The Eighth Sermon to the Dead

Talking about RO's Seven Spheres of Planetary Magic ( now on sale ) made me start thinking about other works that I've read, and worked on, and haven't gone back to. For instance, I took part in the year long Strategic Sorcery work put on by Jason Miller. I never finished the homework, and now I'm coming back to it. I really enjoyed the write ups, but didn't have the time, space, or ambition to really work through the material. I didn't even really have any huge goals.  The goals seemed good, workable, and manageable. Now I have a goal, one I'd like to make happen. It's big, like BHAG big. There's no way for me to do it in my lifetime without supernatural aid and/or some interesting changes in circumstance. It's measurable. It has stages, can be done in sprints, from multiple angles, doesn't have to be done all at once. And it's a great homework assignment. It will also be an interesting thing to do with my beloved. I'll keep

Frater Rufus Opus is releasing a book of his rituals on the planetary spheres.   I have used some of this material in the past, and really enjoyed it. RO uses it to better his material situation, to get to know the angels of the spheres and basically make his life better. That's a fine usage for the material, and one which I engage in also, but I have a different take. I do follow a Gnostic path, and April DeConick's short article about the Sethian Gnostic Ascent made an impression on me. I've worked all the planetary spheres, and I think that from a Gnostic point of view, it's possible to use this or similar material to overcome the Archons. My theory is that by having a relationship with the archons, when it comes time for the soul to exit the mortal plane, one can pass through the gates, because you've already done it. From there, exit from the material plane may be possible, and a return to the celestial heavens or the pleroma or the all be accomplished. I

Today, someone I don't know posted on a friend's facebook timeline: Don't waste your time. Religion is the biggest joke played on man. A good god would've revealed itself. I had a mixed reaction to this. On the one hand, I recognized that this person's ' Reality Tunnel ' is firmly entrenched in a non-religious track. What benefit, to me or them, to contradict their tunnel? On the other, I really WANTED to contradict their tunnel, as I find religion to be both useful and beneficial in my daily life. Meditations, prayers, and rituals all help me to organize my day to day thoughts, and find my center. When I have solid ground to start from, the rest of my life falls into place a lot easier than not. Then again, when I think of religion, I think of a very personal set of practices, surrounded by an accepting community of like minded people. I have no idea what this person thinks of when they hear the word 'religion', other than 'it's a joke&

My wonderful friend and bishop Timothy Mansfield has proposed that for Advent, we close the gap between what we think we should be doing for religious practice, and what we are doing. For 4 weeks, we should practice the way we've always wanted to, as rigorous as possible. Some of us are already doing that. Some could up their game a little. Some can never reach the ideal short of becoming an ascetic out in the desert. For the season of Advent, let's try to close the gap, whether it's a little, or a lot. http://timmansfield.name/post/101873744125/advent-practice-challenge-close-the-gap #adventclosethegap