Red Oak's Ponderings

What do gaps, marks and Mounts Signify?

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:29:00 +0000

Judging various hands painted with so many lines, curves, gaps, mark and mounts is an art of palmistry or palm reading. According to some well admired palmists, there are certain things or marks on hand which represents the positive and negative aspects of life. Nowadays, palmistry is something very unique and interesting thus well accepted or admired throughout the world. Finding a professional palmist is not difficult these days, juts thanks to internet providing everything at one place. According to palmists, the gaps in the various line such as Heart line, Head line and life line, indicate some serious complications in later stages of life. A gap represents some negative possibilities in the coming future which can be minimized through taking right decisions. Palm reading helps to demonstrate these possibilities and suggest some immediate solutions. It is not possible to ignore the risk for 100% because future is not easy to predict, it is always uncertain. Generally, there are different textures and marks in palm, each having its specific significance. The break mark indicates unpleasant interruption in life whereas a bar marks suggest a barrier in the progress. The chaining mark symbolizes weakness, indecision and unlucky tendency. Circle marks are very rare representing good fortune with the brightness of sun. A cross mark is a sign of failure or shock and in opposite mark with double line is reinforcing and strengthening. The forked marks are symbol of contradictions and division of interest whereas island marks indicates weakness, breakdown and period of depression. Mounts play a very significant role in palm reading because they are some different lines. They are named after planets and posses some special features. There are many types of mounts such as Jupiter mount, Saturn mount, Apollo or sun mount, Mercury mount, Venus mount, Mars mount, Luna or Moon mount, Neptune mount, Pluto mount and others. Every Gap, Mark and Mount depicts some unique characteristics of life and personality.

Don't forget to check out the downloads at http://dasmagicum.com

New downloads

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 08:02:00 +0000

Some new eBooks have been added to the Store, with the inclusion of an Audio Books section. In the next couple weeks a Music section will also be added, so watch out for that. New titles in the Store include In eBooks: The Art of Astrology - How to Make and Read Horoscopes Learn to Read Tarot Cards (includes full Master Resale Rights and sales website) Read Between the Lines - Palmistry Simplified! In Audio Books: Read Between the Lines - Palmistry Simplified!

Don't forget to check out the downloads at http://dasmagicum.com

History of palm reading

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:52:00 +0000

Palmistry is a unique art and culture that has prevailed throughout the years of the human civilization. There are different cultures that have contributed greatly towards the development of this art over the years. The art of judging and foretelling one's future on the basis of reading and the analysis of reading the palm is an old art. The roots of this art date back to India and the art of astrology is known as Jyotish in Sanskrit. There were many sages and astrologers who had evolved this art as culture and made it such a widely known way of predicting the future. There have been sayings that there are a lot of other cultures related to it as well; like the Chinese and that from Romans as well. There are many countries that have been involved in the slow and steady process of the development of the palmistry culture. These countries include Egypt, Tibet, China and Persia besides others. There have been many ways of estimation and there are a lot of things that palmistry can predict. There are a lot of things like life, marriage, money and study that are supposed to be predicted with the help of this art. There are so many things that can be predicted from the lines of the hand. There are different predictions for males and females. There are different predictions according to the left and the right hand. All in all it is something that one can learn with a lot of skill practice and knowledge. There is a constant need to understand from the works of the skilled few who have passed on this art from the generations. There are many mysteries that can be unraveled with the help of this complex art and one is sure to benefit with it for sure.

Don't forget to check out the downloads at http://dasmagicum.com

Post Abramelin

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 07:40:00 +0000

I completed the Abramelin Working almost a year ago and am only just now realizing where it has left me and taken me, it is not what I was expecting...although I am not complaining. After the Working was complete I spent some time with the seals, giving them a test run as it were. I became rather disillusioned with this process, and am now under the impression that the true seals are either lost, or were a bunch of fooey to begin with. The more I worked with them, the more I came to realise they were irrelevant. Of course many will disagree with me, and they have every right to as we all have different experiences and outcomes, but before I performed the Abramelin Working, I was already heading down the road of realising just how simple Magic really is. As I always said, and kept repeating, everything is energy. Magic, ritual, a spellworking, life itself, brushing your teeth in the morning, all of it is the manipulation of energy from the moment the thought enters your mind, to the realization of the desire to act, to movements that are created through those actions. So what does it all boil down to? Energy, and we don't even need to move to project and form a pattern of energy to cause and effect. But back to my post Abramelin discoveries. So, after some tampering with this, that and the other, now that I had a good connection with my HGA (not that I needed to go through the Abramelim to get to that point, but more in another post), I sat down one day and decided to make a proper plan with my life. At that point I was doing as many things to earn a living as I could think of. Architecture, web design, book publishing, authoring, artwork, you name it, if I had the skill to do it, I was doing it. This may sound like a good idea, but I discovered it wasn't as I was spreading myself so thin between them all, nothing was really getting off the ground. Therefore, I decided to take one discipline and focus solely on that. It worked. I focused on web design and specifically WordPress, and the work started rolling in. I was able to get us back on track. This did however leave me disconnected from everything else. My entire spiritual practice took a backseat as I built myself up, so the question came to mind, if I have just performed and completed the Abramelin Working, why am I not using anything I have learned? I realized the answer to that question a couple weeks back. As Magicians, Magick Workers, Witches, Pagans, whatever you may be, one essential part of being a success in this practice is to be a success in yourself and all other areas of your life. To become a successful Magician, you first need to start at your roots, beginning in the here and now, in Malkuth, this physical world. If this is a mess, then how do you think the rest of your Tree looks? Think about it, everything that is present in this physical reality is first created in Yesod, and then manifests in Malkuth, so if your life is a mess then that would mean that everything above, below and around is a mess because you have created that mess. So, where did my HGA take me first of all on the rollercoaster of realization and awakening? Into my life, my career, my family, and She forced me to create a neat weave in my own Orlog. I have become engrossed in Malkuth for the past six or so months, but now it is time for me to move into Yesod, and so my journey up the fulcrum begins once again as the pendulum swings a little less rapidly now again. It is for this reason that I am back, even though there are a lot of changes that have been made and will be made. Am I the same person? Most definitely not, I am new and improved.

Don't forget to check out the downloads at http://dasmagicum.com

British Witchcraft Across the Ages

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:28:00 +0000

by Adrian Eglinton

Across the ages, the magical practices of The Traditional Craft or Traditional Witchcraft in Britain has been as important to the Traditional Witch as breathing air. Magic is seen as another aspect of the energy of Nature, an added dimension of spirituality. The traditional Craft is the historic witchcraft of old Britain and is not Wicca, which dates from the early 1950's. The Traditional Witch has always been highly spiritual. We view the concept of God, as the universal consciousness that is evident in the world that surrounds us. Indeed, it is a core belief that Nature is the the very same as God. Consequently, Nature is divine. Magic itself is nothing more than the use of the forces of Nature, forces of God, to change or modify our reality to suit the desired outcome intended by the Trad Witch. Thus, magic is, when directed correctly, a divine act, comparable to prayer, which fosters positive change within the individual, their family, community, and our MotherEarth. It is an intended force for change, of creative modification. It can be used for any of the following purposes: * For personal growth and transformation. * To protect oneself and family. * To improve their life and the lives of their family. * To heal the oneself and to heal others. * To aid in obtaining a intended goal. * To remove barriers and impediments. * To create an alternate beginning or new circumstances. The magical arts can be a meaningful force for good in our lives, if we are willing to learn how to use it properly. The events in life are never coincidence, this magical results are never coincidence. Magic is based on the belief that Nature unfolds in an orderly manner and its events can be known. With this information, one can modify or alter the energy surrounding these events in manner that may influence the outcome. Magic, to most people, seems rather incomprehensible, something weird andsupernatural. Nevertheless, magic is something very different. For, rather than being something beyond knowing, the magical arts are within the reality of Nature, and affects our lives with ramifications to both the spiritual and physical planes. The spellcraft of Traditional Magic is particularly effective because the Trad Witch has knowledge of techniques that endow magic. While these techniques are not commonly thought of as applicable to magic, they go back in use in British magic for over a thousand years, if not longer. The terms commonly used for these techniques today, "meditation" and "visualization," are certainly not the same terms used our history, but their names do not matter. The substance of what is taught does. Traditional Witches subscribe to an very old concept called the Law of Return, or the principle of Cause and Effect. This is also found in physics, it states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. It is by this principle that every Traditional Witch knows full well that when an action is taken or they send a magical spell, the energy of that action or spell will eventually return to the sender in full force. Therefore, the wise are always careful in what they do. Traditional Magic can be a wonderful and potent force that can add to our quality of life, but only if it is used in a prudent manner.

About the Author

Adrian Eglinton is a writer, author, and began as a student of Traditional Witchcraft 30 years ago. He is dedicated to the spread of the natural and eternal truths of this old spiritual path and light the way for others. On his website you can read more abouttoday's witchcraft, and you can subscribe to a free 7-week Mini-Course on Traditional Magic.

Don't forget to check out the downloads at http://dasmagicum.com

The Worlds Of the Shaman - An Exploration Of Reality

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 14:12:00 +0000

by Howard G. Charing "Reality is an Illusion, albeit a persistent one." Albert Einstein. Shamans for many thousands of years have pointing in the same direction as Quantum Physics. There is a greater reality outside our limited perception. This article explores the worlds of the shaman. Shamanism is not a system of belief or faith, it is a system of knowledge, and is directly experienced first hand by the senses. The world that Shamans work in is not a consensus reality, i.e. what we have agreed is reality. The Shaman sees i.e. experiences with all the senses. The Shaman is the mediator between the ordinary world and an alternate reality. Shamanism offers a way for people to wake up to their potential, and begin to explore their spiritual relationship to the universe, to other forms of life, and to each other. The experiences which come from shamanism help a person to evolve a deeper bond and respect for all of creation, and from this perspective one is more likely to lead a life that enhances life, with an emphasis on harmony and balance, and which encourages understanding and optimism. The Shamanic path is a path to experience this expanded view of universe. The origins of shamanism pre-date recorded civilisation and the earliest findings date back forty thousand years. The word Shaman originates from the Tungus people of Siberia, it means 'One who sees', and I would like to add to this as someone 'who sees with the heart'. This brings us to one of the most important characteristics of shamans, that they are masters of energy and of the life-force which moves through the human body and all of creation. They know that there is energy normally invisible which connects all that exists, and they live with the knowledge of this energy and how to use it. This concept of the inter-relationship and understanding that man is a part of nature, not separate to it, a part of the connecting energy has been expressed in many ways and over many cultures, unfortunately not in ours. As Chief Seattle said in 1855 in his address to the American Congress; "What befalls the Earth befalls all the sons of the Earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web he does to himself." As the Siberian shamans say; "Everything that is, is alive." One of the other important characteristics of a shaman is that a man or woman who journeys into other realities to obtain hidden knowledge and wisdom on behalf of others i.e. in service to the community. Shamans are masters of altered states of consciousness in which the normal rules of Newtonian three-dimensional existence are broken, and in which travel to other worlds, pre-cognition, distant seeing are all possible. To put another way, the shaman travels outside of time. Today shamanism survives on all inhabited continents in less 'developed' regions in spite of the constant pressure of Western materialism, and the treatment of the Earth and nature as something to be dominated and exploited. Shamanism is a practice shared by peoples the world over with an underlying cosmology that cuts across cultural differences and customs. There is a common core, and when allowance is made for climatic, cultural, and geographical considerations there is a common experience. To illustrate this, a shaman from the frozen tundra's of Siberia may not be familiar with the symbols of a shaman from the rainforests of South America, but he or she would certainly recognise the methods and techniques that are being used. Contemporary shamanism is a path, a way, that we ourselves can be aware that we are a part, a strand in the web of life, and not outside of it. This path can lead us to experience in a practical way the nature of reality, and exceed our perception of the limits of reality. Shamanism is currently enjoying a revival in the West, one of the factors in this is the re-discovery of health techniques that actively recognise and use the mind and spirit of the individual to help healing and maintain wellness. Many of these methods and the knowledge underlying these are known in ancient shamanic practices which have migrated in to Western society. Increasing numbers of people are seeking and finding solutions to their health problems, whether defined as physical, mental, or emotional. Many shamanic principles are widely used in holistic healing centres and practices. Another factor in the 'revival' of shamanism is that we ourselves as individuals can experience the inter-connectivity, the intricate web of life that unifies all things. Shamanism provides tools and techniques to help you become your own spiritual authority. By journeying to the other realities, extending the perception of perceived reality, individuals can start to see, feel, or sense the one-ness of all things. These new insights and understandings come from within you, and from the teachers and counsellors in these other realities. This is an experiential process, and this means that you know for yourself that these experiences are valid. This is the meaning of a spiritual democracy. This expanded vision of life, can touch our heart, adding power to our walk in life, and we can move into a harmony and balance with nature, the Earth, and all living things. This not only changes our life perspective, but can also have a beneficial influence on all others, the community around us, which these days (whether we like it or not) is a global one. The shamanic path is a way to transformation, a personal, and subjective experience to an expanded awareness of this great mystery we call life. Much of our universe which is hidden can be explored, a universe which is known mainly through myth and dream.

About the Author

Howard G. Charing, is an accomplished international workshop leader on shamanism. He has worked some of the most respected and extraordinary shamans & healers in the Andes, the Amazon Rainforest, and the Philippines. He organises specialist retreats to the Amazon Rainforest at the dedicated centre located in the Mishana nature reserve. He is the author of the best selling book, Plant Spirit Shamanism (Destiny Books USA). His website:

Don't forget to check out the downloads at http://dasmagicum.com

Positive Results with BMT

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 18:37:00 +0000

If you are wanting to work with a passive income system that does actually work, then try Be Motivated Today. I actually got paid a commission, and this after not even looking at for almost a year because I thought it was going nowhere so I abandoned it.

Read more about my experience here http://redgroup.co.za/archives/a-nice-surprise-from-be-motivated-today

Or go straight to BMT now and sign up for a free trial membership and test the waters. It really is a brilliant system and you get to download lots of good motivational and inspirational ebooks.

Bune Drawing

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:23:00 +0000

I finished the next installment of the Goetia Series drawings, Bune. This one was definitely a little more involved with a lot more detail, but well worth the time spent on it. I still need to upload it to RedBubble, but here's a small sample.

The Twenty-sixth Spirit is Bune (or Bim). He is a Strong, Great and Mighty Duke. He appeareth in the form of a Dragon with three heads, one like a Dog, one like a Gryphon, and one like a Man. He speaketh with a high and comely Voice. He changeth the Place of the Dead, and causeth the Spirits which be under him to gather together upon your Sepulchres. He giveth Riches unto a Man, and maketh him Wise and Eloquent. He giveth true Answers unto Demands.

Frith,
Lee 'Red Oak' Johnson
http://redoaksponderings.blogspot.com
http://hlmagickschool.com
Need a Professional? http://magickforhire.com
My art - http://www.redbubble.com/people/redoak

Magick for Hire

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 08:40:00 +0000

Here's an interesting concept for you, http://magickforhire.com

Completely new site, looking for Practitioners to join the database, so if you are interested, fill in the application. If you have any questions there is a contact form you can use or email info@magickforhire.com

Frith,
Lee 'Red Oak' Johnson
http://redoaksponderings.blogspot.com
http://hlmagickschool.com - Free Online Magick Lessons
http://proudlypagan.co.za

Errors in Positive Thinking and Sigil Work

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 13:35:00 +0000

Many of us have heard of the practice of Positive Thinking. It is mentioned by many authors and practitioners of Self-Help and Esoteric works such as Deepak Chopra and it abounds in The Secret. One aspect that I discovered which was missing from this simple but effective practice was the aspect of Positive Feeling. Not only should we be thinking positively, but also feeling positively when we do these exercises. To just think, "I want lots of money" without actually feeling it, means that we do not project a sufficient amount of energy toward that goal. You need to include the desire, the feelings that come along with it.

However, there is an error which I picked up. It may have been mentioned by all of the previous people before me and I was just too thick to recognize it, or they considered it to be obvious, which I don't think it is to everyone. When we do the act of Positive Thinking we tend to think of our desire as being in the future. Therefore, we do think, "I want to be rich" or "I will be rich". There is a huge problem with this.

Each day you may stand in front of the mirror or sit in meditation and stir up a lot of emotion about how rich you will be one day. Every day you do the same thing, but nothing happens. Why? Because every day you are projecting that desire into the future, pushing it forward or in front of you each time because you WILL be rich. What you should be doing is thinking and feeling in the present, i.e. "I AM RICH" which would bring your desire into the now and will stop pushing forward each time. It's a bit like pushing a shopping cart in front of you. It will always be in front of you until you take the crazy action of actually jumping into it (make sure you are not going downhill at the time).

The same goes for sigil work. In all, or most of the texts we find that this process begins with the creation of a Will Sentence, and in all, or most, that Will Sentence is to start with "It is my Will to". Now the problem I find here is that when you add to that sentence that which it is your Will to, it is more than likely you will make it futuristic (damn that was a difficult sentence). Therefore we end up with something like "It is my Will to be rich" which is always projecting into the future. We can't say, "It is my Will to I am rich" just doesn't make sense. Therefore I propose that we burn the "It is my Will to" part of sigil creation. Ban it, stomp on it, chew it up and spit it out, it has no place in the NOW.

Frith,
Lee 'Red Oak' Johnson
http://redoaksponderings.blogspot.com
http://hlmagickschool.com - Free Online Magick Lessons
http://proudlypagan.co.za

The Goetia Series

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 05:00:00 +0000

I have started a series of drawings called the Goetia Series, simply because they will all be of the Goetic Spirits. For the first contribution, Orobas was kind enough to pose for me and the finished drawing can be found at http://www.redbubble.com/people/redoak both with the seal and without. I added the seal in photoshop so the original is just Orobas by himself.

Will try and do one drawing per week which should keep me busy for about18 months.

Elementals and Servitors

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 07:10:00 +0000

Before I disappear for my spiritual adventure, I finished my new eBook over the weekend and have just uploaded and made it available.

Elementals and Servitors

Elementals and Servitors are energetic beings that are created by a Magician or Witch to perform tasks for them. They have been used in various forms by cultures spanning the globe for centuries. This book gives you the methods to work with them and a practical guide on how to create them. Not only does it discuss this aspect of Magic from the perspective of Chaos Magic, but also presents the Kabbalistic method of Elemental creation, giving you a descriptive means of using the Yetziratic Wheel and taking you through the various launching methods.

You can purchase it at http://stores.lulu.com/pansgate or for any South African folks at http://hlmagickschool.com (just go to the Stores link in the Main Menu and then click on eBooks in the Categories.

But wait, there's more

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 09:38:00 +0000

This is getting more and more difficult to explain.

Imagine yourself as a ball of power. In this ball are all the infinite moments of your existence in this lifetime. Extending from that ball are connective links to all of the people, places, things, animals, etc. that you have encountered during this lifetime, and these lines connect to the balls of power which are those things, people, etc. Now, within this ball which is you are also all of your incarnations. This means that the concept of the ball as you, expands even further. Connected to this ball which is you and all of your incarnations is another ball, your Neshamah (it’s not actually connected as it is the ball, but trying to explain in words is not easy). Each person has a Neshamah connected to them, but the Higher Self or Soul is again split into three parts, the Neshamah, the Chiah and the Yehidah.

So now, expand your view from the You Ball up to your Neshamah and then take a group of people, let’s say a family, your family. All of the members of your family have their own ball of power containing all of their moments, experiences, etc. and incarnations of same. Each person has a Neshamah, and all of those Neshamah are connected by the Chiah. Expand that further to contain all the Chiah of a nation and you have another Chiah. Put them all together and you have the Yehidah which then unites all.

But now remember that the Neshamah is only part of the soul belonging to people. We also have the plants, animals and all of the other things of creation. Uniting all of this is God, the Primal Force, the Everything and No-Thing, the Universal Mind, The ALL.

And now that I explained this as best I can in the format of a network, remove the network and bring it all into one ball of power that is infinite, has no boundaries (and is therefore not actually a ball).

The Gods

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 09:12:00 +0000

My perception of the Universe keeps expanding as I get shown more. For instance, who are the Gods? Let’s take this back a little and explain the HGA, or in Kabbalistic terms, the Neshamah.

The Neshamah is the Higher Self of a person. This portion of our soul is that part which is immortal. As we incarnate through different life times, we forget the previous ones in order to experience the new one. The Neshamah on the other hand does not die, is not born and retains the experiences of all of those lifetimes.

When we speak of the Gods we may think of them as sentient beings or archetypes. In retrospect, both are correct in my view. We work with the Gods, or petition them to aid in our work to affect something of ourselves or our environment. If we want love, we go to a certain god or goddess, if we want money, we go to a different one, each of them having aspects that we require, almost like job titles. You would not go to a plumber to get your electricity fixed, and you would not go to a “god of money” to get love in your life.

Now, each person we encounter has their own aspects and personalities, experiencing this reality in their own manner, their own job titles as it were. Their Neshamah is therefore experiencing that aspect of life and adding it to the experiences of its previous incarnations. We speak of the Gods as being immortal and having more experience, which is the same as the Neshamah. It would stand to reason that the possibility exists that the Gods are in fact the Higher Selves of all the people on the planet.

Reality in an instant

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 09:13:00 +0000

I thought I would share a lesson I was given last night by the kaneh-bos ally. It has to do with Reality being made up of moments that all happen within the same instance, lateral time as opposed to our man made linear time. For a brief moment I experienced this Reality, only a portion of it though, but I knew in that moment I would not be able to experience it when I came back to normal every day life, it is just too big. Anyway, for those interested, this is the imagery that I was presented with.

Each second is a moment on a card, and there are multiple cards. we experience each moment all at once, but our attention in our conscious mind is only on one, which was lit up. Our attention obviously moves around from moment to moment. Now, that is each second, so between those seconds, you have to split up the moment more into nanoseconds, making thousands of cards from second to second, and then split it up even further into an infinite number of cards or moments, beyond human reasoning or calculation. Then expand that over an entire lifetime and you have the bigger picture. We live within all of the cards in the same instance. Then remember that is only one person, from specific cards/moments, other things branch off to form the experiences of other people, animals, things, places, etc. It's huge, and it all takes place in the same instance as one large body.

Breathing in the Sigil

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:53:00 +0000

I used a method of sigil launching this morning that I hadn’t thought of previously and wanted to share it. It’s a combination of sigil work and Kabbalistic practice and may prove interesting and worthwhile to others.

I have a frame which holds two small panes of glass which can be slid in and out and so you can easily replace something between the pieces of glass. I put a plain white sheet of paper between them and then took a glass artliner from Dala and drew the sigil on one of the pieces of glass. The interesting thing with this is that you can take coloured paper and put it between the glass and then place a candle behind the frame which illuminates the sigil. If you get two pieces of glass with clips, you should be able to construct it quite easily.

Then I went into my Temple, placed it standing up on the altar with the candle behind. I then drew in spiritual force from the Infinite Power Source (this is the Kabbalistic method and is spoken of in the book I am working on about Elementals and Servitors, which is partially uploaded on my website) and projected lines to the sigil. This was a simple case of drawing in Power through the top of the head into the forehead and then breathing it out, projecting a line of power to the sigil, and when it got there it kind spider-webbed out to cover the sigil itself. I repeated this but moved the power into the throat and out to the sigil, then into the chest, then to the solar plexus and finally the groin. I didn’t add hands because I was intending to meditate for a while after that process (and didn’t want to sit there holding up my hands).

So then I sat and meditated for about 20 minutes followed by breathing the sigil in. Now this is the process of Breathing in Spiritual Force which you usually do with an object or colour, but I thought it would work just as well with a sigil. Therefore as I breathed in I drew the sigil into myself through the lines of power I had used to connect to it. Three breaths and that was it.

Oil of AbraMelin Findings

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:23:00 +0000

2011/01/04 05:24 PM

I was doing some research on Sacred Plants, specifically cannabis at the time and came across some very curious information. Firstly a little background, and then we’ll get to the curious part.

Oil of AbraMelin, which modern magicians use in ritual and ceremony to anoint, is derived from the Holy Oil of Tanakh. This Holy Oil, mentioned in Exodus, was only used to anoint Holy Men and Kings, and by being anointed made them Christs (the anointed ones). When Jesus came along, being the rebel he is, he decided to take the Holy Oil and anoint everyone who wanted to be anointed. He used it to heal, to drive out demons and bring God to the people. This was against the law of the Hebrews which stated that for someone to use on those which are not allowed it would set that person apart. Christ, his disciples and followers were indeed set apart, and Christianity was borne out through the ages with Gnosticism sticking to some more original material. Christianity means “to be smeared or anointed with Holy Oil”.

So what is this Holy Oil (now for the curious part)? In Exodus we might find the ingredients to be myrrh, aromatic cane, cinnamon, cassia and olive oil, but it is the aromatic cane that has created the most curiosity as it is not translated properly. The Hebrew gives it as Kaneh-bosm with the ‘m’ at the end of a word indicating a large quantity, so singularly it would be Kaneh-bos. This word has been translated as being calamus, which sounds almost right (where Crowley got galangal from I don’t know). However, it has been speculated that calamus is also a mistranslation. The correct translation for Kaneh-bos should actually be cannabis (say kaneh-bos fast 10 times, you’ll understand why).

What does this mean for Christianity? I hate to say it folks, but it possibly means that Christianity was borne out of a culture that used cannabis to reach divine and ecstatic heights or enlightenment.

For a much more detailed explanation on the subject, read this extremely interesting article - Cannabis and the Christ: Jesus used Marijuana | Cannabis Culture Magazine

The AbraMelin Stuff

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 08:47:00 +0000

I have been sending journal updates to the main site and have also created a Wordpress blog specifically for the work I am doing in with the AbraMelin Operation at http://abramelinjournal.wordpress.com/ (in case you prefer Wordpress), but some of the things that are coming out of the meditations and Temple journeys is rather interesting. Because of this I will probably also be adding some of the posts here, but if you want to catch up with everything, go and read through WP blog.

St. Expedite

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 12:00:00 +0000

If you have ever been on an eGroup or forum that deals with hoodoo, then you would have probably come across people thanking St. Expedite for his quick resolutions in certain matters. This is a standard practice when working with St. Expedite, i.e. to thank him in public. Now when we consider any kind of spirit, they tend to become stronger with energy, and that energy is created by us, the Living, and given to the spirit. In the case of the publicity that St. Expedite gets, I think I can safely say that if you work with him, you will be working with a very strong spirit.

If you are wanting a speedy solution to a problem, or just general financial success, then St. Expedite is your man. The image of him with a cross and a crow underfoot says it all. The cross bears the word “HODIE”, which in Latin means “Today”, and emitting from the crow’s mouth as it is being trodden on (not very animal rights friendly, but it is symbolism after all) is the “CRAS”, meaning “Tomorrow”. What we therefore have is a Saint that says, “Don’t put off for tomorrow what you can do today.” In other words, don’t waste time, if you need something now, stop stalling and pro-CRAS-tinating, and that is what Saint Expedite is all about.

If you would like to work with St. Expedite, you will need three things, a candle, a small container of water and an image of the Saint. The candle to use should be red, although in some cases I have come across, if you are working specifically for financial gain, then you can use green. The water is to feed him as water is used a great deal in hoodoo to attract and feed the spirits. The image you use can either be the picture as displayed in this article, another of him, or a figurine.

Placement of these items are done in a triangle with the candle at the back, the water to the front left, and the image to the front right. Once you have this set up, you are ready to begin your work. Do remember that this will probably become a permanent fixture in your home or on your altar, so consider it long term, not just a single working with the Saint for a single solution or gain.

The first thing to do is make contact and build up a relationship. This should be done over a 9 day period whereby you go to the altar or shrine and say a prayer to St. Expedite. At this point you can include your request and a promise of the return you will give him when the work is accomplished, or you can just decide to make the contact and build up the energy between you.

After the nine day period, you can make your request. Keep doing this every day until you get that which you requested. Once it is accomplished, make sure you give St. Expedite what you promised to give him. If you don’t, then he will take away just as easily as he has provided. One other suggestion. If you start working with him and a couple days later decide it is too much bother, too late. When you start, you had better see it through, or you will start to see things going south, so don’t begin working with St. Expedite unless you are committed.

You can go to him with new requests from time to time, and only then, light the candle and give him the attention he requires to accomplish each task, or you can pay him homage on a daily basis, which in my opinion would be the better option. Keep that energy flowing so that when you do need his help, he is there and ready.

When the task has been accomplished, don’t forget to give him your promise. Some of the things he likes are red wine, flowers and a pound cake, and do remember to thank him in a public manner, which can be done either through forums on the internet or if it was especially big, maybe take out a small ad in the newspaper, but make sure you give him the recognition. This is not only good for him as something he likes and asks for, but it is good for you and everyone who works with him. The more people that work with him, the stronger he becomes, and then we all get what we want, which is why he has become such a popular Saint.

If you really want to pay him homage, then focus your efforts more on a Wednesday, which is his day, and this also coincides with the day of Mercury, making him a Mercurial spirit. Therefore, if you want to work on communication, the writing arts, speedy solutions, and things that denote the work of Mercury, then this is the best time. This also makes quicksilver his metal, and some Mercurial plants or herbs would be peppermint, flax, elecampane, dill, fennel, bittersweet, the leaves and bark or any product of the ash tree, cinquefoil, cinnamon, spearmint, pomegranate, poppy, and sage.

There are quite a few prayers that can be found on the internet to recite when working with St. Expedite, but although I tend to prefer to sit and chat rather than recite something that was written by someone else, and therefore, not my own words, there is one which I have found I like quite a bit.

I come before you, Saint Expedite,
To remedy economic problems in my work and my home.
And to ask for your powerful support.

Saint Expedite, protect my income,
That I may obtain sufficient money for necessities,
And tranquility and joy will reign in my house.

By your grace, Blessed Saint,
I request and pray that I will achieve my desire.

(State your petition)

And I will give thanks for your glorious intercession.

(Now promise to give Saint Expedite a specific offering if your desire is granted)

Amen

Start Your New Year on a Clean Slate with Cleansing Water

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 05:21:00 +0000

Until 20^th December 2010 I will be running a special on Cleansing Water. This specific item is the same Cleansing Water that I used a few months back and had such incredible results with which can be read about in my blog. What you will receive is a bottle of the water, and a box of stick incense, postage included.

This special water is created through the use of fire and water and the invocation of the Divine Name Agala'a, and its effects are very powerful. It's main function is to clear away all psychic attachments that you may have. Now just to be clear, what this means is the following:

As we meet people we link to them through energetic connections, and they link to us. Passing between ourselves and them is energy or personal power and so we "share our lives together". Depending on who we meet, some of these links can be negative to us, and they affect our lives badly. One such link is called an ibbur in Hebrew, which translates directly to Evil Eye. In many cases of the ibbur, this can actually be a deceased relative. It is not their intention to halt our lives or cause problems of course, but the attachment they create to us after passing, and the love we had/have for them, causes their energy to fix to us. This attachment causes a hindrance in life and stops our progress. Each time we try to move forward, it is like we are being pulled back, because the ibbur is attempting to direct our lives in a fashion which is not how our life is supposed to go, so we have a tug of war.

What the Cleansing Water does is very simple, but extremely effective. Unlike other magical applications to remove links or cords that are not desirable (usually ending up trying to figure out which of the millions of psychic attachments we have are the ones to remove, and not doing it correctly), this formula removes ALL of these attachments. What you have is a clean slate to start again, choose the people you want to continue on in life with and discard those that caused negativity, leaving them behind. Without the negative influences on your life, you can then move forward.

If you would like more information on the Cleansing Water, please write to me on mabonis@gmail.com and I will get back to you.

The special I am running includes a bottle of the water (enough to use once), a box of stick incense (please let me know if there are any scents that you dislike or find yourself allergic to so I don't include them in your package), instructions on usage, and postage is free, all for only R125. The normal price of the water alone is R150 so there is a huge saving.

To order your water now and start your New Year with a clean slate, just email me on mabonis@gmail.com. This special is only running for postage within South Africa. If you are living outside South Africa and would like to order, please let me know and I will see what I can do in regards to international postage costs.

The AbraMelin Journal

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 10:01:00 +0000

For anyone interested, I am starting the AbraMelin Operation, and I will be keeping a Journal at the HLMS site which will outline my progress. It will also contain a lot of very valuable information about such things as the Body of Light, how to create it and how to move in it, Astral Temples, and a whole lot more.

If you are interested, go to The AbraMelin Journal.

The Problem with Lotteries

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:18:00 +0000

Well I went to play the lotto today and the machine wasn't working, so I decided to leave it. Will try tomorrow.

However, many people ask someone who practices magic, "If you can perform magic, why don't you win the lottery?" or "If you can predict the future..."

There is a very simple reason for this and it involves Intent. When the lottery is being drawn you have millions of people who have chosen numbers, all wishing that their numbers will be drawn. Imagine if you will a ball with a million threads of energy all trying to get through to be the one...very much like sperm cells on their race to the egg. This is what is happening at the time of the numbers being drawn. Now with that many threads of intent all attacking the same point, how easy do you think it is for your own intent to get through? Think about it for a while.

As for predicting the numbers...impossible. The future can change with every split second. As people push their intent forward, this causes an effect, and it alters the outcome. Of course this could be argued from the standpoint of a hard fatalist, whereby it doesn't matter what we do, think, decide or choose, that future is already determined, but that is not the way I see things myself. I believe that the future is decided, and we all flow in the direction of that decision, but we can alter the journey we take here and there.

Frith,
Lee 'Red Oak' Johnson
http://redoaksponderings.blogspot.com
http://hlmagickschool.com

Out of Focus

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:49:00 +0000

Hello folks,

Apologies for the delay in updates, but I was so busy last week I didn't know if I was coming or going and then I spent the weekend backing up 15 years worth of info and work, swapping hard drives and reinstalling. I now don't have pauses when I am typing, so much better :o)

Right, so I did the lotto thing the Friday before last, played the Powerball with 6 games, wore the seal on my arm, touched it and said the right word and played. That night I burnt a red candle on it to represent the colour of the seal (which is actually supposed to be on cherry satin). Results? Nothing, no numbers whatsoever came up.

So, Wednesday I went and played again, this time I let the machine choose numbers with a Quick Pick. I went home put the lotto ticket under the seal with a yellow candle on top for Sol and wealth, riches, gold, etc. It got to Friday and I then discovered that the draw had been on Wednesday (I thought it was Tuesday and Saturday for some reason, so *sigh* failed again. I told you I was busy hey?

Then I played again on Saturday, did the same, but my intention is to burn the candle from 9PM to 10PM as the lotto gets picked at 9:30PM....I was so tired I fell asleep before 9PM. However, there was some focus there as I got 2 numbers from each set.

Ergo, I will try again, use the yellow candle and STAY AWAKE :o)

Frith,

Lee 'Red Oak' Johnson

http://redoaksponderings.blogspot.com

http://hlmagickschool.com

Grimoire Seals

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:55:00 +0000

I did promise that I would send through the instructions and more details about the experiments that I am doing with the seals and pentacles from the Girmiores, so here it is. The one I will focus on is the 2nd pentacle of Jupiter from The Greater Keys of Solomon.

This is really simple, none of that making a circle that can take 2 days and summoning spirits into Triangles and stuff. All you need is a pen, paper and blue candle...and something to light the candle with obviously.

The Grimoire says the following about this pentacle:

"This is proper for acquiring glory, honors, dignities, riches, and all kinds of good, together with great tranquillity of mind; also to discover Treasures and chase away the Spirits who preside over them. It should be written upon Virgin Parchment, with the pen of the swallow and the blood of the screech-owl."

The Virgin Parchment will be the peice of clean unused paper and we don't use such things as pens of swallow and blood of screech-owl anymore, so just a blue pen will do :o)

Draw out the pentacle on the paper, don't worry about getting the Hebrew letters perfect, it is not all that important, what is important is doing something that you fill with an intent. Once done, place it on a table top, somewhere where it will not be moved all the time, put the candle on top (might want to use a small candle holder) and light the candle...done. I let the candle burn for a while and then put it out, at least 30 minutes at a time. Sometimes I forget about it and it burns right down and then I just replace it and light it again another day, so you can light it for 30 minutes each day if you like. Don't blow it out, snuff it out, as you don't want the magic to end.

Do that for a couple days and see how it goes. There are some aspects which I had or have included that I am not sure would influence the effectiveness, but I don't see why they should. The main thing is that you connect to the intent, and each time you light the candle, you draw your attention to the intent. No need to meditate or do visualisations, rituals or anything of the sort, just connect with the intent by lighting the candle and go about doing whatever else you were doing.

I am going to have a go at using one of the seals from The Black Pullet to win at the lottery. May take some experimentation as I am not making a ring and the seal will not be embroidered onto satin. What I will do with this one is to draw the seal on one side of a peice of paper and the ring with the symbols on the other side. When I go to play the lotto I will wear it on my left arm, touch it and say the appropriate word. Then when the lotto is being drawn, I will light a yellow candle on top of it. I will keep you updated as to what happens.

Want to also experiment with some more abstract ones such as invisibility. That will take some thought though.

Best Wishes,
Lee 'Red Oak' Johnson
http://hlmagickschool.com - Free Lessons in Magick and Witchcraft
http://redoaksponderings.blogspot.com

15% off The Black Crow

mabonis@gmail.com (Red Oak) — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:17:00 +0000

Well that didn't post as well as I hoped it would have. Lulu.com are offering 15% of my new book The Black Crow, so take advantage quickly. Offer ends 15 November 2010.

Disclaimer: Use coupon code LEAF305 at checkout and receive 15% off The Black Crow. Maximum savings with this promotion is $10. You can only use the code once per account, and you can't use this coupon in combination with other coupon codes. Sorry, self-purchases (buying books that you've published) aren't eligible. This great offer ends on November 15, 2010 at 11:59 PM so try not to procrastinate! While very unlikely we do reserve the right to change or revoke this offer at anytime, and of course we cannot offer this coupon where it is against the law to do so. Finally, Lulu incurs the cost of this discount, so it does not impact the Author's proceeds of the book.

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The Black Crow

Purchase The Black Crow with 15% off with coupon code LEAF305

Disclaimer: Use coupon code LEAF305 at checkout and receive 15% off The Black Crow. Maximum savings with this promotion is $10. You can only use the code once per account, and you can't use this coupon in combination with other coupon codes. Sorry, self-purchases (buying books that you've published) aren't eligible. This great offer ends on November 15, 2010 at 11:59 PM so try not to procrastinate! While very unlikely we do reserve the right to change or revoke this offer at anytime, and of course we cannot offer this coupon where it is against the law to do so. Finally, Lulu incurs the cost of this discount, so it does not impact the Author's proceeds of the book.