How to Summon Santa Claus

Fellow Magi,

Tonight, December 24^th, two days after the death and resurrection of the sun its self, an ancient and powerful ritual of global proportions will be performed, with the sole purpose of summoning a spirit into existence many centuries old. A spirit universally recognized, who transcends language, culture, geography, and faith. This spectre of good will, whose face is known to all, will be conjured in the largest ritual known to man.

The grimoire holding his conjuration is preserved in many parts across the globe. It is composed of sacred songs, rhythmic chants, whispered secrets, and painted instructions. It is hidden in ritual plays, disguised as popular music, shrouded in children's picture books, and passed down from father to son, mother to daughter, grandparent to grandchild, and magician to apprentice.

The ancient evocation of this grand spirit can be traced through history, and has performed every winter for centuries. From the Nordic Vikings, to the Byzantine Greeks, among the Dutch, the Danes, the Brits, and the peoples of all nations. This great compiled ceremony requires weeks to prepare and is anticipated all year long.

The rite it's self is simple, but powerful, and requires extraordinary preparation. For weeks in advance, men, women, and children the world over prepare the ritual space and create the proper atmosphere to allow the spirit to materialize on this plane.

They sacrifice evergreens and decorate them in effigy of the passing season, dressing them with astrological representations of mythological events, precious materials like those of grimoiric talismans, and historical representations of the conjurer's lives. They adorn the outer temple with colored lights to change the spiritual presence of the working space, erect statuary of the spirit and his traveling companions in honor of his summoning, hang protective herbs on the temple archways, and position lighted pentagrams pointed to the skies. They sing songs in his praise along with other musical invocations of seasonal tales, dress in ritual garb honoring his colors and mimicking his vestments, and perform ritual plays depicting his presence.

Many invoke adepts him into themselves, donning ceremonial masks depicting his image and acting on his behalf, as many more whisper secrets into the ears of his aspecting shamans hoping that he will hear them through those possessed and dedicated priests. And everywhere people of all classes and creeds prepare for the coming of this godlike being, speaking invocations to each other in passing and acquiring material sacrifices in his name. As they approach the hour of this magical rite all are filled with a hush of anticipation as the electricity of building ethereal potential heralds his appearance.

In silence his ritualists light candles and drink libations before setting an altar in reverence. His altar is adorned with offerings of pastries and milk and vegetables for his companions. Then the magic circle is left clear of prying eyes as the ritual gathers its strength and the archon is imbued with life.

The final evocation is performed by more than two billion children separated by seven continents, staggered in forty timezones, begin their evocation chant. With their eyes closed, and pouring their youthful will into the rite, a vast ocean of children chant an invocation in his name, each to their own language, chanting his many names, whispering invocations to the stars quietly in the dark until they drift into trances with images of his presence dancing through their astral dreams. On this night billions of adept mages join in the larges ritual circle possible, to chant and invoke this shared eidolon with more power than any other spirit has been afforded in any other rite throughout history or prehistory.

Tonight, the grimoire is opened, the temple is set, the spell is cast, and spirit will be summoned. The result of this massive invocation? What does this colossal red demon bring his summoners in the dead of night?

Peace on earth, and goodwill toward man.

For this one mystical night all weapons are laid to the side, all quarrels are forgiven, all wars are stayed, and all men and women look at each other as brothers and sisters sharing in this rite. The gift this great father of the season brings his supplicants is no less than the stillness of spirit that has eluded politicians, religious figures, or magicians. He brings us the joy of peace, the spirit of love, and the bonds of brotherhood, we long for.

And we thank this great being, summoned through our sweat, tears, laughter, and sacrifice, for his service to mankind.

Join this seasonal ritual, and tonight, expect your temple to be filled with the spirit we have prepared for. And on the morrow you will see the result of his invocation and share in his joy.

Happy Holy Days, fellow Occultists.

And goodnight.

Magical Methodology: Letter of the Craft, or Spirit of the Art?

I have, of late, been working very closely with the Olympic Spirits of the Arbatel and the Planetary Spirits of the Heptameron (as reproduced in the Veritable Key of Solomon, a fantastic book, pick yourself a copy if you get a chance), and this has gotten me thinking (out of both necessity of the operations and academic interest).

I have, until recently, accepted that there seemed very much to be two schools of thought when it comes to ritual magic. The first includes proponents of what I will call "Letter of the Craft" magicians who follow a very rigid interpretation of ancient Grimoires, expecting the practitioner to follow instructions (however convoluted or complex they may be) to their very letter and insist upon that method as the only honest way to perform operations. The second is the "Spirit of the Art" camp who feel that the important part is the will of the magician and all other instructions (however dire and insistent they might be) clutter the magician.

But it has occurred to me that there is a third group which seems to take the worst parts from both (or possibly the best parts, depending on how biased I might be). This group seems to have decided that ancient grimoires include instructions which are unnecessary, however they insist that the magical methods of tradition or of particular orders are absolutely required for every operation, regardless of whether or not they conflict with the instructions of the original source material.

So who's right? That's the question I find myself dealing with. I am unhappy with the rigid structure of many magical systems, but cannot accept the loose philosophy of tossing out unliked instructions, nor can I accept the very strict and often incomplete instructions of some of the source materials. Much of these questions, I suppose, will be solved by experiment and reason.

I just felt the necessity to muse on these for a moment.

Magic on the Small Scale

I've been thinking a lot about occult practice in regards to personal transitions. What happens when an occultist has to pickup shop? Close his books, roll up his tapestries, zip his robes into suit bags, wrap up his quarter tablets, and say good by to his permanent outer temple. What then?

When the vicissitudes of life necessitate a certain flexibility of personal property, how does the practitioner of a religious art which basically necessitates the building of holy ground and the equivalent of a church in one's own home cope with the loss of the space and tools necessary to properly perform his art?

This question is probably one that every Magus has faced at one point or another in his existence. We are just as prone to economic, social, and personal distress as practitioners of any other faith or practice.

Understand that I am in no way discounting the Inner Temple, mental practice, “it's all in your head, you just have no idea how big your head is” (thanks Lon) philosophy of magic. However, when a practitioner become accustomed to a certain level of theatricality and high ritual, how is the Magus affected by having to 'settle' for a purely mental or less than ideal magical environment.

As an illustration: While meal supplements can nourish our bodies and be nutritiously valuable, when we are used to meat and potatoes downgrading to liquid protean has to cause some amount of withdrawal and cravings.

So how does a practitioner who has downgraded his Outer Temple cope with the cravings for the grand Temple he was used to? How does he replace the accoutrements of his trade with simple, portable, and affordable substitutions?

I don't quite have an answer yet, but I am considering a few options. The first is parchment. Lots and lots of parchment. Parchment is portable, and can be pinned to walls easily. Does it replace nicely carved quarter tablets, or framed paintings. Maybe not. But it is easily replaceable, and with enough time and investment a Magus can make even parchment tools into personal extensions of his will.

Any other suggestions? Replacements for robes? Temporary tools? Simpler rituals?

Looking for input here :)

Binding Baptisms at a Temple Near You

As an Occultist I am often surprised and confounded by the obvious occult and magical traditions and symbols that surround everyday Americans without them even knowing. From the inverted pentagram adorning the vestments of America's most honored heroes (the Medal of Honor), to the simple occult principles that have become mainstays of modern self help literature (The Secret being a reprint of basic truths known to Magicians and Occultists for ages). It often seems that the oblivious masses accept aspects of the occult as normal without ever knowing that they are doing so. They respond to basic sigilization all the time (corporate logos are, of course, nothing but the corporations' ideals manifest as a sigil), they enjoy entertainment with increasingly strong occult themes ("Wizards of Waverly Place" teaches our children that magic is positive and beneficial, and most of the CW's fans wouldn't even know the word Enochian if it weren't for "Supernatural" which also consistently teaches that pentagrams are for protection and should even be tattooed on the body to avoid possession), and many more Americans put stock in horoscopes, feng shui, and The Secret than in any other time.

But even with all these, I am sometimes floored by the occult rituals that pass unnoticed under the nose of even dedicated practitioners of the occult arts. Especially, when it comes to religion.

We, as Occultists, often take a "live and let live" stance with folks of other faiths in an effort to avoid conflict and to not have the spotlight pointed back on us for fear of ignorant retribution (or even just basic 'outing'). But in a few cases, it may be to our detriment not to focus our attention on "the enemy" (so to speak) and their own occult practices. It is no real secret to the academically inclined that modern religion is inundated with occult and metaphysical practices stolen from previous religions or developed by priests with an inclination toward early metaphysical training (remember that most of our medieval grimoires were written by educated priests and practiced with their training and knowledge). But when does the line get crossed from "minor metaphysical practices" to "powerful occult rituals?" At what point does a church's fervor for their own practices override our spiritual and magical freedoms?

The answer can be found within the pseudo-Masonic subset of Christianity: Mormonism.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (otherwise known as "Mormon" because of its founding text the Book of Mormon, Mormon being the name of the guy who supposedly wrote the book), is a rapidly growing church under the Christian umbrella with over 13 Million members in 176 countries. As churches go, it is huge. Unlike most denominations, Mormons are all (with some debatable branch offs) members of, and subordinate to, the same centralized church authority. Much as the Roman Catholic church looks up its rigid hierarchy to the Vatican for word from the Pope on what God wants the church to do, so to do the members of the LDS church look to Salt Lake City, Utah, for their instructions from God through his Prophet, the President of the Church. Currently that position is held by Thomas S Monson, a man just as disturbing looking as Pope Benedict, and the Mormon equivalent to a CB radio to God himself.

The church was born out of a desire by its founder to mix Biblical organization, the church being modeled after Christ and his apostles (read: Monson and his 12 Apostles), and Masonic ritual, its founder being an initiate of the Nauvoo Masonic Lodge, as well as Biblical architecture and prophecy, its temples being fashioned after Solomon's and after the Apostle John's description of "the church" in Revelations.

So why should we care?

What about this seemingly innocent (as churches go) faith has any bearing on us as practitioners and students of the occult?

Very simply, the Mormon church can (and probably will) baptize you Mormon without your permission.

Among the beliefs of the LDS church is that any man or woman not baptized Mormon, in a Mormon temple, cannot get to heaven (or rather, the Telestial Kingdom). But unlike many other churches with this same belief, the LDS church has solved the age old question of "what happens to those who never heard the church's doctrine" by simply cutting out the legal fine print and directly baptizing non-Mormons without them consenting or even being present. These baptisms by proxy are supposedly only done for deceased relatives of Mormons. However, Baptisms for the Dead (as they are called) have been the subject of much controversy, as the church has been accused (and proven in some cases) of baptizing deceased persons not connected to the church but submitted on basis of their fame or notoriety. Famously, the church was found to have included in its database names found on lists of Holocaust survivors, as well as Nazi officers, including Anne Frank (famous Holocaust victim) and Adolf Hitler (Nazi party leader). Even further, because the LDS church teaches that only married couples can get into the highest degree of glory in heaven (the Celestial Kingdom), baptisms aren't the only ritual performed by proxy and after death. Marriage ceremonies are also performed for couples who weren't married in the temple originally, and in some cases, who weren't married and may not have known each other at all.

But aside from the incredibly offensive nature of baptizing people who died for their faith, and marrying people who never knew each other, why should we as occultists care? Does it matter what they do with our names after our death (especially if we are related to them)?

The short answer: Yes, it does matter. Because the rituals are binding.

Those of us who practice the occult understand the basic formula of effective and lasting magic. We understand that magicians can evoke immense power through very simple rituals. Magic takes only three things: focused will, whole-hearted intent, and proper ritual symbolism (sometimes not even the later). The combination of occult symbolism, Masonic ritual, and properly prepared priests and participants, makes this practice dangerous and most probably binding.

To understand the concern we need to look at the LDS church and its rituals.

The Mormon ritual format comes from that of Freemasonry, the basis for occult orders like the Hermetic/Esoteric Order of the Golden Dawn, the Ordo Templi Orientis, and traditional Wicca. The rituals of Freemasonry follow occult formulae and command the attention of the ethereal laws of magic. Occult orders have always known this and so model their rituals to match (with obvious modifications based on group practice). Masonic ritual mirrors that of medieval grimoires and even that of biblical practices. It uses secret signs, words of power, allusions to supernal truths, mystery plays related to mythology, and kabalistic authority. One has only to read through Albert Pike's Morals and Dogma[i], or Lon Milo Duquette's The Key to Solomon's Key[ii] to see the occult truths held in Masonic rites. While the format has been changed over the years by the LDS church, the remaining handshakes, gestures, and ritual format is still so similar that they are indistinguishable Masonic handshakes and gestures.

Along with the Masonic ritual format, Mormon temples are designed after the biblical Temple of Solomon (also taken from the Masonic tendency to do the same), even including a "Holy of Holies" (that only the President/Prophet can enter). The Temples are designed in the manner of "ancient religious tradition" (according to Frank Moore Cross, Harvard professor of Ancient History), the same source that occult practice insists upon for private "outer temples." It is a separate place set apart for rituals and ceremonies and covenants with God, and everything that goes on in the temple is solely for those who are 'properly initiated' and 'worthy' and is a guarded secret (supposedly because the goings on are too sacred to be profaned by talking about them). Temples are completely closed to the public except for just after being built and before the temple is properly consecrated[iii].

The temple its-self is designed similarly to those of other faiths and is covered in astronomical images (suns, moons, stars). Among the occult symbols on many temples are all seeing eyes and pentagrams[iv]. The temples include a massive baptismal font, consisting of a huge pool being held on the backs of Twelve life size Oxen statues[v].

The rituals take young men and women, who are ritually prepared and physically abstinent from sex, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and fun (sorry, had to), for the purpose of being 'worthy' to enter the temple. Those youths are ritually anointed "on behalf of" a named individual with holy water and consecrated oil[vi]. A note on this: for anyone who doubts these consecrated liquids, I include the personal witness of that consecration, which includes touching the vessel of oil and concentrating upon it while invoking the authority of a deity (in this case Jesus) and giving the oil a purpose (not dissimilar to the consecration of oil in Wiccan and pagan rites). Until about 1990 those youths were stark naked with only an open sided poncho on[vii], but now they are dressed in temple garments, which are special clothes set aside for the purpose with occult symbols on them (specifically a square and compass).

We Occultists know that magic is done through sympathy. We anoint images on intended subjects of a ritual, or use the name of a spirit, both powerful connections to those subjects. Through those connections, rituals can be performed on another without their presence or permission.

So Mormon rituals have all the components of a binding occult rite:

-They are performed in a consecrated place surrounded by occult symbols (Sacred Temples).

-They are performed by ritually prepared participants (unsuspecting virginal youths).

-They follow established occult ritual format (Masonic Rites).

-They are even done in secret and then never spoken of (To Know, Will, Dare, and BE SILENT).

With this in mind, consider now the plight of the Occultist who knows this. Our names can be submitted by relatives after our death (and some say, before) for these rituals. And those of us who understand these rituals understand that the consequences may be that our souls shall be bound to others through Mormon marriage against our will "for time and all eternity" (as opposed to "til death do us part"), and even be bound to the Mormon church for the same! Whether or not they are right. The full consequences can be considered by occultists who accept the idea of reincarnation, and realize that this binding ritual could force you to be with the same spouse (whom you may never have met or fallen in love with) throughout your next lives and throughout "all eternity," as well as being bound to the Mormon church in your next lives. To look one step further, those who believe in their own versions of heaven (Valhalla, Tir Na Nog, Summerlands, etc) might want to be concerned about being pulled away from that eventual restful reward and bound to whatever fate awaits the Mormons (ahhh)!

Consider, that forcibly coercing or binding a person (alive or dead) through magic, is what most practitioners would define as "Black Magic" or "Left-handed Practices." And the Mormon church does this daily, all over the world!

So what's the answer for dedicated occultists, pagans, and others who believe in magic and metaphysical laws? Good question. Personal rite to counteract any binding? Maybe. Formal request to the LDS church to leave us off their lists? Probably not (since they feel they are right, such a request might just add you to their lists because you'll "thank them in heaven"). Unfortunately, I have no answer. All I offer, is the chance for Occultists to view the rites that their 'enemies' may be binding them with.

Just when we thought we were safe from surprise baptisms, this growing religion finds a new and inventive way of converting us "after the fact."

I, for one, am amazed at the audacity of these folks and suggest we begin vicariously baptizing them as pagans (I kid, I kid... maybe).

Either way, if you have family in the LDS church, my suggestion (and it is just that, a suggestion) is that you consider having a serious discussion about NOT submitting your name. Let your wishes be known. Unless you couldn't care less, in which case, this is just an FYI.

(for a step by step demonstration of these ceremonies, and more, take a look at the video listed under iii in my endnotes)

---

[i] http://www.amazon.com/Morals-Dogma-21st-Century-Kevin/dp/1605320137/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271200341&sr=1-4

[ii] http://www.amazon.com/Key-Solomons-Secrets-Magic-Masonry/dp/1888729147

[iii] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXNeMYwEaIQ&feature=player_embedded

[iv] http://hismin.com/navoopentagram.html as well as http://mrm.org/nauvoo-pentagrams

[v] http://www.utlm.org/onlineresources/twelveoxenbaptismalfont.htm

[vi] http://packham.n4m.org/temples.htm

[vii] http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon366.htm#The actual ordinance

Seals from the Goetia

Needed these for a side project and figured I'd post them. If anyone needs large versions I have those as well.

Cleaned up Pentagram of Solomon (from the Lesser Key)

Cleaned up sigil of Andromalius (from the same)

I love Grimoiric magic circles and old style High Magic. I think the modern occult has lost something by stripping magic of its basic elements. The magic circle used to always be drawn physically before a ritual (see The Lesser Key of Solomon or Aggrippa's Fourth Book for examples). Now its all "imagined." After thinking about it for a long time I've decided to update (or possibly reconstruct) some common ritual elements of modern Ceremonial magic. I'm starting with the commonly used Lesser Ritual of the Pentagram.

What follows is the physical drawing for the LRP, draw on the floor in chalk around the magus. Within the circle are the basic instructions for performing the ritual. By working his way clockwise and from the center outwards the magus will find the words used in this ritual in their Hebrew forms (both in Hebrew alphabet and in English alphabet) and in their transliterated forms. I have also updated the correspondences to match the original Pythagorian model (and the model I beleive was originally implied in the LRP before it 'evolved' to the modern day). Also, instead of using the Banishing Earth Pentagrams for each corner I have replaced them with the appropriate quarter elemental Pentagrams. Anyone who notes my switching of Air and Earth is encouraged to look at the original and understand that the admonition to begin with Earth in the east implied that association (not that Earth was to be banished in all quarters).

If you do not like it, the don't use it, I have very little issue with criticism or with people disagreeing with my methods.

For those who are unfamiliar with the ritual, here it is (with my associations):

Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram:
Take a steel dagger in the right hand.
Face EAST.

Touch the forehead and vibrate "ATEH" (thou art)
Touch the middle of the solar plexus and vibrate "MALKUTH" (Kingdom)
Touch the right shoulder and vibrate "VE-GEVURAH" (and Power)
Touch the left shoulder and vibrate "VE-GEDULAH" (and Glory)
Clasp the hands before you and vibrate "LE-OLAHM" (for ever)
"AMEN"

Draw, in the air facing EAST, a banishing Earth Pentagram
Vibrate the Name "YHVH" (pronounced Ya-ho-wau or Yahweh)

Trace the circle's border and draw, in the air facing SOUTH, a banishing Fire Pentagram
Vibrate the Name "ADNI" (pronounced Ah-doh-naye or Adonai)

Trace the circle's border and draw, in the air facing WEST, a banishing Water Pentagram
Vibrate the Name "AHIH" (pronounced Ah-yeh or Ehyeh)

Trace the circle's border and draw, in the air facing NORTH, a banishing Air Pentagram
Vibrate the Name "AGLA" (pronounced either Ah-hag-la or Agla)

Return to the EAST, completing tracing the circle.

Extend the arms in the form of a cross, say: "BEFORE ME..." (then vibrate) "RPAL" (pronounced Rah-pheye-el or Raphiel)
Then, say: "Behind me..." (then vibrate) "GBRYAL" (pronounced Gah-bree-el or Gabriel)
Then, say: "At my right hand..." (then vibrate) "MYKAL" (pronounced Mee-kay-el of Michael)
Then, say: "At my left hand..." (then vibrate) "AWRYAL" (pronounced Aw-ree-el or Auriel)
"About me flames the pentagram, and in the column shines the six rayed star."

On The Subject of Magical Orders

At first glance it would seem that Magical Orders would be preferable to the alternative. Orders like the O.T.O., the Golden Dawn, the Rosicrucian Fellowship (etc), all provide opportunities for the aspiring student of High Magic and Ritual Occultism to discuss and correspond with other students of a similar mindset. Students have a network of experienced Magicians to ask questions, discuss methods, debate correspondences, and learn tried and true methods. Students are provided with structure, format, resources (libraries, etc), and instructors.

So wait...what's wrong? Structure, order, like-minded individual, isn't that exactly what I argue for in modern Occult?

The problem, however, is that the delicate balance between healthy structure and stifling restriction is unknown to modern Magical Orders (and was likely unknown to their historical counterparts). Orders fall into the same trap that Revealed Religions do, namely that the practice and dogma become more important then the actual growth of the student or historical authenticity of what is being taught.

Take the Ordo Templi Orientis, for example. Many intelligent and well trained Thelemites refuse to "monkey around" with the rituals as they stand, meaning that even though Crowley changed rituals like the LBRP (see Israel Regardie's Complete Golden Dawn System of Magick for the original Golden Dawn version found by Regardie in Order documents) they refuse to try (or even look critically at) the original versions. "If it was good enough for Crowley it's good enough for me." A student of the Occult finds himself left wanting when trying to incorporate older versions of the rites in his practice and finds little to no discussion on why the newer versions are "better." He is just meant to trust that "it's been tried, studied and tested by some of the best minds in ceremonial magick, and to some extent, some of the best minds, period."

It is that very refusal to look back into the history and practicality of ideas and practices that is why many Occultists left the religions of their childhoods (or of their neighbor's childhoods) in the first place. While I am all for an "it works so why change it" attitude, when a visible change can be seen from the method of one generation to that of another I must ask "why" and cannot be satisfied with the excuses of "because that's how we do it."

In the end, dogma exists where people exist and even magic is subject to intellectual stagnation.

Where Does It All Begin?

We begin, as is expected, at the beginning. Or rather, my beginning.

I have studied the occult since my freshman year of high school. At the time, we called it 'Wicca,' and it bore so little resemblance to actual occult practices that one wonders how the terms ever became connected (that's a rant for another day). But I found like minded individuals, folks who felt there was 'something more' (or whatever dribble newbie counter culture pagans say to justify waiving wands and chanting poorly written rhymes), and we began jumping over Beltane fires, blessing each other, and whatever else young sexy witches do (oh to be young and carefree again). Soon we became a part of the larger 'pagan community.' We joined Pagan acting groups, and Pagan discussion groups, and Pagan study circles, and Pagan pride day organizers, and Pagan celebrations, and Pagan orgies (if only). We were no longer 'Wiccans,' as it wasn't cool to call yourself a "witch" anymore, we were now 'Pagans.'

But even among our small group I was the odd one. My library on books about magick (we used to add a 'k' without even knowing why, for more information about why talk to Crowley) was all ready tipple the size of my fellow teenaged practitioners and almost the equal of several adult pagans I had met. Oh I had the requisite crap: Silver Ravenwolf, Douglas Monroe, Raven Grimassi; but my library now included Gardner, Waite, and even a Crowley. I had begun studying the deeper meanings of what we were doing. Why do we cast circles? Who decides what elements are in what corner? Where did the pentagram originate? And other questions my so-called pagan "elders" explained away with half-assed excuses. "Because that's how I was taught," "why does it matter," etc. Only one of my fellow pagans shared my thirst for knowledge. But I will not write about that one here in respect for the privacy of my peers.

My studies began to include resources on Demonology, Kaballah, Medieval ritual grimoires, and even Alchemy. These subjects were looked at by other pagans as 'excessive' or 'wrong' "You don't need all those sigils, drawn circles and proper incenses. Just imagine a circle around you, draw the pentacle in the air, and burn lots of dragon's blood. After all, the Goddess hears us." At times I was even told that studying books that professed to speak on such topics as "High Magic" or "Black Magic" was anti-pagan, because all pagans want good magic and peace to prevail. But these protests only seemed to further my need to ask "why."

It became obvious to me, that what my contemporaries and 'elders' were doing was not 'magic.' They had no idea the roots of their practices, and so had edited and modified them so beyond the point of recognition that one wonders how they beleived them to be effective in the first place. Gods and Goddesses were discarded for a faceless Goddess. Measured and labeled Magic Circles had been cast aside and instead imagined and drawn in the head alone. Spirits and demons were no longer understood and commanded and were instead ignored, or worse, invited into 'sacred space' with little to no knowledge of the new 'guests.' And I became concerned, even afraid for them. You would not operate a vehicle or a firearm without proper training. You would not cook, or carve, or build, without blueprints or recipes. So why then were these so-called 'informed and experienced' pagans practicing 'magick' without even a cursory glance at what their forefathers had to teach on the subject? They could hurt themselves for Gods' sakes.

So I broke away. I was not going to be lured into an open circle which might be dedicated to Sekhmet the Destroyer yet caller her a Goddess of Love (actually happened once) or a ritual invoking spirits but ignoring all precautions. I began real study of the occult. Medieval grimoires became my teachers and my lessons included proper evocation of spirits, planetary squares and pentacles, symbols and sigils, magic circles, and even the names and proper control of demonic intruders.

You see, The Occult is not a religion. You don't get points for prayer. You don't get to ask Goddess (or whoever) to magically fix your problems. You don't get to water your practices down to get more converts.

Real Magic is structured. There are right ways to do things, and wrong ways. There are formulas to be followed, names to be pronounced correctly, scripts to be memorized, concepts to understand, and spirits to invoke.

So this is how I became an Occultist. No longer practicing "Wicca," no longer practicing "Paganism" (though my religious faith is indeed pagan in that I worship in the fashion of the ancient druids, but paganism is not a magical practice it is a group of faiths exclusive of practice), but now an Occultist.

I thirst for knowledge. I find truth. I practice the arts magical (no 'k') with boldness, experience, and academic study. I do not apologize for showing others the truth, and I will not placate those who are aggressively ignorant for the sake of their feelings. Wrong is wrong. Understand that. Embrace it. Not everyone can be right. Not every opinion matters. And just because you beleive it does not make it true.

I am an Occultist.