Sage Advice from an Armchair Alchemist

September 19, 2016

"Before chemistry, alchemy was the science that was known. The alchemical processes were a riddle hidden from the ignorant. This list of processes, associated with the 12 zodiac signs, are found in many books on alchemy. Multiplication is the duplication of the organic or nonorganic substances. Crystals or yeasts are an example of the method by which substances duplicate: crystals or yeasts can be populated from other crystals or yeasts. Projection is the system or conditions that allow for duplication to occur. This projection is the heart of the philosopher's stone. Gold or diamonds, theoretically, should be able to grow (duplicate) given the right temperature, pressure and solution of dirt from the Earth."
- Nectanebus II

Although I've not gotten a degree in chemistry, I had taken several college level chemistry courses.  I had questioned the philosopher's stone for years wondering what it could be.   I love science and had read material at the MIT website:   http://web.mit.edu/x-ray/cystallize.html

I also read up on seed crystals here: http://chemistry.about.com/cs/growingcrystals/a/aa012604.htm

I am home beer brewer and had recently read about yeast farming, essentially, growing yeast from other yeast.  I have come to the conclusion that we already have discovered the philosopher's stone.   We just didn't know it was right there in front of us all along.  Using a seed of the substance, we can duplicate the substance over and over.

My publisher recently put out his blog entry on gruit ale and found some startling facts.   I just used some kitchen spice to be a great picture for this blog entry.  Of course, the spice pictured is really what we are talking about here.  See his blog at:


http://concoctingbrews.weebly.com/

He tells us: "sage was used to remove iron from a spa during the early 1900's."  

If you were to look at the Kabbalistic tree, Jupiter is represented by Chesed on the right pillar.   Immediately, to the left pillar, you have Mars represented by the sphere Geburah.  This is interesting.   Sage is a plant corresponding to the sphere Jupiter.   If Sage does diminish Iron, then this is using a plant of Jupiter to dissolve an element of Mars on the opposite pillar.   Sage would balance out the other plants or minerals of Mars and might be an effect of alchemical chemistry.   I do recall reading somewhere that sage is full of the metal tin.   Tin is a metal corresponding to Jupiter.

How do we apply it to our practical lives?  The most significant thing about alchemy is that it is important to magical ritual.   If you are into witchcraft, sorcery or other magic involving spirits you should use sage to help create a closer relationship with those Jupiter divine names, archangels, angels or spirits.   You will better attract the power through the use of sage along with the divine names.   Sage, should work to attract the spirits from the Jupiter Sephirot or Kabbalistic spheres.   It will also repel those spirits from the Mars sphere. Just like it diminishes iron in water it should diminish the spirits from Mars.

My findings are that if the spice stores it, it is attracting that substance. Resistance or a depleting effect means the spice repels that particular substance.

This file shows the contents of metals that store in spices:

http://scihub.org/AJSIR/PDF/2010/2/AJSIR-1-2-158-163.pdf
Iron stored highest in Pepper and Aniseeds, Copper showed the highest concentrations in Nutmeg, Mercury was the highest in Cinnamon while Lead was the highest in Ginger.

The alchemy website,http://www.levity.com/alchemy/metals_i.html
shows Thyme is related to Iron and would be associated with the planet Mars.

Wikipedia shows that the metal Nickel ores resisted being refined into copper. I might place Nickel under the planet Mercury, opposite to Venus planet. The planet Mercury in magical work is really also associated with Mercury.

This is simply amazing.   I was thinking of composing an experiment with part of an old rusty nail, in a jar in solution of water. One would then add periodically more and more sage spice over time.  The rusty nail would be observed to see if it has a reaction with the metal or if the metal would slowly dissolve.

Much of this may be known by college level Chemistry students.   It does appear that tin ions will reduce iron ions to some extent.   This would be close to the alchemical knowledge.  

Another strange thing is that it has been determined that pine cones absorb or attract lead.   The pine tree is associated with the Roman god Saturn.   Now, it makes me wonder if other trees are sympathetic or associated with gods have the same properties.  If this is true the myrtle tree, associated with Aphrodite, should attract copper.   Something from the myrtle tree should reduce mercury under the same lines of thinking.

The Voynich Manuscript Revisited

November 19, 2016

Many may be wondering what the Voynich Manuscript has to do with this blog.  I feel this manuscript is a work of John Dee and may have some occult secrets buried within.  

My latest find is some characters resembling Hebrew cursive writing.   You can hit the search engine image files to find examples of the Hebrew.

Over the years, I used to toy with trying to crack the Voynich Manuscipt.  Many others have come up with their theories.  I noticed that a particular shorthand exhibit was being displayed at the museum where I work. Shorthand was originally used in the development of teaching materials for the blind.  If you search on Lucas embossed stenographic characters you can see a number of examples in the image search of Google.   Several of these shorthand characters could have been used to solve some of the characters in the Voynich Manuscript.   I had always had a hunch that John Dee was behind the manuscript and his language of communication would have had to be middle English or Latin existent at the time of his life.   I remember reading that one individual, coincidentally with the same first name Lucas, solved  Roger Williams's shorthand that was previously unsolved.   

The stenographic characters created by T. M. Lucas are displayed on the page: http://chestofbooks.com/reference/American-Cyclopaedia-1/The-Blind.html

and also at:  http://www.nyise.org/blind/gall.htm

Of all the types, the Lucas characters have the characters that come the closest to possibly composing the code of the script.

The book, the Voynich Manuscipt: The Mysterious Code that has Defied Interpretation for Centuries by Gerry Kennedy and Rob Churchill has the Voynich manuscript letters shown on page 243.  The character shown above was interpreted to be the letter 'k'.  I made a rough drawing of the character myself above.  I could have drawn it with a better horizontal line; so sorry, the drawing is not as true as I had liked.  

Reexamining the Lucas characters, the character above could be formed from the code 'wh' with a vertical stroke and a slight curve to the right at the bottom of the stroke. The top of that stroke could have a loop symbolizing an 'o'. Connected to the loop is a horizontal stroke that could have been for an 's'. The additional vertical stroke for a 't' could have been a null character to make it more difficult to solve. The character above, feasibly, could be the word 'whos' which was a middle english word prior to when the word became 'whose' in our dictionary. I'm speculating, but this is a possible lead. I am researching some other characters to see if I can find some other matches.

Air, Earth, Fire and Water

New:  March 26, 2016

Many have heard of the concepts of air, earth, fire and water in occultism.  It is thought of as 4 elements that are commonly found in new age and occult reading.  I thought I would add this simple idea to the blog, but it can be a life changing concept.

While these 4 elements have been brought up by other authors, I thought I would give my input on best to use them.  Most people can use the elements for visualization and affirmations.   You don't have to use these for spirit work.

Start with the Earth element.  Any of your goals or dreams have attributes that can be sensed.  Go for a walk outside and notice the the ground or dirt next to your feet.  You get the idea even if you are in a grassy area.  Picture that same dirt with your eyes close.  Your goals have many different things about it just the dirt or earth outside.  It has a certain look about it.  You can hear dirt as you drop dirt from a height onto the ground.  It has smell and can be felt.  It even has taste, but we will leave that one to babies that may eat dirt from time to time!   Picture your goals or dreams with your eyes closed and try to sense all you can about your objective.   For example, one might be looking for a new job and it may help to narrow the definition down to what I really want: a job more than $10 an hour.  This is a modest ideal, but some people are out of work and it may help.

Next, we consider the Air element.   Notice that when someone speaks words it is similar to the wind. When the wind blows, you may think about it as your body is being impacted by this force of weather.  Words also make us think.  Thinking is the intellect involved and we need to put our goals and dreams into words that describe it.  Let's go back to our example of finding a job.   Let's state in words what we really are trying to achieve.  "I have a job that pays over $10 an hour."   There are many books on affirmations out there.   It helps to say your desire in present tense.  I find that affirmations have some way of occurring and it tends to keep you focused as if you are a piece of metal being pulled toward a magnet.

Thirdly, we examine the Fire element.   Things that you want are desires.   You have to take some kind of action toward those desires to make them come true.  Let's look at if you are trying to camp and you are going to cook something.  You might have some charcoal bricks and lighter fluid to grill something.   To get that fire going you need to light some matches or take some kind of action to achieve your goal.   That is if you want a fire to cook something you have to initiate or take some kind of action to get it going.  You get the idea.   Want and action must both happen for this to occur.

Lastly let's look at the Water element.   This is a very confusing idea for a lot of people.   Water usually is comprehended when we take a bath or swim in a lake.  You can feel it.   Emotions are very much the same thing as you feel them.  Can you feel as if your goal or dream has already taken place?   You can take many paths to get to this feeling of the water element.  Let's look back at our job example.  Feel as if you got the job: feel the exhilaration - the emotions that come with getting your goal.   Really immerse yourself in that feeling.

Now, you can see the engine that drives many self improvement books out there.   In just a few short paragraphs, I have summarized numerous books and websites on the subject.  To get something you must know everything about your goal.  Know, or at least imagine, what your goal might look like, sound like, feel to the touch, taste (if it has a taste) or smell (if it has that).  You should be able to put the goal into words - take the time to write that down in a notebook or log.   You should really want that goal and take steps to getting it.  Lastly, try to imagine the feeling you get from achieving your goal.

My 100 Best Books Of All Time On The Shelf

New:  December 10, 2015

Many of you will wonder what are the best books that are in my occult library.  Well, I have to compare them and this may take a little time.  You will see the list build slowing over the next few months.   If you are reading this in another country, please be aware that the titles may be converted to your language on this list and may not be available in your native language.   I have held onto my copies for years and there may be newer editions out there.  Some are available in a less expensive paperback.  I try to group them in order of my preference.  They are also ordered by category.  The category, COMPLETE SYSTEMS, means the book is just about a complete philosophy in itself to help you bring change to your life.

BOOKS THAT HELPED ME RESEARCH
1. Duncan's Ritual of Freemasonry by Crown Publishers (this is not the newer edited version).  This book helped me to unlock what Freemasonry really meant.  This is true Freemasonry and was its form before many of the lodges today have modified it.

2. The Masonic Myth by Jay Kinney, 2009.  The author, a Freemason, does a great job telling you what it is and what it isn't.  He covers a lot of history.  Pictures of the early tracing boards are found here.

3. The Golden Dawn by Israel Regardie, edited by Carl Weschcke, Sixth Corrected Edition, 2011.  Israel Regardie's writings continue as writers have contributed much to show the workings of the Golden Dawn. This book has a tremendous amount of information with over 800 pages.  The Golden Dawn shows us what they believed at that time.   Look at how they call spirits.  See the early pages as to what the foundation of their beliefs are.  It is a complex read, but tremendous knowledge is to be gained for those that are patient to take the time.

4. The Sacred Magic of Ancient Egypt by Rosemary Clark, First Printing 2003.  The Sacred Tradition in Ancient Egypt by Rosemary Clark, First Printing, 2000.  I use both of these together to understand the immense knowledge of the Egyptian priests.  You may need other books about hieroglyphics, but the author does a good job at making Egyptian religion easier to understand.  Don't buy one without getting the other to accompany it.

5. Greek Alphabet: Unlock the Secrets by Catherine R. Proppe, 2013.  This Michigan author has done a lot of research into the Greek alphabet.  Her research has helped to continue my research further.  She defines a lot of Greek words.

COMPLETE SYSTEMS:
6. Wisdom of the Mystic Masters by Joseph J. Weed, Twelfth Printing, 1979.  This book covers a lot of Rosicrucian teachings.  If you want to know a quick guide to implementing the ideas of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC without becoming a member for years this book will take you there.

7. The Greatest Secret of All: Moving Beyond Abundance to a Life of True Fulfillment, Marc Allen, 2008. Allen does a wonderful job at teaching you affirmations that are related to New Thought philosophy.  You may have read about affirmations, but this goes a little further than the rest.

5. Creative Visualization by Shakti Gawain, 1982 paperback.  Gawain, I believe, has teamed up with Marc Allen and his company to release her book in a newer version.  This is the all-time classic book about visualization.  You may not believe in an observer created universe, but I've had enough proof in my own life to believe we all have a hand at creating the future of Earth in our own way.

GENERAL UNDERSTANDING AND PROCEDURES:
6. The Universe Next Door by James W. Shire, Third Edition, 1997.   Shire does a great job defining worldviews or philosophies about life.   I love the chapters about deism, postmodernism and the new age.   He really does make those ideas clear if you have only a mild idea of what they mean.

7. The Meditation Handbook by David Fontana, 1992.  This book is one of the best meditation books on the market.  If you are serious about rituals you need to be able to meditate and get to deep level of relaxation.  This book is great at highlighting several methods to help you get there.  I noticed a lot of meditation books aren't worth the purchase from your local store.

8. The Magic of Believing by Claude M. Bristol, 1969 paperback.  This is a great book to show you what faith is.  You don't have to be a Christian to work an act of faith.  Do you know what faith is?  Can you believe something into manifestation?

POSSIBLY ALWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Words About Wealth

New 10-31-2015

This is my essay on wealth.  I will weigh options, actions to do, test, consider the nature of something, analyze interpretation. I will add to it from time to time give my impression about what causes real wealth. This will be my online essay and I will not be doing a hard copy book for sale.


UNDER CONSTRUCTION - UNDER CONSTANT DEVELOPMENT

Speculations About Some of the Largest Occult Organizations

New: October 27, 2015

http://www.ordrereauxcroix.org/
http://oto-usa.org/
http://www.aurumsolis.info/index.php?lang=en-us

Another entry here will be my analysis of 3 large organizations, The Martinist Order Ordre Reaux Croix, the Ordo Templi Orientis and the Ordo Aurum Solis.  Their main websites are listed above.  I used the O.T.O., for the U.S., because it had more information than the world site did.  I will speculate on these and show you what might be the best ones to consider joining or using for your daily ritual work.   I analyzed Freemasonry for over 5 years to come to some startling conclusions about what it is about.   If I wanted to look at these more closely I would take a look at early books in print that describe what the philosophy is all about.  Francis King with The Secret Rituals of the O.T.O. will give you some idea about what the early rituals were like.  Over time, these organizations may rewrite their rituals and they may be nothing like the early writings of the ceremony before.  Aleister Crowley is not my favorite author.  He spoke in codes or riddles, and claimed he was "the Beast".  He may have wanted to identify with a form of the devil to command the negative spirits for his black magic aims.  Crowley's only significant work, in my opinion, is 777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley.

I have a background in Rosicrucianism.  I have studied Freemasonry, researched its history through many books and have come to some conclusions.  I am under oath not to discuss some of ideas of Rosicrucian philosophy.  After awhile, I became familiar with Martinism.  I am not sold entirely on Martinism.  The philosophy is based on the beliefs of Claude de St. Martin.  His idea of prayer was interesting, but his objective and the way he goes about it - I am in disagreement with.  However, I am not a member of Freemasonry.  In either case, I can steer you toward some of the books that can tell you whether these philosophies would be of interest to you.  The book The Wisdom of the Mystic Masters by Joseph Weed is one of the best books about being a Rosicrucian.  It is written by a former member of the organization.  The Rosicrucian Manual, available from online booksellers, is one of the most curious books.  There is startling information about the 10th, 11th and 12th degrees.  I won't ruin it for the booksellers, but will tell you to get the book and read it.  I am inactive (completed 2 degrees at my local Lodge, 6 degrees through mail order correspondance) and did not fully complete the degrees.  The degrees have changed my life and I recommend it to anybody to try it for 2 years.  See if it doesn't change your life.  They will give you something that you can use in daily life.  You can read the books to find out some of the information, but it is best to join the organizations for a year or two to find out the real information about the orders.

The last order mentioned is probably my favorite.  I have the book by Denning and Phillips which is along the lines of the Ogdoadic Tradition.  Denning and Phillips were authors of several books from Llewellyn Publications.  I can relate to these teachings the most.  Jean-Louis de Biasi appears to be the current Grand Master and has written several books that may expand on this tradition further.  Lon Milo DuQuette is one of the governing officers for the Ordo Templi Orientis.  Both authors have some great books in print that may be far greater works than what is provided by the organizations they belong to.

Deism, Postmodernism and My Worldviews

October 6, 2015

At some point in our life, we reach conclusions as to what life is all about.  This does seem to be like a world detached from our mind at times.  I do believe in the power of visualization, but it seems like it has little effect, if any, on the outside world.  Those that have that idea of spiritual laws would be the deists of our world.  New age believers may have more of a view that spirits are at work in this world.  I have moved toward a postmodern idea, more recently, where science does not offer the best solution to our problems.  Respect for women, or feminism in general, would not have been discovered by the act of modernism or working through pure science.

Let me give you an example of my thoughts.  Our vitamins have been under attack recently by experts.  It seems as if our bodies can't assimilate them very well.  It makes sense in a way.  Just like the FDA extracts drugs from natural substances that don't seem to work very well at curing all our diseases.  The new movement of medicine aims to take the wholeness out of substances to derive their drugs.  I've heard that allopathy is a perversion of homeopathic medicine.  Allopathy may be the reason we can no longer have resistance to the superbugs out there.

MORE TO COME - UNDER CONSTRUCTION