The Eighth Sermon to the Dead

Tuesday: I met with the Magical Lodge, and we chatted about this, that, studying, etc. We're reading "Western Mandalas of Transformation" by Soror A.L., and I've been digging it. It's an interesting work, with a lot of cool stuff in it. The parallels of my day to the Science card are obvious. Study, learning, interest, etc. Psalm 9 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. My enemies turn back; they stumble and perish before you. For you have upheld my right and my cause; you have sat on your throne, judging righteously. You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever. Endless ruin has overtaken the enemy, you have uprooted their cities; even the memory of them has perished. The LORD reigns forever; he has established his thro...

Over here , Frater R.O. argues that everything happens for a reason. Over here , Jason Miller says that's poppycock, and not everything happens for a reason. I was just thinking about this myself (Thanks again, Abrimelin Synchonicity!), and so thought I'd add my thoughts. They're both right. (Wait, what?) Ok, I'm a non-dualist, so it's perfectly rational in my view for both perspectives to be correct. It may be that everything happens for a reason, in the sense that event D is the result of events A, B, and C. I'm alive today because when I took the kayak out in the lake when I was 5, when I couldn't swim, and didn't understand how paddles worked, A) I didn't panic, and B) someone came by and rescued me. I was in danger because I took the kayak out in the lake, couldn't swim, and didn't understand how paddles worked. So, both things happened for a reason, and those reasons are easily explained. That's simple cause and effect. Now, doe...

Yesterday was a day of doing work: Shopping, cleaning, mailing materials. Not a lot of reflection, rather a day of manifesting passions: Food, order, service. So, not a lot to say. Just a good, productive day. Psalm 8 O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth th...

Today was a working day. I finished a project that's been sitting on my ecclesiastical desk for quite a while. I did a little shopping. I took the dog to the park, bought some new candle holders for the altar for mass. Ideas that have been stewing around for a while were given form, the purpose of this card. This is the path that connects the Supernal Triad to the rest of the Tree of Life, the first card to cross the Abyss. It brings the divine life into the formative world. That's what Sundays are for, for me. A day of rest, but also of activity. A recharge, and using that charge to accomplish things. Psalm 7 O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver. O LORD my God, If I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands; If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause...

Card Drawn: 9 of Wands, image coming shortly. The Deck shows 10 flames behind 9 wands, 8 crossed diagonally with 1 in the midddle. It's the moon in Sagittarius, "The weakest of the planets in the most elusive of signs." Yet the card is named "Strength". It's the strange equilibrium of stability and change. One must continue moving in order to keep things stable, stop and you fall over (picture a bicycle). However, any change is not beneficial, it needs to be directed. If you move left or right on a bicycle without also moving forward, you fall over. To go left, you have to gradually turn, lean into the curve, etc. Direction is necessary. Energy comes back into balance, and I definitely saw that happening on Saturday. I was at a meeting of our wine club, and it went from being a fairly organized tasting to being a fun party. It was balanced, there were new folks and old stalwarts in the group, there was drunken fun but no embarrassing moments. I pl...

On Friday, I was supposed to have 2 social occasions. I went to the first, had no energy for the second, and so went home. I didn't feel well. When I got home, I felt better. I wonder if this is part of the Abrimelin working, where you're supposed to be a little retiring while it's going on. I wanted to read, and whole up in my house, and not sit and chat with old and new friends and drink beer. It's nothing against them, I love them all dearly, and someone even said they'd been following this, which is nice. I just wasn't prepared for it, I guess. Today we have another social occasion, and I'm not really excited about it. But, that's probably just the cold talking, and I'll love it once I get there. Already, I'm making bread for it. Today's card is a balanced card. 4 points in harmony. Maybe I just need to get out a bit, and balance that with some alone time. Psalm 5 Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken u...

The Princess of Swords, Earth in Air. Yesterday, I thought about what I want to do, where I want to go. I want to go to San Francisco, and that's my eventual goal. However, the timing is not right. I've been apprehensive as I watch my responsibilities here grow, and the opportunities out west diminish. My industry has been hit hard, and there will be a lot of folks with skills comparable or superior to mine. So, the idea of going out there seems to be not rooted in reality, just yet. However, the idea of staying here is repugnant. I'm not pleased with the environment, nor the lack of progress on several fronts. Instead, I talked with Emily last night for a long time, about what to do next. She doesn't want to stay in Madison, but she can transfer to Milwaukee for her job. I know folks in Milwaukee, and it's a bigger area with more going on, both religious and magickal wise. I have friends still in Milwaukee. Upon discussing this option, many weights lifte...

Abudnance. I've had much in my life. It has been rich, filled with good friends, surprising betrayals, wonderful experiences and times when things were bleak, joy and heartbreak. And I've loved it all. It continues to this day, where I have so much I almost don't know what to do with it. It's strange how right now, at the beginning of this process, everything seems to be a problem, every day has a positive and negative, and the negative looms large. I have so much, but how much of it do I want ? How much is deliberate choice and building of my life, and how much accretion simply through living and being me? Part of the Abremelin Process, in my mind, is a shedding of that which does not matter, a certain removal of attachment to things that are not necessary. I have at least 2 boxes of stuff that is probably no longer necessary in my basement. I have books from my grandmother, binoculars from my grandfather, wedding crap that I've kept for 10 years and never ...

My prayers on Tuesday were quite short, but I did find it interesting, the day of Mars, I got Strife. It's important to remember that strife is not always a bad thing. It is the struggle of opposing forces. A lot of energy is both created and expended in strife, represented by the ten flames coming out of the center of the card. It can be a source of creativity, a source of wealth. Times of struggle and strife require new solutions, because the old ways have brought us to an impasse. We need to look at ways we haven't explored before, to get out of our current situation. The energy generated in that pursuit will carry us through to the next goal. Psalm 2 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the LORD shall h...

The Ace of Disks. The Source of all materialness. My relationship to the material isn't the best: I've been finding out I don't take care of my material form enough, and it's starting to show. I've been broke, bankrupt, lost my house, and generally made a lot of poor decisions financially. I've bought things I don't need, and generally wasted my money. I'm turning that around, slowly. It's never too late. My money now goes to a savings account, and to the Church, with a small amount dedicated to my life and fun. I'm cleaning up my messes, and generally getting my house in order. It's much easier to make good habits when you're young, so if you're young and reading this, start learning about good money and material habits early. If you're not so young, it's never too late to start. Psalm 1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of t...

Read about it here! See pictures here! Watch video here!

Sunday, I set up my prayer room for the Abremelin working. I've got a couple things to help guide my prayers and meditations: A bible open to psalms, and the Thoth deck. I'm sure I'll add more to the altar as I progress, and as I read the preparations for these next six months. This is the first card I drew. Princess of Cups. I'm reminded of creature comforts, and how the material world can soothe our emotions. I don't have an anecdote for this yet, like Witchdoctor Joe, but I'm sure I'll get better as I progress.

Well, it's been an ecumenical week for me this week. I've been wanting to get to know some of the folks in smaller churches around my area, so on Thursday, I went to a Spiritualist service. They were all very nice people, and I broached the subject of an ecumenical worship building with them. They seemed interested. I have another group in mind, the Madison Sufis, who might want to invest in an ecumencial building. Lastly, tonight I stopped and chatted with the Rev. Mark Cobb and Rev. Wayne (?) of the New Testament Christian Church, who have a small 1000 sq foot office space they're renting as a church. They're looking at moving out, and there's another space in their complex of similar size, that would work for a worship space. I'm intrigued, and will be trying to work with smaller religious organizations on a time share sort of arrangement. Hopefully, we can make something like that happen. House churches are neat, but having worship space is ideal.