In the narrative art the dove refers as aphrodisiac logos on an erotic atmosphere, such as on a late classical Etruscan mirror.
In classical antiquity, the dove was considered as the embodiment of typically female characteristics, and in particular the white dove was considered a sacred bird of the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite or their Italian versions Turan in Etruria and Venus in the Roman Empire. The connection of the dove with a love goddess existed in the Bronze Age and Early Iron Age civilizations of Mesopotamia and the Levant. The bird was the Mesopotamian Ishtar and Astarte West Semitic variant holy.
To celebrate surpassing 2,000 followers, I am putting my
novels on sale for 99 cents through April 3rd.
Chasing the Wyrm is not as serious as My Babylon, but it was
a hell of a lot of fun to write. I love urban fantasy and bad 80s action
movies. The idea for this book came from watching Die Hard. The best explanation
I could find for how John McClain does what he does is that he’s a wizard. It
has its serious side too. I’ve always bemoaned how urban fantasy is politically
naïve. I wanted to fix that.
Get the ebook on Amazon for 99 cents. Also available in
print. Buy the print edition and receive the Kindle edition for free.
If the CIA finds out al-Qaeda has a guy who can bend spoons,
they call the OAA, and they send me. When the Office of Naval Intelligence has
reports of a strange, giant, glowing squid, “Hey OAA, can Topher scuba dive?”
An infestation of rabid, gun-toting, were-jaguars in a South American jungle?
No problem. Topher can fix it. Nothing worse than spooked spooks who don’t have
a clue what they’re dealing with.
But that’s my job. Because being a wizard means I’m the only
one who can handle it.”
To protect its interests, the U.S. government projects its
power militarily, economically, and magically. It leaves the last to the Office
of Arcane Affairs.
Christopher Yan didn’t ask for the job. A wizard born with
the power to warp reality, the OAA calls on him to neutralize all arcane
threats. Part spy, part fixer, part assassin, Topher searches for a way to make
his unique gift serve both his country and his principles. When he makes an
enemy of a rogue wizard serving a dying insurgency, he learns the limits his
conscience can bear.
To celebrate surpassing 2,000 followers, I am putting my
novels on sale for 99 cents through April 3rd.
I consider My Babylon my best work to date. Personally
cathartic, I wrote My Babylon in the gloom shrouded winter of 2013, driven
through the dark months, and completing it the spring with the promise of life
returned. I believe anyone with a taste for a dark, psychological tale with
occult themes would enjoy this book.
Get the ebook on Amazon for 99 cents. Also available in
print. Buy the print edition and receive the Kindle edition for free.
_____________
A novel about the paranormal and dark desires. The story of
a cursed young man who has an intimate view of the Apocalypse. My Babylon
weaves elements of urban fantasy, erotic horror, and real-world occult
practices to form a unique personal tale that thrills, terrifies, and even
enlightens.
In My Babylon, the magus, consumed with longing, seeks to
create a replacement for his lost love using a grisly ritual that requires the
theft of a body. Through her creation, he learns that he has a much bigger role
to play, and that she may be a form of salvation not only for him but for
others.
The Complete edition contains all five books of the My
Babylon story.
Reviews* for My Babylon
“Captivating, interesting, dark, and at times even
funny.”
“Darkly horrific, Lovecraftian work. Parts of it make
you squeamish, parts send chills down your spine. A deft illustration of the
black side of the human soul.”
“What I really loved about this work was what was left
unsaid—telling a story with details rather than stating the obvious is becoming
a lost art. What surprised me about this work was how much it drew me in
despite my merely mild interest in the occult.”
“James has put together a great story with great
characters who feel authentic, even as they go about tasks that you’d be
horrified to find out your neighbors were up to. And even though Mike, the
magician who narrates this story, is involved in really heinous activities, I
still like the guy. And that is an impressive feat.”
“Not for the timid this book, but well worth it.”
“An intriguing look at what drives us …”
“It’s the struggle to remain sane, keep discrete, and
keep the emotional compulsions in control that structures the suspense of this
thriller.”
“In the end, you’re left with the sense of a
masterfully conceived protagonist who gives credence to the idea of the
unsympathetic character. It also maintains an orbiting cluster of supporting
characters who are interesting in their own right but also necessary to the
development of the protagonist.”
*Reviews originate from those left for the individual novellas
included in this book.
“In this book it is spoken of the Sephiroth and the Paths; of Spirits and Conjurations; of Gods, Spheres, Planes, and many other things which may or may not exist. It is immaterial whether these exist or not. By doing certain things certain results will follow; students are most earnestly warned against attributing objective reality or philosophic validity to any of them.” ― Aleister Crowley, Magick in Theory and Practice
About five or so years ago I got ordained in a Metaphysical Church. It’s a long story about my ex-wife contemplating being a wedding planner and thinking it’d be neat if I could marry people (given my..well, you get it). Anyway, I found a Church I liked. They were what I’d define as Pantheistic/Humanist and I liked their stated tenets. Plus, they had a course of study that resulted in a non-accredited degree. Always being eager to learn here and there, I liked that. Not to mention I currently possess a “Bachelor of Metaphysics” degree (suitable for framing) for my effort. On top of that, the Church was fairly new and I got a “scholarship” in exchange for giving some time helping out with some administrative type duties.
Things went fairly well until, while taking tests for what would have been my “Master of Metaphysics” degree (suitable for framing), there arose a question that included the statement that belief is the most powerful thing in the universe. This isn’t an uncommon thing in New Age Circles, and to be honest it didn’t really surprise me to see it. Maybe it was time for a paradigm shift, or maybe I’m just a dick, but my answer was a fairly long dissertation as to why belief wasn’t the most powerful thing in the universe and, in fact, essentially had no power at all. That’s about the time I got kicked out of the Church. By the way, action was my answer to the question. It’s what we do that makes the difference in my opinion, not what we think or feel. That’s just me.
Anyway…………….
In books about practical magic(k) it’s not uncommon to read an instruction to allow as many “avenues of manifestation” as possible after you’ve done your spell/sigil/ritual/human sacrifice, or what have you. In other words, if you do a love spell you’re going to have to go out and mingle, dress nice, not be a dick, etc. If you do a ritual to find a job, you’re going to have to fill out applications, go through the classifieds, and so on. This creates what scientists would call a confound. What I’m saying here is there’s no way you can ever be sure the Magic(k) you did had anything to do with you achieving your intent.
To further the Magic(k)al confound, a lot of books also basically tell you NOT to do a love spell on a particular person, or a specific anything depending on your goal. Some also go further by stating that it may take a long time because of things like lust for result and subconscious resistance. This essentially sets up a scenario that, generally, cannot fail.
Then there’s the rituals that don’t have a particular Statement of Intent, and a vague purpose, where anything, really, that happens to you afterward can be attributed to said ritual.
Let’s back up a little. In a recent post on my blog I said the following:
Occult-It means “hidden”. Stop trying so hard to figure out the “How’s”, “Why’s” and such. The fact is, when it comes to Magic(k), most of it can be entirely chalked up to subjective experience, confirmation bias, “bat shit crazy”, or way far into the realm of superstition. Just admit that you’re a weirdo and get comfortable with it. If you’re in one of the many occult “groups” out there, just admit that you enjoy doing “strange things with weird people”. It’s OK as long as you’re not killing babies or fucking goats or some such shit. Remembering that will carry you far.
I want to explain some of that a bit. First, given the “hidden” nature of things occult, there’s simply some stuff we don’t know. You don’t know how (or if, really) Magic(k) works. You’ve got theories, but they’re not solid, trust me. Luckily, it doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Adopt that line of thought and your life as an occultist will be much easier. I promise.
I mentioned subjective experience. I’m talking about anything dependent on or taking place in a person’s mind rather than the external world. Think honestly about how much occult experience this covers. Bear in mind that an experience being subjective doesn’t make it remotely meaningless. It doesn’t make it “TRUTH” either, and that’s important.
I also mentioned confirmation bias, the tendency to search for, interpret, or recall information in a way that confirms one’s beliefs.
I think we all understand what I mean by “bat shit crazy”
Then there’s superstition, the belief in supernatural causality—that one event causes another without any natural process linking the two events that contradicts natural science. I’ll state for the record that I don’t think anything is supernatural, and I’ve had conversations with discarnate entities…many of them from works of fiction. That makes them imaginary, not supernatural, and it doesn’t negate the possible impact they can have on the objective world.
I personally have no problem with any of these, or even with incorporating them into how I live my life if I find it effective in some way, but we should call them what they are. We shouldn’t willingly fool ourselves.
My next post will be about “action”. In the meantime, here’s something to ponder. Of the people I know who are into occult stuff, I’d say a good 95% are familiar with sigil magic(k), one of the simplest operations in modern occultism most likely. Sigil Magic(k) claims to be capable of accomplishing anything any other sort of Magic(k) claims to, and most (if not all) of the 95% of the occultists I know who are familiar with it would label it effective. However, at least with the occultists I know, ritual magick is far more popular. Why, if the two forms of magic(k) are equal in their effectiveness, do you suppose that is?
1. Greek mythology: the female followers of Dionysus (Bacchus in the Roman pantheon), the most significant members of the Thiasus, the god’s retinue. Their name literally translates as “raving ones”. Often the maenads were portrayed as inspired by Dionysus into a state of ecstatic frenzy, through a combination of dancing and drunken intoxication.
2. a frenzied woman.
Etymology: Greek μαινάδες, mainádes. Latin Maenas, from Greek mainas – madwoman.
