Memo from the Black Brotherhood

To: The Secret Chiefs of the Universe (FWD: The Ascended Masters, The Guardians of the Universe)
Ancient Atlantis / Thule / City of the Pyramids / Some Inner Plane You'll Never Reach.
For: The Inner Council of Hidden Adepti

From: The Black Brotherhood
Basalt Tower of Chorazin, Galilee, Northern Israel.
The Office of Public Relations. 

To our esteemed colleagues in the Invisible College; to the invisible hands that guide the Great White Brotherhood and abide by the Plan set forth to them, and to whomever else it may concern:
We hope that you're aware that at least three Astral Worlds were recently invaded by a giant army of lycanthropic bunnies. They're rapidly infecting the wild Jackalope population of Astral Wyoming, and more importantly than anything else we're about to say we wish to know: what are you doing to save the Wild Astral Jackalope?!
As for other matters: We have written to you repeatedly over the last decade regarding your stances on civil rights, equality, and other issues that plague the world. There has yet to be a single response from your august company. Thus we must yet again note and ask:
What are you going to do about some of the so-called Adepts that you're supposed to be guiding? A few of them are running around the internet, pissing in everyone's chips so that they can polish their “good guy” badges while still remaining complete douche-bags. This type of activity was supposed to be the purview of the Black Brotherhood. The fact that we've become more humanitarian than your august company is somewhat appalling. We suggest fixing this problem.
The last time you issued a statement regarding civil rights, and more importantly the status of homosexuals with regard to your plan, it appears to have been through the vessel of Dion Fortune. We're aware that she was a little unhinged when it comes to sodomy. And of course, as she noted all those years back, we're still willing to admit into our own company any homosexuals and sodomites that might find they agree with us. Nonetheless: do you support gay marriage? Are you doing anything to protect basic human liberties for those homosexuals in your lodges, or just leaving them to burn?
Fortune was also kind enough to note that we all seem to be druggies. We'd like to ask what you're doing about prohibition: it increases crime and the likelihood of substance abuse, while demonizing behaviors that should be better left to the conclusion of the individual. Do you have any plans to openly send forth a messenger clarifying which drugs, exactly, are antithetical to spiritual development? Or should we be concerned about the Advil and Tylenol intake of White Brothers?
Are you willing to help us throw down our weight in those places in the world that wish true freedom – and not mindless, theocratic bullshit? If so, we suggest you begin attending protests with us. And, you know, actually doing rituals that don't just mindless “give the One Energy” so that it can “help everyone.” We're magicians. Isn't about time we started being specific about the results we want?
We know you're concerned about the spread of The Witchcraft, and The Wiccaz. Don't worry. With further influence from Stregha circles, soon Harry Potter fans will have a new target. We understand that they are not “spiritually enlightened” in the same way that you are, but surely you can at least admit that the Potterites give one a sense of amusement. At their expense, of course. But then – isn't the universe laughing with all of us, anyway? In any event, would you might telling some of your more annoying Adepts to drop that shit when it comes to bitching about witches? It's getting old, already. Don't they have enough all-powerful angel-summoning rituals to perform, rather than pestering us about what we're up to?
Finally, and above all, what are you doing to maintain the equality of women in your many and diverse lodges? We're a bit concerned about their treatment in the media, in current politics, and really, historically. You've had about 1000 years to fix this shit. What's the fucking hold-up, boys?
As always, we await your response. And as before: we're very sorry for helping you blow up Ancient Atlantis. But really, fellows, you ought to just let it go. It wasn't intentional. Let it go already.
Cordially Yours,
Jack Faust, Chief of Public Relations.

From Bartlett's Real Alchemy

The quote doesn't fit in well enough to be used anywhere in what I'm writing right now, but when I read this transcription in Bartlett's marvelous book my jaw dropped, despite the fact I've read the same thoughts a dozen times in various ways over the last few years. The quote has remained constantly in my mind since reading it.

And, actually, it also happens to represent something I've thought was “true” in a metaphysical sense for a long time. Thus, without further discourse from myself:

“The alchemical concept of life and matter lies at the opposite pole of that of the current scientific community. Science is trying to find out how matter created life. Alchemy states that life created matter.
Alchemy affirms that at the origin, there is consciousness. Consciousness is the need to Be of the Absolute.
In order to satisfy this need, consciousness created life, and in order to evolve, life created matter.”
- Jean Dubuis, PON Seminars 1992. (From Bartlett's Real Alchemy, p. 22-23)

Chances are, I'll quote that again when I find a reason to. 'Cuz, it's worth quoting.

AHAHAHAHA.

They pretty much gave the internet every inch of information regarding WBC's site while on air.

Anon Takes on WBC [EDITED: x3]

I received word earlier that my remaining Great Grandmother passed away. So the “love and Law” piece I planned to run tomorrow on EI.Net probably won't appear. Hopefully it'll be ready by next Friday. I just want to make sure I can cover all my bases, and I'm not sure I can do that when I'm somewhat more emotional than usual.

In it's stead is the following:

Anon. Takes on Westboro Baptist Church

When they first started coming to national attention after a brief and hilarious mention on a Fox News story, Ryan Singel wrote: “Here supremely bored 15-year olds post obscene pictures and stupid photo-shopped images for others to comment on. They also randomly swarm and try to overwhelm online sites and forums they consider annoying.”

That was in 2007. It is 2011, now. And so in February:

Any companies out there considering taking down Anonymous in return for the various DDoS attacks the group staged earlier this year might want to think twice. The hacktivist group recently infiltrated security firm HBGary Federal’s network and accumulated various confidential material and internal e-mails. The firm’s CEO Aaron Barr allegedly had plans to rat out Anonymous members to the FBI, and as revenge he can now find his and various other HBGary employees’ e-mails publicly posted (HBGary is HBGary Federal’s sister company). In addition to outing Anonymous members, HBGary was one of the handful firms orchestrating an image attack to destroy WikiLeaks’ reputation. WikiLeaks is reportedly preparing to release confidential documents belonging to Bank of America, and according to Forbes, HBGary would work for the company by “spreading misinformation, launching cyberattacks against [WikiLeaks], and pressuring journalists.”

Ever since they decided to assault (and then get bored with the assault) Scientology, various sections of Anon have become ever more socially aware and ever more prone toward taking action against things they don't like. The HBGary hack appears to have gone like this:

In retaliation for Aaron Barr's claims, members of the group Anonymous hacked the website of HBGary Federal and replaced the welcome page with a message stating that Anonymous should not be messed with, and that the hacking of the website was necessary to defend itself. Anonymous also went on to take control of the company's e-mail, dumping 60,000+ e-mails onto the system, erasing all files, and taking down their phone system.

Take a moment to imagine you're an individual that was planning to go to HBGary for security operations. One moment, the page looks fine. Then it freezes. When you refresh, the Anon logo appears with their rather amusing message.

The response has crippled the company's standing in the stock market; their partners in crime have fled the field for now.

Then, following all of the above, Anon has a message for WBC:

AN OPEN LETTER FROM ANONYMOUS
February 16, 2011
TO THE CONGREGANTS OF WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH:
We, the collective super-consciousness known as ANONYMOUS – the Voice of Free Speech & the Advocate of the People – have long heard you issue your venomous statements of hatred, and we have witnessed your flagrant and absurd displays of inimitable bigotry and intolerant fanaticism. We have always regarded you and your ilk as an assembly of graceless sociopaths and maniacal chauvinists & religious zealots, however benign, who act out for the sake of attention & in the name of religion.
Being such aggressive proponents for the Freedom of Speech & Freedom of Information as we are, we have hitherto allowed you to continue preaching your benighted gospel of hatred and your theatrical exhibitions of, not only your fascist views, but your utter lack of Christ-like attributes. You have condemned the men and women who serve, fight, and perish in the armed forces of your nation; you have prayed for and celebrated the deaths of young children, who are without fault; you have stood outside the United States National Holocaust Museum, condemning the men, women, and children who, despite their innocence, were annihilated by a tyrannical embodiment of fascism and unsubstantiated repugnance. Rather than allowing the deceased some degree of peace and respect, you instead choose to torment, harass, and assault those who grieve.
Your demonstrations and your unrelenting cascade of disparaging slurs, unfounded judgments, and prejudicial innuendos, which apparently apply to every individual numbered amongst the race of Man – except for yourselves – has frequently crossed the line which separates Freedom of Speech from deliberately utilizing the same tactics and methods of intimidation and mental & emotional abuse that have been previously exploited and employed by tyrants and dictators, fascists and terrorist organizations throughout history.
ANONYMOUS cannot abide this behavior any longer. The time for us to be idle spectators in your inhumane treatment of fellow Man has reached its apex, and we shall now be moved to action. Thus, we give you a warning: Cease & desist your protest campaign in the year 2011, return to your homes in Kansas, & close your public Web sites.
Should you ignore this warning, you will meet with the vicious retaliatory arm of ANONYMOUS: We will target your public Websites, and the propaganda & detestable doctrine that you promote will be eradicated; the damage incurred will be irreversible, and neither your institution nor your congregation will ever be able to fully recover. It is in your best interest to comply now, while the option to do so is still being offered, because we will not relent until you cease the conduction & promotion of all your bigoted operations & doctrines.
The warning has been given. What happens from here shall be determined by you.
WE ARE ANONYMOUS.
WE ARE LEGION.
WE DO NOT FORGIVE.
WE DO NOT FORGET.
EXPECT US.

I wonder... What does Ryan Singel think of Anonymous these days, after they've managed massive worldwide protests against Scientology, put the fear of the hack into security firms, and taken to harassing WBC? Are they still kids, or have the kids... grown up and discovered they're less bored, and more pissed off?

In any event, I will watch things as they unfold in this matter with interest.


[EDIT #1]: Beneath is WBC's response. This will be hilarious.

[EDIT #2: ] Anon says: it's a trap.

[EDIT #3:] For posterity (what the fuck have I been on today?) clarity - Anon has determined that WBC isn't worth dicking with, because they only do shit for attention anyway. I thank Anon for correcting me through geek outlets and other sources. (And next time, I'll make sure they're actually doing something before writing about it!)

Peter Carroll: Sorcerer Supreme of... Roundworld.

Via Plutonica: Mandrake of Oxford will be shortly publishing Carroll's recent work, The Octavo: A Sorcerer-Scientist's Grimoire.

I was most interested in this somewhat amusing sample that Psyche nabbed:

Every universe potentially has its own Supreme Grimoire containing the spells which define its reality and the magic which you can perform within that reality. In this Octavo we have assembled scattered secrets for a Supreme Grimoire for Roundworld, the universe in which you’re standing.
To this end we have taken some inspiration from Pratchett’s Discworld, and a lot from Theoretical Physics and Practical Chaos Magic.

It's not my fault. You cannot blame me for this. And, fuck it. I'll never be rid of Pete, so I might as well give up and start calling him Doctor Strange out of amusement.

Make-Believe Enemies

“So, you like... practice thaumaturgy, right? Because we only practice theurgy.”

I love that comment. It fills the sub-cockles of my heart with deep, pleasant bliss. Because it alerts me to the fact that I'm in the room with a rube.

There is no firm dividing line between theurgy and thaumaturgy. Continued application of either process can result in either (or both) type of results – e.g., making contact with a spirit may help you overcome emotional barriers than had previously held you back, and bring on a run of good luck. Likewise, repeatedly doing money magick may eventually result in you meeting a spirit or entity that has a degree of power over that sphere of influence.

Those that notice recurrent discussions on practical magick and have begun wailing that “the kids, they don't know what they're getting into!”

Well. That's just funny.

It works like this:

If you do something with a sorcerous intent (a) correctly, then an event (microcosmic or macrocosmic) will occur (b). This occurrence will always eventually attract notice, because everything you do – mundane or otherwise – generates an effect. That effect is like a ripple in a pond, and can easily (and often) be traced back to you. It has been my experience that sufficiently plugging the same path (of least resistence, or power, or energy) for a purpose will always result in “something coming to find you.” (c) The entity might not be pissed. It might even help you!

No matter what you do, eventually you will discover that a theurgical component will arrive in your work – in the same manner than I expect thaumaturgical components will eventually show themselves in theurgical work. The “spheres” and types of magical work are not limited to “black and white” types, or even strict categories. At a certain point, all of the work begins to blur together and cohere. This has been my experience. Even when I tried to “just do” thaumaturgy and sorcery, theurgical components and spirits still tended to show up and correct my short-sightedness. Or the same topic would badger me to death, appearing on the third fucking page of every book I was reading until I gave in, and began looking into the subject. Weird, obnoxious shit like that. It's still fun. But really – plant alchemy? That wasn't on the agenda. In fact, alchemy wasn't on the agenda at all. And yet, I'm still going to do at least the basic research on it until I get a better handle on the subject. Because otherwise, every book I own will insist that alchemy is the “way.” And that got old weeks ago.

(I am over-exaggerating. For a few weeks months I have come across repeated references, in a number of books, to alchemy and plant alchemy. The most humorous of these occurances was in Hakim Bey's Orgies of the Hemp Eaters, during his discussion on why someone needs to attempt to tap the prime essence of the green soma via alchemy. As such, I'm reading Bartlett's Real Alchemy while I also read Bardon. It's a bit eerie to read both close to one another, as I can see the reflections of alchemy more easily in Bardon's work now.)

The cynic believes that the cosmic joke revolves around the universe laughing at them. The magician that has properly acclimated his humor to his work, realizes that he is laughing with the universe. It's all absurd, all the time.

Oh, look. Gordon's talking about Theurgy. That's sort've what I mean. Really.

Yep.

I've been using Hand Mudras in conjunction with my tarot reading, recently. Before I begin - and if you don't banish when you get up, you can banish before or whatever procedures you normally perform before doing divination or other work - I place the deck in my left hand, resting on the open palm. Then, sitting with a straight back I perform the Mudras for IAO with my right hand. Afterwards, I ask the deck my question and then perform the divination. So far, I've been pleased with the results.

The following comes from UD's High Magick II (p. 83) and if it interests you, buy it. Or buy Franz Bardon's Initiation into Hermetics (which is where UD got his information for the chapter).

I-Mudra:
The right hand is balled into a fist. Now stick out your forefinger and raise your hand so that your finger is pointing upward.
A-Mudra:
All fingers are straight and lying flat next to each other. Now stick out your thumb so that it forms a ninety-degree angle with your forefinger.
O-Mudra
All fingers are bent so that the tips of your thumb and forefinger slighty touch. Form a circle with your thumb and forefinger.

Obviously, you should probably vibrate the formula while doing it. You can try divination afterward, or not.

But - a question for R.O. and AIT: is this "energy work"? If I perform my visualizations, do the vibrations, and the Mudras do I need to call it "energy work"?

Bardon - in Initiation - notes that: "the electric and magnetic fluids in the human body have nothing directly to do with common electricity and magnetism; they are, however, analogous."

See what I'm getting at?

Cut from the current piece.

It doesn't fit with my attempts to work on a pro-unchaste love piece, because it makes the entire thing toxic. But, frankly, it has to be said. So, it gets cut from the whole of the forth-coming piece and I'm stickin' it here.

Also. What follows may ruin your mood.

It Must Be Something In the Water...

How does one quell the rage?

The general atmosphere in America about sex and the issues involved with it can best be described as toxic. I say this on the reflection of the attempts to redefine rape, or the “revised documents,” or that “Southern Gentleman” who wanted to cease referring to rape victims as “victims,” and instead as “accusers.” And then, finally, there was this.

The last part is just plain sick, and wrong. So there was a lot of rage. I've found myself wanting to storm castles. Assail walls. Burn down a few buildings, maybe, while terrorizing idiots. They won't sleep well when there's a demon in the corner that looks like their dead Grandmother, screaming at them about what a horrible fucking person they are – will they?

Too much rage, there. At this point, the rage becomes like wank material. Visualized horrors that you'd never inflict on anyone, because they're a person too. Even if they are a shithead, and and plainly out to shit on women's rights. Because you don't reclassify rape victims as “accusers” unless you're a shithead. When it comes to the American legal system we assume someone is innocent until proven guilty; this says nothing, however, about the victim. The question is whether or not the person on trial was the one that perpetrated the act which led to a victim. This is the situation for rape, child abuse, murder, theft, and just about every other crime we prosecute in the United States with the exception of victimless crimes.

Above and beyond this are the statistics for rape in the U.S., and I'm going to bluntly state them before the eyes of the gods and everyone else as RAINN lists them:

- 1 in 6 women, and 1 in 33 men will be the victim of sexual assault in their lifetime.

- College age women are four times as likely to be assaulted.

- 60% of sexual assaults go unreported.

- Reporting has increased by 1/3^rd since 1993.

- Approximately 73% of rape victims know their assailants.

- Only 6% of rapists will ever spend a day in jail.

The Southern backwater that our Southern Pal hails from is ranked #11 of the 50 States and the District of Columbia in the U.S. when it comes to rape. So, if you live in Goergia? Get the fuck out. Now.

Are you feeling sick yet? I'm sorry, but it had to be said. There's something fucking wrong here. Something so fucking terrible that most people are unwilling to look at it, and it looks like certain individuals seem to want to make the situation worse by putting even more pressure on the victims of a heinous and unthinkable crime, presumably so that they're less likely to come forward and say anything at all.

So, no. I don't really accept that the issue at hand is about abortion, or really about rape at all. I think it's about punishing women. And I personally think that anyone who's been involved in the process of legislating H.R. 3 should be punched in the nuts repeatedly. If they lack nuts, then they should be followed by packs of women who will publicly shame them for their misdeeds. That's what I fucking think.

As for quelling the rage? I asked Venus' to give me an idea and guide my heart, and Eros' with his arrows to lend me a path of desire. Really, it's the only good bit in the mess of this terrible shit. And it doesn't make me feel much better.