Alpha Omega: Our Struggle to Survive

by Anthropologist and AΩ High Priestess

Leslie McQuade

As High Priestess of the Alpha Omega's new Egyptian section, the Egyptian College of Isis, my duties are primarily of a spiritual nature. I constantly tend the fires in our Isis Mother temple, performing the Alpha Omega's Egyptian Pagan rites on a daily basis.

Thus I try my best to stay out of the mundane affairs of our order. If I write on the Internet, it is on my little blog, Whispers from Shadow Mountain, that you can find here, where I am today originally publishing this article that will also be reblogged on The Golden Dawn Blog here.

Our Lady Isis is a loving and gentle Mother, yet when her child is threatened Isis reminds us that she is also Lady of Magick and keeper of the words of power which command even great Ra by his secret name.

This morning I was saddenned when, on the blog of a man who leads a Golden Dawn order and claims to be a spiritual leader, I read vile personal attacks not only calling our AΩ Imperator a "tin-foil hat wearing loon" and a "muggle nutter," but calling the Alpha Omega itself "spiritually bankrupt" and our thousands of AΩ members across the globe just a "few lunatic followers."

By attacking each of you hard working, magick practicing, book buying members of our beloved Alpha Omega, those who have tried to destroy the AΩ for two decades now this time gone have too far!

I know that many of you, dear readers, are not particularly interested in the ongoing struggle for AΩ survival, freedom, and our independence from SRIA tyranny.

When I first became a member of the Alpha Omega, I too, was not particularly interested in this, as I was so busy learning, practicing and internalizing all the new material to which I had just gained access. 

It wasn’t until the recent Independence Day celebrations that it came home to me exactly WHY the aggressive defense of our Order is so important.

Just like the founding fathers, who fought for the independence of all Americans, whether they were interested in independence or not, and despite the huge army SRIA fielded to destroy the Alpha Omega and its leaders' reputation on the Internet, our Imperator has led us to survive against all odds through two full decades of attacks.

When they attacked AΩ in court, we defeated them, and preserved our right to call ourselves Golden Dawn, despite SRIA's huge financial war chest (which they continue to rebuild today!). Wherever and whenever they attacked AΩ on the Internet, we drove them back. Time and time again, we faced down an army of SRIA "researchers" falsifying our history.

Alpha Omega: Our Struggle to Survive!

Like many others, at first I did not believe the SRIA was actively and aggressively working towards monopolizing the Golden Dawn, and limiting access to certain materials based not on grade and ability as is traditional, but on other factors like religious affiliation. I most emphatically do not want to be forced into a mystical Christian mold, but if the SRIA had its way, that is exactly how things would be.

Our struggle is simple. AΩ must survive! We have sought peace over and over, extending an olive branch time and time again, only to have it roughly slapped away. We remain ever vigilant, faced with a ruthless and unrelenting enemy that will not rest until they destroy or seize control of the AΩ.

I love the freedom I have in the AΩ to study magick. I think it is absolutely beautiful that even Neophytes have immediate access to magick. I mean, really! Isn’t that a big part of why we all decided to become Ceremonial MAGICIANS in the first place? To practice Magick? I am quite a patient person, as any archaeologist must be, but I don’t think I could stomach waiting until 5=6 to practice magick, and I certainly wouldn’t continue with an Order that insisted I change my fundamental belief paradigm from Pagan to Trinitarian Christian to do it.

I guess what I really want to explain to those of you who are not interested, is that while it is your own business to be interested or not, know that you would not be able to study the materials you study, to practice the magick that you do, or to be the Ceremonial Magicians you aspire to be, were not for the tireless efforts of our Imperator. Let us recall that British tyrants also once called General Washington a "tin-foil hat wearing loon" leading a "few lunatic followers."

There are countless others who, like me, today stand beside our Imperator in defense of the AΩ.  I do it because I value my own freedom and the freedom of the Fraters and Sorores in our Order. I love you all very much, and like the soldiers who fought the Revolutionary war to free our great nation from the yoke of British tyranny, I fight for your freedom from another group of British Tyrants.

How could I do otherwise? How could I stand idly by and watch as these thugs destroy our Rose? The Initiatic Secrets our Order has carefully preserved for the spiritual development of its members is so sacred, so fragile and beautiful … To think of that a "men's only club" of SRIA Christian segregationist leaders are deliberately trying to break down our fences to stomp it into oblivion just breaks my heart. How can they be so obviously malicious? They are vandals in the worst sense of the word!

May we always remember that, first and foremost, we are MAGICIANS!

In the Alpha Omega, we struggle magically for a future world that will be equilibrated and where nature is decontaminated. We work magically to reawaken the sleeping powers inside man and womankind into full contact with the magical forces of nature, returning to the authentic, natural human being that existed prior to religious deformation and who is therefore incapable of harming the Earth. 

This will automatically result in the elevation of consciousness to its fullest spiritual potential.

In the AΩ, our Mission is to improve the human Soul, reveal to women and men their dormant powers, and to reveal the full power of love that completely transforms the mind and destroys egoism.

Our desire is to see free women and men living in harmony with the natural world, being active in society, and using magick to serve the entire Earth.

Our desire is to reveal to everyone the source of their hidden powers; to give them the true and complete key to the power of the human spirit.

Others build physical technologies. In the AΩ we specialize in spiritual technologies.

We desire that every woman and every man may always have the internal resources that can be used through magick to affront every type of problem that afflicts humanity.

So let the vulgar ruffians call us names and flame us on the Internet!

OUR magick creates smiles and joy, not fear and hatred.

Let the SRIA tyrants and their GD spies spread lies that the Alpha Omega is "spiritually bankrupt" and we are but a "few lunatic followers."

In truth we are legion, and struggle for the spiritual liberation of every woman and every man!

The British tyrants are desperately trying to draw attention away from their own inadequacies.

This is why they are spitting venom and bile, and calling every AΩ member names.

But, despite all this, I for one will NOT stoop to the level of the tyrants.

I for one will NOT flame them back and I urge each and every one of you to show the same restraint.

The SRIA tyrants and their GD spies will not succeed to start a flame war. They merely expose THEMSELVES as vulgar bullies.

This does not mean, however, that I will also allow ANYONE to defile that which I hold sacred. I may not have been interested in the beginning, but by Goddess I am now!

Our attackers have awakened in me a determination, a side of myself that I have never before given permission to act. I feel as any mother must when their child is threatened by anyone or anything.

And this maternal instinct will not be silenced for expediency. It will not be silenced simply because there are others who find it “distasteful." How can anyone who truly loves the AΩ, the Order that teaches the magicks to give you everlasting life, not be enraged by the SRIA tyrants' and their spies' unrelenting attempts to kill it?

I will not allow that to happen. Neither will my sisters and brothers of the AΩ! 

The Golden Dawn may be a path of initiation, but the Alpha Omega is also a path of spiritual liberation!

____________________

When I am in need of strength, I turn to great women of the past for inspiration. Here are some of the women who inspire me most in our fight for survival as the free and independent AΩ we all know and love:

Mercy Otis Warren

Mercy Otis Warren: Mercy wrote the first history of the Revolutionary War, and she had first person experience! Mercy got her start before the War officially began by spreading revolutionary ideas to the people. John Adams was impressed with Mercy's writing. Many of her stories/plays made fun of the British. One of her plays was titled "The Blockheads". With her husband gone off to fight, Mercy decided to write the history of the American Revolution using her notes from meetings and conversations. Her notes were published in 1805 under the title History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution. 

Abigail Smith

Abigail Smith: Abigail, John's wife, was a very well educated woman who often wrote letters to her friends, speaking of revolution and liberty. As John served in the First Continental Congress, she stayed home and tended to the farm, occasionally sending messages to her husband. Much of what she had to say made its way into our founding documents. When John and others were considering a declaration of independence, Abigail reminded him to take care of the women, who would not hold themselves bound by laws in which they had no voice. She was often called Mrs. President for her contribution to shaping our country.

Catherine Moore Barry

Catherine Moore Barry: A battle that occurred in Cowpens, South Carolina, was Catherine's chance to use her extensive knowledge of the area to help the Patriots. The British, under command of General Cornwallis was out to crush a group of Patriots commanded by General Morgan. Realizing how out-manned he was, Morgan turned to Catherine for help. Catherine single-handedly rounded up an impressive amount of local Patriots to join Morgan's cause. With Catherine's help, General Morgan laid a trap for General Corwallis and his men. After the trap proved as a success, Cornwallis retreated right into the hands of George Washington in Yorktown, Virginia.  With his surrender there, the colonies won their independence from Britain.

Margaret Corbin

Margaret Corbin: When Fort Washington was attacked, instead of running home, Margaret Corbin stayed and fought beside her husband. She took over her husband's job as matross, (the person who loaded the cannon) when the gunner was killed. Her husband was also lost in the battle. She was hit and left to die, but a passing doctor tended to her wounds. Margaret's wounds left her permanently disabled, thus making her the first woman to receive a lifetime pension for her service in a battle. 

Penelope Barker

Penelope Barker: Penelope led the Edenton Tea Party. Unlike the better known Boston Tea Party, Penelope and the other 50 or so women in her group wrote a declaration to the British. The British, of course, laughed at the attempt, seeing that the group was made up entirely of females. The women then joined the boycott of British goods and the British no longer made fun of their attempts, now that their actions were actually effecting the British.

Nancy Hart

Nancy Hart: When British soldiers came to question her about helping out a Patriot soldier, she brazenly admitted to it. Forced to cook the British a meal, she killed two of them. Not by poisoning the food, but rather by shooting them with their own muskets! On another date, when Patriots needed to steal British plans, she disguised herself as a man and went to a British camp to collect information. Nancy is honored in Georgia with a county named after her, called War Woman Creek.

Molly McCauley

Molly McCauley: "Molly, bring me a pitcher." Shortened, this became "Molly, pitcher".  Molly was the "water boy" of her time for the Patriots. One day while on duty near Monmouth, New Jersey, she saw her husband shot in the arm. After rushing to his side and tending to his wound, she manned the cannon, firing several rounds at the British forces. Her bravery and good aim earned the respect of other soldiers. They fought on and eventually the British retreated. Her action impressed General Washington, who later commissioned her as "Sergeant Molly Pitcher". 

Grace and Rachel Martin

Grace and Rachel Martin: These women took action because they could no longer tolerate the way British soldiers treated women and children. Disguised as men, the two sisters ambushed British officers carrying important documents one night. Returning home, they were surprised to see the same British officers enjoying a meal at their dinner table. Luckily, the British did not recognize them outside of their disguises. The documents were turned in to the Patriots, and Grace and Rachel's actions helped in the colonist victory.

Esther Reed

Esther Reed: Esther Reed was used to a comfortable life in Britain, but after the war's fifth year, she decided to take a stand. Along with other women in Philadelphia, Esther and the others left their warm, cozy lives to go out and raise money for the Patriots. General Washington was opposed to this plan and so they instead agreed to have the Association make warm shirts for the troops. Each woman stitched their names on the clothing's collars to help raise each individual soldier's spirit.

Nancy Ward

Nancy Ward: Nancy Ward, or Nanye'hi, saw her husband die in a battle with Creek Indians. She used her husband's bow to lead her tribe to victory. Nancy was named "Beloved Woman" of her tribe and became a member of the Women's Council and the Council of Chiefs. She was an important voice in the treaty between her Cherokee tribe and the Patriots.

Phillis Wheatly

Phillis Wheatly: Phillis Wheatley was America's first published black author. She was a patriot and symbol for abolitionists. At the age of 7, Phillis was bought as a slave. The children in the family that purchased her took it upon themselves to teach Phillis how to read and write. She become a local celebrity, reading her poems aloud to crowds. She wrote many poems about patriotism and freedom. She even wrote a poem about George Washington that she got to read to him in person. 

Hannah Arnett

Hannah Arnett: Hannah Arnett butted into a meeting to which she was not invited, and changed the minds of all the men in attendance. The men had gathered to speak of the Patriots persistent failures. They were thinking about giving up and returning to the British side by signing a Proclamation of loyalty to Britain. Hannah called them cowards, insisting that they should not give up. The meeting ended with the men deciding to continue the fight. Hannah helped to continue the move towards independence. 

Martha Bratton

Martha Bratton: Martha and her husband sold and kept something that was vital in their times - gun powder. With her husband away, Martha was left in charge. Hearing that the British were planning to steal the gun powder, Martha set a trap, blowing up the building as the British soldiers arrived. She even admitted to her actions when captured. She was let go, and when she was later question about her husband's location, a British officer spared her. She repaid the debt when the same officer was captured by Patriots and scheduled for hanging. Realizing the cruelty of war, Martha set up a hospital open to both British and American soldiers.

Lydia Darragh

Lydia Darragh: Lydia was a Quaker. The British, seeing that she probably wouldn't be one to fight or turn on them, used her house for meetings. At one such meeting, Lydia overheard the British planning an attack on General George Washington and his men nearby. She personally delivered the information to Washington's troops, turning a British victory into disappointment. 

Sybil Ludington

Sybil Ludington: Often called the female Paul Revere, Sybil made a trip twice as long as Paul's when British forces captured Danbury, Connecticut. Danbury was a Patriot supply center. Colonel Ludington was in charge of commanding local Patriots, but needed more soldiers. Sybil took the job, riding into nearby towns and gathering up Patriots. The battle was a Patriot victory, and the British retreated back to Long Island Sound. 

Patience Wright

Patience Wright: Patience was an American woman who later took a boat to England, but she didn't leave her strong love for the Patriots behind. She was talented in the art of making wax figures. When war broke out in America, she stayed in England, sending bits of information to the colonists that were hidden in her wax sculptures! When American prisoners were taken to England, Patience helped many escape.

Rebecca Motte

Rebecca Motte: Rebecca's home was ideal for a British fort, so they moved her out and took it over. Patriots planned to burn down the house. She may not have created the plan, but she provided the items necessary. She gave the Patriots fire arrows, the Patriots then used said arrows to burn down Rebecca's home. The British retreated and Rebecca even got her house back before too much of it had been damaged.

Betsy Ross

Betsy Ross: Sound familiar? She made the first American flag! Her real name was Elizabeth Griscom. Betsy left her Quaker society to marry John Ross. The couple set up a business. Her husband died in an explosion while guarding ammunition. Later that year, she met with George Washington, George Ross, and Robert Morris. This meeting led to the sewing of the first American flag.

Mary Murray     

Mary Murray: Mary used her brains instead of her brawn to help the Patriots. Mary was a conflicted woman, being a Patriot married to a man loyal to the British. Knowing that the British planned to attack Patriot soldiers passing through, she invited the Redcoats to a dinner party, stalling them long enough for the Patriots to pass through safely.

Leslie McQuade

AΩ High Priestess Leslie McQuade: "In moments of uncertainty or doubt, or when I need strength and hope, I draw inspiration from these women who helped forge our great nation. What inspires me is that these women were, like the women of the AΩ today, not only clever and resourceful, but also willing to make the necessary sacrifices for liberty, freedom, and independence.

It is for these values that I continue to hold my head high, shoulder to shoulder with my AΩ sisters and brothers to face down the tyrants time and time again, as we proclaim together with one united voice:

For the Rose!"

CORE MAGICK -- an introduction

featuring Leslie McQuade Griffin

"I'm not a McGregor - I'm a McQuade!"

INTRODUCTION

Hi! It is nice to meet you. I am Leslie. I think most of you are familiar with my husband, David Griffin (Imperator of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Alpha et Omega Temple), who has been encouraging me to share with you some of the magickal gems I picked up my adventures as an archeologiogist and anthropologist. 

As an archeologist, I have had the great fortune to work in some pretty amazing places, from the English Heritage, Eartham Pit dig in West Sussex where Homo heidelbergensis was discovered, to the Botai dig in Kazakhstan for the Carnegie Mellon Museum of Natural History, where I was told to cover up the discovery of artifacts made of bone which bore a striking resemblance to screw drivers, which would be astonishing for the time period - to the Chatan-cho dig Okinawa where we were ordered to conceal our discoveries by the Japanese government since they didn't like that we found Korean burials rather than Japanese cremation jars.

I left archeology when the sanctity of scientific data was was repeatedly sacrificed for political expedience. As a scientist, I wanted no part in such hypocricy.

"Take your falsified data and..."

Subsequently, as an anthropologist, I have been more fortunate. I am also an initiated witch of the Sacred Forest of Nemi (del Bosco Sacro) ancient Pagan tradition in Italy, which gives me access to the sort of informants and data of which other anthropologists can only dream. Being married to David Griffin doesn't hurt either, as this gives me access to the Secret Chiefs of the of the Golden Dawn's Third Order.

But let me tell you why I am here today ...

As you likely know the Alpha Omega and the Sacred Forest Shamanic Pagan Tradition are initiatic, oath-bound traditions, which limits what I can share with you about them. I have, however, managed to amass a great deal of magickal knowledge from other traditions around the world I am completely free to share with you.

You may have heard of the work in the field of Shamanism of anthropologist, Michael J. Harner, who studied many different Shamanic traditions around the world, then attempted to distill the common core underlying all of them. Harner's groundbreaking work has resulted in a growing Neo-Shamanic tradition around the world. He calls this tradition Core Shamanism.

Inspired by Harner's work, I have been gathering magical techniques from many different traditions around the world, some of which I will be sharing with you here in this series on The Golden Dawn Blog. In recognition of my deep and abiding respect for Dr. Harner's work, I call this tradition I am about to share with you, Core Magick.

Core Magick and Core Magickal techniques, as we know them today, represent a huge tool kit; a vast collection of practices, beliefs, spells, deities, experiments, tools, rituals, ideas and ideals.  The material I am presenting to you spans both time and space, so don’t be surprised to see eastern practices beside western practices, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming inside Shamanic rituals presented in a Neo-Pagan format.  

I have collected, tested and used each and every one of the practices and techniques I share. I give you only the best of the best.  The years of scientific experimentation and ethnographic research have resulted in the simplest and most effective way to alter physical reality in ways that match your desires. There are no initiations, no fees, and no “busy work”.  This is the cream of what our planet has to offer.

These practices are stripped of all the cultural baggage that prevents many people from considering magic at all. Core Magick represents the synthesis of practices I learned during my travels and research as an anthropologist.  Because I worked as an experimental and ethnographic archaeologist, I had numerous opportunities to study the esoteric traditions of the various geographic regions in which I found myself.  This is the Core Magickal practice I myself use on a daily basis.  Because this information is available for the non-initiate, I have been careful to build in some safety nets to insure that as you work your way through the lessons and experiments, you don’t accidentally “blow up your lab”. 

I have taken great pains to remember the source of the things I use. This is perhaps the most interesting part of Core Magick, and one of its greatest strengths.  As we move closer and closer to a truly global culture, Core Magick represents a way to tap into the power of the magickal traditions of the planet as a whole.  Unlike other traditions that take their authority from the geographic region in which their methodology is culturally cloaked. Core Magick removes the cultural assumptions, contstraints and expectations from these powerful magickal practices and puts their methods in plain language, so that it may be grasped easily, understood accurately and practiced effortlessly.  Begin living the life you have always wanted.  It is time for you to claim your birthright and become a co-creator with DEITY.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

In my experience, Core Magick is in many ways most similar to chemistry.  In chemistry, you must be exact in your measurements, your timing, in every detail of how the experiment is performed.  Core Magick is much the same.  In order to have repeatable results, you must have repeatable actions.  Be attentive to what you are THINKING most of all as you begin working Core Magick. 

I will be teaching you the same way I learned, although you won’t have the same opportunities I had, simply as a function of time and location.  If you don’t already, I advise you to, take a moment now and find a new notebook or journal.  It is important that you keep a journal of not only your daily Core Magickal practices and results, but also what you read, odd things you notice, inexplicable feelings that may bubble to the surface.  This is a watershed moment.  You are moving from a life in which things happen to you, to one in which you make things happen.  Through careful study of your Core Magickal journal, your research notes as it were, you can easily see what works for you and what does not.  You will also be able to track the success or failure of your spells/experiments.

Everything you will learn, you learn in layers, like an onion.  Just like you first learned in kindegarten that Columbus discovered America, only to be told it was Vespucci in high school, so will you learn Core Magick.  Skipping steps will lead to an incomplete understanding of the material.  You must you take the time to fully digest and understand the “vocabulary” and methodology of Core Magick in order to do it well, so remember the age-old saying:

”The ox is slow, but the Earth is patient.”

THE FIRST ASSIGNMENT

The first thing I want you write in your Core Magickal Journal is an essay. In the essay, include answers to the following questions, in whatever order feels most natural to you.

1.   Why do you want to learn Core Magick?  What will you see in your life that will show you your Magick is working?

2.     What things are you already doing that you consider to be magickal?

3.     Do you believe in God/dess?  How does this belief effect your decisions?

4.   What are your favorite subjects or activities? What types of things are you not good at or interested in?

5.     Are you right or left handed?

6.     What is your birth information?  [Date, time, location]  Ask your mother to tell you the story of the day you were born.  Be sure to write down what she says, and ask her to clarify any details.

Write as much as you think is necessary to answer the questions.  Include extra information if it seemsrelevant.  You may even want to break up these six questions into separate, shorter essays.

I am, with these questions, asking you teach yourself who you ARE.  No one will see these essays.  Your Core Magickal Journal is solely for your use.  In order for you to make this world what you want it to be, you must understand who you are. My perspective as an archaeologist has taught me that it is only through a thourough understanding of who you ARE that you can become the best of who you want to be.

THE FIRST PRACTICE

We will begin with meditation.  Whether you meditate now or not, I want you to use the following method.  This is not simply capriciousness on my part.  If a meditation is successful, there should be PHYSICAL sensations, and real, tangible, repeatable results.  The following is what I have found to be the simplest, fastest and most effective way to reach very deep states of meditation in a short amount of time.

1.   Do some sort of physical exercise immediately before you begin.  It can be anything from Yoga to Boxing.  You want your heart to be beating fast, to be breathing hard, and just a little sweaty when you sit down to meditate.  The pace of your breathing is VERY important.

2.     Sit COMFORTABLY facing a clean, empty, undecorated, white (or other pale color) wall.

3.     Sit with the base of your spine supported on a cushion to help keep your spine straight.

4.     Stick out your chest, and tuck in your chin just a bit.  This will take the last remaining curves out of your spine. It is important to keep your spine STRAIGHT.

5.     You can look either at the floor in front of you, or at the wall.  The important thing here is to keep your eyes open, and that they are slightly crossed (like when you try to look at the end of your nose).

6.   Other than blinking your eyes, and the paced rise and fall of your chest and stomach, you should endeavor to remain motionless.  If your leg falls asleep, ignore it.  If you itch, put your attention back on your glabella or your breathing.  Your body intends to work against you, so ignore it as if it were just another street vendor, barking for your attention.

7.    Put the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, and no matter how badly you may itch, DO NOT SCRATCH.  Do not scratch, do not move.  Be VERY strict with youself on this one.  The itching sensation is a chakra point opening.  Most people are familiar with the seven basic chakra points. These points are the same in every culture.  When the point is open, it feels like a tingling, or an itching, coolness or tickling.  To induce this feeling, take a single hair and gently draw a circle in the center of your forehead, on the glabella, or a little above it.

8.  As you breathe, breathe also through your glabella.  Understand that your glabella is very similar to the blowhole of a whale or dolphin.  To accomplish this, as you inhale, become aware of cool air rushing into and out of your glabella, just as you feel the air moving through your nose and lungs.  

9.     Make sure that when you feel your breathing start to slow, or get shallow, you pick up the pace. By now your heart rate should be slowing down, and also your breath rate.  It is important however, to keep breathing deep and full.  You are going to hyper oxygenate your blood.  This will release certain chemicals into your blood that will make it possible for you to reach deeper states of meditation. 

10. As you are concentrating on all these things, feel yourself getting lighter and lighter, floating up out of your body.  Remember, your body has an autopilot function.  It’s called sleep.  You can trust your body to take care of itself while you “go out and have a look”.

11. Pass through the roof, into the sky, through the clouds, through the atmosphere into space.  Fly past the moon, out towards the stars. 

Travel as far as you like and stay as long as you like.  Rather than set a specific amount of time for meditation, we are setting a goal.  I want you to be able to see all the stars in the blackness of the universe with your eyes open and pointed at the wall or floor. 

This method is a combination of things I learned in Kundalini Yoga, Zen Walking Meditation, Rolfing and Shamanic Journeying.

Plan on spending at least 15 minutes for exercise, and 15 minutes for meditation for your first experiment.  Gradually increase the time for both in increments of 1:1; i.e. for each minute of exercise, do a minute of meditation.  If you want to do more the first time, that is fine, but what I’m looking for in this practice exercise are the following things:

1.  Consistency – Do it EVERY DAY for one lunar cycle.  This experiment should be repeatedly tested, because science is above all else a method of predicting what comes next.  If you do the same methods twice and get the same results twice, you have shown something interesting.  Do it 20 or 30 times, and you have really learned a powerful technique for self-transformation.  You need only dedicate 28 days to this experiment after which you may choose to either continue (which I HIGHLY recommend) or not.  Remember, the benefits of meditation are cumulative, like physical exercise.

2.  Set and Setting – Where do you meditate?  Do you use incense or candles?  How do you feel? Before you begin were you distracted, tired, happy, in a hurry, etc.?

3.  Results – Can you get out of the Earth’s atmosphere into space? Can you feel your glabella?  Can you breathe with your glabella?  Do you feel like you are floating?  Are you able to ignore your Meatsuit (physical body)?  Compare this meditation to others you have had in the past.  What seems different about this method?  What happened during the meditation that could be improved upon?

4. Documentation – Each meditation is a scientific experiment.  Use the following form for Documenting the Results of your Procedure and Consistency with this Practice.

Meditation Documentation (example)

Date:  2012 Apr 20 Tue 9pm

Practice:  DAILY MEDITATION

Goal:  To be able to meditate anywhere, anytime.

Set and Setting:  Today I decided to meditate outside. I sat in a couple of spots to find the best view of the sky, with no mountains or power lines in the way.  I also looked around to be sure no one would interrupt me.  I didn’t bring any incense, because the air here smells so good.  I did bring a blanket, pillow and bug spray.  I also brought food and water for afterwards.  I had a hassle getting out of the house, because my roommate thinks it’s dangerous to meditate outside in the dark.

Procedure:  I did my usual routine, but a little faster today, since it now takes more to get my breathing faster.  I also did 25 bodyweight squats and 10 pushups.  Then, I lay down, covered up (because it’s cold), put my tongue up and started.

Results:  It was a difficult meditation.  I found my mind wandering with lots of thoughts.  So I told each thought, as it came up, “Thank you for reminding me of that.  I will get to it just as soon as I am finished.”  My Kundalini Yoga Guru Paranjothiar taught me that trick. Once each thought had been given some love and dismissed, I was able to go deeply into the stars, turn around and see the Earth.  It seemed so small and fragile.  I opened my heart and poured love over the whole planet.  Then I heard a car come up the road, and it jarred me out of meditation.  I had been there for 40 minutes already, so I packed up and walked back to the house.

Next Time:  I will go a little further away from the road.  I will leave the food, because I think it attracted bugs.  I will also bring my back-jack, because lying down made it hard to stay awake.  Also, I couldn’t find my usual internal “landing spot” at the beginning of my meditation, probably because of the new location. 

Other:  I really need to get better at letting outside distractions go.  I think a lot of that has to do with feeling slightly self-conscious about meditating outside my usual spot in the house.  It is important for me to let go both of my self-consciousness, and of my attachment to my usual place of meditation.

Suggested Documentation Format

Date:

Practice:

Goal:

Set and Setting:

Procedure:

Results:

Next Time:

Other:

THE FIRST "SUGGESTED READINGS" LIST

In each reading list I provide you, there will be more than you can read.  Choose what looks interesting to you.  As you read, write notes in your journal. Your notes might include things like:

·      Information you think is important to remember for later

·      Quotes you want to remember

·      Your opinions about what you are reading

·      Questions you would like to ask me

I expect you to pick at least one and finish as much as you can before the next full moon.  In fact, the previous work is best completed in one lunar month.  So, have a look at what the moon phase is right now.  Repeat the meditation experiment every day for one lunar cycle.  Be consistent.  This is part of what makes meditation hard for most people. Meditation is a way of engendering the self with self-trust.  You trust in your decisions and stick by them, like your decision to meditate every day.  You trust your body to take care of itself while you while you are meditating.

All the books I recommend are available for free at the links I have provided for you.

The Lazy Man’s Guide to Enlightenment by Thaddeous Golas

Real Magic by Issaic Bonewits 

The Power of the Witch by Laurie Cabot 

The Way of the Shaman by Michael Harner

A Dictionary of Symbols by J. E. Cirlot

The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot