head for red

Wednesday Webshare: Elves, Lego Hell, and Visions from the Third Eye



I’m not a huge horror movie fan. At some point they got taken over by needless violence and gore, which I don’t mind but that’s not what I seek out movies for. I haven’t liked a horror movie since The Others, but this one looks interesting.
The Possession

It is supposedly based on the case of the dibbukbox but I don’t know how much is really from that incident. I liked that it’s a Jewish spirit, and that you see a Rabbi tackling it. I annoys me the monopoly Catholics have on spirit/demons and exorcisms in movies…and even in ghost-related reality tv series, so it’s nice to see a Rabbi step up to the plate.
In Iceland a politician is moving a boulder which he believes houses three generations of elves. I don’t know what to make of this story. Personally I’m not an elf fan. It’s interesting though, he seems to be quite serious about this, and doesn’t seem bizarre, can’t say for sure there are elves though. In a counter news story, Rob Ford mayor of Toronto can’t stand to have faeries around him.
There are many reasons to complain about the Star Wars Prequels. (If you can’t think of any, I suggest you watch these reviews, even if you can, watch them. They’re hilarious and very intelligent.) Some people complain about the idea of Anakin (Darth Vader) being a messiah, and even having a virgin birth. Oddly enough though it seems that Darth Vader’s armour in the original movies (the good three) may have Hebrew writing on them. This of course left me hearing “Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha‑olam” in Vader’s voice. I guess that would make him Da’ath Vader?
If that wasn’t unusual enough. Mihai Mihu created the Nine Circles of Hell out of Lego. Now before you ignore that link, this isn’t some child’s fooling around with Lego, this is some seriously well crafted stuff. My favourite is Lust, with a Lego menstruating vagina creating a river of blood. (Did you ever expect to read a sentence like that ever?)
Rufus Opus makes an excellent post regarding the differences in how eclipses are seen and used in Eastern and Western magick. It’s a great read, and it applies to far more than just the eclipse. It explains how different traditions can interpret the same phenomena in completely opposite terms, while both being right, without resorting to “It’s just what they believe in that works” or something in that arena.
Over on his site Aghor Pir gave a great list of Hindu Tantra sources. It’s very thorough. Now I just need some more funding for texts and time to read them…

This is an interesting photo, beautiful, grainy, something ephemeral about it. Oh, it was also taken with a camera made out of a human skull. This artist has more than one, that was Third Eye (as the pin hole is in the third eye region), and there is also Yama, which is capable of 3-D pictures.
Lastly. I came across a new blog, and I’m in love. It’s Angry Asian Buddhist. I deal a lot with the concerns (and reality) of cultural appropriation of Buddhism in the West. This blog deals with a lot of that, in an intelligent, but as the title suggests angry manner. If you’re looking to get involved with Buddhism, or are already but are unaware of these concerns, take a read.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick

Wednesday Webshares: Grant, Visualization, Manifestation, and Moon Glyphs


Today Toronto is in the grip of Snowmageddon! Actually it isn’t, we were expecting a major snowstorm, we only got about 15cm overnight, but still much of the city is taking the day to hibernate, my university included. Not to sound stupid, but the term Snowmageddon, does that make sense? Does Mount Megiddo even get much snow?
The first news of the day is from LAShTal. Kenneth Grant passed away on the 15th of January, 2011 after a period of illness. He was a student and friend of both Aleister Crowley and Austin Osman Spare. Author of over a dozen occult texts and various collections of poetry and novels he will be missed. Many occult bloggers are writing great tributes and biographies of him, so I’ll avoid the duplication of effort and leave it at that.
My next point of interest is a recent article on Rune Soup called The Limits of Visualisation: Why You Still Need Magic. It is an examination of the over-emphasis on positive thinking and visualization, à la The Secret. While Gordon makes a lot of magickal sense, he also managed to dig up some enlightening psychology studies about the problems of positive visualization that confirm several of my issues with the system.
Over on Head For the Red, Frater R.O. writes about Manifestation Magic in which he puts down a reasonable equation about using magick to actually get results. With him it’s about strategic planning, effort/work, and creating opportunities. After reading it I forwarded it right away to a friend who has been having troubles with a specific magickal goal and R.O. eloquently puts what I had been trying to explain.

Posted by kalagni in blueflamemagick