▪ An exploration into the Abstraction of Alternative Religions & Spiritualities, Astrology, Cosmology, Divination, Esotericum Mysticum, Magick, Neo-Paganism, Occult Metaphysical Science, Paranormal Psychology, Polytheism, Shamanism, Tarot, Wicca & Witchcraft (Antiquus et Novus), the Arcane & Esoteric Mysteries from our Ancestral Past to the Here and Now. ▪
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Numbers, Their Occult Power and Mystic Virtues
Of particular interest here at the ILMJ:
Part I. Pythagoras, his Tenets and his Followers
Part II. Pythagorean Views on Numbers
Part III. The Kabalah On Numbers
Full Text
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Dr. Israel Regardie
Israel Regardie, born Francis Israel Regudy(November 17, 1907–March 10, 1985) was one of the 20th century's most significant popularizers of the occult, specifically the legacies of Aleister Crowley and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
Israel Regardie was born Israel Regudy in London to Barnet Regudy, a cigarette maker, and his wife, Phoebe Perry, poor orthodox Jewish immigrants from Zhitomir, Russia. His family changed their surname to "Regardie" after a clerical mixup resulted in Israel's brother being enrolled in the British Army under that name. Regardie emigrated with his parents to the United States in August 1921 and settled in Washington, DC. He studied art in Washington, DC and Philadelphia, PA. With a Hebrew tutor he gained a linguistic knowledge which would prove invaluable in his later studies of Hermetic Qabalah. With easy access to the Library of Congress, he read widely and became interested in theosophy, Hindu philosophy and yoga; he also joined the Rosicrucians at around this time.
After reading Part I of Magick (Book 4) by the occultist Aleister Crowley, he initiated a correspondence which led to his return at 21 to the UK at Crowley's invitation to become the latter's secretary in 1928. When the two parted company four years later in 1932, Regardie distanced himself from Crowley personally, but still retained a great deal of respect for his writings.[4] Shortly after this period he published The Tree of Life, a guide to magick, largely derived from Crowley's work, and A Garden of Pomegranates, a primer on Qabalah based on notes he had taken while working for Crowley. Regardie would later write a biography of Crowley, The Eye in the Triangle, and continue to edit and republish Crowley's works up until the 1970s.
Source:
"Israel Regardie." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 4 Aug 2009, 20:18 UTC. 4 Aug 2009 [ http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Israel_Regardie&oldid=306074879 ].
According to Llewellyn Publications:
Francis I. Regardie, born in London, England, November 17, 1907; died in Sedona, Arizona, March 10, 1985. Came to the United States in August 1921, educated in Washington D.C. and studied art in school in Washington and Philadelphia. Returned to Europe in 1928 at the invitation of Aleister Crowley to work as his secretary and study with him. Returned to London as secretary to Thomas Burke 1932-34, and during that time wrote A Garden of Pomegranates and The Tree of Life.
In 1934 he was invited to join the Order of the Golden Dawn, Stella Matutina Temple, during which time he wrote The Middle Pillar and The Art of True Healing, and did the basic work for The Philosopher's Stone.
Returning to the United States in 1937 he entered Chiropractic College in New York, Graduating in 1941, and published The Golden Dawn. Served in the U.S. Army 1942-1945, and then moved to Los Angeles where he opened a chiropractic practice and taught psychiatry. Upon retirement in 1981, he moved to Sedona.
During his lifetime, he studied psychoanalysis with Dr. E. Clegg and Dr. J. L. Bendit, and later studied psychotherapy under Dr. Nandor Fodor. His training encompassed Freudian, Jungian and Reichian methods.
Source:
Republished courtesy of Llewellyn.com. Copyright © 2009, Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Dan Brown's "The Lost Symbol"
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

on
July 7th, 2009 C.E.
Where the Moon passes through Earth's penumbral shadow (i.e., a partial shadow that occurs during a lunar eclipse between regions of complete shadow and complete illumination).
http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2009Jul07N.pdf
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Scott Cunningham's Book of Shadows
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Illustrations of Masonry - Opening the Lodge
by Capt. William Morgan
[1827]
So why read this book? Stripped of the fevered historical background, and ignoring the publisher's antimasonic introduction, this becomes simply one of the first published accounts of US Freemasonry in the early 19th century. It seems accurate, based on other published Monitors, such as Ducan's. At this perspective, Illustrations is no more offensive than Robert's Rules of Order, although it makes more interesting reading..."
—OF—
MASONRY, ETC.
Lodge of Entered Apprentice Masons; which is the
same in all upper degrees, with the exception
of the difference in the signs, due-guards,
grips, pass-grips, words and their several
names; all of which will be
given and explained in their
proper places as the
work progresses.
One rap calls the lodge to order—one calls up the Junior and Senior Deacons—two raps call up all the subordinate officers, and three, all the members of the lodge.
The Master having called the lodge to order, and the officers all seated, the Master says to the Junior Warden, 'Brother Junior, are they all Entered Apprentice Masons in the south?'
Ans. 'They are, Worshipful.'
Master to the Senior Warden, 'Brother Senior, are they all Entered Apprentice Masons in the west?'
Ans. 'They are, Worshipful.'
The Master then says, 'They are, in the east,' at the same time he gives a rap with the common gavel or mallet, which calls up both Deacons.
Master to Junior Deacon, 'Brother Junior, the first care of a Mason?'
Ans. 'To see the lodge tyled, Worshipful.'
Master to Junior Deacon, 'Attend to that part of your duty, and inform the Tyler that we are about to open a lodge of Entered Apprentice Masons, and direct him to tyle accordingly.' The Junior Deacon then steps to the door and gives three raps, which are answered by three raps from without; the Junior Deacon then gives one, which is also answered by the Tyler with one; the door is then partly opened and the Junior Deacon delivers his message, and resumes his situation and says, 'The door is tyled, Worshipful.' (at the same time giving the due-guard, which is never omitted when the Master is addressed.)
The Master to Junior Deacon, 'Brother, by whom?'
Ans. 'By a Master Mason without the door, armed with the proper implement of his office.'
Master to Junior Deacon, 'His duty there?'
Ans. 'To keep off all cowans and eaves-droppers, see that none pass or repass without permission from the Master.' (Some say without permission from the chair.)
Master to Junior Deacon, 'Brother Junior, your place in the lodge?'
Ans. 'At the right hand of the Senior Warden in the west.'
Master to Junior Deacon, 'Your business there, Brother Junior?'
Ans. 'To wait on the Worshipful Master and Wardens, act as their proxy in the active duties of the lodge, and take charge of the door.'
Master to Junior Deacon, 'The Senior Deacon's place in the lodge?'
Ans. 'At the right hand of the Worshipful Master in the east.' [The Master, while asking the last questions gives two raps, which call up all the subordinate officers.]
Master to Senior Deacon, 'Your duty there, Brother Senior?'
Ans. 'To wait on the Worshipful Master and Wardens, act as their proxy in the active duties of the lodge, attend to the preparation and introduction of candidates, and welcome and clothe all visiting Brethren. [i.e., furnish them with an apron.]
Master to Senior Deacon, 'The Secretary's place in the lodge, Brother Senior?'
Ans. 'At the left hand of the Worshipful Master in the east.'
Master to the Secretary, 'Your duty there, Brother Secretary?'
Ans. 'The better to observe the Worshipful Master's will and pleasure, record the proceedings of the lodge; transmit a copy of the same to the Grand Lodge, if required; receive all moneys and money bills from the hands of the Brethren, pay them over to the Treasurer, and take his receipt for the same.'
The Master to the Secretary, 'The Treasurer's place in the lodge?'
Ans. 'At the right hand of the Worshipful Master.'
Master to Treasurer, 'Your duty there, Brother Treasurer?'
Ans. 'Duly to observe the Worshipful Master's will and pleasure; receive all moneys and money bills from the hands of the Secretary; keep a just and true account of the same; pay them out by order of the Worshipful Master and consent of the Brethren.'
The Master to the Treasurer, "The Junior Warden's place in the lodge, Brother Treasurer?'
Ans. 'In the south, Worshipful.'
Master to Junior Warden, 'Your business there, Brother Junior?'
Ans. 'As the sun in the south at high meridian is the beauty and glory of the day, so stands the Junior Warden in the south, the better to observe the time, call the crafts from labor to refreshment, superintend them during the hours thereof, see that none convert the hours of refreshment into that of intemperance or excess; and call them out again in due season, that the Worshipful Master may have honor, and they profit and pleasure thereby.'
Master to the Junior Warden, 'The Senior Warden's place in the lodge?'
Ans. 'In the west, Worshipful.'
Master to Senior Warden, 'Your duty there, Brother Senior?'
Ans. 'As the sun sets in the west to close the day, so stands the Senior Warden in the west to assist the Worshipful Master in opening his lodge, take care of the jewels and implements, see that none be lost, pay the craft their wages, if any be due, and see that none go away dissatisfied.'
Master to the Senior Warden, 'The Master's place in the lodge?'
Ans. 'In the east, Worshipful.'
Master to the Senior Warden, 'His duty there?'
Ans. 'As the sun rises in the east to open and adorn the day, so presides the Worshipful Master in the east to open and adorn his lodge, set his crafts to work with good and wholesome laws, or cause the same to be done.' The Master now gives three raps, when all the brethren rise, and the Master taking off his hat, proceeds as follows: In like manner so do I, strictly forbidding all profane language, private committees, or any other disorderly conduct whereby the peace and harmony of this lodge may be interrupted while engaged in its lawful pursuits, under no less penalty than the by-laws, or such penalty as the majority of the Brethren present may see fit to inflict. Brethren, attend to giving the signs.' [Here lodges differ very much. In some they declare the lodge opened as follows, before they give the signs:]
The Master (all the Brethren imitating him) extends his left arm from his body so as to form an angle of about forty-five degrees, and holds his right hand transversely across his left, the palms thereof about one inch apart. This is called the Due Guard, and alludes to the position a Candidate's hands are placed in when he takes the obligation of an Entered Apprentice Mason. The Master then draws his right hand across his throat, the hand open, with the thumb next to his throat, and drops it down by his side. This is called the penal sign of an Entered Apprentice Mason, (many call it sign) and alludes to the penalty of the obligation. (See obligation.) The Master Then declares the lodge opened in the following manner: 'I vow declare this lodge of Entered Apprentice Masons duly opened for dispatch of business.' The Senior Warden declares it to the Junior Warden, and he to the Brethren. 'Come, Brethren, let us pray.'—One of the following prayers is used:
Most holy and glorious God! the great architect of the Universe; the giver of all good gifts and graces: Thou hast promised that 'Where two or three are gathered together in thy name, thou wilt be in the midst of them and bless them.' In thy name we assemble, most humbly beseeching thee to bless us in all our undertakings; that we may know and serve thee aright, and that all our actions may tend to thy glory and our advancement in knowledge and virtue. And we beseech thee, O Lord God, to bless our present assembling; and to illuminate our minds through the influence of the Son of Righteousness, that we may walk in the light of thy countenance; and when the trials of our probationary state are over, be admitted into the temple, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Amen. So mote it be.
Another prayer, as often used at opening as closing:
Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity; it is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard, that went down to the skirts of his garment; as the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forever more. Amen. So mote it be.
The lodge being now open and ready to proceed to business, the Master directs the Secretary to read the minutes of the last meeting, which naturally brings to view the business of the present.
Full Text -
Morgan, William. Illustrations of Masonry. S.l: s.n, 1827.
Videlicet -
by William Preston
Twelth Edition, 1812 [London]
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Migration of Symbols
By
[1894]
He demonstrates that the same symbol can have different interpretations in different cultures and at different times. Such is the case with the swastika, which today is obviously associated with absolute evil, but which has been used historically as a symbol of the Sun's yearly path, and regarded as a good-luck symbol, even to this day, in the far East. With over 150 line illustrations, this book is an invaluable source book for symbologists, and makes fascinating reading for readers interested in the development of religion..."
Source & Complete Text -
http://www.sacred-texts.com/sym/mosy/index.htm
Free PDF Download -
http://books.google.com/books?id=s6sTAAAAYAAJ&dq=The+Migration+of+Symbols
Citation -
Goblet d'Alviella, Eugène. The Migration of Symbols. [London]: A. Constable and Co, 1894.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
The Snail
Sandra A. Thompson, in her book “Pictures From the Heart”, tells us that snails are a lunar symbol and represent not only feminine energy but also the cycle of death and rebirth. She goes on to say that the shell is linked to the spiral and to self sufficiency.
The number nine is often linked to the Sephirah Yesod and to the unconscious while also meaning completion and ease in that particular suit. A pentacle is a five sided star that is surrounded by a coin. Isabel Kliegman sees this symbol as representing the body and the soul. The star is what we are made of and the coin is the body that houses it.
So what do we have? Someone who feels comfortable in her body, someone who has worked hard and can now enjoy the fruits of her labour. Someone who is self sufficient and proud of the person she has become. At the same time, she knows that all things must pass. Life is a never ending cycle of birth, growth, deterioration and death. Knowing this, she can enjoy what she has made, both in the outside world and in her soul. She can enjoy but not be bound by it. She is not afraid of the loss of her power or position because she knows that what she so meticulously built up can be taken away at any moment. And this is okay. She can build again. She is not her possessions.
What more can the snail tell us? Perhaps Ms Colman Smith wanted to point out that perfection is a myth. No true garden is free of insects, dirt and debris. Each and every garden has a snail just as every human has some habit or characteristic that makes them seem less than perfect. The woman in this card is at ease in her body and in her surroundings. She sees the snail in her garden but loves and enjoys what she has made anyway. She knows that perhaps in the eyes of others she is too short or too fat or too poor, but deep inside that star in the middle of the pentacle she is perfect unto herself. She not only accepts the snail in her garden, she welcomes it.
I keep a snail on my computer monitor and another on the kitchen windowsill. They remind me that I don’t have to look “perfect” to others. In fact “what other people think of me is none of my business”. I must acknowledge the snail in my garden and give it pride of place in my being. It is that snail who makes me who I am.
The world is full of human beings who have no confidence, who feel no joy in being who they are. People can spend their entire lives trying to “fix” themselves, to remake themselves in the image of what popular culture dictates as “perfect”. There are billion dollar industries that prey on this mistaken sense of what is “right”, what is “acceptable”. For some people it does not matter how much they own or how much they accomplish. It is never enough; they can never enjoy it because they need to erase that snail. They feel an overwhelming urgency to obtain perfection.
Why do we waste our precious time and resources denying the snail in our garden? Take a close look at the face of the woman in the card. Do you see her serenity? Does she look apologetic for being successful, well dressed, and self sufficient? No. She is happy and confident and at home with herself and with her life.
One other thing comes to mind when I look at the snail on the Nine of Pentacles from the Rider Waite Smith deck. Snails move slowly. We have all heard and used the term, “He is as slow as a snail”. In this world of computers and almost instantaneous e-mail we use the term “snail mail” to symbolize the slowness of regular postal mail. This card is a snapshot of our lives. The world has slowed down to a crawl and we can now take the time to enjoy what we have created, what we have become. Ultimately time moves forward and nothing lasts forever. But in the world of the Nine of Pentacles, the snail reminds us to find peace within our being and to be proud of who we are; warts, snails and all.
Sesheta-mallorn ~ May 2004
Saturday, August 5, 2006
Symbolic Tarot
By
S. L. MacGregor Mathers
[1888]
Description of the symbolism of each of these hieroglyphical keys.
1. The Juggler or Magician. Before a table covered with the appliances of his art stands the figure of a juggler, one hand upraised holding a wand (in some packs, a cup), the other pointing downwards. He wears a cap of maintenance like that of the kings, whose wide brim forms a sort of aureole round his head. His body and arms form the shape of the Hebrew letter Aleph, to which this card corresponds. He symbolises Will.
2. The High Priestess, or Female Pope. A woman crowned with a high mitre or tiara (her head encircled by a veil), a stole (or a solar cross) upon her breast, and the Book of Science open in her hand. She represents Science, Wisdom, or Knowledge.
3. The Empress. A winged and crowned woman seated upon a throne, having in one hand a sceptre bearing a globe surmounted by a cross, while she rests the other upon a shield with an eagle blazoned therein on whose breast is the cross. She is the Symbol of Action, the result of the union of Science and Will.
4. The Emperor. He is crowned (and leaning against a throne, his legs form a cross, and beside him, beneath his left hand, is a shield blazoned with an eagle). In his right hand he bears a sceptre similar to that of the Empress. His body and arms form a triangle, of which his head is the apex, so that the whole figure represents a triangle above a cross. He represents Realisation.
5. The Hierophant or Pope. He is crowned with the papal tiara, and seated between the two pillars of Hermes and of Solomon, with his right hand he makes the sign of esoterism, and with his left he leans upon a staff surmounted by a triple cross. (Before him kneel two ministers.) He is the symbol of Mercy and Beneficence.
6. The Lovers. This is usually described as representing Man between Vice and Virtue, while a winged genius threatens Vice with his dart. But I am rather inclined to the opinion that it represents the Qabalistical Microprosopus between Binah and Malkuth (see my Kabbalah Unveiled), while the figure above shows the Influence descending from Kether. It is usually considered to mean Proof or Trial; but I am inclined to suggest Wise Disposition as its signification.
7. The Chariot. This is a most complicated and important symbol, which has been restored by Eliphas Levi. It represents a Conqueror crowned and bearing a sceptre, riding in a cubical chariot, surmounted by four columns and a canopy, and drawn by two horses, one of which looks straight forward, while the other turns his head towards him. (Two wheels are shown in the complete single-headed figure.) It represents Triumph, and Victory of Justice and Judgment.
8. Justice. A woman crowned and seated on a throne (between two columns), holding in her right hand an upright sword, and in her left the scales. She symbolises Equilibrium and Justice.
9. The Hermit. An old and bearded man wrapped in a mantle, and with his head covered with a cowl, bearing in his right hand the lantern of occult science, while in his left he holds his magic wand half hidden beneath his cloak. He is Prudence.
10. The Wheel of Fortune. A wheel of seven spokes (the two halves of the double-headed cards make it eight spokes, which is incorrect) revolving (between two uprights), On the ascending side is an animal ascending, and on the descending side is a sort of monkey descending; both forms are bound to the wheel. Above it is the form of an angel (or a sphinx in some) holding a sword in one hand and a crown in the other. This very complicated symbol is much disfigured, and has been well restored by Levi. It symbolises Fortune, good or bad.
11. Strength or Fortitude. A woman crowned with crown and cap of maintenance, who calmly, and Without effort, closes the jaws of a furious lion. She represents Strength.
12. The Hanged Man. This extraordinary symbol is almost unintelligible in the double-headed cards. Properly, it represents a man hung head downwards from a sort of gibbet by one foot (his hands are bound behind his back in such a manner that his body forms a triangle with the point downwards), and his legs a cross above it. (Two sacks or weights are attached to his armpits.) He symbolises Sacrifice.
13. Death. A skeleton armed with a Scythe (wherewith he mows down heads in a meadow like grass). He signifies Transformation, or Change.
14. Temperance An angel with the sign of the Sun on her brow Pouring liquid from one vessel into another. She represents Combination.
15. The Devil. A horned and winged demon with eagle's claws (standing on an altar to which two smaller devils are bound by a collar and cord). In his left hand he bears a flame-headed sceptre. He is the image of Fate or Fatality, good or evil.
16. The Lightning-struck Tower. A Tower whose Upper part is like a crown, struck by a lightning-flash. (Two men fall headlong from it, One of whom is in such an attitude as to form a Hebrew letter Ayin.) Sparks and debris are falling. It shows Ruin, Disruption.
17. The Star. A nude female figure pours water upon the earth from two vases. In the heavens above her shines the Blazing Star of the Magi (surrounded by seven others), trees and plants grow beneath her magic influence (and on one the butterfly of Psyche alights). She is the star of Hope.
18. The Moon. The moon shining in the heavens, drops of dew falling, a wolf and a dog howling at the Moon, and halted at the foot of two towers, a path which loses itself in the horizon (and is sprinkled with drops of blood, a crayfish emblematic of the sign Cancer, ruled over by the Moon, crawls through water in the foreground towards the land). It symbolises Twilight, Deception, and Error.
19. The Sun. The Sun sending down his rays upon two children, who suggest the sign Gemini. (Behind them is a low wall.) It signifies Earthly Happiness.
20. The Last Judgment. An Angel in the heavens blowing a trumpet, to which a standard with a cross thereon is attached. The Dead rise from their tombs. It signifies Renewal, Result.
0. The Foolish Man. A man with a fool's cap, dressed like a jester, with a stick and bundle over his shoulder. Before him is the butterfly of pleasure luring him on (while in some packs a tiger, in others a dog, attacks him from behind). It signifies Folly, Expiation.
21. The Universe. Within a flowery wreath is a female figure nude save for a light scarf. She represents Nature and the Divine Presence therein. In each hand she should bear a wand. At the four angles of the card are the four cherubic animals of the Apocalypse. Above, the Eagle and the Man; below, the Lion and the Bull. It represents Completion, Reward.
Thus the whole series of the twenty-two trumps will give a connected sentence which is capable of being read thus:--The Human Will (1) enlightened by Science (2) and manifested by
Action (3) should find its Realisation (4) in deeds of Mercy and Beneficence (5). The Wise Disposition (6) of this will give him Victory (7) through Equilibrium (8) and Prudence (9), over the fluctuations of Fortune (10). Fortitude (11), sanctified by Sacrifice of Self (12), will triumph over Death itself (13), and thus a Wise Combination (14) will enable him to defy Fate (15). In each Misfortune (16) he will see the Star of Hope (17) shine through the twilight of Deception (18); and ultimate Happiness (19) will be the Result (20). Folly (0), on the other hand, will bring about an evil Reward (21).
To prepare the pack for Fortune-telling, write at the top of each card its number and signification when in its proper position, and at the bottom its meaning when reversed. To facilitate this, and to assist in reading them I here append a list of the cards with the meanings, which, I think, will be found to answer all practical purposes R. means Reversed.
Source:
http://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot/mathers/mtar02.htm
