Hello everybody! Astonishing the time and effort required to move into a new apartment. Been collecting various articles for the next upcoming issue and I wanna give you guys an excerpt of one written by Lucy Jones. She is a fantastic and compelling writer and I think her thoughts on probability will keep you interested.
Influencing Probability — © 2011 Lucy Jones
(Scarlett_156)
Practical magic is a useful tool in our daily struggle to survive and enjoy life; however,
all the magic in the world will help your cause but little if you neglect taking measures in
real time to bolster your cause and further your objectives.
Your success with practical magic will be greatly enhanced if you make influencing
probability a part of your daily magical workout.
You can learn lots of enchantments, fire thousands of sigils, and astral project until you
are blue in the face, but without some effort in the direction of influencing probability,
those really dramatic effects you seek from magic will for the most part remain out of
your grasp.
There are numerous exercises one can do with regard to influencing probability, but the
two described below are in my opinion the easiest to learn; once you start thinking in
terms of actually being able to influence your statistical chances for getting what you
want via these really simple means, you will doubtless think of other means more unique
to your own style.
Influencing probability by stacking the deck
If you don't know what "stacking the deck" means, it is a phrase that refers to cheating at
cards. The card cheat (or his accomplice) orders the cards in the deck in a certain way so
that the cheat knows ahead of time which cards his opponents are likely to have in their
hands, the purpose being to bolster the cheater's chances for a winning hand, or at least
better odds for the bets he places.
Stacking the deck in life is much.......
There's just a taste of what you'll find in the next issue! Have a good week and I'll check in with you later!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Is the occult killing America?
Hello everybody, this is an excerpt from my book about the 'Folklore of the Occult'. Enjoy!
On October 17, 1999, Roberta Harrington wrote an article for the Sunday Herald addressing a new book that details the sinister aspects of ceremonial magic. Wicked, dark, and evil are just some of the words used to describe this apparent grimoire. As fears arose among conservative religious parents, many wondered whether the book should be thrown out of school and public libraries. One parent wrote in a letter to the Atlanta-Constitution Journal that, "The problem of witchcraft and sorcery exists and is something neither parents or adults should play around with" (Sunday Herald- Oct. 17, 1999). The book of course, was the latest Harry Potter novel by J.K. Rowling. The backlash and controversy surrounding this book led a vocal minority of Americans to suggest burning the work in an attempt to stop dark spiritual forces.
What is it about magic and the occult that is so fearsome in modern society? Why does fascination with the occult lead many conservative Christians to attack books that promote child self-esteem such as the Harry Potter series? Is the occult as dangerous as it seems? These are questions that saturate popular media throughout the world. Books and movies such as Harry Potter fuel the fundamentalist fire and provide a scapegoat for conservative Christians in their war against the devil.
The News-media frequently carries stories about the danger of the occult on children. On November 11, 1997, Peter Jennings ran an episode of World News Tonight that dealt with 'children s fascination with the occult.' The broadcast included an interview with a convicted murderer that claimed occult influence was a leading factor in why he killed his mother and stepfather when he was sixteen years old. According to interviewer Erin Hayes, the murder "happened after he became deeply involved in the occult, in a belief system that worshiped evil and death". The convicted killer stated that he "made decisions based upon that belief system. If someone hurts you, you hurt them back worse. If someone is in your way, you move them out of your way, whatever it takes". The broadcast went on to describe how the murderer became 'lost in the occult' and that parents need to keep a sharp eye on the behavior of their children.....
There's a taste of what we'll be discussing in my book and in Magus Magazine. Stay tuned for more excerpts and blogs about all aspects of occult phenomenon!
On October 17, 1999, Roberta Harrington wrote an article for the Sunday Herald addressing a new book that details the sinister aspects of ceremonial magic. Wicked, dark, and evil are just some of the words used to describe this apparent grimoire. As fears arose among conservative religious parents, many wondered whether the book should be thrown out of school and public libraries. One parent wrote in a letter to the Atlanta-Constitution Journal that, "The problem of witchcraft and sorcery exists and is something neither parents or adults should play around with" (Sunday Herald- Oct. 17, 1999). The book of course, was the latest Harry Potter novel by J.K. Rowling. The backlash and controversy surrounding this book led a vocal minority of Americans to suggest burning the work in an attempt to stop dark spiritual forces.
What is it about magic and the occult that is so fearsome in modern society? Why does fascination with the occult lead many conservative Christians to attack books that promote child self-esteem such as the Harry Potter series? Is the occult as dangerous as it seems? These are questions that saturate popular media throughout the world. Books and movies such as Harry Potter fuel the fundamentalist fire and provide a scapegoat for conservative Christians in their war against the devil.
The News-media frequently carries stories about the danger of the occult on children. On November 11, 1997, Peter Jennings ran an episode of World News Tonight that dealt with 'children s fascination with the occult.' The broadcast included an interview with a convicted murderer that claimed occult influence was a leading factor in why he killed his mother and stepfather when he was sixteen years old. According to interviewer Erin Hayes, the murder "happened after he became deeply involved in the occult, in a belief system that worshiped evil and death". The convicted killer stated that he "made decisions based upon that belief system. If someone hurts you, you hurt them back worse. If someone is in your way, you move them out of your way, whatever it takes". The broadcast went on to describe how the murderer became 'lost in the occult' and that parents need to keep a sharp eye on the behavior of their children.....
There's a taste of what we'll be discussing in my book and in Magus Magazine. Stay tuned for more excerpts and blogs about all aspects of occult phenomenon!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Introduction
Hello everybody! This is the first blog so I thought I should probably introduce myself. I'm Preston. This blog is gonna be an ongoing account of my life and the life of my magazine. I thought it best to document everything because I've found that my best inspirations and ideas come while writing. I believe that discussions are incredibly important in the learning process so feel free to leave feedback and comments.
I went to Atlas Shrugged Part 1 today. I thought it was great! I'm a huge fan of the book and seeing the characters there on screen was an incredible experience. It's funny, I've been asked by friends 'how do you reconcile the occult and rationalist philosophies?' And it's a good question. It does seem counter-intuitive to adhere to an Objectivist ideology yet embrace the Occult arts. I typically answer that it's possible to be both rational and a proponent of esotericism.
When I was writing my Master's Thesis of Folklore, I discussed how the concept of 'rational liminality' pertains to UFO abduction narratives. Playing off the ideas of Van Gennep, I suggested that the liminal rites of passage are predicated on rational acumen of an abductees trauma. In other words, the abductee stays in a liminal experience until he/she comes to terms with a trauma in their lives. At this point, they begin the process of reincorporation into society.
I think this idea also applies in occult studies. Aside from the idea of 'trauma' that accompanies a UFO abduction narrative, the occult plays off the Separation, Liminality, and Reincorporation paradigm of a Rite of Passage. When a ceremonial magician begins a ritual, they experience a separation into the numinous. Liminality consists of the procedures of the rite, and reincorporations occurs with finale of the ceremony.
Now where does the rational come in? It occurs to me that the occult arts are based on a kind of liminal logic. The rituals are designed to perfect the Self through use of the Will. Although it's an idea that I'm still working on, I do believe that the rationality of conducting an occult ritual lays in self-awareneness and/or perfection. Striving to achieve some personal goal or achievement through the use of ritual is really a rational endeavor. Although the methods may seem illogical or without reason, their is a logic to being in the in-between state of liminality. Simply by acknowledging that one is experiencing rites of liminality shows the reasoning behind training the Will.
I went to Atlas Shrugged Part 1 today. I thought it was great! I'm a huge fan of the book and seeing the characters there on screen was an incredible experience. It's funny, I've been asked by friends 'how do you reconcile the occult and rationalist philosophies?' And it's a good question. It does seem counter-intuitive to adhere to an Objectivist ideology yet embrace the Occult arts. I typically answer that it's possible to be both rational and a proponent of esotericism.
When I was writing my Master's Thesis of Folklore, I discussed how the concept of 'rational liminality' pertains to UFO abduction narratives. Playing off the ideas of Van Gennep, I suggested that the liminal rites of passage are predicated on rational acumen of an abductees trauma. In other words, the abductee stays in a liminal experience until he/she comes to terms with a trauma in their lives. At this point, they begin the process of reincorporation into society.
I think this idea also applies in occult studies. Aside from the idea of 'trauma' that accompanies a UFO abduction narrative, the occult plays off the Separation, Liminality, and Reincorporation paradigm of a Rite of Passage. When a ceremonial magician begins a ritual, they experience a separation into the numinous. Liminality consists of the procedures of the rite, and reincorporations occurs with finale of the ceremony.
Now where does the rational come in? It occurs to me that the occult arts are based on a kind of liminal logic. The rituals are designed to perfect the Self through use of the Will. Although it's an idea that I'm still working on, I do believe that the rationality of conducting an occult ritual lays in self-awareneness and/or perfection. Striving to achieve some personal goal or achievement through the use of ritual is really a rational endeavor. Although the methods may seem illogical or without reason, their is a logic to being in the in-between state of liminality. Simply by acknowledging that one is experiencing rites of liminality shows the reasoning behind training the Will.
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