asked me. “Why do all this?”

“Because someday, you will become like me. Because that’s what you are. You’re one of my kind. You’re my child.”

“Whoa,” you said, incredulous. “You mean I’m a god?”

“No. Not yet. You’re a fetus. You’re still growing. Once you’ve lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born.”

“So the whole universe,” you said, “it’s just…”

“An egg.” I answered. “Now it’s time for you to move on to your next life.”

And I sent you on your way.

Chango - using traditions you are unfamiliar with

So, my girlfriend does not necessarily believe in Magic but she is superstitious. That means she has respect for something that may exist and work in some way and you never know anyways. She also has a little misconception about the Magic I am practicing when she asks me now and then whether I could not perform a ritual to get something she needs or wants etc.

However, she has a few issues going on for which she needed help. One thing was that she needed to win a law suit which would guarantee some payments she is entitled to. She went to my magical supply store and got a green candle with a little ritual advise. The candle was supposed to burn for a few days and so she needed to do a little focussing every evening. She won the case, so far so good.

There is another thing going on where someone wants to get something from her so she could loose some property. So she went again. This time she got a different candle. Chango or Shango, orange/white.

The woman in the store told her that Chango is a very good looking dude, that he likes orange and that she needs to put some orange things next to the candle. He also would like carrots, corn and other stuff she should put. Oh, and flowers. I am sorry if I am mixing up things now but I really have no real idea about Yoriba and Orishas. It seems that this Chango is an Orisha, a god or so whose equivalent in Santeria is St. Barbara. He is related with war. I read some stuff and he seems to be demanding and it also said you should not mess with him. Now, whatever may be behind this, as I said, I am far away from having much knowledge here, why on earth would someone advise a Magical ritual for someone which is clearly linked to a specific religion and/or tradition, when that person has no idea about the religion/tradition and the context the ritual or specifically the forces used stand in? It is a bit like someone performing Solomonic Magic or necromancy without any background and preparation just because he is bored. I do not know if also in this case things can go wrong but we know that some forces need to be treated in the right way. I tried to make her go and get another “simple” candle but she does not want (I believe it is the imagination of a very good looking guy with a battle axe is too appealing). At the end of the day I told her not to think too much about the background of Chango but to focus on what she wants him to do (win the case and keep her property).

Personally I believe that most rituals do not work if you do not have at least a basic understanding about the ritual and its various components and the context/tradition it has to be seen in. Of course some rituals do have effects even without that while opening the subconscious and working there. But here you ask for something specific, want some force to work in your favour.

Maybe I am too naive or missing the point but I hope that this will go well and does not have any unwanted side effects…..

But what do you think? Is it ok to advise someone to use rituals including deities which are totally unknown to the person, deities or forces which are from a religious (or Magical) tradition about which nothing is known to that person?

Would You...

ever consider using any of your magical „powers“ or abilities against someone else? Maybe if it is in defense?

I do believe in the general understood and agreed principle that magic should not serve as a tool to gain or execute power over others. I also do believe that no one should try to interfere with someone else’s free will. If you have a problem with someone or something you need to solve it here, in the mundane world. Right? I mean at least this should be your first way of conflict resolution and trouble shooting. You may use magic to support you – being open, being receptive for a solution, asking the divine forces for advise or support. Asking for someone else to come to reason. Maybe even asking for someone not to bother you any longer and disappearing from your life – in a non violent way of course. Like you may ask for healing, enlightment, support in job search etc, you may ask for assistance in conflict resolution.

But what if you have that one dude in your life that is not only bothering you in an inconvenient way. What if that one is trying anything and everything he can to make your life as miserable as possible. What if that one’s actions go as far as putting your very livelihood in danger by causing immense financial burdens to you and your family not to speak about stress levels caused to the entire family… Is there a right to self defence with all means it needs – magically speaking? I mean I could shoot or stab someone attacking me with an axe – if I get a chance.

Of course I am not trying to discuss the obvious question if things like these, putting a spell on someone, asking the 72 demons to assist you etc actually work other than in your mind. I am just talking about the general question. So, would you?

The Threefold Rule – or eat what thou wilt

Currently I am reading Scott Cunningham’s The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews. I bought that book a few years ago because I wanted something that tells me what kind of incense would go with what purpose and also because it has a bit about herbs etc. A few days ago I was looking for something and the book came to my attention again and so I stated to read. I could say a lot about the book and its advantages and disadvantages but what strikes me most are the manifold general and special warnings it contains. One of those which is repeated several times throughout the book is: do not do black magic, anything you do will hit you back three times harder. – Is that so? I have some basic knowledge of Wicca and know the 3 fold rule (this is just to mention the concept. I do not claim to know the exact details how that rule works etc. according to Wiccan belief). I also know that “white” magicians claim that anything containing “black” magic will come back to the magician using these dark energies or powers. Apart from the definition regarding black and white magic (are there black and white screwdrivers, since you can use them as a tool to construct something good like a shelf – or stab someone in the eye with it?), the way this warning was repeatedly used annoyed me somehow. It made me think about the concept of good and bad and the question who decides upon it. I do believe in moral and ethics but seriously, is my standard the one for all? I am conditioned by our western culture and by Christianity, indeed. Thus, some of my moral and ethical views came by default – so to say. But what if someone does not believe in that – or anything? As a good magician I am allowed to defend. Let’s say I want to use some ritual for protection and defence, can it include a pre-emptive strike? How far can I go? In law, I am allowed to use any means which make sure that an (unjust) attack against me is stopped – for good. I do not have to try various things first. I have to be proportionate though as the only limit. Answering a slap and the treat of another slap with a machine gun may not be proportionate. But what if I am under a “black” magic attack and the usual defence rituals do not work? Can I use the grimoires to call upon forces to stop the aggressor? - By any means? Or do I just have to say make him/her stop by opening his/her mind, realizing that he/she does no good? If I am Jewish and I take the eye for an eye approach, does that make me a “black” magician?

Also, as I see it, a lot of the “do not do this or else a flash will struck you down immediately – or a bit later” comes from religion. It obviously makes sure that you do follow the rules. The concept then was incorporated into many other fields of life and activities and I tend to believe that this is where some of the believe behind the 3 fold rule and equivalent ideas in magic comes from. If I tell my son to not touch X, he may even more enjoy doing it. If I tell him that he may burn in hell afterwards in case he does not obey my rules, he may have second thoughts. Thus, we find that people who reject the “oppressive” element in religion and specifically in Christianity, use the very same concept to keep their folks reasonable. Do not get me wrong, out of my personal belief system I do indeed believe that it will hit me back sooner or later if I do or maybe even wish harm to someone else. It may depend on the situation though. I also believe that any “negative” energy (another term to define) raised, maintained, released, will start to rotten the one using it from within. If you are always angry and stressed out, chances you end up with serious stomach issues up to cancer may be higher than in the case you are a balanced person. There may be some additional effects from outside of course, I will not deny that indeed. But I think the “punishment” mainly comes from within.

On the other hand, if you believe that the 72 demons mentioned in The Lesser Key of Solomon are living within your brain representing different aspects of you and your psyche and that you need to balance and prepare yourself first, reach a psychic and physical stability and then be protected against any unwanted side effects when evoking these forces by opening regions of your brain you can not control otherwise, why shouldn’t you be able to prepare and protect against unwanted punishment in case you decide to work on the dark side?

Coming back to my personal background and belief system. Christianity initially was only a part of Judaism. Neither Jesus, nor his early disciples thought of splitting off Judaism and changing the rules. It seems clear that - according to what we can read in the relevant texts, Jesus obeyed the old traditional rules. This includes the rules referring to living kosher. Now, how come that Christians eat pig? Apparently the punishment for violating the old rules was significant. So are Christians doomed? In this case – as in many other cases, the Christians have to say thanks to St. Paul. He decided that the old rules are obsolete. A good question to ask is where he got the authority from. Christ himself made clear that the old rules are to be obeyed. So how come someone below the grade of “god” or “god like” can make such a significant change? We know the reasons: manifesting the separation from Judaism, political reasons, power, etc. He and his successors therefore created new rules which include burning eternally in hell etc. It seems that things can change though.

Apparently, people need a “do not…or else” kind of a concept – or that’s what other people believe they need. I’d like to make up my mind on my own responsibility. I know that any act I do and even any thought I may have, has consequences, either way….

How do you see the concept of what goes around comes around in magic?