Liber Astarte

1. Considerations before the Threshold. Ogun, Orisha of war,labor,politics,prophecy, and magick.
2.Concerning the prime method of this Magickal Art. Yoruba source with Brazillian influence.
3.Concerning the chief place of devotion. A shrine has been prepared in the basement of my home. It is safely protected from the profane in a private room, lit by a single northern window.

4.Concerning the Image of the Deity.

5.Further concerning the shrine. A list of offerings: Tabacco,rum,blood,incense, shotgun shells,candles. set before a black canvas with the image of the Deity centered for concentration. Also facing North.

6.Concerning the ceremonies. 

"Ogun, Master of Arms,

take me into battle,

to that distant fiddler's green.

Ogun, demand my strength,

as I attempt to stand beside thee.

Ogun, hear these words, for it is labor for our chance of union.

Ogun, destroy Maya and pierce illusion,

I devote.

I declare.

I invoke thee."

7.Further concerning the ceremonies. Breakdown of a Remington 870 shotgun.

8.Concerning the period of devotion and the hours thereof. Once daily for thirty days.

9.Concerning the Robes and Instruments. A shot-glass will suffice to serve a daily serving of rum. A hooded garment with the mark of the Orisha.

10.Concerning the incense and libations. Rum and Tobacco.

11.Concerning the harmony of the ceremonies. A power amplifier will provide a variety of music and possibly entrainment material to influence the ritual.

12.Concerning the variety of ceremonies. Sharpening with the stone of various blades that I have.

13.Concerning the life of the devotee. Creative force dedicated to a daily rate of production. I will read material on political spheres, a task normally not taken, but rather avoided. A fitness regimine that competes with previous training. 

14.Further..."Let him practice according to the rules of Liber Vel Jugorum"To control thy thought and speech and honor the ruler of devotion.

Osiris

It is difficult to imagine this place. As it is, and not "as it should be".  Foreshadowing reveals a future that is encumbered by incomplete mythologies. Divorced from any active component or utilization. All around are these passive non-participatory institutions of worship. Perhaps the picture I imagine is to extreem to be considered neutrality. Then let neutrality be the enemy.

Let the spirit shine.

Often, I consider the various schools and systems that are intended to offer consciousness expansion. Or the promise of elevating adherents to a higher quality of existence. Not only do I consider the worth of their various techniques and methods, I also consider the latent sense that drives the fractured soul to obsess over the practices. Only then do I respect my intentions and try the exercises out.

Islam and Judaism offer various methods of expanding consciousness, i.e. the Kabbala and Salah. These are but two examples but even so it embarrasses an impoverished system such as Christianity.

Osiris from the Egyptians was the borrowed legend. This we know. It isn't solely the borrowing from a previous culture that disturbs me, after all I love Hinduism's contemporary: Buddhism, it is the lack of applications and tools. It relies on a book corrupted by societies and a myth of a divine architect that divides man against man, book against book. I abhor generally all major passive religions, yet it is Christianity that is the one responsible for so much spiritual and mental immaturity around me.

The majority of the Christian Gnostic Gospels are destroyed and very little regarding meditation and devotion exists. The Catholics have a monopoly on rituals and I must note this. However, these are executed by clergy and doesn't suggest that the congregation is suited for anything other than observation.

 Jefferson himself had to reinterpret the bible for moral use, dismissing a significant portion to superstitions and misinterpretations. This is where I will start: http://www.angelfire.com/co/JeffersonBible/
Then onto the Gnostic Bible I found at a local bookstore. Perhaps this study will provide a salve to an otherwise festering wound known as Christianity.

revolving evolver

Designing some new sonic material to collaborate with. Perhaps it will develop independently, we shall see... The APC makes building rhythms more interactive which I enjoy. It takes a while to write beats that have an organic feel without this machine. This really streamlines the process.

 Microzyk might be coming together for an EP. We have yet to develop a concept or direction. As for the Rhizome Connectome project, I am really finding more ways to put together material but as of yet I have been holding back. Simple orchestrations are always attractive but do not come together as easy as expected.

At least that is the case when I am arranging. These things develop with patience. Familiarity with what the equipment can do also enhances the ability to articulate the soundscape.

At this point I am beyond the novice and venturing forward ...though the work has only begun.