Llewellyn Publications's Blog, page 88

Yesterday, Sunday, June 2, I gave my first worldwide webinar.

The subject was Magickal Self-Defense. We had people participating from all over the world. This included students from the U.S. and Canada as well as from Germany, England, Israel, South Africa, and even the United Arab Emirates.

I would like to thank everyone who attended. It meant a lot to me and I hope you enjoyed the presentation and the material.

I have been giving workshops for many years. I’ve given them for as few as two people and for as many as 600. Every one has been unique and fun. This webinar, however, was different:

Although there were breaks during the live webinar for questions and audience interaction,

there was no way for me to receive feedback during the presentation.

What Presenters Do

When you attend a presentation, of course the person leading the class/workshop/training is going to share information. That means he or she has to present the information in a clear way that involves the audience. The best presenters, in my opinion, do more than just read a prepared speech. They also observe the audience, getting “feedback” from them. Some of this feedback can be obvious: several people walking out is not a good sign; people nodding their heads and leaning forward is a good sign. Some of the feedback can be subtle. If people look puzzled, bored, or are shifting uncomfortably in their seats, something is not going right. A good presenter needs to change his or her approach depending upon the feedback he or she is receiving. That’s what I try to do.

Giving a good presentation is not simply someone standing at a podium reading something. It’s an actual relationship between the audience and the speaker. The warmer the relationship, the more people will think the presenter did a good job. Sure, the audience receives information, but the speaker learns about his or her speaking skills and presentation skills with every workshop. The more attuned to the audience a speaker is, the better his or her presentations will become. That’s why good presenters improve over time.

The Webinar Challenge

With a webinar, however, the game changes. First, because there is no way I, the presenter, can know about the quality of the computers and internet connections of so many people, I had to eliminate a lot of the animations on the slides I used in the presentation. Then, due to the technology available, I could not see or hear any of the people attending. I had to stare at my presentation screen, talking to an audience and unable to tell whether or not people understood, were “getting it,” and weren’t bored. For me, it was quite a challenge. I think I did okay, and I learned a lot. Next time will be even better.

Five hours after the webinar I realized I was exhausted. I had given my energy to the presentation, but because of the technology I was not able to receive any back from the audience. It’s difficult and a challenge, but for me it was a challenge in a good way. I was outside of my comfort zone. And that made me have a realization.

The “Mad” Armenian

and the Crazy Lords

In giving presentations I had been in a bit of a rut. As I gave the webinar I realized I had additional things to add that I had omitted from my notes. Luckily, I was able to include my realizations and insights during the webinar. Going outside of my comfort zone had been a good experience. Sometimes we get so used to being in our zones, we cannot advance. We don’t need to advance and improve because we are succeeding in our comfort areas, even though we could be doing so much more.

This reminded me of the “mad” Armenian, George Gurdjieff (1866–1949). Gurdjieff became a mystical teacher with a simple idea: most people live a life in which they are basically asleep. Sure, they go through the day, going to school or work, come home, do basic human stuff, but it is all superficial, as if they are in a type of trance. He came up with a set of techniques known as “the work” or “the method” or “the fourth way” which would help people wake from their sleep and “transcend to a higher state of consciousness and achieve full human potential” (Wikipedia).

I have trained for many years as a Tantric. Most people think of Tantra as “that sex stuff.” In actuality, Tantra is a complete ancient Pagan spiritual system. Most mystical, magickal, and even many religious concepts that come from “The East” began with the Tantrics. What sort of things? Yoga. Chakras and Kundalini. Acupuncture. Feng Shui. Martial Arts. Hinduism. Buddhism. Reincarnation. Astrology. All of these things and more began with the ancient Tantrics. That’s not to say that other people did not modify and advance them, or even come up with many of the ideas independently. But much of what we think of as the occult or spiritual mysteries of the East began with the ancient Tantrics.

Because Tantra is many thousands of years old, there have been many divisions and traditions within Tantra. Tantra doesn’t “say” anything. Nobody speaks for all of Tantra. If someone writes, “Tantra says…” they are wrong. They may be speaking for their particular tradition of Tantra, but they don’t speak for all of Tantra any more than a Southern Baptist speaks for all sects of Christianity.

One of the sects of Tantra is that of the Pagal Naths. The Sanskrit words mean “Crazy Lords.” They’re called that because people think they do crazy things. For example, if you’re walking down the street, briefcase in hand, ready to go to work, a Pagan Nath might block your path, take off his clothes, and climb a tree. The goal, like that of Gurdjieff, is to get you out of your ordinary thinking, to wake the sleeper, to help you remember that the universe is greater than the small zone in which you live; to help you stretch your boundaries. “Stretch,” by the way, is one meaning of the word “Tantra.”

Giving the webinar certainly took me out of my comfort zone and caused me to stretch my reality. It was a sharp kick in the pants that, sometimes, we each need.

Asleep or Awake?

What about you? Are you asleep or awake? Right now, most of us are sleepers. That’s not meant as an insult any more than saying most of us will have a meal today. That trance-like daily sleep is a natural state. It’s a safe, easy way to be, and slipping into that state can be effortless. It’s a state where we don’t have to take risks or go outside of our comfort zones.

But just think of how we might be different if we became awake to a great reality. Imagine if, on occasion, we could break free of the trance and “transcend to a higher state of consciousness and achieve full human potential.” One way to do this is to do something that is seen as totally crazy and outside our comfort zone. I’m not suggesting any of us should do anything dangerous, just that we should try something different.

Break free of the trance and transcend to a world where your magick is powerful and you can achieve your goals.

What will you do that’s crazy today?

How will you help other sleepers awake?

 

Again, thanks to all the people who attended my webinar

and made it a huge success.
Keep reading my blog and I’ll let you know

when I’ll have my next webinar.

Message to My

Friends in Minnesota:

In just two days, on Wednesday, June 5, I’ll be at Eye of Horus Books in Minneapolis for a free book signing and a Workshop on The Secrets of Magickal Evocation. For details, see this LINK. Space for the workshop is limited. I hope to see you there!

In Israel Regardie‘s The Golden Dawn, there is a paper entitled “The Tattwas of the Eastern School.” It was addressed to the members of the Philosophus Grade of the Order by Frater De Profundis ad Lucem (Latin for “From the depths to the light,” the motto of Frederick Leigh Gardner, 1857–1930). It was dated August, 1894. This document was withdrawn from circulation within the branch of the Golden Dawn into which Regardie had been initiated (the Stella Matutina), but continued to be given to members of the American branch of the Order, as well as to those who remained loyal to co-founder Macgregor Mathers after the Order’s schism in the early 1900s.

There are some other instructions on using the Tattwas and the changing energies of the Tattwas (traditionally known as the Tattwic or Tattvic Tides, although that expression was not used in this document) in The Golden Dawn, but this paper is the most elaborate discussion of the subject. Regardie called the Tattwas an “alien system” and stated he believed the concepts didn’t mix well with the Western systems that are combined within the Golden Dawn. The concepts and practices surrounding the Tattwas come from ancient India.

Regardie writes that this paper is simply a summary of the book Nature’s Finer Forces written by Rama Prasad and published by the Theosophical Society. This would be rather breathtaking as this paper is dated the same year that Prasad’s book was published (although parts of it were published earlier). That means within a few months the leaders of the Golden Dawn took material none of them had ever seen or heard of before and incorporated it into their system. If true, it would be interesting to find out why they felt it was as important as the Tarot, the Kabalah, Enochian magick, and other systems. Regardie decided to include it in his book because, “it was considered highly important by some of the early Order Adepti.”

Regardie suggests that the reason it was withdrawn from his branch of the Order was that the author, F. L. Gardner, didn’t give credit to its source. I find that highly unlikely that Gardner, an upcoming author and antiquarian book dealer, would do that. Further, I have a second edition of Prasad’s book, and there is so much that Gardner doesn’t cover in his paper that it is hardly a summary at all! In fact, a great deal of this paper has little or nothing to do with Prasad’s book. It seems more like Gardner took some concepts he didn’t understand and tried to make it fit within the Golden Dawn tradition. It also makes me wonder whether Regardie ever took the time to actually read Prasad’s book.

Regardie must have considered the Golden Dawn’s interpretations of the  Tattwas important even if they were “alien.” The occultist Gareth Knight was kind enough to give me the complete set of the Tattwas Regardie had hand made for himself.

 Gardner’s paper is filled with undefined Sanskrit terms, moralisms from Christian (and later Hindu) beliefs, and outright incorrect claims. For example, Gardner claims that if the breath goes and comes out of the “wrong nostril it is a sure sign some sort of disease is coming on.” That is highly simplistic. Rather, it shows there is an imbalance that, if left uncorrected, could weaken the body and allow a disease to develop. Such imbalances occur all the time and correct themselves automatically.

At one point Gardner writes, “When the Breath comes not out of both nostrils at the same time, it is flowing in the Sushumna. Nothing ought to be done under these conditions, for everything turns out badly.” This is just plain wrong. According to the Tattwic system, the breath is going through the Sushumna when it comes equally through both nostrils. The balance should allow all spiritual things to go forward very well. There is even a spiritual practice, Swara Yoga, designed to increase the time that this naturally occurs.

Gardner writes, “by constant practice one is able to develop two distinct syllables in his thought. It is evident that when a man inhales a sound is produced like HAN. When exhaling the sound is SA. By constant practice, the breath becomes associated with these sounds so that effortlessly the mind understands HANSA in relationship to the Tattwas. Thus we see that one full breath makes HANSA which is the name of the Ruler of the Universe together with His Powers.” Again, this is completely wrong. The tradition is that the breath makes the sound and all the practitioner has to do is become aware of it. “HANSA” (more usually written Hamsa or reversed in the Tibetan version, So-aham) is not the name of the “Ruler of the Universe” and Brahman (not to be confused with Brahma), the ultimate Godhead, is never addressed as “He.”

This is just a sample of the errors promulgated by Gardner. Perhaps the actual reason the paper was withdrawn from Regardie’s branch of the Golden Dawn was because it was so wrong. Perhaps if Regardie had actually read Prasad’s book we’d know more. In my next post I’ll share some of the uses of the Tattwas.

 

This Sunday

June 2

My First Worldwide Webinar!
Topic: Magickal Self-Defense

Thanks to the people at Thelesis Aura Online Academy, I will be giving my first ever webinar. This is not simply a recording. It is a live online training event. And you can attend.

The webinar topic is Magickal Self-Defense. The history of mankind is filled with examples of hexes, curses, evil eyes and magickal or psychic attacks. Although many perceived spiritual assaults are unintended, imagined or even self-induced, one of the consequences of the growth of modern occultism has been the increased potential of planned, magickal attacks. In this online workshop-webinar, I’ll share practical techniques to prevent, detect, and rapidly overcome magickal attacks of any type. Includes information for individuals and groups. You can register through this LINK.

I will be talking live. You’ll hear me talking just like I’m in the room with you.
You’ll see my presentation slides. They’ll look just like the slides I’d use at an in-person presentation.
You’ll have exclusive access to handouts you can download. They’re in PDF format. You’ll be able to print them out and use them.
You’ll be able to ask questions in class. There’s a button to click where you can “raise your hand.” We’ll recognize you and I’ll answer your questions.
You’ll see everything and hear me giving the workshop—live.
 Can you tell that I’m really excited about it!
Did I mention this is going to be LIVE?

To Register CLICK HERE

I am really proud of the court cards for both volumes of the Book of Shadows Tarot. Because Lo Scarabeo encouraged me to push the boundaries and explore new possibilities, I tried to meet the challenge.

Because Book of Shadows, vol. 2: So Below is meant to be closer to the RWS tradition (whereas As Above was meant to be a kind of re-imagining of what tarot can be), the court cards are grounded in the familiar Rider-Waite-Smith tradition. However, I did two things that I think shake things up and mess with our expectations.

Instead of letting rank decide the gender of the characters, I let the suits decide. And to play with our heads even more, I designed the “passive” suits (Cups and Pentacles) with male characters and the “active” suits (Wands and Sword) with female characters.

You know how we all play different roles in life? Sometimes we are a student, sometimes an activist, sometimes a confidante, sometimes a teacher or leader? Well, to help support that point, each suit has the same character taking on each of the ranks. Clever, yes? Well, I thought so.

So let me present the So Below Court Cards. I hope you like them!

 

 

 

Logic that is Illogical

The psychology of argumentation and public speaking is filled with clever tricks. One that you’ll often see is the setting up of a false choice between two possibilities. In philosophical logic this is expressed by saying: “Either A or not-A, you can’t have both.” For example, a person is either pregnant or not. Nobody can be a “little bit pregnant.”

But sometimes, the answer to a question is not yes or no, left or right, or a similar clear choice. “You’re with us or you’re against us!” shouts the politician. But why can’t I be with you on some things and against you on others? A modern presentation of this is the approach of some politicians who say, “Either you’re for smaller government or you’re for bigger tax and spend government.” Personally, I’m for a right sized government meaning that where the government isn’t needed it should be made smaller or even eliminated, and where government is needed it should be at its most effective size, and neither smaller nor bigger than that.

I guess I’m a bit of a contrarian because I don’t always supply easy “either or” answers to complex questions. The belief that there are only two possible answers with no possible compromise and no other options is known as a false dichotomy.

Magick and Money

Some time ago, the publisher of Llewellyn asked me why, if magick is so powerful, so many occultists and Pagans are poor. I explained that there were a few answers. One is that they may not be interested in financial wealth. Another is that they believe magick should only be used for spiritual goals or to help others.

Still another reason is a misunderstanding of finances leading to guilt. Specifically, some people look at finances as a zero sum situation. The idea behind the zero sum outlook is that the world’s finances are fixed and therefore limited; if you gain, someone else loses. If my slice of the pie gets bigger, your’s gets smaller. So if you do magick to become better off, someone else is going to suffer, and you’d feel guilty about making others suffer.

However the reality is not a zero sum situation. The reality is that if you increase your wealth, everyone’s wealth will increase. In order to get a bigger slice of the pie, the entire pie gets bigger, giving everyone a larger slice. This, of course, assumes fairness in the financial world, something that often doesn’t exist if governments don’t make and enforce rules, much the way that football would be total mayhem without governance and rules.

Another problem is poverty thinking. Some magicians and Pagans—who, in my opinion, should know better—dwell on their on poverty so much they mentally create continued poverty for themselves.

Spirituality Over Practicality

In a recent post by Ananael (Aaron Leitch), he discusses this problem. He points out (accurately, in my opinion), that if a person who claims to perform magick has “issues of poverty, sickness or other hardships” such as dying penniless, some people will claim this is proof that the person’s magick was ineffective. I would extend this to say that some people will use this to claim that magick doesn’t work. He writes,

I spent plenty of time angry at my Guardian Angel, Patron Gods, familiars and spiritual helpers for “letting bad things happen to me.” Until they finally drove it into my head that they weren’t there to make me some kind of superhuman, impervious to any hardship.  They were there to make sure I made it through the bad things.

In order to justify this position he quotes from the Golden Dawn Adeptus Minor Initiation Ritual: “Hate not suffering, it was but the purification of the Gold.”

I have to respectfully disagree with the implication here. It may not be the intent, but the idea I get from this is that Ananael is saying if things are bad, tough. Just deal with it. Don’t do magick to improve your situation. Instead, do magick to mentally and emotionally deal with hardship. To me that sounds like a sort of religious approach: “We can’t help you, but if you pray to our God[s] He [they] will give you courage.”

It’s true that the Golden Dawn ritual mentioned states, “Hate not suffering, it was but the purification of the Gold.” But it doesn’t say you’re supposed to stay suffering. And if you’re quoting from the Golden Dawn, don’t forget the part that says they want you to become “more than human.” That equates with being a superman (albeit not of the “Man of Steel” variety!). When you have a problem, I would contend you can use magick to overcome it.

Practicality Over Spirituality

Morgan Drake Eckstein, in response to Ananael, posted on this question, too. He writes, accurately in my opinion,

Talk to most people in the Golden Dawn/Western Mystery Tradition community (and this includes Thelema and Wicca) and you will hear that the purpose of the mysteries is spiritual development and service to mankind. In fact, there are groups that will bar you from entering if you say anything other than those two reasons for wanting to join. Anything else, especially practical magic, is viewed as black magic and power seeking.

But this is what the documented record of Western magic is all about–weather magic, power magic, legal magic, treasure magic, health magic, love magic–all about fulfilling basic needs in a hostile wolf at the door world. Even alchemy was about the practical nine times out of ten. Yet we in the modern world are not allowed to have these needs or desires.

He blames this on an approach introduced by Madame Blavatsky, co-founder of the Theosophical Society. Although he doesn’t give a specific source where she makes this claim, it certainly could be true. And indeed, her impact on modern Western occultism has been immense even though many occultists have never read any of her works. It’s true that Western occultism has been filled with people seeking for worldly success, however it’s also true that there is are long traditions that extend for many centuries before Blavatsky that honored poverty and helping others. Carrying that over into magick is not much of a leap.

Then he makes some claims I have to disagree with. He writes, “Therefore, we do not find truly poor magicians in the ranks of the Orders (unless they lied to get in)…The members of your typical esoteric Order can always pay their annual dues, no matter how much they are.” Well, without a definition of “truly poor” it’s impossible to say this is not true, but I’ve known people who have had to go hungry or live on ramen or spaghetti with ketchup so they could pay their dues. I know people who go without health care and who live in very poor housing in order to pay for magickal books and tools. So it may be that this is his experience, but it’s not universal.

He writes, ”The members of a Law of Attraction group are always living above the poverty level.” Our experiences in this differ dramatically. I’ve been lectured to about the LoA by people who then want me to buy them a meal and drive them somewhere because they don’t have money for food, a vehicle, or a place to live.

He also adds, “people can charge hundreds of dollars to do workshops, to teach magic that does not actually work, because everyone who attends can afford for magic not to work.” This, sadly, is true. However the people who pay for these workshops, in my experience, are generally not focused on being members of occult groups, magickal orders, or Covens.

The implication of his post is that the purpose of magick should be to do “small low practical spells, hoping to keep the wolf from the door for one more day.”

The False Dichotomy

So we’ve seen two writers whom I respect presenting both sides of this question. One seems to say that magick should focus on the spiritual and the other writes that magick should focus on the physical. They excellently present their positions and I acknowledge that many occultists, Pagans, magicians, and other people would side with one or the other.

Respectfully, however, I contend these positions form a false dichotomy. Specifically, this false dichotomy is that these two positions are your only choices. I say such ideas, held by so many, form a false choice and a limiting belief.

Why can’t you do both? Why can’t you advance spiritually as well as in health and in finances? I choose to follow this third way. I choose to follow a magickal path that allows me to advance spiritually, help others, and help myself on the physical plane. In fact, I’m sometimes flabbergasted that others don’t see this very obvious third possibility. For many years I’ve said, “It’s hard to be spiritual when you don’t know where your next meal is coming from.” But once you get that meal, there’s no reason not to focus on spiritual advancement and helping others, too.

Speaking of Workshops…

And speaking of workshops, I’d just like to remind you that on June 2 I’ll be giving my first worldwide webinar. This is not a recorded podcast. I’ll be giving it live. You’ll be able to see my slides on your computer, hear me talk, and download handouts. The topic is Magickal Self-Defense. For details, and to register, click on this LINK.

Then, just a few days later, on Wednesday evening, June 5, I’ll be in Minneapolis giving a free book signing followed by a workshop on The Secrets of Magickal Evocation. Come by with your books and I’ll be glad to sign them. If you don’t have them contact the bookstore and order them so they’ll be there and I can sign them for you. Or at least stop by and say hello. For details and to register, click on this LINK.

There are two things more to say about this webinar and workshop:

Attendance is limited. Please register and sign up today!
Neither costs “hundreds of dollars.” They’re both an investment of just $25 or less.

Please register early so you won’t be disappointed.

 

I am very glad to be returning to the beautiful twin cities! I lived in St. Paul for six years, and I still miss many of my friends and the wonderful people of Minnesota. I’m making an appearance for one night and at one location only. However, on that one night, I am doing two things.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

* FREE BOOK SIGNING *
LOCATION: Eye of Horus

3012 Lyndale Ave. S.

Minneapolis, MN 55408

Phone: 612-872-1292

For about an hour, starting at 6:00 p.m. I’ll be doing a free book signing. Bring your books to have them signed or get some new copies right at the store. I would suggest calling to reserve copies of books to make sure they’ll have them in stock. If you haven’t seen the 3rd edition of Modern Magick you’re really going to want to get one! Or fill out your collection with my other books. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask me any questions in a more casual environment. Stop by and say hello! The book signing will be followed immediately by…

* * *

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

A Multimedia Extravaganza!

(Okay, that’s a bit of an overstatement. But it is a multimedia workshop.)

*— The Secrets of Magickal Evocation —*
LOCATION: Eye of Horus

3012 Lyndale Ave. S.

Minneapolis, MN 55408

Phone: 612-872-1292

Your Investment: Only $20.00

Immediately following the free book signing I’ll be giving a workshop on the Secrets of Magickal Evocation. Magical Evocation is the science and art of causing a non-physical entity that exists on other levels of reality to appear before you.

Numerous movies, TV shows, books and stories describe, or with the use of special effects, show this process. Unfortunately, much of what they show is nothing more than the imagination of an uninitiated and unknowing person who has never done a single magical ritual.

This workshop reveals the true secrets of Magical Evocation. In this class you will learn such things as:

What Magical Evocation really is
The secrets of the grimoires such as the Lesser and Greater Keys of Solomon
The purpose of the magical circle and the triangle of the art
What to do after an entity manifests.
Special tools for Magical Evocation that you can easily create
The best people to work with for performing Magical Evocations.

This is one of the most famous types of magick there is, yet its secrets have, for the most part, remained unknown. Due to time constraints we won’t be doing an evocation during the workshop. However, by the time this workshop is over you will be able to safely and effectively perform real Magical Evocations.

To my friends in Minnesota: if you have ever wanted to actually perform evocations, this workshop will provide all of the information and techniques you need to actually work with non-physical entities. Few people perform this type of magick and fewer still teach it.

NOTE: Because of space, attendance will be very limited! I urge you to register for this class now so you’ll be assured of having a space. CLICK HERE to register today.

I have been very fortunate to be able to travel all over the U.S. and Europe giving workshops. I still do it! I have given workshops for a few people and for over 300 people. But until recently, it has been impossible to give a live workshop to people all over the world. Now that changes!

Thanks to the people at Thelesis Aura Online Academy, I will be giving my first ever webinar. This is not simply a recording. It is a live online training event. And you can attend.

I will be talking live. You’ll hear me talking just like I’m in the room with you.
You’ll see my presentation slides. They’ll look just like the slides I’d use at an in-person presentation.
You’ll get handouts. They’re in PDF format. You’ll be able to print them out and use them.
You’ll be able to ask questions in class. There’s a button to click where you can “raise your hand.” We’ll recognize you and I’ll answer your questions.
You’ll see everything and hear me giving the workshop—live.
 Can you tell that I’m really excited about it!
Did I mention this is going to be LIVE?

__________________
To Register CLICK HERE
__________________

For my first webinar the people at Thelesis Aura wanted me to give a great presentation, so they selected the topic of Magickal Self-Defense. As you probably know, the history of mankind is filled with examples of hexes and curses, evil eyes and magickal or psychic attacks. Although many perceived spiritual assaults are unintended, imagined, or even self-induced, one of the consequences of the growth of modern occultism has been the increased potential of actual planned, magickal attacks.

In this online workshop-webinar, I’ll begin by sharing different types of attacks and their sources. Then, most importantly, I’ll share

 practical techniques you will be able to use to

prevent, detect, and rapidly overcome

magickal attacks of any type.

This is invaluable information for Pagans, occultists, ceremonial magicians, and others. The purpose of this workshop is not to frighten or terrorize; it’s not to imply that you are under attack for everything and anything you don’t like that happens to you. Rather, the information is to inform you and bring you peace of mind, knowing you’re probably not under attack, but in the rare situation where it does happen, you’ll learn techniques that can be used by individuals and groups to stop it in its tracks!

Even thought magickal and psychic attacks are rare, attacks on our psyches using clever manipulation are common. They may appear to be psychic attacks, but are dealt with differently. You’ll learn techniques for recognizing and dealing with them, too.

Participate in This Worldwide Event

LIVE From Anywhere in the World

I want to repeat that this is not a recording. It is a live event. It’s not a webcast you can download later. Because it’s on the internet you can experience this webinar from anywhere in the world.

My Magickal Self-Defense Webinar will take place
Sunday, June 2, 2013
2:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. Eastern U.S.
11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Pacific U.S.

Your Investment: Only $25.00

Although the software being used is some of the best available,

there is a limitation to the number of people who can participate.
I strongly urge you to register now.

To register  CLICK HERE.

Because people can participate in this webinar from any place in the world,

please be sure to check your local time compared to these U.S. times.

During your registration, you’ll see a button that will let you find your local time for this workshop so you won’t miss a second.

I really hope you will attend this webinar! I’d like to present lots of webinars in the future, and it will depend upon your participation. PLUS: if you attend you’ll be asked what topics you’d like me to present as webinars for the future! So you don’t forget, click on the link above and register now.

The Fairy Lights Tarot was created in an interesting way. The artist made paintings that were scenes containing two cards. The scenes were then split to create the two separate cards. The designer says that because of this method of creation, there are special ties or resonances between the split cards. They were painted in pairs that we might not automatically think of as natural pairs, so we are encouraged to push our thinking about the cards beyond our normal bounds.

Here are some of the original images and the resulting cards.

PLEASE NOTE: the cards used here do NOT show the final card design. They were preliminary designs and I used them because those were the scans I was provided. The final cards look like this (note the curved borders and—HURRAY—lack of multiple languages!):

 

High Priestess and 7 of Wands

 

Lovers and 10 of Cups

 

Page of Cups and Queen of Swords

Knight of Cups and Knight of Pentacles

The Tower and 4 of Pentacles

5 of Cups and 10 of Swords

Last November, I made a post about Wikipedia. Entitled “Wikipedia’s Dirty Little Secret,” my post had a couple of things to share.

My first point is that if you are doing research, Wikipedia is a great place to start your research but a horrible place to end it. Wikipedia had disclaimers hidden away admitting you should not trust what you read there without checking more sources.

My second point was about attempted deletions in Wikipedia. In my post I wrote,

One of the pseudonymous “editors” of Wikipedia appears to have a grudge against Pagans and occultists…This editor is trying to get entries for numerous people involved in occultism deleted from Wikipedia. This includes such people as M. Macha Nightmare, Luisah Teish, Louis Martinie, Kenny Klein, LaSara FireFox, Ian Corrigan, and Raven Grimassi.

And I admitted that I was one of the people up for deletion, too.

The person primarily responsible for all the attempts at deletion was an editor known as “Qworty.” He has finally been “outed” by Salon, an online journal. A more in-depth analysis from a Pagan perspective was posted by Jason Pitzi-Waters on The Wild Hunt blog HERE.

It turns out Quorty is a novelist who claims to have made 13,000 edits to Wikipedia. Many of them were allegedly caused by grudges, spite, and envy.

His rationalization, justification, and excuse was that he was…

“a schtick … an entertainment, an annoyance, a distraction, a put-on, a reading experience, a performance, a series of ironies, an inversion that you do or do not get.”

“Wikipedia is the great postmodern novel,” declared Qworty. “Wikipedia is ‘not truth’ … Wikipedia, like any other text, is not reality.”

Wikipedia, after over five years of this enormous scam, has finally acted. Qworty has been “officially, and indefinitely, blocked from editing Wikipedia, and various investigations into his past history have begun.”

For the full story of how this person helped to destroy any credibility we attribute to Wikipedia, see this LINK.

The point I wish to stress is that Wikipedia is definitely a useful tool. But if you ever thought it was in any way authoritative, you’ll see that the practice of “revenge edits” and self-promotion by anonymous editors, not to mention Wikipedia’s own disclaimers, reveals they have no authority at all.

Gemini, The Twins

May 20 to June 20

Modality: Mutable

Element: Air

Ruler: Mercury

Keywords: Versatile, charming, engaging, witty, restless, duplicitous

As a Gemini, you are known for your skills at communication: witty and engaging, you are able to charm anyone, though you sometimes forget to listen when communicating with others. You are also known for your dual personality (or perhaps more), which can lead to some people describing you as “two-faced.” You are intelligent and curious, never ceasing your collection of information.

You immensely enjoy meeting new people, though few fall of those friends fall into the realm of being more than an acquaintance. In relationships, you cherish your freedom and independence, and may find that casual romances are easier for you than long-term relationships. You delight in being partnered, but you also want your freedom at the same time. The same dichotomy is true for your home (either pristine or extremely messy) and your family relationships (either close-knit or quite distant).

When it comes to work, your happiness is linked to your ability to explore new ideas and maintain autonomy. Your financial success depends largely on your attitudes towards spending and saving; think long-term when making financial decisions, and learn to plan for the future.

For the year ahead:

Affirmation: Rewards are earned through hard work, responsibility, and attention to detail.

Jupiter is in your sign through June 24, making the next month or so a time of both luck and optimism. In your first house of self, you may find lucky Jupiter giving you what you need (at times at the last minute), but don’t always depend on it. This is a time to move in new directions, but make sure to stay organized, or it will become easy to fall behind with your busy schedule. Jupiter then moves into Cancer and your second house of personal resources on June 25. This brings the potential to boost your bank balance, but be careful: Jupiter in the second house also increases spending.
Saturn continues its transit in Scorpio in October, your sixth house of work. You can anticipate extra responsibilities. Be sure not to cut corners, however, as the effort you now put forth could bring later benefits.
Neptune continues in Pisces, where it will remain until 2025. This transit is both positive and challenging, as it can bring both chance meetings and opportunities, but it can also bring false promises from others. Use Neptune’s inspiration to your advantage, adding your own motivation to your tenth house of work.
Pluto continues its fifteen-year transit of Capricorn (your eighth house), which highlights your finances. Overall, you will be more aware of your finances and money matters involving others (including spouses, family members, lenders, and borrowers). Establish your path to financial security.

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Rich Newman, author of The Ghost Hunter’s Field Guide, Ghost Hunting for Beginners, and the new Devil in the Delta.

Thomas Edison, perhaps the most well-known American inventor of all time, invented a device for talking to the dead. A device that was never actually created, that nobody can find any notes or blueprints for, or was ever referenced by Edison without the use of tongue-in-cheek humor. So, where is it? Is the device something to be taken seriously or an elaborate joke played on the media by the inventor?

At first glance, the latter would seem to be the case. Edison was known for his dry sense of humor, and playing a joke on a hapless reporter would be right up his alley. And though he would go on to talk about the mysterious device in several interviews, it does seem that Edison was simply taking advantage of the sudden publicity he was getting about the proposed machine. Keep in mind that Spiritualism was in full swing at the time and anything that would assist people with talking to the dead was, indeed, big news.

People who believe that Edison was simply joking about the invention usually point to an early quote from Edison in which he states, “I cannot conceive of such a thing as a spirit. Imagine something that has no weight, no material form, no mass. In a word, imagine nothing.”

Edison also famously berated Spiritualists of the day by saying, “I cannot be a party to the belief that spirits exist and can be seen under certain circumstances, and can be made to tilt tables and rap, and do other things of a similar unimportant nature. The whole thing is so absurd. In truth, it is the crudeness of the present methods which makes me doubt the authenticity of purported communications with deceased persons. Why should personalities in another existence or sphere waste their time with a little triangular piece of wood over a board with certain lettering on it? Why should such personalities play pranks with a table? The whole business seems so childish to me that I frankly cannot give it my serious consideration.”

On the surface, it would seem that Edison did not support the idea of ghosts or spirits, or of communicating with them. But this is clearly not the case, as Edison would later say, “I believe that if we are to make any real progress in psychic investigation, we must do it with scientific apparatus, in a scientific manner, just as we do in medicine, electricity, chemistry, and other fields…what I propose to do is to furnish psychic investigators with an apparatus that will give a scientific aspect to their work.”

In short, Edison was ridiculing Spiritualists and their methods—not the idea of an afterlife or communicating with the dead.

In an interview with Scientific American (Oct 30, 1920), Edison described the proposed machine as being a variant of the phonograph (which he also invented) that would have an extra sensitive diaphragm and would record on the phonograph’s cylindrical tubes. So, what happened to the invention? Clearly it has never been found and it does not exist in any of the present-day Edison collections.

My opinion: he never actually got around to making it, or designing it, or anything else for that matter. It’s just that simple.

Edison held over 1,000 patents—and, by best estimate, the inventor was known to have made notes on and considered the manufacture of more than double that amount of inventions. With a plate this full, it’s clear that MANY of Edison’s ideas fell through the cracks. But, whether you doubt the idea of the mysterious machine or not, one thing is clear: Edison had very definite ideas of what he believed the afterlife and God to be—ideas that may surprise you.

Edison told the Boston Globe in 1927, “The unit of life consists of swarms of billions of highly organized entities which live in the cells. I believe at times that when man dies, this swarm deserts the body, goes out into space, but keeps on and enters another and last cycles of life and is immortal.” Was he talking about DNA? Reincarnation? Midi-chlorians?

Edison also spoke on this subject with New York Times Magazine, saying, “Nature is what we know. We do not know the gods of religions. And nature is not kind, or merciful, or loving. If God made me—the fabled God of the three qualities of which I spoke: mercy, kindness, love—He also made the fish I catch and eat. And where do His mercy, kindness, and love for that fish come in? No, nature made us—nature did it all—not the gods of the religions.”

Basically, Thomas Edison was a Pagan/deist/agnostic (depending on your viewpoint) who believed that paranormal investigators need to rely on the scientific method to bolster their studies, rather than methods used by psychics, Spiritualists, or religious groups. And while we do not have anything from Edison concerning a device for speaking with the dead, we can all take heart at knowing that this intelligent individual with numerous inventions under his belt at least thought that such a device was possible.

And, hey, I’m okay with that!

Our thanks to Rich for his guest post! For more from Rich Newman, read his article “Exploring the Dark Side: Identifying 3 Types of Negative Paranormal Phenomenena.”