In my previously constrained magical life, which persisted for many years after we moved to rural New Hampshire in 1979 and our early attempts to start astrology and Qabala groups came to nothing, I never encountered scoffers and skeptics. Eventually, my only public exposure in the esoteric field was to the like-minded people at the local … Continue reading The “Hamlet Defense”
Spirituality
A “Spiritual Release” Example Reading
This was an interesting exercise because I have been on an esoteric spiritual journey for over four decades, and count myself among the 37% of Americans who consider themselves "spiritual but not religious." I used the Radiant RWS for this reading. Card #1 - "What I Know" (The Footing): High Priestess I believe this card is talking about … Continue reading A “Spiritual Release” Example Reading
A “Spiritual Release” Spread
Many of us spend years seeking the most inspiring and rewarding personal path to spiritual enlightenment (or at least those of us do who refuse to swallow the "faith" pill). I envision both a philosophical and a mystical trajectory to this goal, depending on whether one is predominantly a "thinker" or a "feeler." For those who aren't sure, here is a layout to help … Continue reading A “Spiritual Release” Spread
But Is It Divine?
The root of the word divination is "divine," meaning "resembling God or a god in qualities such as power, beauty, or benevolence." I have encountered readers who are convinced that their every utterance is a direct communication from a Higher Power via their private psychic channel. My suspicion is that many of these people are converts … Continue reading But Is It Divine?
The Force
There is a premise in esoteric philosophy that envelopes the entire field of Hermetic theory: the "Descent of Spirit into Matter." This key concept underlies the principle of spiritual "adaptation" (as described in the Emerald Tablet) that links the "above" to the "below," mediating between the most subtle regions (the Divine) and the grossest (the … Continue reading The Force
Earth Abides*
(*Thanks to George R. Stewart for the title of his 1949 science-fiction novel and its main character "Ish," the word for "Man" in biblical Hebrew.) For most of us, at any given moment the one thing we can rely on in our experience of objective reality is the ground beneath our feet. The element of … Continue reading Earth Abides*
Air Apparent
I put the Book of Thoth's slant on elemental Air under the microscope next. In his discussion of the Ace of Swords, Crowley called Air "all-embracing, all-wandering, all-penetrating, all-consuming." He also said "In nature, the obvious symbol of Air is the Wind, 'which bloweth whithersoever it listeth.'" Taken together, these observation could be seen as … Continue reading Air Apparent
Water, Water Everywhere
Expanding on my analysis of elemental Fire as described in The Book of Thoth, I examined Crowley's observations regarding the other two "primal" elements ("completely spiritual forms of pure energy"), Water and Air, and the special case of Earth, which represents a "crystallizing out" or coalescing of the other three in order to effectively impinge … Continue reading Water, Water Everywhere
The Inner Flame
In re-reading The Book of Thoth for what is now the fourth time, I'm constantly being enriched by fresh insights and epiphanies regarding the esoteric underpinnings of the modern tarot. I've long appreciated Crowley's statement regarding the Hebrew letter Shin (relative to Judgement in the Golden Dawn system of trump-card correspondences) that "The element of Fire … Continue reading The Inner Flame
The Nature of the Beast
While doing some rather casual on-line reading about the I Ching, I came across a brief introduction to the subject that holds the following insights on the nature of divination: "Methods of divination are as old as Mankind. The purpose of divination is often considered to be foretelling the future, but while simple superstitious fortunetelling … Continue reading The Nature of the Beast
