universal consciousness
universal wound
the pain won't stop
until we stop
endurance through suffering
stops the wheel
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Monday, February 05, 2007
"The Wickedest Man in the World"
You have probably heard this phrase in reference to Aleister Crowley, along with more rumors of him being a Black Magician and a Satanist...
"Although he seemed to enjoy being accused of such things, especially in print, Crowley was none of the above. True, there is much in the imagery of his writings that is dark and at first glance very frightening. But when viewed objectively, no more so than that found throughout any number of traditional religious texts, Eastern or Western."
"It is clear, even in his earliest works, that he often over-estimated the sophistication and education of his readers, and that he took fiendish delight in terrifying those who were either too lazy or too slow-witted to understand him. The student must bear this in mind if he or she expects to get anything out of his writings."
-The Magick of Thelema, (simplified for the modern occultist by Lon Milo Duquette)
There are countless more rumors about Crowley, including those stating that he supported human sacrifice...and that he even sacrificed 120 children in a year himself! (This was not to be taken literally, but in reference to his sperm...meaning that he had sex with his wife 120 times in a year without getting her pregnant.)
He was definitely a clever trickster!
But before you believe all the "rumors", remember that the only way to truly know anything is to investigate it for your-self.
From my investigations, I have found that Mr. Crowley was and is a very misunderstood man, even to this day. Reading his works and corresponding with other students of Occult Studies has helped me to understand my place, and humanity's place in the Universe...through the practice of entering a Higher state of consciousness (Gnosis). I don't see how that could be a bad thing, afterall, even Monotheistic Christians, Catholics, and Muslims seek to achieve this Higher state in order to understand The Cosmos/(GOD). To each their own...
I hope this has cleared up any misunderstandings you may have about Aleister Crowley and Occultism in general. I would like to state that I am not a follower of anyone or anything, but an Experimenter and Engineer of the Mind. Thelema means "free will", and may you succeed in the following of yours!
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. Love is the Law; love under will."
"Although he seemed to enjoy being accused of such things, especially in print, Crowley was none of the above. True, there is much in the imagery of his writings that is dark and at first glance very frightening. But when viewed objectively, no more so than that found throughout any number of traditional religious texts, Eastern or Western."
"It is clear, even in his earliest works, that he often over-estimated the sophistication and education of his readers, and that he took fiendish delight in terrifying those who were either too lazy or too slow-witted to understand him. The student must bear this in mind if he or she expects to get anything out of his writings."
-The Magick of Thelema, (simplified for the modern occultist by Lon Milo Duquette)
There are countless more rumors about Crowley, including those stating that he supported human sacrifice...and that he even sacrificed 120 children in a year himself! (This was not to be taken literally, but in reference to his sperm...meaning that he had sex with his wife 120 times in a year without getting her pregnant.)
He was definitely a clever trickster!
But before you believe all the "rumors", remember that the only way to truly know anything is to investigate it for your-self.
From my investigations, I have found that Mr. Crowley was and is a very misunderstood man, even to this day. Reading his works and corresponding with other students of Occult Studies has helped me to understand my place, and humanity's place in the Universe...through the practice of entering a Higher state of consciousness (Gnosis). I don't see how that could be a bad thing, afterall, even Monotheistic Christians, Catholics, and Muslims seek to achieve this Higher state in order to understand The Cosmos/(GOD). To each their own...
I hope this has cleared up any misunderstandings you may have about Aleister Crowley and Occultism in general. I would like to state that I am not a follower of anyone or anything, but an Experimenter and Engineer of the Mind. Thelema means "free will", and may you succeed in the following of yours!
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law. Love is the Law; love under will."
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Rulers, Rebels, & Followers
In my research of cultures, both ancient and modern, I have so far come across many distinct, but common groups. There are three in particular that I would like to analyze right now: Rulers, followers, and rebels.
Rulers come in two groups on the grand scale; organized dictators and religious rulers. By organized dictators I am referring to ancient and modern governments, with all the laws and consequences that they use to rule. By religious rulers I am referring to the organized faith systems which have strict rules and punishments for those who oppose them.
Ok, so maybe these two "rulers" are actually the same in essence? Together, they create two more groups of people; followers and rebels.
Followers are people who submit themselves to be ruled by others, either by choice or by force. They might be unaware of the fact that they have a choice, be afraid to rebel, or be indifferent on the matter. The first two are self-explanatory (ignorance and brute force), while the last is a state of mind engineered by means of bribing and distracting.--The ultimate example of passive-agressive social-engineering!
Rebels are people world over who's main agenda is to abandon agenda altogether. They come from many walks of life, but the main two subgroups are: pleasure-seekers and knowledge-seekers. Pleasure-seekers embrace the material world, ruled by desire. Knowledge-seekers are ruled by intellect. Each denying what the other has to offer.
Hidden within these subgroups are more subgroups of seekers: Those who choose to abandon material possessions altogether, in hopes of understanding and becoming that which is above the laws of man. And those who's thirst and craving run so deep that they choose to live multiple lives, embracing and transcending ALL.
Throughout life, we (the non-rulers) evolve through stages of following and rebelling.
I have been the follower of rules, who did not know I had a choice. I have been tempted by pleasure-seeking, but never pursued it fully because my thirst for knowledge was stronger. Thus, I have been the rebellious knowledge-seeker, blinded by my own intellect. In my "awakening" from my blind intellect, I became an eagerly blind mystic, entranced by this power that I had tapped into. I became The Hypocrite who had unintentionally and unknowingly attained "blind faith". When I realized this, I became the Skeptical Existentialist; The Stranger; The Paranoid Hermit. After enduring much pain and solitude from my spiritual death...something happened. I realized that blind mysticism is a veil that sometimes needs to be worn before we are ready to understand what is underneath it. I realized all the stages that I had gone through in my evolution were necessary. Evolution/Change has become my belief. Intelligence/Ego doesn't allow weakness, but Wisdom does. At least it allows for Change.
TO CHAOS NOTHING IS TRUE AND EVERYTHING IS PERMITTED
and ever-evolving...
Rulers come in two groups on the grand scale; organized dictators and religious rulers. By organized dictators I am referring to ancient and modern governments, with all the laws and consequences that they use to rule. By religious rulers I am referring to the organized faith systems which have strict rules and punishments for those who oppose them.
Ok, so maybe these two "rulers" are actually the same in essence? Together, they create two more groups of people; followers and rebels.
Followers are people who submit themselves to be ruled by others, either by choice or by force. They might be unaware of the fact that they have a choice, be afraid to rebel, or be indifferent on the matter. The first two are self-explanatory (ignorance and brute force), while the last is a state of mind engineered by means of bribing and distracting.--The ultimate example of passive-agressive social-engineering!
Rebels are people world over who's main agenda is to abandon agenda altogether. They come from many walks of life, but the main two subgroups are: pleasure-seekers and knowledge-seekers. Pleasure-seekers embrace the material world, ruled by desire. Knowledge-seekers are ruled by intellect. Each denying what the other has to offer.
Hidden within these subgroups are more subgroups of seekers: Those who choose to abandon material possessions altogether, in hopes of understanding and becoming that which is above the laws of man. And those who's thirst and craving run so deep that they choose to live multiple lives, embracing and transcending ALL.
Throughout life, we (the non-rulers) evolve through stages of following and rebelling.
I have been the follower of rules, who did not know I had a choice. I have been tempted by pleasure-seeking, but never pursued it fully because my thirst for knowledge was stronger. Thus, I have been the rebellious knowledge-seeker, blinded by my own intellect. In my "awakening" from my blind intellect, I became an eagerly blind mystic, entranced by this power that I had tapped into. I became The Hypocrite who had unintentionally and unknowingly attained "blind faith". When I realized this, I became the Skeptical Existentialist; The Stranger; The Paranoid Hermit. After enduring much pain and solitude from my spiritual death...something happened. I realized that blind mysticism is a veil that sometimes needs to be worn before we are ready to understand what is underneath it. I realized all the stages that I had gone through in my evolution were necessary. Evolution/Change has become my belief. Intelligence/Ego doesn't allow weakness, but Wisdom does. At least it allows for Change.
TO CHAOS NOTHING IS TRUE AND EVERYTHING IS PERMITTED
and ever-evolving...
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Initiation to Existence
written: 10/18/06 Wednesday
sacred union of the flesh
by the sacred number of strength
molded like clay and given consciousness
the in-itiation into existence has begun...
------------------------------------------------------
All belief systems have some sort of initiation. Whether it is an elaborate ritual of the senses, bowing down in submission, or being still and gaining self-awareness. This reminds me of the art at Burning Man this year. Right outside Center Camp there were 3 huge people. One of them was standing with her palms touching in front of her, she had fire in her heart. The middle one had fire in her hands, her arms were above her head in an exhaulting manner. The last one was kneeling submissively on the floor, with fire in his eyes that melted like tears onto the ground. I remember being able to appreciate all of them. Even though I am not the submissive type, I know that I am human too and we all go through times of hardships and desperation at some point in our lives.
I began thinking about other forms of initiation, such as life, death, friendship, love, work, school, etc.
Initiation is everywhere...
sacred union of the flesh
by the sacred number of strength
molded like clay and given consciousness
the in-itiation into existence has begun...
------------------------------------------------------
All belief systems have some sort of initiation. Whether it is an elaborate ritual of the senses, bowing down in submission, or being still and gaining self-awareness. This reminds me of the art at Burning Man this year. Right outside Center Camp there were 3 huge people. One of them was standing with her palms touching in front of her, she had fire in her heart. The middle one had fire in her hands, her arms were above her head in an exhaulting manner. The last one was kneeling submissively on the floor, with fire in his eyes that melted like tears onto the ground. I remember being able to appreciate all of them. Even though I am not the submissive type, I know that I am human too and we all go through times of hardships and desperation at some point in our lives.
I began thinking about other forms of initiation, such as life, death, friendship, love, work, school, etc.
Initiation is everywhere...
Shifting Reality: The Power of Words
written 10/19/06 Thursday 10 a.m.
After a night of deep sleep, I woke up to begin the daily routine. I got some things done & then ended up nodding off again. I didn't remember having any dreams all night long, but in this short time span of the nap, I had a really intense experience!
I had astrally projected and was hovering in the air looking down at us sleeping. I suddenly heard a loud knock at the front door, so I floated over to it and heard behind it, noises I can only describe as...science fictional aliens. I immediately thought of the Archons.
I felt myself about to panic. I floated back to our room and told my sleeping self "wake up, all you have to do is wake up! Open your eyes into the Waking for just a few seconds!" I struggled hard because there is no greater feeling than sleeping next to someone you love. But I woke myself up, looked around all disoriented, and opened my eyes wide thinking of my dream. I was still half asleep but awake enough to shift that part of my consciousness into play.
When I lied back down and re-entered my dream...(keep in mind all this time I am still a floating carbon copy hearing violent noises at the front door.)...something had changed. I realized there was a voice in my head that was not my own, feeding me words of doubt and fear. "CHORONZON," I said! "Yes-s-s-s" he replied. He began s-s-speaking with a s-s-slippery snake tongue the way he talks in The Sandman comics. He asked if I was afraid, I said no. He asked if I knew where I was, and I smiled and said "I am dreaming, I have control". "Ahh, yes you are right", he said. We had reached a compromise.
I projected him outside the door to whatever was behind it. The noises stopped, and I entered back into the Waking world.
I didn't have time to think, I was trying to absorb all that had happened. I was questioning if it was real. Was an archon was really trying to abduct us in my dream? (reading The Invisibles and Sandman comics will do this to your mind) Did I really wake up into the Waking or did I just wake into another dream that felt like reality? What was that place? I felt like I was experiencing two worlds at the same time.
Even now, I still question it, because of how clearly I remember all that happened. And the fact that the fictional stories that I have read actually reached that part of me, and had helped me, makes me understand something else by experience. The power of words. Grant Morrison and Neil Gaiman may not have realized it, but what they wrote were all-in-one survival handbooks for The Waking and The Dreaming.
We are all constantly evolving together, unknowingly. The Sandman and The Invisibles series made me think, reflect, and inspired me to project all of this to other people via musick. I know that someone out there is listening to the ritualistic dream album right now, conquering fears, folding time, and practicing "mind over matter" in their dream. If they would only embrace this gift and use it when they are awake too.
Answers truly do Come In Dreams...
------------------------------------------------
EUREKA!
After that dream, I have not been feeling grounded to earth. For the next few days I have been fighting off weak and dizzy spells. It sometimes felt like there was an invisible something trying to knock me down. It seemed I had to keep moving to see clearly. If I stayed still, everything around me would move (sober drunk-vision).
You know that state of mind you reach when you sit and meditate? Sometimes I enter disoriented, but am practicing a smoother transition. When I pass that transition, I feel like I am floating in the middle of a sphere (or cube). Then I become aware that I am still at the center and all around is swirling in a spiral. I become the eye of the tornado.
I wish I had been able to enjoy it more, but I had much work to do that involved clear thinking. All I wanted to do was sit alone for hours with my eyes shut feeling this feeling, but instead I found myself having to focus on...everything else...running errands all over town, cooking dinner, going to work, etc. (all the perks) Had I been at Burning Man, I would have been able to do all this and more. But no...not in this society. The thing I miss most about Burning Man is being on "playa time".
And now that I see and think clearly, I can smile because I have more understanding about worlds than I did previously. I used to experiment with dreaming when I was younger. But now I am on the other side; I brought dream into waking reality, instead of vice versa. I already knew that it was possible to shift consciousness at Will, but I learned how to experience multiple worlds at the same time. This ability might also perhaps be the key to the Other worlds than the waking and dreaming... but doing it well, is another thing...
"practice a thousand thousand times a thousand thousand and it is no longer thou that doeth it, but it that doest itself through thee."
After a night of deep sleep, I woke up to begin the daily routine. I got some things done & then ended up nodding off again. I didn't remember having any dreams all night long, but in this short time span of the nap, I had a really intense experience!
I had astrally projected and was hovering in the air looking down at us sleeping. I suddenly heard a loud knock at the front door, so I floated over to it and heard behind it, noises I can only describe as...science fictional aliens. I immediately thought of the Archons.
I felt myself about to panic. I floated back to our room and told my sleeping self "wake up, all you have to do is wake up! Open your eyes into the Waking for just a few seconds!" I struggled hard because there is no greater feeling than sleeping next to someone you love. But I woke myself up, looked around all disoriented, and opened my eyes wide thinking of my dream. I was still half asleep but awake enough to shift that part of my consciousness into play.
When I lied back down and re-entered my dream...(keep in mind all this time I am still a floating carbon copy hearing violent noises at the front door.)...something had changed. I realized there was a voice in my head that was not my own, feeding me words of doubt and fear. "CHORONZON," I said! "Yes-s-s-s" he replied. He began s-s-speaking with a s-s-slippery snake tongue the way he talks in The Sandman comics. He asked if I was afraid, I said no. He asked if I knew where I was, and I smiled and said "I am dreaming, I have control". "Ahh, yes you are right", he said. We had reached a compromise.
I projected him outside the door to whatever was behind it. The noises stopped, and I entered back into the Waking world.
I didn't have time to think, I was trying to absorb all that had happened. I was questioning if it was real. Was an archon was really trying to abduct us in my dream? (reading The Invisibles and Sandman comics will do this to your mind) Did I really wake up into the Waking or did I just wake into another dream that felt like reality? What was that place? I felt like I was experiencing two worlds at the same time.
Even now, I still question it, because of how clearly I remember all that happened. And the fact that the fictional stories that I have read actually reached that part of me, and had helped me, makes me understand something else by experience. The power of words. Grant Morrison and Neil Gaiman may not have realized it, but what they wrote were all-in-one survival handbooks for The Waking and The Dreaming.
We are all constantly evolving together, unknowingly. The Sandman and The Invisibles series made me think, reflect, and inspired me to project all of this to other people via musick. I know that someone out there is listening to the ritualistic dream album right now, conquering fears, folding time, and practicing "mind over matter" in their dream. If they would only embrace this gift and use it when they are awake too.
Answers truly do Come In Dreams...
------------------------------------------------
EUREKA!
After that dream, I have not been feeling grounded to earth. For the next few days I have been fighting off weak and dizzy spells. It sometimes felt like there was an invisible something trying to knock me down. It seemed I had to keep moving to see clearly. If I stayed still, everything around me would move (sober drunk-vision).
You know that state of mind you reach when you sit and meditate? Sometimes I enter disoriented, but am practicing a smoother transition. When I pass that transition, I feel like I am floating in the middle of a sphere (or cube). Then I become aware that I am still at the center and all around is swirling in a spiral. I become the eye of the tornado.
I wish I had been able to enjoy it more, but I had much work to do that involved clear thinking. All I wanted to do was sit alone for hours with my eyes shut feeling this feeling, but instead I found myself having to focus on...everything else...running errands all over town, cooking dinner, going to work, etc. (all the perks) Had I been at Burning Man, I would have been able to do all this and more. But no...not in this society. The thing I miss most about Burning Man is being on "playa time".
And now that I see and think clearly, I can smile because I have more understanding about worlds than I did previously. I used to experiment with dreaming when I was younger. But now I am on the other side; I brought dream into waking reality, instead of vice versa. I already knew that it was possible to shift consciousness at Will, but I learned how to experience multiple worlds at the same time. This ability might also perhaps be the key to the Other worlds than the waking and dreaming... but doing it well, is another thing...
"practice a thousand thousand times a thousand thousand and it is no longer thou that doeth it, but it that doest itself through thee."
Monday, October 16, 2006
The Magick of Will Power
Do you believe in magick?
What sort of thoughts, feelings and images does the word "magick" conjure up in your mind?
Let us look at this definition of magick: the art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of incantation or various other techniques that presumably assure human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature. In a nutshell, causing change by way of your Will.
For a vast majority of people, the word "magick" brings them discomfort, fear, and anger. Why is this? Besides the overly-used line that "people fear what they do not understand", there could be much more hidden in their sub-conscious minds.
When I ask people "do you believe in magick?", I usually receive confused or disgruntled faces, and sometimes nervous laughter. They do not realize that I am really asking them "do you believe in your-self and in your own abilities?"
Once this thought travels through their brains, something changes inside of them. It seems to trigger an inner "awareness". However, this awareness does not necessarily imply that they understand what they are feeling. But they are forced to acknowledge their ability to be conscious of, feel, or perceive that something inside of them has changed.
I have just described a form of spirituality. Now I can ask you if you consider your-self to be a spiritual person. What will you say?
I believe everyone is born receptive to spirituality. As we grow we either choose to embrace or reject this inner voice. Rejecting it only pushes it to the back of our subconscious minds, it does not delete it from our memories. Can you remember what it was like to grow inside your mother's womb, and then to be pushed out into this world? Do you believe that you can imaginatively re-live that memory? Have you ever questioned your place in this world? Most humans that I have studied do this all the time. Including me! Questioning is not equivalent to seeking or finding; it is only the initial step.
Even prehistoric humans are believed to have used this ability to tap into their awareness and cause desired change! (They mainly painted and carved their visions of successful hunts and sacred ceremonies on cave walls.)
We've evolved since then, but there is always room for improvement! May I be so bold as to challenge you to go even further? If you truly believe in yourself and your own abilities, will you make use of this awareness?
What sort of thoughts, feelings and images does the word "magick" conjure up in your mind?
Let us look at this definition of magick: the art of producing a desired effect or result through the use of incantation or various other techniques that presumably assure human control of supernatural agencies or the forces of nature. In a nutshell, causing change by way of your Will.
For a vast majority of people, the word "magick" brings them discomfort, fear, and anger. Why is this? Besides the overly-used line that "people fear what they do not understand", there could be much more hidden in their sub-conscious minds.
When I ask people "do you believe in magick?", I usually receive confused or disgruntled faces, and sometimes nervous laughter. They do not realize that I am really asking them "do you believe in your-self and in your own abilities?"
Once this thought travels through their brains, something changes inside of them. It seems to trigger an inner "awareness". However, this awareness does not necessarily imply that they understand what they are feeling. But they are forced to acknowledge their ability to be conscious of, feel, or perceive that something inside of them has changed.
I have just described a form of spirituality. Now I can ask you if you consider your-self to be a spiritual person. What will you say?
I believe everyone is born receptive to spirituality. As we grow we either choose to embrace or reject this inner voice. Rejecting it only pushes it to the back of our subconscious minds, it does not delete it from our memories. Can you remember what it was like to grow inside your mother's womb, and then to be pushed out into this world? Do you believe that you can imaginatively re-live that memory? Have you ever questioned your place in this world? Most humans that I have studied do this all the time. Including me! Questioning is not equivalent to seeking or finding; it is only the initial step.
Even prehistoric humans are believed to have used this ability to tap into their awareness and cause desired change! (They mainly painted and carved their visions of successful hunts and sacred ceremonies on cave walls.)
We've evolved since then, but there is always room for improvement! May I be so bold as to challenge you to go even further? If you truly believe in yourself and your own abilities, will you make use of this awareness?
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