Messages

Best way that would be speedy enough to cover a legal battle?  May want to check with your lawyer about the way the courts where you live look at evidence derived from hypnosis, though I warn you that most states will not allow it.  The only other thing would be pysche evaluations.  Magick would do it, but to do it safely, you have to take a long time.

Bloodsong

Careful with the chocolate cake allusions, there.  I just lost those 30 lbs.  I would like to keep them gone.

You already have the greatest censor/moderator in this or any other forum.  It is called ignore the annoying bastards, even if they do have the title of moderator or anything else.

Bloodsong

Everything is connected, the question is how.  Are you sure you understand the connectedness of everything?  If everything is connected, then so are your feelings to the people you wanted to enact that "justice" on and your feelings for everything else, including yourself.  Not to mention that your actions are always more connected to you than anything else, so to wish harm on others must expend energy harming yourself first. 

Work on your inner balance, and things will change.  The best thing for that is the Middle Pillar.  If you don't know what it is and what it does, I would highly recommend Israel Regardie's The Art of True Healing.  I think it is available as an e-book, if not, it is rather cheap through Amazon.com

Bloodsong

Try a regemin of ritual.  Start with the LBRP and the Middle Pillar ritual.  These are meant to help you realize yourself as the center of creation and the creator, all at the same time.  Once that balance is struck, how can you be depressed?

Bloodsong

That doesn't mean you Spirit Guides aren't talking to you.  The thing is that it is a two-way relationship.  You have asked your guides to open to you, but how much have you really done to open yourself to them?  If you are ruled by your emotions, you are not in a state to accept the subtle energies that they will communicate through. 

Bloodsong

It sounds to me that the real problem is that you are afraid of doing an actual job.  You say that you have amazing potential to affect society, but you refuse to put yourself before society and do the needed networking to make that difference.

Bloodsong

Read the basics, Modern Magick by Donald Michael Kraig, Psychic Self-Defense by Dion Fortune, and the second and third parts of Magick, Book 4, by Aliester Crowley (though that last is really more advanced), these are just for starters, and can't hurt.  You can learn better that way than with talking with me through a forum, at least if you are practicing, anyway.

Bloodsong

Congrats, you just performed a magickal act on the astral.

Bloodsong

You are mixing a lot of systems.  What are your reasonings to do this?  Does it all make sense, or are you banking on chaos? 

My best advice at this point, choose a system to start with, do the basics, get familiar with it intil you can feel comfortable with more advanced workings, then do those workings, and feel free at that point to research other systems and add in parts that you feel a connection to. 

If you are looking to shamanic methods, I cannot help you past these universal points.  My best advice if you cannot find someone else on these forums, go to www.occultforums.com and ask around there for help.

Bloodsong

Mal,

This is where imagination comes into play.  This ritual has as many permutations as there are practitioners. 

That being said, a few personal opinions.  Please feel free to adopt or throw away any of these. 

The best time to meditate on the meanings of the sephiroth is before you are doing any ritual.  That way, when it comes up in a ritual, the correct frame of mind is already at your natural disposal. 

The best way that I have found to vibrate names is in a single breath.  Experiment to find the pacing you need to use to get that name out, but it is also a matter of preference, so experiment with it both ways and decide for yourself.

Any time you do a ritual, you are entering an altered state.  If you aren't, what is the point?

I just noticed, I skipped over your first question.  As for what you imagine "vibrating", much like vibrating the names themselves, it is a matter of preference, and you only find that through experimentation.

The last point that I want to address is that if you are not comfortable, you won't present the correct frame of mind in ritual.  Unless of course being out of the comfort zone is the point of the ritual.  That being said, don't feel the need to bind your knees.  Just stand with your feet as close together as you can manage comfortably and you will do fine.

Bloodsong

These are all questions of faith.  Shamans are better for those who are willing to recognize the authority of nature and its interaction with humanity.  Druidry has made a legitimate comeback, as recognized with many schools online with recognition throughout the British Isles as historically relevant.  Mages have never died out, if by mage you mean ceremonial magicians.  They are the best unbroken line, in my opinion.  Despite centuries of persecution by the Holy Roman and Spanish Inquisitions (which both still exist, by the way.), written records can be found in all ages and years of practicing magicians.

That being said, the specific draw is all up to the individual seeker, according to that seekers faith and preference.  As for if "demonic forces" will take over you or your family, that depends on your faith.  If you are a devout Christian, who follow the sects of Christianity that this is evil, and a path straight to Hell, then this is not for you.  If, on the other hand, you are unhappy with your current faith, you need to start your magical career with a bit of work in deciding exactly what you believe to be Truth.

You have never mentioned what you expect to get out of this, or what you want to work for, which is your business.  But you sound like you need to really start by questioning your motivations.  If you don't feel your motivations are in sync with your morals, you have more work to do with that ethical dilemma than with the magical basics.  After all, the first precept of the mage is, "Know thyself."

Bloodsong

Magick is something that requires training and hard work.  You can try to do what you plan, however don't be suprised if your results echo your efforts up to this point.  You will have much more success after years of practice than after only a few minutes of performing your first ritual.

Most of the magick books, if they are the "grimoires" found all over online, are very much advanced, and are missing a lot of information.  That is because they were really more like notebooks than "how-tos".  Unless you have some training or experience, you won't be able to do much with those books.

If, on the other hand, you have read primers from the metaphysical section, you have a basis for actual work.  However, you are still limited by lack of experience, and what exactly is the truth behind the teachings in those books.  The plain truth is that many of the books out there now are from fluffies who don't really know the first thing about magick.  I have above mentioned two books that I know and trust.  I will not advise on unnamed books teaching you how to do these things, and stand by those recommendations.

Bloodsong

Really, all you need is the drive to do the ritual.  You seem to be completely in the dark about what magick is.  My best advice, go to Amazon.com and buy Modern Magick by Donald Michael Kraig.  It is a practical and theoretical primer on magick and hermeticism. 

I would answer all these questions for you, but Kraig really does it more eloquently and concisely than I can.

Bloodsong

The most deep thought that has ever been uttered from any magician to a seeker is this. "Stop asking, start doing."  Please feel free to ask more questions once you have actually done your first ritual, though.

Bloodsong

Magick is the process of purifying the soul.  As for harming yourself, that depends on how you use the magick.  It is a blind force.  Like electricity, it is not good or evil, it does not have a life.  It is only what we direct.  Just as electricity can be used to either power a surgical theatre while a child recieves a transplant, or kill someone in the electric chair, magick is only as good or evil as the person using it.  If you have confidence you are not evil, your magick will likely not harm anyone.

As for learning the basics, if I were you, I would start with Modern Magick by Donald Michael Kraig, and/or The New Hermetics, by Jason Augustus Newcomb.  Both of these are very good and will teach you both the basics and some advanced techniques.  Modern Magick especially will prepare you to read more advanced books, like the old grimoires.

As for the Magus, by Francis Barrett, it is alright, but basically plagarized from Three Books of Occult Philosophy by Henry Cornelius Agrippa.  Same info, different presentation.  From experience, while the Sacred Text Archives are great, nothing beats having the hard copy.  Amazon can help you get many of these titles for less than ten dollars if you aren't afraid of less than stellar production-styled books.  In this catagory, Kessinger Publishing is the lowest cost, but the presentation is often less than best. 

Bloodsong

P.S.  As for where the magick comes from, that is a matter of much debate, and I will not get into it.  Stating for someone else where magick comes from is rather like trying to dictate to them what religion they should follow.

does it bring anything negative at all from it's usage or understanding?

i've heard of people being molested or having paranoid things happening to them.

what are the basics or where is the power (if any) derived from?

to tell you the truth this seems foolish but i love to give all subjects an open minded door.

I will take these in order to the best of my understanding.

From its usage, perhaps, but that depends upon the understanding of the magician.  I am writing this from the point of view of a Ceremonial Magician.  We believe that magick is a means to union with the One Reason of existence.  That has also been called God, Christ, Krishna, Buddha, and numerous other things.  So how can attempting this union bring negative into one's life?  From a misunderstanding of the magick one uses, or a misunderstanding of one's self in attempting a metamorphosis. 

You mention " people being molested or having paranoid things happening to them."  Your words are often the most correct thing in the world.  Most times, these things end up being no more than overactive imagination of dabblers.  Sometimes, things can happen that are difficult to impossible to explain.  These things can be remedied, and rather easily.  All things regarding this have been openly discussed, as all things magickal.  This particular subject was revealed in Dion Fortune's "Psychic Self Defense."  Many other books have been written on the subject, but this is the original, has stood the test of time, and I have never heard anyone reputable recommend anything other, and I don't recommend looking elsewhere myself.

I must ask for clarification on what you mean by "What are the basics?"  Do you mean how to get started, or is this a continuation of the next part on asking where the "power" emanates from?

I will continue under the assumption of the second circumstance, but feel free to correct me. 

The power comes from within, and nowhere else.  The first hermeticists operated from the standpoint of the qabalistic belief of the divine spark residing within each of us, that separates us from the beasts.  Today, if you wish to remain scientific, you can compare it to the observer theory of quantum physics, as well as many other quantum theorems.  You can also throw in quite a few other things from psychology, if you wish.  I recommend The New Hermetics, by Jason Augustus Newcomb, if you wish to know more on how to mix the Western Mystery Tradition with modern science.  It also gives a very powerful and easy system for attainment in magick, so it does tie back to the other contingent for this question.

Lastly, nothing you have asked is foolish.  These are the best questions I have seen in a long time.

To give a postscript, I see you also ask how one harnesses the powers of nature.  To answer that, I have to go a little esoteric.  You see, I am a Thelemite, and I believe in the revelation of the Book of the Law.  One of the main tenets that I have gleaned from this, every person is the sole creator and inhabitant of their own universe.  Other people are simply things that we invite in.  Thus, the forces of nature in our lives are simply psychological paths that we can not only travel, but shape.   It is YOUR MIND.  Don't make it up, simply make it!

Bloodsong

Don't count on that money back guarantee, there have been many court precedents saying that some fields are not legal contracts, so depending on where the "money back guarantee" was, it may not be legally binding.

Still, you are only out $5.

Bloodsong

Shadow,

The Tree of Life is less a magickal primer than it is a history lesson.  Initiation to Hermetics is the best in depth, and a perfect primer is Modern Magick by Donald Michael Kraig.

Bloodsong

Has any of you ever actually achieved anything with magic?  I should be very interested to know.

I have used the mind play that is the balancing effects of ceremonial magick to effectively manage and deal with clinical depression without medications since I was 16.  That was a decade ago, and from a depression deep enough that I had tried mutilation, and suicide, just to feel anything.  Now, I still struggle against the same forces, but by first using magick to externalize them as "demons", then subjugating them and integrating them into my psyche, I have lessened the struggle.

All of what I did was what commonly falls into the arena of "Hermetics".  If you are looking for something to make you look better, look inside, not out.  Until you really have the drive, you will not effect the change.  All changes magick brings, it brings about naturally, as magick is a natural science/art.  Your appearance is never going to change "instantly" like you see from Hollywood.  It will take time. 

Bloodsong

It isn't that you don't understand magick, neccessarily.  This ritual is apparantly one that the poster developed himself and was quite powerful for him/her.  The problem is that while the visualisations and purpose are quite apparent to the author, the wording is misty to anyone who is not in the exact same frame of mind.  Honestly, this is something that is much better suited to a personal magick journal than a public web forum.

Bloodsong

My man, you are barking up the wrong tree if you actually think any kind of mind-altering substance is going to make magick easier.  If an outside substance is altering your mind in any way, it is taking control away from your mind.  Magick is all about control of the mind and body, giving it up in any amount or aspect will bring your results down.

Next, glamour magick doesn't work the way you have seen in The Craft.  True glamour magicks will not really cause any effect in your appearance, but in the way others perceive you.  In effect, all glamours really do is provide you with a ritual to boost your self-confidence.  This is not to say they are "fake" or useless.  I have done them myself, usually when I wanted to get laid or had a job interview I was nervous about.  It just isn't going to change your eye color or anything like that.

Bloodsong

Well, there is one method I know of that is about eighty percent effective.  It is called monoxidyl.  Usually found in Rogaine.

Bloodsong

And if anyone tells you they can spin a piece of paper with their minds, don't believe that either unless you see it.

If you want a better idea of what magick really is, check out the esoteric archives at http://www.hermetics.org/library.html

Bloodsong

Hermeticism is based off of the writings of a proposed early century BCE Egyptian/Grecian (no one is sure which from what I can tell.) named Hermes Trinegistus.  The main drive behind the entire movement is the Emerald Tablet and Corpus Hermeticum.  Considering the person these writings are attributed to was not a part of any religion, and lived (supposedly) during a time when Christ was but a tickle in his celestial fathers groin, not to mention his "people" had yet to be set free from bondage in Egypt, I doubt a belief in a god he likely ridiculed is a prerquisite.

Also, if you really think I am joking, read The Key to Solomon's Key, by Lon Milo DuQuette.  In it he discloses what the final secret revealed by that exalted hermetic brotherhood the Freemasons is.  Want a hint?  You already know the secret if you are an athiest.

Bloodsong