Practice and the I Ching

The Pyramid of Power By Steffi Grant

This is in Hecate's Fountain by her husband Kenneth Grant. I just picked it up off the shelf. It is the next in the Typhonian Trilogy for me. Hecate has been influencing our house and Snake Village. One item I would change on the Pyramid is Gnosticism. It might be instead, Abrahamic Faiths. 

 

A Beastly Book of Changes

My Brother and his wife tried out the cartomancy set that I gave him. They enjoyed themselves. I am interested in the mutational alchemy tarot by the Abrahadabra Institute. It is a pleasure to see that they are still making them available. My Visual I Ching by Oliver Perrottet still fascinates me. 

I am reading The Man in the High Castle by PKD and he cites the hexagrams. It made me ponder did PKD draw those hexagrams and incorporate them into the book or did he select from all 64 hexagrams a set that would suite the story? My son says its probably the former and I am in agreement. 

Non-Serviam

Today I am filled with Ra Hoor Khuit and the Dark Lord. It is not that I loathe the Old Aeon. I despise it. Which resonates with the third chapter of The Book of the Law. I can really get into some of Marcello Motta's reflections on the dead currents. We have been told that within my town of almost five and a half thousand, there are a hundred churches. 

It has been quite an undertaking to confront my bias on Thelemic terms. It is said that you must unite one thing with its opposite. So I began the Abrahamic faiths in one year intervals. The first year was Christianity. The second, Islam and Sufism. On til now where I have been dealing with Buddhism and Hinduism. Within each of these memes is something that can be assimilated. Thus introducing a foreign concept and becoming inoculated from it just by proxy. At the heart of it is fear.

I should add that the key was finding elements of ritual and articles of faith that could be practiced. For instance, a Muslim must learn how to pray. Then the practice begins and reveals esoteric material. Whether that means you assimilate Christianity via Torquemada, or Islam through Hassan I Sabbah, it matters not. Somehow one will become taqiya as the Muslims call it. Experience will prevail. 

The act could be as simple as following an old bible code against cutting your beard or hair for a year. Day by day you achieve progress. Find something that you resonate with. It is an act of subversion not conversion. In its own way it will demonstrate respect through heresy. Then what remains can be held as valid as you like. That doesn't mean that I condone the study of all memes. Governance systems alone are lifelong endeavors. Historians are prime suspects. 

Not my style. So I pick and choose. The one's that are out there that stir you with apprehension, repulsion, and interest at the same time: those are a sure bet. So read the Koran and practice Ramadan fasting. Just be Thelemic about it. Otherwise you may be victim to the born again scenario. Going with the dead currents is not a favorable journey.

I read some of Barry Miles' autobiography of William S. Burroughs. In the beginning, it describes a sweat lodge ceremony that was intended to relieve Burroughs of the "Ugly Spirit". It doesn't conclusively say that it worked but it was an attempt Burroughs had at challenging the influence of the spirit. I feel I can relate to Burroughs on that sort of thing but question if I should challenge the spirit's influence or grow with it. 

I finished the Hell's Angels book by Hunter Thompson and Snow Crash by Stephenson. 

Lughnasadh

 Day before yesterday the family and I went to Snake Village to celebrate Lughnasadh. Everyone participated in the ceremony and we had a feast afterward. We had to leave early though because one of the kids got into some poison ivy. It was a lovely time. I enjoy these Pagan celebrations with the children. They are being exposed to some elements of culture that I hope influence their lives. I am very thankful to our hosts that organized the event. I hope we can attend more seasonal celebrations with them in the future. 

I have no doubt I have Pagan ancestors but I have never really delved into the topic. I find it interesting and enjoy learning more about it from friends that are practicing Pagans. Some of  their celebrations and rituals can be implemented into my Thelemic practice. Observing the seasonal periods for instance. The Wheel of the Year is a useful model for solar phallic orientation. Even more interesting is the embedding of lunar elements into the rites to balance the structure. 

As for Wicca, I am not into it. Witchcraft is one thing but the ideas expressed by Gardener do not attract my attention. That is how some people feel about Thelema. In the meantime, what to do about Beelzebub? Jesus had some accusers say that he utilized Beelzebub to cast out demons. He responded by asking of what name do they do the same. Preferring not to reveal the truth, he followed that with a metaphor like most philosophers. 

The pentacle.

 Two documentaries about some of my favorite musicians. Very well produced and a good watch. Learned some interesting details about their creative processes. 

Liber Oz is something I keep in my wallet. It is something I go by. As a Thelemite I fall on the fringes. There are some tenets to which I have adopted into my interpretation of Thelema. I am influenced by the work of  Kenneth Grant and his wife Steffi. They have also introduced the works of Austin O. Spare. I even incorporate things from Liber Null and Psychonaut. 

The Book of the Law is something that gives me direction. The personal interpretation of a sacred text is something worth doing. The portions of it with Ra Hoor Khuit , Chapter 3, declares a warrior spirit. In Liber Oz this theme is also present. There is a Martial interpretation that can be made. Among other things. 

"10. Get the stele of revealing itself; set it in thy secret temple -- and that temple is already aright disposed -- & it shall be your Kiblah for ever. It shall not fade, but miraculous colour shall come back to it day after day. Close it in locked glass for a proof to the world."

This we have here at the Kiblah. 

"32. From gold forge steel!"

By honoring the code of the Sikh's a Thelemite may carry a sacred knife. Trading Gold for steel. Old traditions are banished so all is free reign. Select attributes from all of them. Assimilate and let it mutate. 

The Gerber LMF II is a good knife. The leg sheathe is excellent but I think it would have problems with thicker thighs. The adjustment belt isn't that long. So be lean. Study the Jim Wagner metric system.

I read about an interesting group of Japanese mountain men. Yamabushi. Warrior Sorcerers. 

There is something about the Japanese Martial Way that resonates with me. I am sure a careful examination of my interest through the practice of Liber Thisharb would reveal much. I carried a copy of The Book of The Five Rings with me while deployed. I still have it and it still has sand in its spine. My Mother introduced me to Japanese people from birth. She is part of a Japanese Buddhist organization. 

I can relate to Crowley's sentiments regarding Buddhism. It appeals to a reasonable faculty. If you're unreasonable, well, that's another story. The world is suffering it has been said. I differ and take refuge in Nuit:

"Obey my prophet! follow out the ordeals of my knowledge! seek me only! Then the joys of my love will redeem ye from all pain. This is so: I swear it by the vault of my body; by my sacred heart and tongue; by all I can give, by all I desire of ye all." 

“Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens." -Nichiren

In this survival manual it has a variety of factors that can ground one into an environment. For instance, in a nuclear fallout event it would require thirteen days to resume operations. Days one through six would require complete isolation. Varying degrees of exposure would ensue. All the way to day thirteen. 

The Mayan calculated thirteen day cycles. The kids and I saw a tortoise today in the backyard. 

The knife. The baton. The canteen cup. Maybe a map of the perimeter and definitely a compass. The pentacle. 

The emptiness spoken of by Bodhidharma sounds like nihilism. 

Cairns and stacked rocks

 Went to Collier Springs with the family the other day. A good picnic. Refreshing cool head bath in the water. The energy of the forest and creek was there. Undines. Then this morning we went for a short walk in the woods at Queen Wilhelmina State Park. Stones, trees, and a trail. 

I was quite happy when my and my family decimated several gaudy stone stacks. One was supposed to remain and I took it upon myself to finish the job. You are welcome. Those stupid stacks are an eyesore and I want to visit a natural place, not a primitive graffiti exhibit. Fuck your stone rock piles to god also. There are enough spirits there. However, I have no problem with  leaving stick effigies. I am a hypocrite. I just like the story Sticks by Karl Wagner. It ends abruptly leaving you wanting more. Just kidding, Leave no Trace.

Sand castles or the ruins there of do not disturb the beach for me. The impermanence of it just reinforces the feelings that come from interacting with Yemanja. I am interested in identifying more chthonic places. Typically an ideal spot would be a cave. There are caves here. There is a tribe I once heard of that said they originated from a cave. There were some nice cave out crops in Eastern Washington. In the coolies. I want to find something deeper. It is said there is a cave where Bodhidharma meditated for nine years. 

His blue eyes stared fixedly to the wall, communing with Chthonic energy. Better than television. It is said that you may even be able to see his shadow in the cave. 

Natural events and moments of nature are something to be witnessed. Not- Doing as Don Juan from Casteneda's books talks about this practice. Once read and studied it would help catalyze the natural awareness. Instead of building dams, like some assholes did at the creek. We reacted with activity rather than indifference and removed the dam. Well, one of us did. I sat Not-Doing. Then smoking. It was lovely.