The Purpose of a Coven ?>

The Purpose of a Coven

Introduction Covens and other kinds of magickal groups, including study groups, fraternal lodges, and churches, serve various purposes. How can we describe these purposes? I propose the following broad categories: Community Teaching Worship Magick Initiation Below, when I say “pagan” I mean generally those who follow non-Christian paths (e.g., the same use as in Pagan Pride Day). When I say “mainstream churches” I mean Christian churches in 21st century America. Community Fellowship Fellowship includes the breaking of bread, sharing of meals,…

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Lon Milo DuQuette’s Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot ?>

Lon Milo DuQuette’s Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot

Title: Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot Author: Lon Milo DuQuette Publisher: Weiser Books Release Date: 2003 Pages: 352 Lon Milo DuQuette has been a member of the O.T.O. since the 1970’s, and is a widely written and respected author in the magickal community. In Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot (Weiser, 2003), he brings much-needed clarity to the understanding of the Thoth deck. His methods, though, are unusual, and the book does not progress as do other books on tarot. The…

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Magickal Herb Harvest Fall 2016 ?>

Magickal Herb Harvest Fall 2016

Herbs of Mars: * Wormwood, Artemisia absinthium, whole plant, harvested 9-27-16 (waning Moon),in hour of Mars 7:25AM. Uses; purification, protection. Hindering hostile magic or banishing negative forces. Visionary work, prophetic visions of the future. * Basil, Ocimum basilicum, leaves, harvested 9-27-16 (waning Moon, after Fall Equinox) in hour of Mars 7:21AM. Uses; to dispel fears and bring courage. Banishing of hostile spirits; purification of sacred spaces; protection. Herbs of Mercury: * Cinquefoil, Potentilla anserina, whole plant including roots, harvested 9-14-16…

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Saturnine 8-13-16 ?>

Saturnine 8-13-16

Saturn, Holy Wanderer Saturn the stern mother who sets limits Who says, no more This you can do but no more. Face your mortality, your numbered days And live. Live within the constraints, the structure of the sonnet, And in that structure, be free, say what you will. Give up the impossible. The mind struggles with unseen obstacles Before it gives in Accepting what is. Time of limitations The hard lessons define the edges of the path. Between young and old, at the midpoint, at the crossroads, Seeking the treasure, always hidden and yet always present. Right here, at my feet. Where else could it be?

J. Daniel Gunther’s Initiation in the Æon of the Child ?>

J. Daniel Gunther’s Initiation in the Æon of the Child

Title: Initiation in the Æon of the Child Author: J. Daniel Gunther Publisher: Ibis Press Release Date: 2014 Pages: 223 J. Daniel Gunther’s Initiation in the Æon of the Child: The Inward Journey is pretentious and difficult. The reader is expected to have, at minimum, the ability to read common Hebrew words (e.g., God and angel names) without transliteration and to have a fairly extensive background in the Western Magickal Tradition, qabalah, and Thelema. The author often makes a point with…

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Passages (7-18-16) ?>

Passages (7-18-16)

Thundering sky god, dropping down like lightning into our presence– Distant, full of anger, Holder of the deadly fire, snapping the leather belt in your hand, The rod to enforce your will. Non-nurturer, unable to feed even yourself, Requiring much propitiation. Narcissus with a mirror, loving what you see, Pining away for some distant land, for accolades– Wearer of masks, Jovial public faces– Small, trembling in the storm gale, Afraid of life, of chances, of mistakes. Bodhisattva says, Just another…

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The Day After (7-28-16) ?>

The Day After (7-28-16)

The day after you died I ate nothing– The world, my world, every inch of it Had shifted subtly, irrevocably one half inch to the right It looked the same, but forever changed– All day, distracted by an almost-sound, almost within my hearing, By an almost-glimpse of something just out of sight The very first time since my very first breath In a world without you alive in it. I burned a white candle, offered the water, Bade you move…

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Times (7-23-16) ?>

Times (7-23-16)

The times you lifted me up From the carpeted floor Where I lay pretending to sleep So you would carry me Sleeping-­child­-weight To my bed­­– Tuck me in, safe from the storm. The times we drove out together Just you and I, front seat pick­up, No seat belts, just you and I­­ Escaping together giggling. The time I wrapped my legs around Your strong waist, in the blood-­warm Gulf waters­­ I laid my head back, floating, Secure in your anchor,…

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David Shoemaker’s Living Thelema ?>

David Shoemaker’s Living Thelema

Title: Living Thelema Author: David Shoemaker Publisher: Anima Solis Books Release Date: 2013 Pages: 260 David Shoemaker’s Living Thelema: A Practical Guide to Attainment in Aleister Crowley’s System of Magick is best described as handbook for those undertaking the A∴A∴ system of study. Two points that should not put off the reader are, first, that this book assumes you already know something about ceremonial magick and the Qabalah. Not that you need to know a lot, but enough to not get lost. For…

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James A. Eshelman’s The Mystical & Magical System of the A∴A∴ ?>

James A. Eshelman’s The Mystical & Magical System of the A∴A∴

Title: Mystical and Magical System of the A∴A∴ Author: James A. Eshelman Publisher: The College of Thelema Release Date: 2000 Pages: 282 James A. Eshelman’s The Mystical & Magical System of the A∴A∴ (The Spiritual System of Aleister Crowley & George Cecil Jones Step-by-Step) is a roughly 8.5 by 11 inch hardback published by The College of Thelema on paper meeting the Z38.48 standard (this is what used to be called “acid-free paper”). The first 170 pages start with a brief…

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