Author: James

Dream Journal

09/24-09/25

I’m not going into details about my dream last night at the details are damn strange. If you really want to know, message me on tumblr. One thing I will say is that my dreams lack visual clarity. I seldom remember picture in sharp detail. I do, however, seem to know everyone I meet, even if I do not know them in life. Every person and event comes populated with a back story, already loaded and known to my subconscious. I wonder if this is a by product of my belief that I am a decent writer, but a lousy graphic artist?

Magick Working Journal

09/24

      I decided to take advice from Baphomet and learn more about the natural world. We had Pagan Pride in Indianapolis today. A decent sized event held in one of our few decent parks. About midday I began thinking about the fire wand I’ve been wanting to make out of oak. I decided to wander the lightly-forested area surrounding the event and do some tree identification and maybe collect some wood.

      So here goes self-confessed techno-pagan-urban-shaman-boy, iPhone in hand, examining trees and trying to determine their breed by the leaves. All I needed to do was listen to the squirrels. 

      I spotted a tree with some fallen limbs and went for it. I used a pretty good website that asks a series of questions to help you identify the tree. http://www4.uwsp.edu/cnr/leaf/Treekey/tkframe.htm While I stood there entering my data, the resident squirrel, while busily chewing a nut, kept chittering at me. He seemed to say, “move along dumb-ass, this is not the tree you’re looking for.” I ignored him, waiting for pages to load. “No really asshole, wrong tree.” He was right of course. I had found a white ash.

     I bid farewell to the irritable tree rodent and brought up some picture of oak leaves, so I at least had something to go on. I spotted one I thought fit the bill and walked over. In that tree I found another squirrel, silent, yet bright eyed and seemingly smiling. She wagged her tail at me. “You got it honey.” To make sure I went through the questions on the website. As I once again waited for page loads she seemed to say, “No, really dumbski, you can tell by the acorns.” Thanks for making me feel like an idiot squirrel.

     I grabbed a few choice branches and a handful of acorns and made my way back to the festivities.

      I should have just remembered what I’ve known all along. The squirrel is always right. http://www.illwillpress.com/ 

I’ve come to a conclusion.

It has long been my belief that if you find the most popular form of anything, it is the worst shit that appeals to the masses.

Campbell’s soup, USA Today, McDonald’s are all examples of this.

Aleister Crowley is the most popular magician of the 20-21st century.

Take that for what it is.

I’m once again trying to read Crowley, and once again I cannot for the life of me see why anyone takes this man seriously.

To quote Magick in Theory and Practice: Yoga is the general name for that form of meditation which aims at the uniting of subject and object, for “yog” is the root from which are derived the Latin word “Jugum” and the English word “Yoke.”

Are you trying to say that Latin words are based on sanskrit roots? Even the average scholar of his time would laugh at this.