New year, new design

New year brings a couple of changes and news.

First of all, you might have noticed the new layout and design of this blog, I hope you will like this minimalistic approach. It's probably the last of this year's changes, starting with the removal of all ads and ending with the integrated Twitter account.

As of 2015, I am currently working on a Sumerian spellbook and when that is finished, I will start writing a book about sigils. What topic will I pick after these two books are finished is still unknown, if you wish, you can give me your suggestions in comments or via e-mail or twitter.

Let's return to the design changes of the blog. I personally still think this solution is not perfect and during the next year I want to finally finish my own Content Management System and run a separate site, that will work not only as a blog, but also as a nicely categorized article storage, course in Magick for registered users (including their own blogs for them) and as a sort of a site where practitioners can meet and exchange their experiences (less forum-like, more group-like).

Speaking of forums I recently found a great forum named Wizard Forums, this forum can be located here: http://wizardforums.com/member.php?action=register&referrer=5799

So, I wish to all of you to safely survive the New Year celebrations, drink responsibly, keep loyal to your practices and have some fun during the process :).

About atheism

What is an atheism?
Based on the definition atheism is a belief that there is no god, but generally this belief states there is nothing paranormal, everything that exists can be observed, measured and reproduced. [1]

Pros of atheism
Atheism gives a very good and solid logical foundation based on research and experimentation. It also states how to use a cold logic where most people would let themselves be deceived by the heart.

Cons of atheism
Atheism, as any other belief, states itself as the ultimate truth (or at least through the mouths of many dogmatic atheists found on the internet, this of course doesn't apply to everyone), so there is a great factor of ridiculing other beliefs.

Proof based thinking
An average internet atheist will tell you that there is no God as there is no proof for one and if we want to prove there is something more, we have to provide evidence for it.  Atheism didn't provide any evidence that there is nothing outside this world, but they are right the weight of evidence lies on those who claim something exists, not the opposite. The sad part is that our evidence is either ridiculed or stolen.

To give you an example outside the common "scientists showing data regarding parapsychology are discredited", let's take a look at placebo, as placebo comes from our practices. This effect was firstly ridiculed as a total nonsense, just later when people found out that placebo really works, they officially adopted it, then there started claiming our practices are just a placebo.

There is no thing as "just a placebo" The placebo is a very strong effect [4] and while many of our practices rely on it, we can still be proud for using it effectively (and for discovering it first). It shows how strong the power of the mind over matter is. It also shows how many vaccines were "just a placebo" in the past. Vaccination nowadays is used in comparison with placebo to assure there are some real effects just beyond the placebo effect. [4]

"Gold"-en opportunity
Gold is a very amazing metal, every alchemist will agree with me. In the "ancient" past this metal was used by us for curing many illnesses (usually taken per-orally). Funnily enough, science has found this method is quite working, they just avoid it for side effects of the metal poisoning, but what is the most interesting part?

Science found that golden mixture is more effective via an injection into muscles instead of receiving it by the standard way. The joke is no one knows why this is working, no one exactly knows what could a gold do to cure anything. [2]

Gold has an amazing charge that cannot be measured by mundane means, and Magicians using gold for healing, usually charge the gold even more, beyond its standard property, that's why the gold was always so respected among healers, even when taken in the less effective way (by swallowing).

The tea way
Many of us can attest for great benefits when it comes to drinking a green tea. We all know that green tea is healthy and by drinking it our sicknesses have much smoother progression and we feel healthy much sooner. Unfortunately once again we do not know what a green tea actually does or how, 

simply because it doesn't contain any active substance that would be responsible for strenghtening the immunity system, there is literally no curing factor when it comes to the physical contents of the green tea, yet we all are pretty sure it works. [3]

Power of new belief
Of course the rise of atheism created a new worshiping on its own, science. Whatever is science is true and whatever is outside science is false. This does indeed have some positive effects, for example you take your painkillers and your headache is gone in matter of minutes (sometimes even seconds), even when the drug itself will start having any real effect in about 20 to 30 minutes. [4] But you know what? That's great. It's great that a modern medicine is so trusted that placebo effect actively helps with the healing process, we as occultists love it :).

Problem arises when we use placebo (or anything that could be labeled as one). For example when a former pope blessed a nun with Parkinson that got magically cured [6] (these are called miracles in the church). Many people reacted to this as it was "just a placebo". Well, it's true that Parkinson's disease is psychosomatic in its base so it is very effectively cured with placebo, but whether this miracle was caused by placebo or not, it prove that we are more effective at it. We do not need to give you fake pills (made of sugar) or give you drugs that will start working after the actual effect already took place. We can use placebo with greater effects just with the use of words, gestures, and a good deal of faith (in anything one would or could believe).

Dark side of science

Magick and generally occultism has a very bad credit due to the great amount of charlatans hiding in our communities, based on them we all are judged. The thing is that science has charlatans, too and there are as many of them as in occultism [5]. If you don't believe me, think about how much money goes into research regarding green energy, recycling, bendable phones... despite the fact that there are other underfunded fields of science that would put the money into greater use, than a paper plate that can fall apart in the environment and a plant will grow out of it. Now I am not speaking about parapsychology, seriously people, let occult alone, it is happy where it is. Money should focus more on the research of our universe and new ways of producing energy without current mainstream dogmatic beliefs about "green", using mercury for solar panels and "green" light-bulbs is not green at all.

Many people believe, that science turned into pseudo-science with the arrival of Drake's equation [5].

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold#Medicine
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_tea
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo
[5] http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/07/09/aliens-cause-global-warming-a-caltech-lecture-by-michael-crichton/
[6] http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/miracle-nun-john-paul-healed-parkinson-disease-article-1.1769668

What's new

Well, a lot of stuff, actually. First of all I am happy I published the first part of the book about tarot. Firstly because I have some recent achievement in terms of publications and secondly I can start writing something else and get back to it when in mood.

Also in two days my vacation starts and because I have been slacking physically for a few months now, I plan to be very hard at myself for next 3 weeks (my vacation time) and get solidly ripped. In the mean time I also want to start working on some other book, either a Sumerian spellbook or a book about sigil magick (specify in comments if you care).

I am also working on an essay about atheism and why it is a belief like anything else (might take some time before I publish it, I want to make it as clear as possible).

I am not also going to publish the first level of my game as I promised earlier this year, simply because my computer is too old to handle the graphics and the development is too slow because of that (I am going to buy a better PC next year).

Spiritual protection

Introduction
Spiritual protection is an important act in the occult, both against malevolent spirits and attacks of other occultists. Unfortunately it is one aspect of the art which isn't described sufficiently for young minds. This then causes a lot of suffering in the case of an actual problem or a lot of confusion regarding analytical overlay.

Some methods I will describe below are general, these can be done by anyone, some are related to my path and spirits I serve. I cannot force into my path but let me tell you that my spirits are very kind and absolutely ok even for beginners. Their biggest benefit is that they are paid by your energy whenever you use them so you don't have to mess around with offerings. They will take what is theirs and they will leave the rest alone. These spirits are a mix of Sumerian, Assyrian, Akkadian and Babylonian deities (for obvious historical reasons).

Prevention
Prevention is an important aspect of protection, keeping your natural defenses high helps to repel attacks, but what I am going to offer to you is not just for some protection, it's a basic hygiene of a Magician and by following it you can access better health, less need for sleep, no stress and a clarity of mind. Some people say a prolonged lifetime as well, but I never present effects I cannot see myself and speaking about slowed aging at the age of 27 seems weird to me.

First of all you should start your day with morning gymnastic, making your body strong and flexible should be one of the key tasks for a Magician.

Secondly, a meditation at least once a day is a good practice to get rid of a stress and power up your immunity system. For this purpose I do recommend a progressive muscular relaxation. Many will know this from my book Magickal Curriculum or from countless studies about psychology, so just a quick sumary:

You sit down in a comfortable position and one by one, you stress each of your muscles as hard as you can for a period of 5 seconds and then you relax your muscle, you continue this till your whole body is relaxed, you will know when this happens as your whole body will feel very warm and pleasing, then you concentrate on this warmth for about 5 or 10 minutes.

Next exercise I always recommend is the Sacred Chamber Ritual. I cannot stress enough how important this exercise is, keeping you concentrated, centered, grounded, cleansing you on a number of levels plus training your visualization skills, these all effects turn this exercise into a Swiss knife of a Magician.

I also recommend to call for the spirits whenever there is some free time for it, this is a part of my own work but I think anyone can benefit from it. The incantation is as follows:
ZI ANNA KANPA
ZI KIA KANPA
ZI DINGIR ANNA KANPA
ZI DINGIR KIA KANPA

Remember, these spirits are very kind and always helpful.

Cleansing
Cleansing should be another part of the daily routine, Sacred Chamber Ritual helps with that, but you must also remember to keep certain practices during your mundane life.

Whenever you wash your hands, keep your hands under the water a little bit longer and during that visualize as the water is taking away everything negative from your, cleansing your body, mind, spirit and soul on many levels.

Cleansing also comes through introspection and retrospection, always keep that in mind and progressively review your actions during the day and make also a final review each evening.

Protection against spirits
Our arts do attract malevolent spirits from time to time, that's why it is so important to stay protected. LBPR doesn't work the way one would expect and in the end, it's always results that count. Sacred Chamber Ritual will help, but to be truly protected, it is enough to call BANMASKIM in all cardinal directions and all spirit problems will disappear

.

You can also call BANRABISHU first (once again in all cardinal directions) to banish the feelings of anger, anxiety, fear, any negativity that might annoy you at the time.

Protection against another occultist
Sometimes we are attacked, there is no helping it. The reason can be something we did before or analytical overlay of the attacker, who then thinks we attacked when we didn't. But when it comes to protection we do not want to jsu counter-attack, maybe we are those who would attack first thanks to our own over-analysis of the situation.

For this purpose there is a very potent spirit named TUKU, I will describe more about this spirit later, but he basically just get you rid of the problem when there is a problem and the way he does so is to assure no further attacks, going the path of the least resistance. Later I will describe the whole ritual of invoking TUKU.

Protection for others
Above I have described protection for those who will want to jump into the work with spirits I prefer, but what if you don't want to work with same spirits I do or if you don't work with spirits at all? Here is a method that prove useful in the path, with as detailed description as I can think of, what I am going to describe you is a bit modified version of a standard shielding technique, I will describe all benefits later.

First of all, during the building of the shield we have to choose a texture. I have personally chosen a crystallic structure as crystals are naturally associated with telepathy, plus the sharp crystals on the outside give an enhanced feeling of safety.

Once you are relaxed (progressive muscular relaxation), you start with building your shield, slowly from below your feet you go up in a sort of egg-ish shape, till your body is hidden within the shell, take as much time as you need, the whole process usually take about 40 minutes.

Once your shell is build, you then visualize that with each breath your shell becomes thicker and thicker and more sharp points appear on the outside while in the inside the surface is nice and smooth, looking like a thick ice.

When you are finished, extend your hand and try to touch your shell, you should be able to feel it very clearly.

Many can understand that 40 minutes is a lot of a time for an immediate attack, those who read my books will know a technique called a spell creation. Once your shield is finished, you then associate a gesture and a word with it and you use a following affirmation: "Whenever I use this gesture and my word of power [something], I wish to be protected my shield in its fullest form and fullest power available".

Then, next time you wish to use the shield, you simply do your gesture, say your word and then while still holding your gesture, you take few deep breaths, and voila, your shield is back and ready. During these inhales you can also visualize your shield getting thicker and thicker and more sharp on the outside to strenghten it even further.

More information about Tuku

TUKU:

Lord of Baneful Magick, Vanquisher of the Ancient Ones by Magick, giver

of the Spell to MARDUK KURIOS, a most fierce enemy. His Word is

MASHSHAMMASHTI.

There are times when we feel that someone else may be praticing magick

against us. The feeling is hard to describe to anyone else, but we know

it when it happens. If you are certain that magick is being used

against you, that a spell has been cast or a curse sent in your

direction, then the name and seal of this spirit will repel the

evildoer as surely as if Archangel Michael had been summoned to rout

Lucifer from Heaven. A most potent protection device. 

Information about the invocation as described in Necronomicon's Spellbook:

Step One

Once you have found the spell you wish to use from the following seals

and descriptions, make a copy of the seal on fresh, clean paper with

black ink. You make the seal as large or small as you wish. Keep it in

a safe place until you are ready to use it, and never, under any

circumstances, let another person look at it, before or after you use

it. It is for your eyes only.

Step Two

Choose a quiet evening and a place where you will not be disturbed for

your ritual. The best time is about three in the morning, when

distractions (both natural and psychic) are at their lowest intensity.

Have your seal ready in front of you. Light two white candles and place

them at either side of the seal on a table or desk. If you care to,

light a stick of incense. Pine or sandalwood is best, or cedar. The

Moon should be waxing, but in cases of emergency this is not necessary.

Any time will do. When this has all been arranged, sit quietly for a

few minutes and think about the goal you want to achieve.

Step Three

While looking intently at the seal you have made, so that it is the

only thing you can see, take three deep breaths, slowly, one at a time.

Concentrate on the goal at the same time, seeing it as a picture if

possible. A picture of yourself sitting in a pile of cash, or with your

arms around a loved one, or withing a protective circle. Then, slowly

raise your eyes, without lifting your head, to the heavens and say,

slowly and clearly:

ZI KIA KANPA (Zee-Kee-Ya-Kan-Pa)

ZI ANNA KANPA (Zee-An-Na-Kan-Pa)

ZI DINGIR KIA KANPA (Zee-Deen-Geer-Kee-Ya-Kan-Pa)

ZI DINGIR ANNA KANPA (Zee-Deen-Geer-An-Na-Kan-Pa)

Hear me, O Thou_________________ (here insert the Name of the Spirit

you are invoking)

Come to Me by the Powers of the Word_________________ (here insert the

word of the Spirit you are invoking)

And answer my urgent prayer!

ZI KIA KANPA

ZI ANNA KANPA

Step Four

Then slowly lower your eyes back to the seal in front of you and stare

intently at the drawing, at the same time forming a clear mental image

of the end you are trying to achieve. Do not pay any attention to any

strange or eerie feelings you may experience at this point. They are

common with this type of ritual and are no cause for alarm. It is

important that you do not break concentration for any purpose

whatsoever, so ignore the odd sounds and sensations that might

accompany the performance of any of these rituals. They are simply the

weak attempts of enevolved psychic entities trying to disrupt your

ritual. They are not worthy of your attention.

Step Five

When you have passed a few moments this way, and you feel your

concentration beginning to wane, then close the ritual with the

following prayer:

ZI DINGIR KIA KANPA (Zee-Deen-Geer-Kee-Ya-Kan-Pa)

ZI DINGIR ANNA KANPA (Zee-Deen-Geer-An-Na-Kan-Pa)

Spirit of the Earth, Remember! Spirit of the Sky, Remember!

Take three more deep breaths, then stand up (if you have been sitting),

and walk a few steps around the room looking at all the objects that

might be there: furniture, pictures, etc. and touch a few of these

objects. This serves two purposes, one: it helps to solidify your

astral body if the preceding ritual has caused it to become overly

sensitive to passing vibrations, making it weak and vulnerable, and

two: it distracts the conscious mind from the basically unconscious

process that the ritual has just begun. Now, return to the table on

which your seal has been placed.

Step Six

Take the seal you have just made and cover it, or turn it over, or put

it away somewhere where no one will see it. The seal has been charged,

in a subtle way, and now can no longer be used for any other purpose

except what it was consecrated to do in your ritual. You must not use

the same seal twice for different goals, although you may use it twice

for the same goal, in case you wish to repeat your ritual the following

night. It is best not to repeat it for more than three consecutive

nights for reasons it would be too complicated to explain here.

Extinguish the candles and place them where you will find them easily

for your next ritual. They can be used again for any ritual, but must

never be used for simply lighting the room. Once used in a ritual from

the NECRONOMICON, they can be used for no other purpose save a similar

ritual from the NECRONOMICON. Do not use these candles for other

rituals (that is, from other spellbooks) or for any mundane purpose.

You must take these rituals quite seriously, and treat the tools you

use in a ritual with the same respect a carpenter has for his saw and

hammer, or a plumber for his wrench or a priest for his Bible. In a

way, by using these rituals, you have become a kind of priest or

priestess yourself for you have joined a select order of initiates that

has been practicing these and similar mystical rituals since the

beginning of recorded history.

Step Seven (optional)

Most of our readers and students have found it enormously valuable to

keep a written record of all rituals they perform, so that they can

easily assess what their results are by using any particular ritual or

spell. They can gauge how long it will take for a certain spell to

work, and also they can refresh their memory in the future with

accounts of all the successes they have enjoyed through using the

NECRONOMICON. The first time a spell works, you may want to believe

itÕs only a coincidence. But later, as time goes by and more and more

of your spells are working, with phenomenal results, it's good to go

back and look through your magickal diary to see just how wrong you

were about coincidence and to prove to yourself once and for all that,

yes, magick does work!

BEFORE YOU go straight to the Names, a few words of information. 

New book available

New book called Liber Azag: The Book of Tarot is available now:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/249362204/Liber-Azag-The-Book-of-Tarot

New blog

I have recently discovered a new blog about Magick, necromancy and a new practice in general. I have to say that so far I liked what I saw so I wanted to share this with all of you:

araigneearcane.wordpress.com

Cuneiform

A quick and beautiful presentation of writing in cuneiform: