(1) Wed 17 Jan 90 17:51
By: Brad Hicks
To: All
Re: Satanism Rumor A "Dead Dog"
St:
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@EID:7c84 8e741431
Filename: DEADDOGS.STL
SATANISM RUMOR A "DEAD DOG"
by J. Brad Hicks
(St. Louis, MagickNet) Roughly one week after the Midwinter
Solstice, police in South St. Louis County found the corpses of
three large dogs. The dogs were identified as a collie/German
shepherd mix, which is very similar to the dogs which Maury Terry
linked to the Son of Sam slayings. These three dogs had been killed
by blows to the back of the head, then skinned literally from the
tip of the nose to the toes of their paws. The final bizarre
detail was that investigation revealed that feces and urine were
removed from the corpses. (Of course, anyone who's read the occult
crime manuals knows that animal urine and feces are used in black
masses.)
In light of all of the above, it comes as no surprise that the
South County area has long been a hotbed of rumors of teenage
Satanism; in fact, one former member of a teen Satanic "cult" in
that area is well known to the author. And of course by now the
entire nation knows that the founder of the Satanic church called
the Temple of Set, Dr. Michael Aquino, has moved into the South St.
Louis area--less than a year before the dead animals were found.
So, here then, were the clues: three dogs slain roughly one week
after a Satanic ritual date, then mutilated, emptied of urine and
feces, and dumped; all in an area known to be heavily infested with
teen, self-styled, and religious Satanists.
The culprits are obvious, right? County officials obviously
thought so; within 24 hours of finding the animal corpses, Dr. Dan
Knox of the St. Louis County Animal Control Department and Jeff
Gibbs, field director for the Missouri Human Society had announced
that the dogs were clearly slain in a Satanic ritual. A
two-column-inch story buried deep in the St. Louis Post Dispatch
for January 3rd, 1990 carried the headline, "Satanism Suspected In
Killing Of Dogs."
But then a trapper who'd heard about all of the fuss called
Missouri Conservation Agent Arthur Johnson. He provided all of the
missing details: they weren't collie/German shepherd mix dogs; they
were coyotes. He had trapped them, clubbed them, and skinned them
for their fur; all quite legally. The urine and feces are commonly
used by trappers to disguise the man-scent on their traps.
And so the Animal Control Department and the Conservation
Commission went back and checked the corpses. Sure enough, the
paws, teeth, and stomach contents of the animals were incompatible
with those of domesticated dogs. The animals were clearly coyotes.
St. Louis Sun, the same day: "Skinned Animals Probably Coyotes."
St. Louis Post Dispatch, the next day: "Three Skinned Animals
Identified As Coyotes."
If they hadn't been blinded by occult-crime conspiracy theories,
which are very fashionable inSt. Louis law enforcement circles
these days, the various officials might have checked their facts
more carefully BEFORE they ran to the press. As it was, they
rushed into print with an accusation against the Satanic religion,
and wound up with egg on their faces. Fortunately, South County
officials didn't have a detailed "suspect list" of Satanists, or
they would all have been rounded up as suspects. And more
fortunately, when St. Louis ounty officials learned not to going
baying and barking after every "Satanic cult" accusation, no
serious harm was done.
--- Sirius 0.50
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: WeirdBase * St. Louis, MO * 1-314-741-2231 * (1:100/2)
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(2) Sun 28 Jan 90 16:27
By: Brad Hicks
To: All
Re: AMER "vs." Kansas City "Elders": A Clarification
St:
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@EID:7c84 8379143c
I would like to clarify some remarks I made over a month ago
regarding meetig that I was informed of between an AMER director
(Mike Fix) and "elders of the Kansas City community."
At the time I posted that message, I had just gotten off the phone
after a two-plus hour argument with Mike on this subject and on
what the appropriate AMER response was to be. I did not take
detailed notes during the cnversation, so one or two minor
detailsmay have been recorded wrong. Apparently, one important one
was.
Mike described the meeting to me as a meeting with some friends of
his who were elders in the Kansas City community. I got the
impression from that conversation that this was a large and formal
meeting; on the contrary, it was a living room discussion with two
friends of his. They told him (I now understand) that they had
some very strong objections to AMER permitting members of the
Temple of Set to join, and that in this matter, they could "speak
for a lot of Wiccans in Kansas City."
It has since been made clear to me that what Mike (and they) meant
by this was that they were sure that a lot of Wiccans in Kansas
City would agree with them. They did NOT mean to imply that they
had been AUTHORIZED by any persons or groups to speak for anyone
other than themselves.
Mike has informed me this afternoon that they were correct in
saying that other persons and groups in the Kansas City area would
agree with them; the admission of Michael and Lilith Aquino into
AMER (and Lilith's subsequent election to fill an empty Board of
Directors slot which had been declined by Earth Church of Amargi's
Don Wildegrube) have been strongly criticized by at least four very
visible members of the Kansas City and Lawrence Pagan community,
one of whom is a ranking officer in the Heartland Spiritual Alliance.
Although it has been my personal position all along (and one
supported by a number of my fellow directors) that allowing two
people to join AMER who are not guilty of any crime, who are
members of a magical religion, who are being persecuted by the New
Witchhunters, and who were more than willing to sign AMER's
Statement of Purpose was about as non-controversial a decision as
could be made. Since this does not appear to have been the case,
AMER will be releasing a formal statement to the Craft community of
our position on admitting Satanists to AMER within the next several
weeks. We beg your patience until such time as this statement can
be written, polished, and approved by the Board.
Thank you very much.
- J. Brad "Talespinner" Hicks
Coordinator, MagickNet Echos
Public Information Officer, Alliance for Magical and Earth
Religions
11220 West Florissant, Suite 288
Florissant, Missouri 63033
FidoNet: 1:100/523
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: WeirdBase * St. Louis, MO * 1-314-741-2231 * (1:100/523)
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(3) Mon 29 Jan 90 11:20
By:
To:
Re: AME
St:
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@EID:6de7 143d5a94 @
MSGID: 1:280/311.2 25c429d0
1) If you're going to attribute things to people in Kansas City (at
least), name names.
If you can't name names, perhaps you should consider not
attributing things.
I refer specificly to your statement regarding the member of the HSA.
2) The _RESERVATIONS_ (_NOT_ objections) i have heard stated
regarding the patricipation of the Temple of Set in AMER are on one
specific point:
Several people have asked for more information regarding ToS's
position on the use of magic on/at other people without their
knowledge or permission, and/or to the target's detriment. In
other words, do they subscribe to "an it harm none", or only "do
what thou will"?
The reasons for this _inquiry_ are obvious: it would be damn
hard to defend a group that included members who believed in the
practice of what is commonly referred to as "negative magic".
There are also questions as to wether, given a broad enough
definition of purpose, the ACLU is not far better equipped to
defend the religious liberties of the nation as a whole, and, if
so, if AMER does not constitute a division of resources.
These, I reiterate, are QUESTIONS, not condemnations or
implications of anyone's beliefs.
I note that some of the parties alluded to in your messages
have joined in, but thought I'd pass this along anyhow.
--- via Quickpoint XRS 3.1+ (286)
* Origin: The Wolf's Den in Kansas City, Missouri (Quick
1:280/311.2)
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(4) Wed 31 Jan 90 17:02
By: Brad Hicks
To: All
Re: Why AMER? Why not ACLU?
St:
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@EID:7c84 884f143f
The question has been brought up of why we need something like
AMER, whenthe ACLU already exists. Here are a few of my answers:
(1) It's about time we raised a hand in our own defense, and did
something other than just publish pamphlets, because:
(1a) ... there are minor ethical problems with demanding that a
national Christian organization bail us out of every scrape.
(1b) ... it is tactical folly to assume that they will always do
so; if they ever don't, we'd be caught on our butts.
(2) The ACLU has declined to touch a lot of cases that I think
needed better defense than they got. For example, at least the
Missouri ACLU has made it clear on multiple occasions that they
have no interest o resources to get involved in job actions against
Witches or anybody else, unless the employer is a government
agency. The ACLU is never going to touch (for another example) any
child-custody case, even if the ONLY evidence of one parent's
unfitness is their religion.
(3) The ACLU frequently doesn't get involved in a case until it's
been going on for a LONG time. Circle is still paying off legal
bills from the bogus "zoning" battle they were caught in. Sure,
the ACLU eventually came to their rescue--but only after thousands
of dollars in legal and court costs. What would happen to a Wiccan
church with fewer friends or less of a knack for fund-raising?
(4) The ACLU is a fine tool to go into court with. Lawyers are not
the best solution to every problem. Some problems can be better
solved with judicious public relations. (The ACLU doesn't do
public relations.) Other problems simply require a few noisy
demonstrations to attract sympathetic attention. (The ACLU doesn't
do demonstrations.) And so forth, and so on.
Summary: there are a LOT of areas in which Magical and Earth
Religions need defense and public relations. The ACLU is a
less-than-perfect solution to ONLY ONE OF THEM. Don't get me
wrong; it's a great organization and I support it 100%. But it's
not the be-all and end-all of First Amendment defense.
--- Sirius 0.50
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: WeirdBase * St. Louis, MO * 1-314-741-2231 * (1:100/523)
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(5) Sun 28 Jan 90 0:29
By: Ann Waldrum
To: All
Re: "22 Commandments" For The New Age
St:
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@EID:3ec9 143c03a0
1. You shall learn of Honesty and attempt to heal your fear
of it, to use this in daily living.
2. You shall learn to Love Unconditionally--beginning with
yourself.
3. You shall help all people in your worlds come to
physical healing.
4. You shall dwell on things of high and pure energy in
others and self to change Earth.
5. You will learn and practice Pure Service --
unconditional and with love energy.
6. You will release Judgment into the Void--You will see,
identify and choose for yourself Only.
7. You will Recognize One God --the God that corresponds
to your vision.
8. You will destroy no one in any way -- through gossip --
through killing their gifts -- discouraging self love by injuring
the physical body by foreign substance -- incorrect foods --
incorrect labor.
9. You will use your mind in the way the Source prepared
-- by
faithfulness of prayer -- by study and spiritual growth.
10. You will learn self discipline so that you respond to
the Earth with wisdom.
11. You will take full responsibility for your own life --
blaming no other.
12. You will seek to learn about your God -- seeing the
Connection clearly.
13. You will be known for your Gentleness, your Loyalty,
your Kindness, according to your beliefs.
14. You will grow in Peace by change of attitude and
understanding of others.
15. You will learn to respond and act from the Highest
Center of Inner God -- the Love Response.
16. You will learn to Love All Manhind by seeing the
Highest in all people without exception.
17. You will promote the healing of Mind, Body, and Spirit
by
teaching and living the belief in Man's Divinity.
18. You will show faithfulness in your study of yourself
and your persona (masks) in order to Free All Parts of Self.
19. You will Live your life as ordained by your
faithfulness to the Truth, as you understand the Truth.
20. You will Speak in Love, Honesty and Wisdom.
21. You will Think in Love, Honesty and Wisdom.
22. You will live in Moderation (Balance) in All Areas of
your life.
The foregoing was delivered on July 20, 1989, through the
trance-mediumship of Carla Neff Gordan by the Spirit Guide "Mary."
Mary
stated that these ideas will also be released through other
mediums in six different areas of the world. In preface to these
"Commandments" Mary said the following:
"Yu are a loving, connected community of like-minded souls
assisting through our inner connection. You are becoming a
profound source
of awakening for your world. These rules are to open your hearts, to
teach you self-love, to calm your emotion to help you to live in
reality
that you have wished. To grow, first you must become a source of
service.
There must be a difference in earth because you have walked here.
Now is
the time of shifting your energy into a higher place through
unconditional
love. A part of your purpose is to heal the earth through holy, or
wholeness, relationships. You will begin now."
--- TBBS v2.0
* Origin: *Chrysalis* Multi-User (214) 519-0728 Dallas, Tx
(124/4214)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(6) Mon 5 Feb 90 23:34
By: James Crowley
To: ALL
Re: Cassandra-FAX is comming!
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:aa13 1445bc51
Cassandra-News and the United Wiccan Church
are proud to announce the creation of:
C a s s a n d r a - F A X
Cassandra-FAX will be the first news magazine in the WORLD to be
published
in Group-3 FAX format! Each issue of this Cassandra-FAX will be
sent directly
to the subscribers Fax Machine, Telex machine, CompuServe Mail
Box, MCI Mail
Box or if you really want slooooooower service by US MAIL.
Cassandra-FAX will contain the most recent information obtainable
concerning
religious freedom with a special emphasis on the Wiccan Religion.
The articles in Cassandra-FAX will be of interest to Members of
the religious
press, general press, and broadcast media, as well Police officers
and members
of the social science community. All articles may be be
republication with
out charge but will require credit to the author and Cassandra-News.
Cassandra-FAX will publish 2 to 3 pages from 4 to 12 times a year
depending
the amount of appropriate news articles available.
The the costs of subscriptions to Cassandra-FAX are:
6 Issues delivered to your FAX machine or First Class US Mail . .
$17.34
9 Issues delivered to your MCI Mail or CompuServe Mail Box . . . .
17.34
Subscribers may sponsor subscriptions for media police or social
agencies
of there chose at the following rates:
8 Issues delivered to your FAX machine or First Class US Mail. .
$17.34
12 Issues delivered to your MCI Mail or CompuServe Mail Box . . .
17.34
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * *
* Cassandra-FAX needs your help in creating a "Mailing List" of
FAX and MCI *
* Numbers of Police Departments Publication and Social Service
Agencies. *
* People that supply these numbers will not only be reward by the
knowledge *
* that have helped get the word out, they also will receive FREE
copy's of *
* Cassandra-FAX and additional access time on Cassandra-News.
*
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * *
Sysops may obtain copy's of Cassandra-FAX in BBS format by Fido
File Request
for CASS-FAX.ZIP, From 1:102/922. This file name will remain
constant and
will always contain the most resent issue so you may use a Fido
file
update reg. to get the most recent copy!
Pagan Publication May obtain exchange subscriptions under the normal
By notifying Cassandra-News of there electronic or US Postal
Address.
Cassandra-FAX
United Wiccan Church
P. O. Box 16025
North Hollywood
California 91615-6025
U.S.A.
(818) 899-3687 (300/1200/2400 BAUD, 8N1, DATA ONLY)
FIDO Mail 1:102/922
MCI Mail 407-8764
Telex: 6504078764 Answerback: 6504078764MCI UW
- 30 -
--- msged 1.99S ZTC
* Origin: Cassandra-News * 818-899-3687 (1:102/922)
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(7) Wed 14 Feb 90 6:35
By: Weyland Smith
To: Russ Anderson
Re: risks(part 1)
St: Pvt
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:5585 144e32ae
Risk Assessment Within
the Craft Community
by
Weyland Smith
There seems to be two schools of thought within the "Craft
Community" concerning the dangers faced by Pagans in general and
witches in particular. One school thinks that we are now in the Age
of Aquarius and that all danger has passed. The other camp seems
to feel that we are beset with dangers and that our only safety
lies in remaining "the hidden children of the Goddess", telling no
one of our religious faith (including our fellow practitioners),
and being ready to fly or fight on a moment's notice. Who's right?
Do we know? Have we even tried to find out?
On the one hand, we live in a country with a Bill of Rights.
Times have certainly changed since witchcraft was a hanging offence
in Massachusetts. People have been known to proclaim their faith
and live unmolested. On the other hand, there are about 3 million
people in the United States who profess themselves to believe that
the Bible is the literal word of God. If Leviticus says "Thou
shalt not suffer a witch to live.", then there should be 3 million
people out there ready to drag me out of my house and kill me.
Fortunately, the answer does not lie with either extreme and
therefore our reaction should likewise avoid either extreme
position. We live in a world beset by dangers. We could be in a
traffic accident. We could have our house burglarized. Our child
could be abducted on the way home from school. We could be struck
by lightening. Do we stay home, guard the house and family and
avoid living? Of course not!
What we DO is to act in such a way as to recognize the risks we
run and to minimize them. We try to live in reasonably safe
neighborhoods. We keep good locks on our doors. We drive
defensively and wear seat belts. We teach our children to run from
threatening situations. This isn't paranoia, just good sense.
(continued in part 2)
---
* Origin: Dragonfriend's Place (Opus 1:104/11)
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(8) Wed 14 Feb 90 6:40
By: Weyland Smith
To: Russ
Re: risks (part 2)
St: Pvt
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:5585 144e32d5
(part 2) Is there any danger that we as witches and pagans
might be subjected to another violent suppression? Any Jew with an
eye to recent history would tell you that of course there is! Is
that danger great here in this country? Not at present, but we do
live in a world subject to rapid changes. Within my lifetime,
people of Japanese extraction in this country were summarily
rounded up and shipped off to remote camps. This action was
contested all the way up to the Supreme Court to no avail.
So what should we do?
Well for a start, recognize that there is SOME residual risk
whenever anyone takes an ethical position. We must understand that
this risk is present whether we think it should be so or not.
Further, we must each decide what level of hazard we are personally
willing to run and to which we would subject our families.
Finally, we should avoid doing anything which might subject
ourselves and those around us to risks when such risks are
avoidable. Especially, we should respect one another's right to
manage his own dangers. Just because I choose to take a risk
doesn't give me the right to endanger you!
Should we return to living our lives under perpetual cover? I
hope not. But I do respect the individual rights of my brothers
and sisters of the Art to each make that decision on their own. It
is on this middle ground where I suggest we should all try to live
for the present.
---
* Origin: Dragonfriend's Place (Opus 1:104/11)
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(9) Mon 19 Feb 90 21:09
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Clergy Abuse part 1 of 14
St:
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@EID:796a 1453a920
Clergy and Laity Abuse of People
by Alisandra and Ammond Shadowcraft
The following newspaper clippings are taken from FREETHOUGHT
TODAY, published by The Freedom From Religion Foundation, P.O. Box
750 Madison. WI 53701. My very special thanks to Alisandra for
typing almost all of this file.
A woman suspected of being a witch was dragged from her hut,
tied to a tree, and then axed to death by neighbors in an eastern
village in India, the latest in several killings of women suspected
of being "witches." The Santhal tribes believe many women,
especially widows, have the power to heal the sick and cast evil
spells. (AP/Quad City Times 4/26/89
REV. GARY HEIDNIK, convicted of raping and killing women he
chained in his Philadelphia church-home basement, received a 2nd
death sentence. (USA Today, 3/3/89)
Every state except West Virginia has made snake-handling
illegal. There have been 11 documented deaths since 1945, although
snake-handling is also practiced in parts of Ohio, Michigan,
Indiana and Tennessee, thanks to Mark, chapter 16:17-18. "See, I
handle serpents because it's in the Bible, like a commandment. And
I drink strychnine because the Bible says it won't hurt me. Now,
either every word in that Bible is right or it's wrong," says
snake-handler DEWEY CHAFIN. (People Magazine 4/26/89)
A volunteer Sunday School teacher, music teacher and
groundskeeper at Bethel Baptist Church, Novoto, CA, CONFESSED to
raping and murdering a 13 year old girl on April 13. "I murdered
her. I strangled her and I bludgeoned her," SCOTT MARTIN WILLIAMS,
29, told police a week later. He lured Jenifer Moore, a popular 8th
grade student, into the church, tied her up, raped her, strangled
her with a cord and beat her with a baseball bat. His friends
insisted he could not be guilty, although police traced him through
incontrovertible evidence. "He is a devout Christian," who likes
to talk about God and the Bible, said a clerk at the food mart
managed by Williams, where he has spoken often about the unsolved
murder. (San Francisco Chronicle, 4/21/89)
BARTLEY J. DOBBEN was judged mentally ill and guilty of 1st
degree murder for putting his 2 sons, ages 2 and 15 months, in a
red-hot foundry ladle on Thanksgiving Day. Dobben said "God had
dictated through the Bible" that he kill his sons since they were
going to die anyway. He had joined Emmanuel Fellowship whose
preacher violently attacked his own mother and checked himself into
a psychiatric hospital in late April. (AP 5/4/89; Mohave Valley
News, 5/18/89)
Four members of the Ecclesia Athletic Association were
convicted of 1st degree manslaughter for beating an 8 year old girl
to death on Oct 13. Dayna Broussard was the daughter of the group's
founder. CONVICTED were: WILLIE K. CHAMBERS, 35; BRIAN K. BRINSON,
31; CONSTANCE Z. JACKSON, 38; and FREDRICK P. DOOLITTLE, 28.
(Sacramento Union, 5/13/89)
REV. HERMAN FOUNTAIN was sentenced to 1 year in jail and 4
years' probation for striking a Mississippi state trooper.
Fountain, 39, a Baptist, operates the notorious Bethel Children's
Home in Lucedale, MS, which has refused to turn over records on
children in its custody, many of whom have run away and reported
gross maltreatment. (Montgomery Advertiser, 5/17/89) [More later
on Rev. Fountain.]
A Christian fundamentalist got 12-year probation, was ordered
to pay court costs and work 500 hours for setting 19 fires at
Indianapolis bookstores, massage parlors and their customer's cars,
causing $170,000 in property damage and injuring two firefighters.
Two other followers of REV. GREG DIXON'S Baptist Temple await
trial. (Indianapolis Star, 4/22/89)
TONY ALAMO, leader of a Christian sect, was charged with
felony child abuse in the beating in 1988 of an 11 year old boy at
the group commune in Santa Clarita Valley. "I favor spanking
children; you know that. It says so in the Bible. People have to
decide whether to do what the Lord says or the state." Alamo issued
orders over a speaker phone, listing each of the child's
transgressions and dictated how many times to paddle the child. The
child could not sit down without a pillow for 2-3 weeks. Five of
his followers were also charged. (LA Times, 4/15/89)
Officials stoned to death 11 prostitutes and 4 pimps in a
sports stadium as thousands watched in the Gulf city of Bushehr.
A court had convicted them of "spreading corruption on Earth,"
according to the newspaper KAYHAN. Typical execution by stoning
involves hooding and burying prisoners in a hole (waist deep for
men, chest-high for women). Judicial officials or police stand in
a circle around the convict. The sentencing judge throws the first
stone as others follow, shouting 'Allah-O Akbar' (God is Great).
(Houston Post, 4/26/89)
PIERRE LACROIX, a French Canadian Catholic TV evangelist, was
freed on bail from prison -- only 2 days after he was sentenced to
--- QuickBBS v2.62 [Eval]
* Origin: THE CRYSTAL CAVE, "DER MAGICK TREFFPUNKT"(719 391-1092
(1:128/50)
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(10) Mon 19 Feb 90 21:12
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Clergy Abuse part 2 of 14
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:7959 1453a980
2 years in prison. He was convicted of molesting a teenage boy for
5 years during counseling sessions. Sentencing Justice Jean
Bienvenue said Lacroix carried on a "marathon of gross indecency"
at his "Marathon of Love" rallies. Pedophiles should not be loose
on the streets, he said. However, Judge Yves Bernier, Quebec Court
of Appeal, said Lacroix's return to society is not a public danger.
The verdict and sentence are under appeal. A Crown psychiatrist
said the married father of 4 showed no remorse or understanding of
the gravity of his crime. (The Spectator, 3/16/89; Canadian Press,
3/18/89)
Prominent former priest BRENDAN FOLEY was charged with
sexually assaulting boys between 1982 and 1985 when he worked as
a parish priest. Foley, 43, was known as the "Singing Priest." He
is the 8th well-known and popular member of Newfoundland's Roman
Catholic community to be charged with sexual abuse. Two priests are
serving 5 year prison terms; 3 other priests and a former priest
await preliminary hearings. The province of 567,000 people, one-
third Catholic, only has 100 priests. (Spectator, 3/18/89; Chicago
Tribune, 3/27/89)
COL. JAMES L. MOODY, Brooke Army Medical Center's top
chaplain, who faced up to 19 years, reached a tentative deal to
serve no more than 3 years' prison for sexual misconduct involving
2 female clients. (San Antonio Light, 3/29/89)
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese-Atlanta is paying $358,000 to
families of 3 altar boys molested by British priest ANTON MOWAT.
The Church returned Mowat to England for treatment rather than
reporting him to police. Mowat fled the treatment center and is a
fugitive. He was charged last year with molesting 4 boys from a
suburban Stone Mountain parish. (Idaho Statesman, 4/6/89)
Delaware TV preacher WILLIAM J. KEICHLINE, 52, known for
homeless work, is charged with 3 years of rape, bondage and
homemade pornography involving a girl, now aged 10. As her
landlord, he threatened to evict her family if she said anything.
He was charged with multiple counts by New Castle Co. police.
Mission of Care, the 2-state ministry he founded in 1979 --
including a TV show, "camp for needy children," and outreach center
-- ousted him following the charges. The group, long affiliated
with PTL Club, was honored by the state legislature in 1983 for
opening a shelter for 17 homeless people during record cold;
however the shelter closed after 4 days for code violations.
Keichline is married with 3 grown sons. ([Wilmington] News Journal,
3/17/89; Sacramento Union, 3/18/89)
ROBERT CUSHING, 36, of Dubuque, was sentenced to 10 years
after pleading guilty to a felony sex charge of molesting boys at
Wahlert Catholic High School, and 2 years to a charge of
prostitution. (Clinton Herald [IA], 4/4/89)
DR. THOMAS HAVEL, a Catholic priest who heads the psychiatric
unit at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, Calif., is being sued
by a 34-year-old former client who says he sexually exploited her
for 5 years starting when she was 13. Her attorney says the priest
admitted the abuse, offered the woman a $135,000 confidential
settlement and threatened to commit suicide if she didn't take it.
The hospital, which never investigated the charges, says his work
there is "flawless." (San Jose Mercury News, 3/29/89)
SHAWN CHARLES "BROTHER DUSTY" WILLIAMS, 50, got 10 years in
jail after pleading guilty to showing pornography and fondling 2
young boys. The preacher-plumber worked as a volunteer bus driver
for the New Covenant Fellowship Church of San Antonio, picking up
stray kids to take them to church. He blamed the "devil" for his
crimes. (San Antonio Light, 4/6/89)
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese-Baltimore made a secret
settlement with a couple who accused REV. WILLIAMS Q. SIMMS of
molesting their 13 year old son, an altar boy. He suffered
depression and required psychiatric treatment, following the
inflicted "ritualistic sexual fantasies." The family had asked for
$12 million. (Maryland Sun, 3/28/89)
REV. WILLIAM EDWARD THOMPSON, JR., 45, charged with 21 counts
of child sexual abuse, pleaded guilty in a plea bargain. The
married father of 4 sons was headmaster at St. Timothy's Episcopal
Church in Catonsville. He was charged with child pornography and
molesting 7 boys, ages 11 to 16, in his home and on church
property. A social worker reported him. (The Maryland Sun, 4/8/89)
REV. THOMAS HUNT was convicted by a jury of sexually abusing
a 5 year old girl and her 7 year old brother during visits in the
rectory. He was children's choir director at the United Methodist
Church in East Benton. The girl had nightmares before visits and
asked her mother to make the minister "stop rubbing" Vaseline on
her "privates." The boy added, "Believe her, mommy, he did it to
me too." (Scranton Times, 4/4-7/89)
ROBERT MESSERSMITH, 46, a catechism instructor at Our Lady of
Victory Catholic Church in north Minneapolis who works with many
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youth groups, was charged with coercing 10 boys to perform sex
acts. Boys ages 12-15 say he showed them pornography and urged them
to masturbate during camping trips. In 1976, when director of the
Salem, NH Boys Club, he was convicted of sexually assaulting 2 12-
year-old boys and was given 2 years' probation. He is married with
3 children. (Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 3/28/89)
PAUL ROSS INGRAM, 43, who formerly ran the Thurston Co. crime
prevention program, is charged with rape and statutory rape. Ingram
was the GOP county chair from 1986-1988, and is a member of the
Four Square Gospel Church. Two other men linked to law enforcement
and community service were also charged. (Seattle Post-
Intelligencer, 4/4/89)
JAMES CLIFTON NALLEY, a volunteer at Bible Baptist Church in
Fernandina Beach, Fla., was charged with fondling 2 church girls,
ages 9 and 11. Church members phoned police after a child reported
the abuse. (Florida Times-Union, 4/4/89)
A federal sting operation to find child
pornographers/molesters yielded 6 arrests in Philadelphia,
including Presbyterian minister JOHN MCVAY, 53. He allegedly
solicited sex with 2 girls ages 9 and 12. He was charged with
criminal solicitation to commit involuntary deviant sexual
intercourse. He also sent a 15 year old girl obscene material and
a letter soliciting sex. (Intelligencer-Record, 3/10/89)
Evangelist TONY LEYVA received a 20 year prison sentence on
March 28 for running a child prostitution ring. Federal Dist. Judge
James Turk called him and his 2 partners "bad to the core." Leyva
was previously sentenced to 2.5 years for sexually abusing 2 boys
in Virginia. His religious accomplices RIAS EDWARD MORRIS, 27, got
15 years, and FREDDIE H. HERRING, 50, got 12 years. All were fined
$5,000. Agents located at least 30 boys, some as young as 8,
molested by Leyva in the past 20 years; some put the total at 800
victims. (New York Times, 3/29/89)
Indianapolis music minister REV. CLAYTON DUANE HEIL, 42,
employed by Lighthouse Tabernacle, is being sued by a 14 year old
choir girl for rape over a 3 month period in 1985. The suit also
names REVS. WILLIAM W. and DAVID TOTMAN. Said a church official,
"they're not just fighting us, they're fighting God." (Carmel News-
Tribune, 4/5/89)
Baptist minister HENRY BAZIL WATERS, 49, was convicted of
fondling 3 young boys and untold others at the Grace Baptist Temple
Church in Statesboro, Ga., and in his home and car. Waters'
testimony that he "saved" youth through "sex instruction" matched
testimony of the victims. Waters admitted fondling boys in Latin
America, saying "I have no idea" how many children he had abused.
Waters was given permission to attend church while free on bond.
(Atlanta Journal, 2/18/89)
REV. THOMAS V. COSSAIRT, 72, retired former pastor of First
Baptist Church, Carter Lake, received a suspended 1 year jail
sentence and 2 years' probation after pleading guilty to indecent
contact with a child. A charge involving a 2nd child was dropped.
He lives in Commerce, Okla. (Omaha World Herald)
JOSEPH NEWMAN, of Lucedale, Miss., says he married his
secretary and her 8 year old daughter "under orders from God."
After officials removed the child and her brother from his home,
Newman vowed that "God is angry" because the Koran gives him the
right to "up to four wives," including child brides. (Mobile Press
Register, 3/11/89; Press Register Reporter)
Former Salvation Army Capt. JACK HOLCOMB, 50, pleaded guilty
to having intercourse with a girl under the age of 14 while heading
the chapter. During his tenure, he received a community service
award for trying to house and feed refugees in the Plattsburgh, NY
area. (Syracuse Herald-Journal, 3/1/89)
"Popular, dedicated" youth pastor DOUGLAS BOUDINOT, 39,
married with children, has been charged with 2 counts of rape while
leading a Christian youth group in California. Santa Cruz
authorities charged him with rape when a young woman reported that
Boudinot had sexually assaulted her in 1983, when she was 17 and
a member of Young Life. Professing medical expertise, he reportedly
committed many of the assaults under the guise of conducting
medical examinations. Washington police have also located victims
reportedly abused while Boudinot worked as youth pastor at Kent
Covenant Church, taking youth groups on overnight outings and trips
to Germany and Mexico. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 2/23/89)
Radio preacher REV. FRED KENTON BESHORE, 63, of Newport Beach,
Calif., was charged with influencing the testimony of a witness,
a felony. He is accused of phoning the father of a girl reportedly
molested by neurosurgeon Dr. Francis Williams, offering him $1,500
a month for 2 years if he would stop his daughter's testimony.
Police taped offers. Charges against the neurosurgeon for molesting
preteen and adult patients were dropped, but could be reopened.
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Beshore runs Bible Institute of the Air, buying bibles to smuggle
into communist countries. (Orange Co. Register, 2/28/89; 3/1/89)
PAUL SLATER, 64, a traveling evangelist, was charged with 4
counts of sexual battery after 8 and 12 year old sisters reported
being molested and raped by him. Slater, a "trusted neighbor,"
befriended their family. An investigator said, "We encourage people
to listen to what their children have to say. Many of these cases
go on for months and years." (Ocala Star-Banner, 2/18/89)
A 25 year old San Jose woman reports being molested and raped
between the ages of 11-13 by a priest, who was also her mother's
lover. She saw him rape her younger sister. Their mother is now
demanding that the Diocese of San Jose take action against the
priest, still pastor of a Santa Clara church: "We want him to admit
this happened... We want him removed from situations where children
are at risk." After 10 months of negotiating, no action to remove
the priest or protect children has been taken. The criminal statute
of limitations has run out. (San Jose Mercury News, 3/10/89)
FATHER HARRY MCINTEE is charged with sexually assaulting
children from the 1950s to the 1980s at a church-run native
residential school at St. Joseph's Mission, British Columbia.
(Ottawa Citizen, 2/27/89)
Former priest JOHN BAUER, 52, is a fugitive being hunted for
making child pornography in Mexico. Three other suspects are
involved, including DAVID NEGRETTE, 26, an assistant scoutmaster.
Police say the four men regularly made trips from the Los Angeles
area 200 miles south to Ensenada. Poor boys aged 8 to 14 were paid
small amounts to perform sexual acts with each other and the men
in shacks and hotels. Videotapes were distributed around the world.
Bauer worked as a priest for 7 years in social work projects,
including group homes for neglected children in Helena, Mont. He
left the church in 1970 and directed the social work program at
Montana State University. He had owned 3 pornographic west coast
bookstores. (Billings Gazette, 4/14/89)
UPDATE: Bauer, a former priest who often wore his clerical
collar even after leaving the church in 1970, was arrested in
Spokane by FBI authorities, facing charges of producing of child
pornography and conspiring to molest children in California. Bauer,
self-described "porno priest," was on the run for 15 months, after
charges surfaced that he exploited youths and runaways from Mexico.
He worked as a director of the social work program in Montana State
University-Bozeman during the 1970s, then opened 4 pornography
shops. (Spokesman-Review, 12/13/89)
Despite multimillion dollar lawsuits in 2 states against
Church of Christ public humiliation ("disciplining") of women for
"sexual misconduct," Nashville elders vow to continue their
crusade. What about all the wayward ministers? (Nashville Banner,
2/14/89)
REV. JOHNATHAN HAMLIN, 24, convicted of shooting his live-in
girlfriend last July, got 15 years in prison. Hours after the
shooting he preached at 1 of the 3 Mississippi Baptist churches he
served. (Palm Beach Post, 1/7/89)
Florida authorities say twin girls, 7 months old, were
deliberately suffocated. They were left alive in the care of REV.
JOHN W. HEFLIN JR., 45, of Belleview, their babysitter.
New reports of child abuse prompted the removal of two minors
from the notorious Bethel Children's Home in Lucedale, Ms. A 15
year old from Alabama and 12 year old from New York were removed
following reports of abuse by a runaway. Last June 72 children were
removed from the welfare department; many testified to excessive
beatings and boot-camp type regimens. In contempt of court, REV.
HERMAN FOUNTAIN and colleagues have $300,000 in unpaid penalties,
and face a jury trial for assaulting police officers. The state
requires no licensing for religious homes. However, the legislature
passed a bill, in effect July 1, requiring 24-hour childcare homes
to submit monthly lists of names and places of origin for each
child and staff member, and educational information. (Mobile
Register, 4/11/89)
REV. SHIRLEY FREEMAN, a 74 year old vicar, murdered his wife
of 46 years when he was unable to find his favorite program on the
radio. He bludgeoned her for over 2 hours. He was sentenced to
spend the rest of his life in a monastery in southern England
because he was too old for prison. (LA Times, 2/20/89)
A woman accompanying a friend to a Brooklyn, NY abortion
clinic was tossed against a wall 3 times by an off-duty police
officer who shouted, "In the name of Jesus Christ, do you know
what's going on in there?" When she lodged a complaint against him
at a police station, she was strip-searched and jailed. The officer
was convicted of reckless assault. A state jury found the officer
liable for $400,000 and the city liable for $600,000. (NYT,
12/14/88)
MARK RIPPBERGER and SUSAN MIDDLETON-RIPPBERGER were sentenced
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to 5 years' probation and fined $5,000 on Nov. 2 after being found
guilty of criminal negligence in the death of their 8 month old
daughter in 1984 from untreated meningitis. "She was not beaten to
death or starved, but she's dead just as if she were beaten and
starved," said the prosecution. The judge ordered the couple to
take a family health or first aid course, read Good Housekeeping's
"Family Health and Medical Guide," and authorize emergency medical
care for their other school-age children. The Christian Science
Monitor accused California of "unhidden antagonism toward Christian
Science" for prosecuting the case. With 1,945 churches, it is the
largest US religious organization shunning medical care.
(Reuters/Newark Star-Ledger, 11/5/89; Washington Post, 11/11/89)
The Circuit Court in Alpena, MI ruled in favor of Dr. Michael
Taylor, who was sued by Jehovah's Witness Cindy Werth for
transfusing blood to her in a post-childbirth crisis. Werth said
it violated her religion; the court said it saved her life. (USA
Today, 11/7/89)
A woman from Waukegan, IL who was injured in a traffic
accident in Wisconsin bled to death after refusing a blood
transfusion because of her religious beliefs. Gloria H. Carter, 54,
a Jehovah's Witness, died on Dec. 14 of massive internal injuries.
An elder from her church complained: "Even though they made a big
deal over the blood issue in Kenosha, that was not the cause of her
death." ([Waukegan] News-Sun, 12/15/89)
Authorities found a seriously-ill 6 year old girl whose father
went to jail along with his pastor rather than tell her
whereabouts. The sect rejects medical treatment. The girl was
located in a secluded log home after an anonymous tip. Swollen and
anemic, Melinda Sue James appeared to have kidney failure. She
disappeared May 5 after the state ordered her to be medically
examined. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 8/1/89)
A mother who starved to death her daughter, 4, in order to
exorcise her of evil spirits, received a 7 year prison term for 3rd
degree murder. The Florida mother, DARLENE JACKSON, 33, agreed to
testify against MARY NICHOLSON, an evangelist charged with
influencing Jackson to withhold food from daughter Kimberly McZinc.
Jackson told the judge she would devote herself to "exposing people
like Mary Nicholson." Nicholson's trial is in February. The girl
died on Feb. 8, 1988. The home had been investigated for neglect
prior to her death, but a state agency had taken no action.
Jackson, who has a master's degree, was also ordered to pay $23,000
in court costs and serve 8 years' probation. (AP/Miami Herald,
7/27/89; Pensacola News Journal, 11/30/89)
LARRY AND LEONA COTTAM, found guilty in Wilkesbarre, PA in
September of starving their 14 year old son Eric to death, are free
on bail pending an appeal. Eric's 69-pound body was found Jan. 4,
1989 after the family had fasted for 6 weeks. Larry, a former
Seventh-Day Adventist minister, had $3,700 but would not buy food
with it, saying it belonged to the Lord. "We were wondering, 'Is
our faith being tested?' like when God asked Abraham to go up and
sacrifice his son on the altar," Cottam said. "It was a kind of
very close family togetherness," Cottam said. In the understatement
of the decade, he added, "In some way, we lost perspective on
reality." Their daughter Laura, now 13, who weighed 77 pounds when
she was found after her brother's death, is in foster care. The
Cottams are basing their appeal on grounds that the boy starved
himself to death to express his freedom of religion. (Scranton
Times, 8/29/89; Philadelphia Inquirer, 9/2-9/89; AP, 12/26/89)
VIRGINIA JENKINS, 37, of Anderson, SC, was ruled incompetent
to stand trial in charges that she sexually assaulted her son, 14,
during an exorcism. She also rubbed glass and salt into his wounds.
(USA Today, 1/4/90)
The principal of Cornerstone Christian Academy (near
Indianapolis) and her husband were charged with battery for
paddling 2 pupils, ages 10 and 12, for bad grades. (Indianapolis
Star, 12/15/89)
DAVID L. DOUGLASS, principal of Mountain View Christian School
in Derry Township, PA, was found guilty of paddling a 7 year old
child until he was bruised. The boy was paddled for talking in
class. "What we are talking about," said the prosecutor, "is a man
who is blinded by his religion. The man does not see that the way
to treat a hyperactive child is not to beat him into submission."
(Express, 9/24/89)
A Fayetteville, NC minister, his wife and another woman were
charged with felony child abuse for beating 4 children last year.
They are part of Holy Tabernacle storefront church, where Rev. John
Charles McCollum, 39, is "chief apostle." He also preaches over
radio stations in North and South Carolina and in tent revivals.
Four children, who range in age from 3 to 15 years, suffered
permanent scars on their bodies from serious physical injury. One
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is scarred permanently on the face. They were removed from the
McCollum home in December, where Irish Lamont Williams, 32, mother
of two of the children, also lives. Two other adults are being
sought for abusing the children. (Fayetteville Times, 1/11/89)
New Hampshire authorities have filed felony assault charges
against a fundamentalist couple for beating their children with a
stick and paddle. The kids were removed from their home. STEPHEN
and JOANNE DECOSTA have found support in their church, and in
character witnesses such as a former governor and a police officer
whose children attend a church-run school with the DeCosta
children. "The Bible definitely and expressly teaches the use of
the rod in the discipline of children and we believe it, and we do
it, and I teach it," said DeCosta's pastor, Richard Anderson of the
Calvary Independent Baptist Church, Meredith. (AP/Clinton Herald
[IA], 10/31/89)
REV. ROBERT G. HALVERSTADT, 61, of Victory Center Church,
Pueblo, CO, was sentenced to a year in jail, after admitting he
used games, coercion and drugs to sexually molest 3 girls in his
congregation. Charges involving 4 other victims were dropped when
he pleaded guilty to reduced counts. He was given credit for 135
days already spent in jail, plus 4 years' probation. Halverstadt
assaulted a girl, 9, who volunteered to help him clean his church.
Another girl said he gave her something to drink that made her fall
asleep. She woke up naked with pain in her groin area. (Chieftain,
12/15/89)
The Kansas Supreme Court upheld the convictions of REV. DARWIN
G. DAMEWOOD, 54, sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping a
teenager in 1987 and sexually assaulting him. The Court affirmed
all 8 counts against Damewood, formerly with the Rossville
Methodist Church, ruling it permissible for another teenager to
testify at the trial that Damewood had molested him too. (Topeka
Capital-Journal, 12/9/89)
STANLEY DENNIS CUMMINGS, 34, a bible school teacher, was
sentenced to more than 2,000 years in prison after being convicted
of 60 counts of child molesting and sexual exploitation of a minor.
Cummings befriended 8 boys he met through church, friends and
employment, molesting, sodomizing and photographing them in sexual
acts. He beat one victim, tape-recording it for sexual
gratification. "Ten seconds of indiscretion is ruining my entire
life," he complained, referring to oral sex with a boy, 10. He told
the judge: "But I have an illness. You cannot make me a criminal."
(Arizona Daily Star, 9/19/89)
REV. JOHN MICHAEL LIADIS, 56, of Largo, FL, was sentenced to
10 years' probation after a no-contest plea to 1 count of
committing a lewd and lascivious act on a child under 16. He was
also fined $500, told to stay away from children, and ordered to
undergo a psychiatric evaluation. He grabbed a girl, 15, the
daughter of friends, at a church retreat. Liadis was relieved of
his duties at the church camp. (NT Times, FL, 11/4/89)
MARY LOU GALLUP, 61, was sentenced to 2 years in prison for
child molestation, and must pay for counseling for her victim, a
4 and a half year old girl. Her husband, Edward Sr. and son, were
convicted of molesting kids at the family's two Christian
preschools in Portland. (Register-Guard [Eugene, OR], 12/5/89)
REV. WALTER N. STONE, pastor of Rollstone Congregational
Church in Fitchburg, MA, was sentenced to 7-15 years in prison
after being convicted by a jury of 8 counts of molesting 2 boys.
Two victims, now 18 and 21, testified Stone befriended them during
church counseling and activities. Stone, 56, is married with 4
children, an Air Force veteran, with a doctorate in theology from
Boston University. Several friends and colleagues wrote letters of
commendation for him. (Worcester Telegram, 11/10/89)
REV. ROBERT DUANE SCHULTZ, 52, of Washington, Iowa, was
sentenced to 30 years in prison after confessing to acts described
as "horribly perverse" on boys under age 12, involving 1 count of
sexual abuse and 3 others of lascivious acts. Officials are giving
him polygraph tests and blood tests in an effort to identify other
victims. The married minister was a foster parent honored in 1989
by Gov. Terry Branstad for volunteer service. Victims included
foster children; five were removed from his home upon his arrest.
The prosecution said a law preventing prosecution for sex assaults
occurring more than 4 years ago should be changed, and would have
resulted in more charges against Schultz. Rev. John Bennett told
Schultz' congregation at First Christian Church (Disciples of
Christ), "Bob has fallen...into a deep pit of despair. But Bob has
not fallen from the grace of God." Church policy requires that he
be defrocked for committing a felony. (Des Moines Register, 10/30-
11/3/89; AP/Clinton Herald, 10/30/89)
REV. DAVID SWOPE, minister at Sparks United Methodist Church,
NV, was sentenced to 1 year in county jail, suspended to 3 years'
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probation, and psychological counseling. Swope pleaded no contest
to a plea bargain of open & gross lewdness. He molested a girl, age
10, after choir practice, telling her she was one of his favorites
and it meant nothing sexual. He was accused of taking indecent
liberties with another girl 8 years ago. (Reno Gazette Journal,
10/28/89)
JOHNNIE VERNON WOODS JR., 36, a lay minister at a North Little
Rock church, got 3 consecutive sentences for abducting and raping
a girl, 9. A jury found him guilty of 2 counts of rape and 1 count
of kidnapping. (Tulsa World, 10/29/89)
BRUCE KRAHN, 37, pleaded guilty to molesting a student, 15,
at Calvary Academy where he taught math. He got 1 year probation,
a $500 fine, and a possible 60-day jail sentence. He asked her to
stay after school, turned off the lights, shut the door, asked her
questions about sex education she got in the public schools,
hugged, fondled her and asked her to touch him. She reported it to
her parents. He was fired and the state will revoke his teaching
license. (Journal-Register [Springfield, IL], 10/25/89)
GEORGE DEGOLYER, 42, pastor of Verona Christian Fellowship,
WI, was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 5 years' probation after
pleading no contest to 1st degree sexual assault of an 8 year old
girl visiting his home. He carried the girl upstairs, pulled down
her pants and molested her. He was ordered to have no unsupervised
conduct with minors except his children. The DA agreed to ask the
court to amend the charge to 4th degree if he does not violate
probation. (Wisconsin State Journal, 11/1/89)
JAMES KENNEDY, a Salvation Army pastor from LaCrosse, WI, was
sentenced to 6 years in prison plus 10 years' probation for 1st
degree sexual assault of a girl, 10. He was ordered to pay for
counseling. She was sexually abused at his home 4 times in 1985.
Supporters have rallied to his cause. The day after his sentencing,
he was released on $15,000 bond posted by a relative, pending
appeal. (AP/Wisconsin State Journal, 12/22/89)
REV. L.G. GILSTRAP, 54, an Assemblies of God minister, was
convicted by a jury on 3 counts of child molestation and sentenced
to 33 years in prison for a string of fondling incidents in 1988
involving brothers aged 10 and 13. The older boy said Gilstrap once
tried to have sex with him in the shower. Eight men testified
during the trial that they too were molested by the minister when
they were boys. Three said they were also abused by the Sunday
school teacher, who was not tried. Gilstrap denied the charges but
corroborated their accusations against the teacher. The prosecutor
called Gilstrap the "Pied Piper of pedophilia." Gilstrap,
defrocked, started a new church, New Hope Ministries. Married, he
was a former clerk for the Georgia House of Representatives.
(Atlanta Constitution, 9/22/89)
REV. THOMAS MCLAUGHLIN, 58, was sentenced to 18 months in
prison for sexually molesting a boy, 12, after pleading guilty in
exchange for dismissal of 6 other charges. He was pastor of Church
of the Resurrection in New Albany and St. Mary Church in Marion,
Ohio. The mother of the victim asked the judge for leniency. "I was
flabbergasted," noted Logan Co. prosecutor Gerald Heaton. "I can't
recall, in my seven years of prosecuting cases, having the parent
of a victim, especially a sexual abuse victim, speak in support of
the perpetrator." The priest blamed his actions on "his disease"
rather than himself. (New Herald, 1989)
REV. RICHARD ZULA, 48, former pastor of Sts. Mary and Ann
Church in Marianna and Washington counties, PA, received 1 to 5
years in prison for sexually molesting an altar boy. He also got
5 years' probation. He was arrested in 1984 in Somerset County for
molesting a boy, 15, pleading guilty in May 1989 to 2 counts of
corrupting minors. He still faces sentencing in Washington County
after pleading guilty to a similar charge. (Scrantonian Tribune,
12/9/89)
BROTHER SALVATORE BILLANTE, 50, was sentenced to 8 years in
prison for molesting a boy, 13, as youth director at a Catholic
camp. He also worked at Corpus Christi School in San Francisco.
(Bay City News Service, 1989)
REV. ROBERT A. KULZER, 65, was convicted of molesting 2 boys
at Faith Temple Church, in Brighton. He was sentenced to 1 to 3
years in prison but it was stayed pending appeal, meaning if he can
make $10,000 cash bail he will not serve time yet. The married
grandfather was convicted of 3 counts of sodomy and 1 count each
of promoting prostitution, sexual abuse and endangering the welfare
of a child involving boys aged 12 to 16. Abuse included oral sex
with a 16 year old boy, putting a condom on a 12 year old boy
during a discussion about "the facts of life," and arranging for
a boy to have sex with a 62 year old woman in the parsonage.
Defense involved Kulzer's "good deeds," including being a
missionary in Africa. (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, 12/13/89)
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REV. THOMAS WELSCH, 39, and his wife Jean, 40, were sentenced
to 30 years in prison with all but 6 years suspended, after
pleading guilty to 5 counts each of child sexual abuse. Originally
they were charged with 571 counts involving 3 victims. Welsch and
his wife abused twin sisters, 13, and a 17 year old girl. He was
pastor at Immanuel United Church of Christ in Cambridge, MD for 10
years. The state's attorney praised all 3 victims for showing "a
lot of courage" in testifying against their popular pastor.
(Washington Post, 12/10/89; The Sun)
REV. JAMES A. FORSYTHE of Holy Cross Church, Overland Park,
KS, pleaded guilty to charges of having sexual relations with a
teenage boy about 20 times. Forsythe, 35, molested the boy in the
rectory of the church, where he was pastor for 2 years. He was
relieved of his duties and was receiving counseling pending the
sentencing. A therapist reported suspicions to the Kansas
Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services. A statement by
Archbishop Ignatius J. Strecker of Kansas City, KS seemed to place
child molestation on par with extramarital sex: "God's wondrous
gift of human sexuality is made beautiful in the holy bonds of
marriage. On the other hand, it loses its beauty and its wonder
when it is offended in or outside of marriage. It is all the more
so when the offender is someone as trusted as a Catholic priest."
(Kansas City Star, 12/8,9/89)
BROTHER MARCEL CRETE, 55, at the Notre Dame Institute in
Alfred, ME, pleaded guilty to 5 counts of gross sexual misconduct
for having sex with a boy, 12, in 1983. Two other charges were
outside the statute of limitation. Crete operated a public skating
rink in an old barn. The victim picked apples in the Institute's
orchard, worked in the kitchen and spent some nights in a room
close to Crete's. Crete underwent counseling for 6 months in
Maryland. "We feel that he's doing everything that he can, he can't
do any more than he's doing," said Brother Patrick Menard, head of
the Institute. (Journal Tribune [Biddeford, ME], 9/19/89)
REV. WILLIAM MURRAY HENDRICKS JR., 50, pastor of Clay Hill
Baptist Church, pleaded guilty to 2 counts of lewd & lascivious
assault on a minor. The victim: a girl, 7, molested at the church,
parish house in 1988 where he pastored for 15 years. As a plea
bargain he agreed not to perform pastoral duties until his
probation ended. (Florida Times-Union, 9/19/89)
It took a jury only 28 minutes to find ANTONIO S. MARTINEZ,
59, a Pentecostal evangelist from Mathis, FL, guilty of aggravated
sexual assault of a girl, 12. He claimed they had a common-law
marriage. He first assaulted her when she was 11 and in 5th grade.
Her grandmother forced her into the arrangement. A doctor turned
Martinez in after Martinez asked him why she didn't become
pregnant. (Corpus-Christi Caller Times, 9/27,28/89)
REV. JIM "PAPA" CATER, 50 founder and head of Living World
Church in Dickson Co., TN was indicted on 6 new counts of child
sexual abuse, for a total of 56 charges. The crimes reportedly
occurred at the church compound during April, May and June 1989.
The state raided the church in June, taking 11 children into
protective custody, ordering him to close his illegally operating
residential child-care facility. Cater became a minister after
converting while serving time in Florida for strong-armed robbery
and forgery. His ministry specialized in helping recovering
alcoholics & addicts. Following the arrests, he was injured in the
county jail after inmates attacked him, calling him "baby raper."
(Huntsville Times, 11/9/89)
JAMES ALLEN WELLER, 31, a day care teacher and youth counselor
at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Redwood City, CA, was booked on 20
counts of child molestation., oral copulation, sexual battery and
child exploitation. A counselor in another state contacted police
after a boy reported being abused by Weller. Boys ages 13 to 17
told police he paid or tricked them into posing for pornographic
photographs over the last 3 years. Weller was also a Boy Scout
leader and coached a youth basketball team at the church. Church
officials hired him even though they knew he was a convicted felon
who had served 6 years in prison for bank fraud, and was on parole.
(San Jose Mercury News, 12/2/89)
FATHER LUCIEN MEUNIER, 74, retired from a rural parish in
British Columbia, was extradited from West Palm Beach to stand
trial on charges of molesting 6 boys in the 1950s and 1960s. At
least 7 boys and 1 girl have accused him of molestation when he
worked as a parish priest in BC and Saskatchewan, sometimes at the
church altar, in the rectory or church car. One victim said when
Meunier fondled him, he "talked of how God had given these
beautiful things...to enjoy." "Father Meunier told me that it was
God's will that I should do this for him, and that it was just like
a confessional where no one is supposed to tell anyone," the man
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wrote in a sworn statement. After performing oral sex on the boy,
"he would then say short little prayers of praise." Another man
signed a statement that Meunier molested him at a table just before
the family gathered for dinner. "After saying grace and during the
course of the dinner...Meunier had me masturbate him." Meunier
pleaded no contest to 2 counts of child molestation at a South
Phoenix Catholic Church in 1975 and was ordered in 1976 to serve
1 to 3 years in prison. (Palm Beach Post, 12/2/89; 1/13/90)
Charges of sex crimes against minors were filed in Spokane Co.
against 4 members of the hedonistic sect, C.E. Hobbs Foundation of
Religious Training and Education. Two members were previously
charged with similar offenses in Pend Oreille Co. Young women
reported being sexually exploited as teenagers by adult church
members during "sharing sessions" condoned by founder Clifford E.
Hobbs. Officials are probing a transfer of the church's $10 million
complex to a family trust, to protect Hobbs from civil lawsuits or
IRS action. Hobbs, a steelworker-turned-evangelist who transferred
his Illinois church to Washington in 1976, hasn't been charged with
any crimes. (Skagit Valley Herald, 11/25/89)
FATHER WILLIAM GROVES, pastor of St. Ignatius Church in
Ignacio, Colorado, pleaded "not guilty" on Dec. 1 to 3 felony
charges related to child molestation and 2 misdemeanor charges. A
trial date was set for April. Groves, 37, represented by a public
defender, is "on retreat." He previously served in Missouri,
Nebraska, and Kansas. Hildy Ochtrup, pastoral assistant, declared:
"He's a blessing" and parishioners are "grateful to have Father
Hall [sic] here." (Chronicle of Catholic Life, 12/89)
WALTER HEROLDO SOLIS, 54, charged with molesting 3 girls at
Glendale Spanish 7th-day Adventist Church in Glendale, was killed
Nov. 29 after stepping into a traffic lane in what police believe
was a suicide. (LA Times, 12/8/89)
ROY YOUNG, 29, charged in Washington state in 3 molestation
cases, is now suspected of molesting dozens of boys in Austin, TX,
whom he befriended as a volunteer for youth programs at 2 churches.
He lived in Austin for 8 years until moving to Washington 18 months
ago, where he was busted for molesting boys in bible study groups
he formed. Police seized a collection of photographs, some
pornographic, involving as many as 65 Texas boys (ages 8 to 13).
At least 4 Texas youths say they were molested. Police regard the
photographed boys as suspected victims. Young, who is not married,
is accused of performing sex acts in front of Austin children,
showing them adult movies, giving them massages, photographing some
in the nude and providing some with alcohol. For years he took
young boys to movies, dinner, roller-skating, camping and on
motorcycle rides, buying kids watches, boots, bracelets & gifts.
He also invited youths to spend the night with him. "He gained the
confidence of the parents by pretending to be a devout Christian
who wanted to enhance the spiritual life of the kids," said a
detective. (Austin-American Statesman, 12/8/89)
REV. BRUCE RITTER, 62, founder of a $85-million-a-year
fundraising operation called Covenant House, was accused by a
benefactor of having sexual relations with him, and improperly
spending $25,000 of program money on him. The Manhattan DA is
investigating charges. After a search by Covenant House, a Texas
college professor came forward saying the accuser is his son -- a
"pathological liar" with a personality disorder. Covenant House
operates in about 15 US and Canadian cities and 4 Central American
countries, sending blue-and-white vans into the streets looking for
young runaways. Ritter has been honored recently by Ronald Reagan
and Pres. Bush, as well as being mentioned in a 1984 State of the
Union address. Ritter admits he took several trips with his
accuser, Kevin Lee Kite, spending nights alone with him. He called
that an "almost unforgivable" lapse in judgment. He says he has
shared his rooms with hundreds of runaway youths over the last 20
years. Covenant House has been criticized for ineffectiveness, and
for its "mentor" program whereby staff spend free time with kids,
inviting troubled youth home with them. "The mentors are encouraged
to take the kids home and treat them as their own children," said
spokesperson John Kells. Ritter says an audit proves Covenant House
spent "only" $9,800 to house, employ and help educate Kite, lower
than the average of $15,000 (!) usually spent on a case. About 10%
of its funds are public. (LA Times, 12/16/89; New York Times,
12/15, 21/89; AP, 12/15/89)
REV. RENE POIRER, 46, a popular priest at Sacred Heart Church
in Chapleau, Ontario, surrendered after a warrant was issued on 2
charges of sexual assault. He was known for "helping the poor" in
the Philippines, where he spent 12 years, and Haiti. (Spectator,
11/14,15/89)
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A priest from Toronto was charged with sexual abuse of a girl
under 14 for an incident occurring in British Columbia. The judge
banned publication of the priest's name. (Spectator, 11/13/89)
Following the arrest of JAMES BOWEN, 51, a religious school
teacher, on 84 child pornography counts, a legislator is seeking
a review of private school rules. Florida law did not prevent Bowen
from opening his own school despite a 1966 conviction for child
molestation. Minimum qualifications for teachers & course standards
are not required. Ten percent of school children attend private
schools in Florida, most religious. (Miami Herald, 9/28/89)
REV. ANGEL CANDALARIA, 70, was charged with sexual contact
and endangering the welfare of a girl, 10, at his church in
Vineland, NJ. (Daily Journal, 11/15/89)
MICHAEL GILFORD, 36, was charged with aggravated criminal
sexual assault & criminal sexual abuse for molesting girls at a
YWCA camp in Round Lake, IL where he was visiting. (News-Sun
[Waukegan, IL], 10/21/89)
$450,000 jury award against UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF
ILLINOIS upheld by Judge Stuart Shiffman involving REV. WILLIAM
FYFFE, who molested 3 brothers in Macon, 1982. Church held
responsible because it knew Fyffe had molested boy at Taylor Ridge
parish, 1975, but still ordained him, expunged records of
counseling for molestation, transferred to community unaware of
episode. Fyffe served nearly 3 years of prison after pleading
guilty to Macon molestings. (Quad-City Times, 9/7/89; 10/18/89)
Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix was sued by couple whose 2
sons were victims of REV. GEORGE BREDEMANN, 47, serving 1 year in
jail. Also named are priest, St. Catherine of Sienna Church. Public
was shocked by priest's light sentence in July, since he admitted
molesting boys sent to him for counseling for previous sexual
abuse, plus 15 others in past. Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien intervened
on priest's behalf, then "apologized." (Arizona Republic, 8/10/89)
Lawsuits were filed against REV. ALBERT C. MAGNUSON, pastor,
Redeemer Covenant Church, Brooklyn Park, MN, for molesting 3
brothers, their sister, seminary student nearly 20 years ago when
they went to him for counseling. Church, church's Northwest
Conference likewise sued for negligence. (Star Trib., 6/89)
Parents of boy molested by Newfoundland priest JAMES HICKEY
are suing Archbishop Alphonsus Penney for negligence, the 1st
lawsuit following 18 charges or convictions against Newfoundland
priests. Other victims are suing government. Hickey was sentenced
Sept. 1988 to 5 years in prison for assaulting 20 boys since 1970.
Parents say Penney knew of abuse but did nothing. (Hamilton
Spectator, 9/2/89)
Father is suing Methodist Home of New Orleans, charging that
son, 12, was molested by counselor during field trip. REV. DALE
HAGGARD pleaded guilty in Jan. 1989, was sentenced to 4 years'
probation, 500 hours community service, therapy. Haggard, Louisiana
Methodist Conference also named. Suit alleges Conference knew
Haggard "had a propensity to engage in sexual acts with young
boys." (Times-Picayune, 7/19/89)
Lawsuit against REV. THOMAS ADAMSON, Archdiocese of St. Paul,
Minneapolis & Winona Diocese, was settled out of court for
undisclosed amount. This is most recent of four suits involving
Adamson to be settled; 20 other victims are suspected. Case
involved boy, 13, molested on recreational outings. Suit charged
church with continuing to assign Adamson to parishes after learning
of sexual abuse. (St. Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch, 9/20/89)
Father of young child raped by HEATH TURNER, 16, childcare
worker at First United Methodist Church, Mount Dora, is suing
church for negligence. Turner convicted of assaulting child at
church with toy boat, finger, ice. Church's youth minister, RALPH
SMITH, testified on Turner's behalf, has since been charged with
indecent assault of child. Suit says church failed to check
backgrounds, supervise childcare, Sunday school classes. (Daily
Commercial, 10/10/89)
Man, 25, suing Portland Archdiocese, REV. JOHN GOODRICH for
$2.5 million in damages because priest abused for 14 years (1974-
1988) on church premises. Diocese officials knew of Goodrich's
conduct as early as 1973, according to suit. (Oregonian, 9/14/89)
Six girls sexually abused by REV. FRANCIS G. HAIGHT, head of
ex-Baptist Christian Academy, Monroe, WI, awarded total of $57,440
in court settlements. Haight serving 20 year term for molesting
children; is eligible for parole in 4 years. (8/14/89)
An undisclosed out-of-court settlement was made by the Mormon
Church to Cynthia Brown of Mesa, who accused the church of failing
to report to law enforcement authorities that a man had molested
her daughter, age 2. A July 1988 ruling by the Arizona Court of
Appeals had compelled two Mormon bishops and another church
official to testify about conversations they had with RICHARD
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KENNETH RAY about molesting children. Ray, 47, was sentenced in
Sept. 1984 to 61 years in prison for molesting 5 girls, including
Brown's daughter. (Arizona Republic, 1/11/90)
In a precedent-setting decision, the Anglican church made a
secret out-of-court settlement of damages to an altar boy molested
by a parish priest 4 years ago. REV. CHARLES GRIGGS, 61, former
rector of St. Bede's, near Winnipeg, pleaded guilty in 1986 to
charges of molesting a 13 year old. He received a 2 year suspended
sentence and was ordered to receive counseling. Anglican officials
offered wide and glowing support for Griggs after his confession.
An uproar resulted when Archbishop Walter Jones allowed Griggs to
continue as rector following his conviction, saying Griggs'
confession of sin was sufficient repentance. Jones removed him from
his post a month later. Griggs left the priesthood and lives in
rural Manitoba. Molestings occurred after church services and at
the priest's home. The family says former diocese bishop Barry
Valentine had received complaints about Griggs prior to assaults
on their son, but did nothing. Bishop Valentine, now in Baltimore,
MD, says he received "only one" complaint, and immediately removed
him as director of a diocesan summer camp. the Anglican Journal
editorialized: "Similar incidents, just as serious, have received
little or no publicity because ecclesiastical authorities have
stepped in, quietly removed the priest from the parish, appeared
with him in court and arranged for psychiatric help. But although
such action protects the church's image, it gives little public
warning to priests of the consequences they face for a breach of
trust, and nothing to alert society that it has an alarming problem
in its midst." (Anglican Journal, May 1989)
The Catholic Diocese of Altoona and Johnstown, PA says turning
over documents from its "secret archive" about a molesting priest
would violate state/church separation. A man, 20, claiming REV.
FRANCIS E. LUDDY, 47, molested him when he was ages 9 to 16, asked
a Somerset Co. court to order release of the records. Luddy is on
leave of absence at a Catholic treatment home in New Mexico.
(Scranton Times, 12/19/89)
Parents of 2 Norfolk boys sexually assaulted by their Cub
Scout leader filed a $35 million lawsuit against Boy Scouts of
America & the sponsoring Mormon Church. Both groups were called
negligent for failing to check the background of Scout leader ERIC
PATRICK "RICKY" AVANT, 29, who is serving 26 years in prison after
admitting he molested the boys. Avant was convicted of similar
offenses in 1979. (Washington Post, 11/1/89)
GARY HAMBRIGHT, a Southern Baptist minister accused of
molesting dozens of children at the Presidio daycare in San
Francisco, died of AIDS Nov. 8. Between 60-102 tots were suspected
victims of child sexual abuse by Hambright and others, but 2
investigations led to dismissal of charges. Five children had
contracted chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease. The Army
daycare was closed. Parents have filed more than $60 million in
claims against the Army alleging negligence led to sexual abuse of
kids. The claims haven't been heard. Hambright died maintaining his
innocence, leaving an obituary rife with references to "my Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ." A Presidio spokesperson said none of the
children have shown signs of AIDS. (San Jose Mercury News, 1/5/90;
Orange Co. Register, 1/6/90)
Mount Cashel orphanage, a once-respected 90-year-old orphanage
in St. John's, Newfoundland, will close. Run by the Congregation
of Irish Christian Brothers, it is the subject of a government
inquiry and police investigations, leading to the charging of 9
brothers and former brothers with sexually and physically abusing
orphan boys. Nineteen other priests or brothers in Newfoundland
have also been charged or convicted of similar sex crimes. Most of
the orphanage crimes occurred in the 1970s. The inquiry is
investigating why a 1975 police probe was halted, maybe covered up.
In November, BROTHER GERARD COX was charged with 3 counts of
sexually abusing boys there; 38 orphans will be transferred out.
MSGR. WILLIAM BOONE, 65, of Corner Brook, was also charged in
November with indecent assault and gross indecency against a young
man. (Canadian Press, 11/11/89; Buffalo News, 12/3/89)
REV. VAUGHAN QUINN, flamboyant ex-director of Detroit's Sacred
Heart Rehabilitation Center for alcoholics, agreed to pay $20,000
to a woman charging he raped her while she was a patient in 1986.
Sacred Heart will also pay her $10,000 to settle a suit charging
he abused their "psychotherapist-patient and priest-penitent
relationship" to "force and coerce her" into sex. A recovering
alcoholic himself, Quinn built Sacred Heart into one of Michigan's
largest residential alcoholic treatment centers, and was socially
well-connected. Actor Mike Connors wanted to star Robert Redford
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in a movie about him. The production never panned out. Quinn
resigned in 1987, and is now chaplain at Collins Bay Institution,
a medium security prison in Kingston, Ontario. (Detroit Free Press,
1/4/90)
BAD MONEY
The Vatican bank ("Institute for Religious Works") agreed to
pay $250 million to the creditors of Banco Ambrosiano. Archbishop
Paul Marcinkus, the "Pope's Banker," was accused of being an
accessory to the fraudulent bankruptcy of the bank, which collapsed
in 1982 amid mysterious deaths. In 1988, an Italian court annulled
a warrant for the arrest of Marcinkus, who had been given sanctuary
at the Vatican, saying Italy had no jurisdiction over Vatican
affairs. (LA Times, 3/10/89)
Although more than $300,000 was raised since 1973 by an
Episcopal Church in Paoli, Pennsylvania, to benefit impoverished
Pine Ridge Sioux, the tribe has not received it. Good Samaritan
Episcopal Church minister Daniel Sullivan did not ask for an
accounting of the money, given to REV. FRANCIS APPLE, a Sioux
Indian, to oversee. The money was meant to pay for a cattle herd,
a children's home, alcoholism treatment and other aid. The only
Indian family to benefit, however, appears to be Father Apple's.
He is under investigation by the Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota.
At least 6 other Episcopal churches sent money to Apple.
(Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/1/89)
A live-in maid was accused of using drugs and forgery to take
more than $800,000 from a 71 year old paraplegic widow, then
donating most of the loot to a North Carolina ministry. Fountain
of Life insisted the donations were given by the widow freely and
used for "God's work." (News & Observer, 5/2/89)
REV. AL SHARPTON was arraigned on charges of stealing $250,000
from National Youth Movement, a charitable group he launched as a
youth in New York. Sharpton was involved in the Tawana Brawley
case. (AP/Wisconsin State Journal, 6/30/89)
A Chicago circuit judge ordered 70 people who participated in
an illegal pyramid scheme to return the $12,000 each received from
the venture. South Side preacher T.L. BARRETT engineered three
pyramid schemes taking in more than $3 million between May and
November, 1988, allegedly to help the needy. (Chicago Sun Times,
6/27/89)
A Chicago pastor and his daughter were indicted by federal
authorities for using his deceased niece, who had muscular
dystrophy, to collect nearly $1 million in fraudulent life
insurance proceeds. REV. COLUMBUS EWINGS, 57, pastor of Community
Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, named himself as her
beneficiary to collect money, using his daughter and others to
impersonate her after she died in 1987, and concealing her medical
condition. (Chicago Tribune, 6/28/89)
A 72 year old Indianapolis man was robbed of $2,607 at
knifepoint by a bible-toting trio who invited him to a religious
study group. (Sun, 7/11/89)
REV. JOSEPH L. DAVIS, a close friend of the mayor of East St.
Louis, was convicted of operating a major cocaine ring and
laundering drug profits through Mount Zion Baptist Church. Davis
lived luxuriously and conducted antidrug seminars for youngsters.
His congregation stood behind him. (AP/Clinton Herald, 7/22/89)
A civil suit by 9 members of the House of Prayer at Zebulon
charge that leaders enriched themselves by requiring members to
give the church their paychecks. Pastor CHARLES E. SMITH and
EVANGELINE SMITH collected more than $600,000 in 2 years to buy
real estate, according to the suit. (Mrs. Smith served a month in
jail along with 12 other female church members for assaulting 3 of
the plaintiffs because the pastor had seduced them.) (News &
Observer [Raleigh, NC], 7/7/89)
REV. ROY GREENHILL was convicted and sentenced to 5 years in
prison for swindling an 83 year old man out of $40,000 in a scam
to publish a revised version of the bible. He bilked Georgians and
South Carolinians of nearly $400,000. (Atlanta Constitution,
7/21/89)
REV. JOSEPH OCTAVIO TYE is charged with embezzling as much as
$500,000 from an Arizona church, but supporters staged letter-
writing campaigns and rallies to protest the popular priest's
arrest. (Arizona Daily Star, 8/9/89)
REV. EUGENE PROFETA was released from county jail in New York
after serving part of a 6 month sentence for filing a false tax
return and witness tampering. Profeta was ordered to pay $26,000
in back taxes too. Jessica Hahn had sought help from him after
being raped by Jim Bakker. His congregation at the Full Gospel
Tabernacle Church on Long Island continues to support him. (New
York Times, 7/22/89)
DAVID and JAMES TAGGART, PTL aides, were convicted of evading
$525,000 in income taxes on money they took from PTL. (New York
Times, 7/26/89)
Richard Dortch, former VP of the PTL Club, was sentenced to
8 years in prison and fined $200,000 for bilking followers of
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millions. Fraud involved "lifetime partnerships" that Jim Bakker
and Dortch sold at Heritage USA. A one-time $1,000 donation
supposedly entitled partners to 3 nights' free lodging each year,
but partnerships were oversold and the hotels were never built or
were not completed. (New York Times, 8/26/89)
A Missouri couple who sealed their deals with prayer were
charged with bilking about 75 investors, many of them older people
who handed over life savings, of $3 to $5 million. PAUL and JUDITH
BROCK of Neosho were also named in a civil suit by some investors.
(Kansas City Times, 8/8/89)
ROBERT W. CAULEY, an Avon, Ohio priest, pleaded no contest to
reduced charges of stealing $40,000. He was originally accused of
stealing more than $100,000 from two elderly women (claiming he
would safeguard or invest their egg nests). The women said they had
not come forward because they did not want to disgrace the church.
(Plain Dealer, 8/22/89)
REV. MERTON PEKRUL, pastor of Family Bible Church, Mesa, AZ,
was fined $100,000, ordered to pay $398,000 to 8 victims and
sentenced to a year and a half in prison for his role in a $400,000
gold-digging scheme. He was also fined $58,000 by the Arizona
Corporation Commission for various securities violations. He
pleaded no contest to reduced charges of abetting an illegal
enterprise, in exchange for testifying against his partner. Pekrul
still has defenders, even among some of his victims. In the 1970s,
Pekrul's ministry took the Evangelical Free Church in Wisconsin
Rapids, WI $200,000 in debt. (Tempe Daily News Tribune, 7/15,29/89;
Arizona Republic, 8/19/89)
Community Churches, a fundamentalist church in Glendale, CA,
improperly spent $117,787 earmarked for low-income housing, then
tried to sell the building for a huge profit. HUD found that funds
for the 150-unit high rise had paid officers of the church and had
been used to purchase 2 vans for church events. HUD reached a
settlement with the church on misspent money, not specified.
AP/Miami Herald, 8/28/89)
An Oakland public school payroll clerk was accused of using
her bible study group in a scheme to embezzle more than $24,000
from the district. MARIE LOUISE BELL was charged with grand theft
for overpaying janitors, who kicked back money to her. (LA Times,
8/27/89)
Bank robber JAMES HATCH said he robbed a bank of $2,500 in
June in order to donate it to the "Lord's Covenant Church," which
teaches "that the Federal Reserve System was causing the collapse
of the American economy." After Hatch had donated $7,000 in cash,
he said a church member called and urged him to rob a bank.
(Deseret News [Salt Lake City], 9/89)
Three men with ties to Olivet Nazarene University bilked
friends and associates of $1 million in a phony investment scheme,
charged Neil Hartigan, Illinois Attorney General. Hartigan said
they "shamelessly misused the good will of the people of the church
and the community." (AP/Quad-City Times, 9/29/89)
A jury convicted PTL leader Jimmy Bakker of all 24 counts of
mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy. Prosecutors said he diverted
$3.7 million of the $158 million sent in for PTL partnerships for
his own use. He received 10 years in prison.
The Eternal Crown Ministries run by REV. EDGAR HARTIGAN and
partner CHARLES GOLLAHON was termed "the most convoluted labyrinth
that I have ever seen as part of a plot to defraud people" by a
banking attorney. A mansion in Dayton, Ohio housed a church,
production company, broadcasting school and modeling agency,
serving as a front so the men could take advantage of its tax-
exempt status for their businesses. The men have several unpaid
loans through a bank in West Alexandria, almost causing the bank
to fold. Hartigan pleaded guilty to aiding in the misappropriation
of bank funds. A civil lawsuit is in progress. (Dayton Daily News,
10/29/89)
PHILIP SHIRL, who operates Lincoln Ministerial Alliance, was
charged with embezzling federal funds for emergency food and
shelter. Shirl is accused of using $1,654.50 for personal use.
(Northwest Arkansas Morning News, 10/29/89)
Teresa Brown, who formerly ran a notorious bordello in San
Antonio, won a civil lawsuit against three Christians who recruited
her to their church, then swindled her of a number of her homes.
A jury awarded her $172,500. One defendant, Amos Villanueva, was
found guilty of swindling another woman of her home. (San Antonio
Light, 11/8/89)
A building contractor who filed bankruptcy in 1988 says he
wants to raise $20-$30 million in public contributions to open
"HeavensBank," a national bank whose profits would aid TV
ministries such as Jimmy Swaggart. Charles Hopkins, of Indiana,
admits he knows nothing about banking but plans to raise $1 million
a day for a month using pledge cards mailed to Indiana churches.
(AP/Lafayette Journal & Courier, 11/12/89)
The pastor of Airport Baptist Church in Des Moines resigned
--- QuickBBS v2.62 [Eval]
* Origin: THE CRYSTAL CAVE, "DER MAGICK TREFFPUNKT"(719 391-1092
(1:128/50)
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(22) Mon 19 Feb 90 21:37
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Clergy Abuse part 14 of 14
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:b492 1453aca0
after telling his congregation that he took an unspecified amount
of church money. No legal action was planned against REV. DAVID
CORTNER. (Clinton Herald, 11/15/89)
A judge called SISTER ELIZABETH MANHERTZ, 71, "despicable" for
stealing $3,441 from deceased residents of a nursing home in
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The nun pocketed money she was supposed
to return to relatives by forging signatures. The home she
administered was found to be dirty, cockroach-ridden and
inadequately staffed. (Ottawa Citizen, 11/3/89)
The Indianapolis Securities Commission is spending half its
time and resources looking into complaints against religious
groups, according to Securities Commissioner Mark E. Maddox. The
state agency issued a cease-and-desist order against REV. LARRY
LILLY, pastor of Faith Baptist Church, Avon, Indiana, stopping
sales of unregistered bonds. Church members said $1.6 million is
missing and they question Rev. Lilly's lifestyle of sports cars and
private planes. The televangelist left a church in Virginia
$350,000 in debt. Other action was pending against Fairhaven Church
of Chesterton for selling unregistered bonds and promissory notes,
and against a British West Indies group selling unregistered
securities to members of Amish communities in southeastern Indiana.
(Indianapolis Star, 11/11/89)
MSGR. EUGENE F. HOTCHKISS, 68, was convicted in Oshkosh, WI
of embezzling more than $46,000 from donations, collection
envelopes and fees to his church over a four year period.
(Milwaukee Sentinel, 11/10/89)
REVS. SAM JOHNSON and JOHN WESLEY FLETCHER, two associates of
Jim Bakker, were indicted for lying to a federal grand jury about
$10,000 in hush money paid to silence Jessica Hahn. (USA Today,
12/5/89)
The Roman Catholic Church sent the mayor of Levico Terme,
Italy a bill for $22,000 for a series of special Masses celebrated
since 1630, requested during the plague!
The US Supreme Court refused to overturn rulings forcing
Louisiana-based Jimmy Swaggart Ministries to pay California
$183,000 in back taxes.
--- QuickBBS v2.62 [Eval]
* Origin: THE CRYSTAL CAVE, "DER MAGICK TREFFPUNKT"(719 391-1092
(1:128/50)
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(23) Fri 23 Feb 90 12:40
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Comments on Clergy Abuse Articles...
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:770f 14576500
Today's religion and psychology are inseparably linked. This is
especially true of contemporary Christianity. As seen in the Clergy
and Laity Abuse topic here the cost of ignoring one's deepest needs
far exceeds the benefit of ignoring or repressing that need. Yet
that
is just what Pauline Christianity demands the follower do. Paul
preached celibacy with marriage a second best option to stop the
'burning'. Jesus said to be 'perfect even as your Father in heaven
is
perfect', that there are eunuchs for heaven's sake; for a married
man
to look upon a woman with lust in his heart was the same as
adultery.
Both men come from a time when pregnancy could mean the death of a
fetus and/or mother; not to mention the medical and mental problems
of untreatable venereal disease. Both men transmitted to their
followers an impossible task.
And still after 2000 year the Sisyphean task of repressing deep
inner needs drives many a Christian to desperate states of mind and
body. Why? Today's psychology can tell us why and what the costs are
of such behavior.
In the following quote from Willam Glasser M.D., co-originator of
REALITY THERAPY with Dr. G.L. Harrington, there are a few terms
which
need defining. ERROR is desire for or the pain of not experiencing
what is (sometimes desperately) needed or wanted. REDIRECTION is
doing some behavior taken from a _mental_storehouse_ of previously
successful behaviors. REORGANIZATION is doing _random_ behaviors
that
may or may not be a viable solution to the (sometimes great) pain or
desire which pushed us past redirection.
"Self-control or self-discipline, as most of us believe in it, is
a myth. It cannot exist, because if we cannot reduce the error
[desire or pain], the error signal will cause us to reorganize
[behave randomly]. Few authors understood this as well as Somerset
Maugham, who, in the story RAIN, depicts the married but
passion-starved missionary, Rev. Davidson, desperately attempting to
control his own sexual frustrations through zealous religious
redirection. Until he was aroused by the prostitute Sadie Thompson,
praying and proselytizing kept the conflict under tenuous control,
but his unexpected passion for her, which he frantically tried to
repress, made him desperate. He redirected [known successful
behavior] with prayer for hours on end to maintain the behavior of
repressing, to try to keep unconscious the desire for her that was
causing him to lose control. His efforts to convert her seemed to be
succeeding when suddenly his self-control broke and he succumbed to
her sexually. When this happened his conflict was so severe he
reorganized [random behaviors] by killing himself. What Maugham knew
is that we cannot stop the system. One can pray, condemn, damn, or
entreat, but repressing will eventually fail and we will either
redirect or reorganize. It may be that when we talk of self-control,
self-discipline, or repressing in the sense of completely stopping
our behavior system what we are really talking about is suicide,
murder, psychosis, or serious illness, desperate reorganizations
that
destroy one or the other or both sides of the conflict."
STATIONS OF THE MIND, page 141, William Glasser M.D.
In the Clergy and Laity Abuse files we see the fruit of such
repression. These were normal, innocent folks until the
schizophrenic
teachings of their role models drove them into reorganization. Even
as these people bear the responsibility of their crimes, their role
models--Jesus and St. Paul--have contributed heavily to their
crimes.
These mental and emotional problems show up first in the most
fervent
and zealous, then trickles down into the lesser dedicated followers.
Fundamentalists are more likely to explode than liberal Christians.
As Fundamentalist become more desperate to accomplish their Great
Commission and if nothing is done to change the belief system to
allow for human sexual needs we will probably see more of these
abuses.
When schizophrenic Gods give Sisyphean tasks to mortals it's time
to change the game or maybe just forget the game entirely.
--- QuickBBS v2.62 [Eval]
* Origin: THE CRYSTAL CAVE, "DER MAGICK TREFFPUNKT"(719 391-1092
(1:128/50)
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(24) Sat 24 Feb 90 10:48
By: the Bard
To: All
Re: pome
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6f65 1458561c
*
SONG OF THE PIG'S SIDE
-Bob Kanefsky (after Rudyard
Kipling)
Once we feared the Beast, when he came we ran away
And hid in our homes though we knew
That our fenced-in home could not keep the Beast at bay
But what could we pen-dwellers do
The Beast made short work of the guards in our yards
Snuffed out our fires with his paw
But now we are sheltered one and all by a wall
Secure in our sturdy house of straw
So shout it to the falcons on the crest-- be impressed
Neighbors stand back in awe
This is the latest Beast-proof hut, keep it shut
This is the house of straw.
Straw's light weight let us build it in a day
And it`s real easy stuff to weave
But the Beast came by and he blew our home away
And we thought that it might be best to leave
So we made a hasty beeline for the wood, those who could
And we stopped by a stream for a rest
And we noticed how the beavers had played tricks with some
sticks
And thought maybe sticks work best
So shout it to the eagles in the sky, let him try
Let the Beast show up and take his licks
This is the latest Beast-proof hut, keep it shut
This is the house of sticks
Sticks seem strong and they serve the beavers well
But they gave us their own short ends
For we live on land and as any fool can tell
A dry stick will break before it bends
So the Beast came back and he huffed and he puffed
And he let loose with a mighty blast of air
When materials are stressed more than they can take they
will break
All those who would build beware
But we the last survivors of the pen tried again
Where there's a problem there's a fix
This is the latest Beast-proof hut-- keep it shut
This is the house of bricks
The Beast came back and he tried the same attack
That had worked for him in the past
But the well-built house and attractive chimney stack
By their strength and weight held fast
The Beast seeing bricks are not straw or sticks
Slid down the chimney in a dive
But ah-- we were waiting with a pot boiling hot
And thus was the monster cooked alive
Our sows and our little ones will feast on roast Beast
And no more little pigs will be picked off
We won't fear the crunching sound of feet as we eat
Muzzles buried in the feeding trough
We can eat with our tails stuck up in the breeze if we
please We can sleep after meals in the mud
For the big bad wolf we feared as the Beast is deceased
Hogkind has spilled his blood!
*
---
* Origin:
(Opus 1:114/29)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(25) Thu 1 Mar 90 19:24
By: Ammond Shadowcraft
To: All
Re: Techniques for the Witch Hunters
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:5bbb 14619b00
STRATEGIES FOR THE USING THE CLERGY ABUSE FILES
The Witch Hunter has absolutely no authority to decided who has and
has not the Spirit of Christ living within. Only their God has that
privilege. They can reference only themselves. When they say these
people aren't Christians, they are in "sin". They can't make that
determination.
The _status_ of Christian for these perpetrators is irrelevant. As
long as these folks come from within the Christian churches they
will have to look for the abusers there. There is ample proof that
these folks are there in numbers.
Just today the media released information on a Denver Area youth
minister (for three Pres. churches), Bryan Bush, 31, who molested
30
boys on 50 occasions. This announcement is many years after the
fact. The victims are now grown. The abuse in the witch hunter's
church, if it exists, is hidden and will have to be ferreted out.
It
was a psychologist in Texas who reported the abuse in Colorado to
Denver authorities. They can't fully deny abuse until they have
taken a close look at their churches.
Don't attack the hardened spear point. Attack the softest part of
the organization. The soft hand and foot provide the support for
the
spear tip. Metaphorically get behind the witch hunter and attack
there. Write to or talk with the directors of the organization.
Time
will take its toll.
We let the witch hunting organizations know that the 'evil one' is
within their midst. [After all he is.] They should be looking there
for their quarry. We provide scriptural support for cleaning their
house. Tell them to take the mote out of their own eyes. Also that
they are hypocrites for taking money looking for Satanists outside
the church when their own ranks are affected. We let them know that
the media is looking at them as they decide to clean their house.
We
substitute for the _invisible_ Satanist for the extremely _visable_
and possibly abusive Clergyman or layperson.
Send a copy to your local medias. Let them know that abuse exists
in
the Clergy's ranks. Send copies of clippings of abuse you get from
friends. Posit that the witch hunters are askew and possibly hiding
clergy abuse within their ranks. That's reasonable to say because
many churches and organizations cover up the abuse for years before
the victims break the news to the public.
A hidden fundamentalist sect in Colorado Springs (with no name
non-the-less) abused children and women for years. A girlfriend's 2
year-old boy was a victim. The small, unwatched fundamentalist
groups that spring up around a charismatic pastor are the most
likely to suffer and hide abuse. Generally these groups have no
building nor standard meeting place. They will be hard to find. The
higher the internal pressure to perform the higher the repression,
the higher the chance of abuse. Keep you ears open for rumor.
Shift the burden of proof onto the witch hunters. Make them look
over their shoulders for the investigative reporter, the listening
ear, the photographic eye. Provide reasonable suspicion and doubt.
What their say and how they respond is _not_ important. What they
think is. Over time they will either back off or go non-linear.
Both
responses can be used to turn public opinion against them.
Shift the burden of proof onto the witch hunters. Make them prove
they have cleaned their houses first. Let them laugh and scorn what
they may. The media and the public opinion will water the seeds of
doubt we plant. When they know we are watching them they will
desist
from their attacks.
Copyright Ammond Shadowcraft March 1990
--- QuickBBS 2.64 (Eval)
* Origin: THE CRYSTAL CAVE, "DER MAGICK TREFFPUNKT"(719 391-1092
(1:128/50)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(26) Fri 2 Mar 90 20:59
By: The Wizard
To: Lady Guinevere
Re: Dreams
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0 25ef8cde
TThe best I can offer, and I am by no means an expert, is this;
Since previously you have only dreamt foretellings of yourself,
it may be nearly safe to assume that you are involved here as well.
Methinks you are a witness somehow to parts of this. Perhaps you
will shortly see the girls, and you will see one killed as you
described and the other shot. As for your friend, the best I can
make of that is that you will witness your friend being attacked.
Despite the martial arts training, those who attack him are either
better or perhaps catch him by surprise or something similar and he
cannot defend himself. As such, you come into the picture and beat
the crap out of the guys with the nearest blunt object you can lay
your hands on. The relation between the girls' incident(s) and
your friend's is a little fuzzy, and mayhaps there is no relation.
But in any case this is what comes to my mind as far as an
intepretation.
--The Wizard
--- ZMailQ 1.10 @1:231/250.0
* Origin: IndyServe QBBS -=- Indiana -=- 317-849-4007 *HST*
(1:231/250)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(27) Wed 7 Mar 90 17:21
By: Lone Star
To: All
Re: Fyi 1/2
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:ce81 8aaa1467
From Gwinnett Daily News Tuesday, March 6, 1990
Cardinal discloses exorcisms in New York
The Associated Press
Theologians expressed surprise Monday about Cardinal John
O'Connor's disclosure that the rare rite of exorcism has bee
performed twice in New York in a year.
But other ceremonies dealing with evil spirits, including a
baptismal prayer, are more common in the Roman Catholic Church.
O'Connor mentioned the exorcisms during a sermon Sunday and to
reporters afterward. He said heavy-metal music spiked with
satanic lyrics created an atmosphere conducive to devil worship
and demonic possession.
The cardinal said the exorcisms were approved by the archdiocese's
vicar general and appeared to be successful, but gave no other
details. He also said the novel "The Exorcist" is a "gruesomely
authentic" portrayal of demonic possession.
According to a story published Dec. 12 in the San Fransico
Chronicle, Pope John Paul II recently increased the number of
exorcists in Rome and in Turin, where there are reported 40,000
devil worshippers.
Last week, police in Indianapolis asked an unidentified priest to
pray and sprinkle holy water in a house after they saw a radio, a
vase and other objects inexplicably move. They had been called to
investigate a possible burglary after the residents came home and
found smashed dishes, windows, a lamp and eggs. A 14-year-old
reactive who had been staying there was believed to be involved in
devil worship, authorities said.
The Rev. Simon Harak, a theology professor at Fairfield University
in Connecticut, said that exorcism, recognized in the church's
official book of rituals, is performed for people under the
highest form of attack by an evil spirit - people "who are no
longer in charge of their own will."
Exorcisms are confidential; no figures are kept on the number
performed in the United States, said Bill Ryan, spokesman for the
U.S. Catholic Conference in Washington, D.C.
But channeling - the phenomenon popularized by actress Shirley
MacLaine of speaking through spirits - has similarities to demonic
possession. The spirits that emerge during channeling, however,
are supposed to be good, not evil, according to the Rev. James T.
Burtchaell, theology professor at Notre Dame University.
Exorcism existed before the time of Christ, and Harak said it may
gain prevalence in times or places of satanic worship.
"In the gospels, there's quite a bit of reference to Jesus not
only healing people of diseases but freeing them from diabolical
possession," Burtchaell said.
--- TBBS v2.1/NM
* Origin: ATLANTA CONNECTION - MAGICKNET IN ATLANTA (133/205)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(28) Wed 7 Mar 90 17:22
By: Lone Star
To: All
Re: Fyi 2/2
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:ce81 8adc1467
"Ever since then, there have been outbreaks of similar behavior,"
he said. "It was found that when very holy priests were sent to
pray for and about these very troubled people, there would be an
increase in the behavior, then eventually a complete liberation
from it."
Exorcism is more common in countries where Christianity is not
well established or where other influences such as voodoo, come
into play. Since the 1970's, exorcism has been performed only by
a priest approved by a bishop, archbishop or cardinal.
"If you ask most bishops in the country, 'Who is your exorcist?
they probably wouldn't have one. It's an ad hoc thing,"
Burtchaell said. "Probably a number of bishops would be surprised
to hear there were two in New York," one of the largest dioceses
in the nation.
Typically, he said, an exorcist must be a "very self possessed,
consistently holy man" to survive the experience. "It involves a
great deal of self-abuse, bodies being flung around the room,
excrement, assumed voices -it's pretty vile stuff."
"The average Catholic would have no first-hand information to
speak of, " he said. "The darn movie is going to be the image
everybody has. But, I must say, events in the movie are very
faithful to the stories I've read" about real exorcisms,
Burtchaell said.
A battery of medical and psychological tests is ordered before
some undergoes exorcism. "If a person has Lupus, for instance,
and periodically has seizures where they go out of control, that's
a chemical imbalance," Harak said.
But there also are informal rites to get rid of, or guard against,
demons.
Harak said a standard, prebaptismal ritual contains "three
scrutinies that are really rites of exorcism that have been kind
of tamed in the church."
"It's not like, 'Oh, my goodness, William Peter Blatty's 'The
Exorcist.' It's a recognition that there are good spirits, angels
and bad spirits, devils. And the evil spirit hates human nature,"
Harak said.
The church also has a practice called deliverance for ridding
"infestations of evil spirit" less serious than possession, Harak
said. They are performed every day, by laity as well as priests.
This article appeared in a local (Gwinnett County, GA) newspaper.
--- TBBS v2.1/NM
* Origin: ATLANTA CONNECTION - MAGICKNET IN ATLANTA (133/205)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(29) Thu 8 Mar 90 9:51
By: The Wizard
To: Lone Star
Re: Fyi 1/2
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0 25f787ee
The incident here in Indy was blamed by some on
"Poltergeists"--Strange manifestations not of the dead but of the
living minds. Something to the effect that somebody has an
overactive and undercontrolled psyche, and it gets a little nasty
at times.
At the incident in question, police were summoned for a "burglary"
at the given address. One cop said upon arriving, "a frisbee flew
past me out the door as it was opened for me, and I thought for a
moment that they were fighting the burglar. Then I got inside and
something else flew, but there was nobody throwing it . . ."
Police on the scene saw these things flying all over the place, and
decided it was vandalism, but weren't real sure who or what to
apprehend. The young visitor had been sent back to his home some
time ago.
Somewhat regrettably, the story has gotten far less media attention
than I personally would have liked, though it seemed so far out of
the "ordinary" that it should have attracted quite a bit of
attention.
Oh, well, where are the ghostbusters when you need them?
--The Wizard
--- ZMailQ 1.10 @1:231/250.0
* Origin: IndyServe QBBS -=- Indiana -=- 317-849-4007 *HST*
(1:231/250)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(30) Fri 23 Mar 90 10:15
By: the Bard
To: All
Re: Real Old Time Religion
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6f65 147751fa
Just for fun, here's all the verses *I* have for this one...any
more out there?
THE REAL OLD TIME RELIGION
-only a few of the verses...
tune: "Old Time Religion"
(Chorus): Give me that real old time religion (3X)
It's good enough for me!
We will have a mighty orgy We will sacrifice to Yuggoth
in the honour of Astarte we will sacrifice to Yuggoth
it'll be a mighty party Burn a candle for
Yog-Soggoth and it's good enough for me! and the Goat
With a Thousand Young!
We will all be saved by Mithras If your rising sign is Aries
We will all be saved by Mithras You'll be taken by the
Fairies
slay the Bull and play the Zithras Meet the Buddah in Benares
on that Resurrection Day! where he'll hit you with a
pie!
I hear Valkyries a-comin There are people into
Voodoo
In the air their song is comin there are people into
Voodoo
they forgot the words! They're hummin! I know I do, I hope you
do! but they're good enough for me! and it's good enough
for me!
We will venerate Bubastis We will read from the
Kabahlah
We will venerate Bubastis We will read from the
Kabahlah
If you want in, then just ask us! It won't get us to Valhalla
'cause that's good enough for me! But it's good enough for me!
We will all bow down to Enlil There are some who
practice Shinto
We will all bow down to Enlil there are some who
practice Shinto
Pass your Cup and get a refill! there's no telling what
WE'RE into!
With bold Gilgamesh the Brave! but that's good enough for
me!
We will all see Aphrodite We will all sing Hare
Krishna
Though she's pretty wild and flighty We will all sing Hare
Krishna
She will meet us in her nightie It's not mentioned in the
Mishna
And she's good enough for me! But it's good enough for
me!
It was good enough for Loki We will all go to Nirvana
It was good enough for Loki We will all go to Nirvana
He thinks Thor's a little hokey Make a left turn at Urbana
and that's good enough for me! And you'll see the
Promised Land!
Here's to those who copy Conan There will be a lot of lovin
Here's to those who copy Conan when we're meetin in our
Coven
They're just Followers of Onan Quit yer pushin and yer
shovin
and that's good enough for me! So there's room enough for
me!
---
* Origin:
(Opus 1:114/29)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(31) Fri 23 Mar 90 10:20
By: the Bard
To: All
Re: ROTR (pt 2)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6f65 14775280
We will have a mighty Party It was good enough for
Sappho In the honor of Astarte With her lady on her
lap-o
Garb your chiton - don't be tardy She put Lesbos on the map-o
'Cause she's good enough for me! With her pagan poetry!
Shall we sing a verse for Venus, Well the Christians all are
humming
Of the Gods she is the meanest, Cause they say their God is
coming,
Cause she bit me on my...elbow Our God came three times this
evening
And it's good enough for me. And that's good enough for me.
We will worship like the Druids, Some guys have a
circumcision Drinking strange fermented fluids, On account of
their religion,
Running naked through the woo-ids, An embarrassing incision
Coz that's good enough for me. Cut just ENOUGH from me!
We will sing a verse for Loki It was good for old Jehovah
He's the old Norse god of Chaos He had a son who was a nova!
Which is why this verse don't Hey there, Mithras! Move on
ova'!
rhyme or scan or nothin' Another resurrection Day!
But it's good enough for me...
It was good for Thor and Odin It could be that you're a
Parsi It was good for Thor and Odin It could be that you're
a Parsi
Grab an axe and get your woad on! Don't need a ticket; you get
in free
and it's good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
Azahoth is in his Chaos Just like Carlos Castenada
Azahoth is in his Chaos Just like Carlos Castenada
Now if only he don't sway us It'll get you sooner or later
That is good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
If you think that you'll be sav-ed Jerry Falwell thinks he's
sav-ed
If you think that you'll be sav-ed In a lamb's blood he's been
lav-ed
If you follow Mogen David And HE thinks that I'M
deprav-ed
Then that's good enough for me! But that's good enough for
me...
We will sing to Lady Isis We will all bow down to Dagon
She'll stand by us in a crisis We will all bow down to Dagon
And She hasn't raised Her prices He still votes for Ronald
Reagan
And She's good enough for me! And that's good enough for
me!
There are those who, when they've got e-
Normous problems that are knotty
They just take them to Hecate Thanks to great Quetzacoatl
And that's good enough for me! And his sacred axolotl
And his gift of chocolatl
Was a time, so I've heard tell, a And please pass some down to
me!
Fine and promising young fella
Gave his all to serve Cybele
But that's damn well not for me!
---
* Origin:
(Opus 1:114/29)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(32) Fri 23 Mar 90 10:21
By: the Bard
To: All
Re: ROTR (pt 3)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6f65 147752ab
Well, she raised an awful flurry When old Gerald got it goin'
When she made the scholars worry When old Gerald got it goin'
Thank the Gods for Margaret Murray! All that hidin' turned to
showin'
She is good enough for me! And that's good enough for
me!
We'll sing praises to Apollo When we all bowed down to
Nuit
Where the Sun-God leads, I'll follow There was really nothin' to
it
From Ionia to Gaul-o (Alex Sanders made me do
it...)
And that's good enough for me! But that's good enough for
me!
Let us sing the praise of Horus We went off to worship Venus
As our fathers did before us By the Gods! You should have
seen us!
We're the New Egyptian Chorus Now the Clinic has to screen
us...
And we sing in harmony! But that's good enough for me!
It was good enough for Granny It's not good enough for
Reagan
She could throw a double-whammy It's not good enough for
Reagan
That would knock you on your fanny He's too square to be a
Pagan! And she's good enough for me! And that's good
enough for me!
We will gather at our saunas Meeting at the Witching Hour
When the spirit comes upon us By the Bud, and Branch and
Flower
To perform the Rites of Faunus Folks are raising up the
Power And that's good enough for me! And that's where I
want to be!
We will worship mighty Cthulhu In the sky I hear a hummin'
H. P. Lovecraft's big old hoodoo It's the UFO's a-comin'
(1930's fiction voodoo....) That's not banjos that they're
strummin'
But that's good enough for me! But it's good enough for me!
Oh the Phillistines abound Oh we all will follow Buddah
Oh the Phillistines abound Oh we all will follow Buddah
They had the biggest Baals around And we'll eat no food but
Gouda And that's good enough for me! Which is Gouda-nuff for
me
Oh, our Spirits will awaken
Oh, our Spirits will awaken
Watch the Universe a-quakin'
Which is Gurdijeff to me!
It's the Opera written for us
We will all join in the chorus
it's the Opera about Boris
which is Godunov for me.....!
*
---
* Origin:
(Opus 1:114/29)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(33) Mon 19 Mar 90 14:54
By: Rana Of Gor
To: All
Re: Of Interest
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:e53b 76c01473
CARBON COPY FROM ATLANTA CONNECTION
*********************************************************************
****** *
METAPHYSICAL*
03/01/90 19:24:00
From: AMMOND SHADOWCRAFT
To: ALL
Subj: TECHNIQUES FOR THE WITCH HUNTERS
STRATEGIES FOR THE USING THE CLERGY ABUSE FILES
The Witch Hunter has absolutely no authority to decided who has and
has not the Spirit of Christ living within. Only their God has that
privilege. They can reference only themselves. When they say these
people aren't Christians, they are in "sin". They can't make that
determination.
The _status_ of Christian for these perpetrators is irrelevant. As
long as these folks come from within the Christian churches they
will have to look for the abusers there. There is ample proof that
these folks are there in numbers.
Just today the media released information on a Denver Area youth
minister (for three Pres. churches), Bryan Bush, 31, who molested
30
boys on 50 occasions. This announcement is many years after the
fact. The victims are now grown. The abuse in the witch hunter's
church, if it exists, is hidden and will have to be ferreted out.
It
was a psychologist in Texas who reported the abuse in Colorado to
Denver authorities. They can't fully deny abuse until they have
taken a close look at their churches.
Don't attack the hardened spear point. Attack the softest part of
the organization. The soft hand and foot provide the support for
the
spear tip. Metaphorically get behind the witch hunter and attack
there. Write to or talk with the directors of the organization.
Time
will take its toll.
We let the witch hunting organizations know that the 'evil one' is
within their midst. [After all he is.] They should be looking there
for their quarry. We provide scriptural support for cleaning their
house. Tell them to take the mote out of their own eyes. Also that
they are hypocrites for taking money looking for Satanists outside
the church when their own ranks are affected. We let them know that
the media is looking at them as they decide to clean their house.
We
substitute for the _invisible_ Satanist for the extremely _visable_
and possibly abusive Clergyman or layperson.
Send a copy to your local medias. Let them know that abuse exists
in
the Clergy's ranks. Send copies of clippings of abuse you get from
friends. Posit that the witch hunters are askew and possibly hiding
clergy abuse within their ranks. That's reasonable to say because
many churches and organizations cover up the abuse for years before
the victims break the news to the public.
A hidden fundamentalist sect in Colorado Springs (with no name
non-the-less) abused children and women for years. A girlfriend's 2
year-old boy was a victim. The small, unwatched fundamentalist
groups that spring up around a charismatic pastor are the most
likely to suffer and hide abuse. Generally these groups have no
building nor standard meeting place. They will be hard to find. The
higher the internal pressure to perform the higher the repression,
the higher the chance of abuse. Keep you ears open for rumor.
Shift the burden of proof onto the witch hunters. Make them look
over their shoulders for the investigative reporter, the listening
ear, the photographic eye. Provide reasonable suspicion and doubt.
What their say and how they respond is _not_ important. What they
think is. Over time they will either back off or go non-linear.
Both
responses can be used to turn public opinion against them.
Shift the burden of proof onto the witch hunters. Make them prove
they have cleaned their houses first. Let them laugh and scorn what
they may. The media and the public opinion will water the seeds of
doubt we plant. When they know we are watching them they will
desist
from their attacks.
--- QuickBBS 2.64 (Eval)
* Origin: THE CRYSTAL CAVE, "DER MAGICK TREFFPUNKT"(719 391-1092
(1:128/50)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(34) Sat 2 Jun 90 20:49
By: Sysop Jack&jill
To: All
Re: Interest
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:3b89 aea01a31
CARBON COPY FROM ATLANTA CONNECTION
*********************************************************************
****** ***
*METAPHYSICAL*
03/07/90 17:22:57
From: LONE STAR
To: ALL
Subj: FYI 2/2
"Ever since then, there have been outbreaks of similar behavior,"
he said. "It
was found that when very holy priests were sent to pray for and
about these
very troubled people, there would be an increase in the behavior,
then
eventually a complete liberation from it."
Exorcism is more common in countries where Christianity is not well
established
or where other influences such as voodoo, come into play. Since
the 1970's,
exorcism has been performed only by a priest approved by a bishop,
archbishop
or cardinal.
"If you ask most bishops in the country, 'Who is your exorcist?
they probably
wouldn't have one. It's an ad hoc thing," Burtchaell said.
"Probably a number
of bishops would be surprised to hear there were two in New York,"
one of the
largest dioceses in the nation.
Typically, he said, an exorcist must be a "very self possessed,
consistently
holy man" to survive the experience. "It involves a great deal of
self-abuse,
bodies being flung around the room, excrement, assumed voices -it's
pretty vile
stuff."
"The average Catholic would have no first-hand information to speak
of, " he
said. "The darn movie is going to be the image everybody has.
But, I must
say, events in the movie are very faithful to the stories I've
read" about real
exorcisms, Burtchaell said.
A battery of medical and psychological tests is ordered before some
undergoes
exorcism. "If a person has Lupus, for instance, and periodically
has seizures
where they go out of control, that's a chemical imbalance," Harak
said.
But there also are informal rites to get rid of, or guard against,
demons.
Harak said a standard, prebaptismal ritual contains "three
scrutinies that are
really rites of exorcism that have been kind of tamed in the church."
"It's not like, 'Oh, my goodness, William Peter Blatty's 'The
Exorcist.' It's
a recognition that there are good spirits, angels and bad spirits,
devils. And
the evil spirit hates human nature," Harak said.
The church also has a practice called deliverance for ridding
"infestations of
evil spirit" less serious than possession, Harak said. They are
performed
--- TBBS v2.1/NM
* Origin: LONG ISLAND CONNECTION - MAGICKNET NY (2600/301)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(35) Sat 2 Jun 90 20:50
By: Sysop Jack&jill
To: All
Re: Of Interest
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:3b89 aec01a31
CARBON COPY FROM ATLANTA CONNECTION
*********************************************************************
****** ***
*METAPHYSICAL*
03/07/90 17:21:20
From: LONE STAR
To: ALL
Subj: FYI 1/2
From Gwinnett Daily News Tuesday, March 6, 1990
Cardinal discloses exorcisms in New York
The Associated Press
Theologians expressed surprise Monday about Cardinal John
O'Connor's disclosure
that the rare rite of exorcism has bee performed twice in New York
in a year.
But other ceremonies dealing with evil spirits, including a
baptismal prayer,
are more common in the Roman Catholic Church.
O'Connor mentioned the exorcisms during a sermon Sunday and to
reporters
afterward. He said heavy-metal music spiked with satanic lyrics
created an
atmosphere conducive to devil worship and demonic possession.
The cardinal said the exorcisms were approved by the archdiocese's
vicar
general and appeared to be successful, but gave no other details.
He also said
the novel "The Exorcist" is a "gruesomely authentic" portrayal of
demonic
possession.
According to a story published Dec. 12 in the San Fransico
Chronicle, Pope John
Paul II recently increased the number of exorcists in Rome and in
Turin, where
there are reported 40,000 devil worshippers.
Last week, police in Indianapolis asked an unidentified priest to
pray and
--- TBBS v2.1/NM
* Origin: LONG ISLAND CONNECTION - MAGICKNET NY (2600/301)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(36) Sat 14 Apr 90 23:47
By: Nihasa
To: All
Re: Folk Tale
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0775 148ebde4
When going over some old notes, I came across this translation of
an old Persian story, "The Wizard's Two Apprentices":
.
There was, at such a time and such a place, a wizard of great
repute. Such were the wonders and learnings ascribed to him that he
was forced to erect great trials to thin the ranks of those
clamoring to learn his secrets. From fire and water, through sand
and air, and past fear and greed emerged two. The first, a young
man of reverent demeanor and holy ways, introduced himself thus:
"Master, my humble life is dedicated to the persuit of that Holy of
Holies, Truth. I offer my life and my fortune and all that is in my
power if you will aid me on my quest." The second, who's eyes
burned with an inner fire, spoke thus: "Great Master, I too have a
quest. It has come to me that if I work to know the seeing of many
things and the knowing of what I see, a day may come when I can add
my grain of sand to that which is known. All that I have, all that
I am, I put at your disposal." The Master, quietly pleased, said
"All I offer is the chance to do the meanest of tasks in my
household while you earn the rights to learn the least of what I
can teach. If this is agreeable, then you may start."
.
After many years of effort The two learned much of the four arts.
They learned to read and understand the stories told in letters,
numbers, and the stars. They learned to draw water from the desert,
to climb the air as a ladder, and to walk on clouds as though on
solid ground. It was in this last place that they came to the time
of the final teaching.
"When you have mastered this skill, you will each have the
final tool you need for your quest." This said, he gave them the
secret of knowing the Truth in whatever they beheld. Once they had
shown their mastery, he spoke thus:
"The time of teaching has come to an end. Now each of you
must seek his destiny. I send you on your way with this final gift
and thought: until this day, until this moment, nothing I have
taught you or told you has been the Truth." The reverent
apprentice, seeing the Truth in the master's words, plunged to his
death in despair. As one, the old master and the new spoke: "He has
found his Truth."
.
Thus, the Truthseeker found his Truth, the seeker learned to see
and to know (and added many grains of knowledge to the world), and
the wizard added to the magick of the world for a time.
.
Nihasa <-:
--- Opus-CBCS 1.11
* Origin: Dragonfriend's Place (1:104/11.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(37) Thu 19 Apr 90 0:15
By: Nihasa
To: All
Re: Magickal Reflexes
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0775 149301fb
Many of the technologies for personal change, whether for therapy
or self-improvement, stand on the three pillars of Communication,
Installation, and Interruption. Most of the techniques or patterns
of these technologies center on one or more of these. Of the
patterns for Installation, most make use of the concept of the
Conditioned Reflex.
.
CONDITIONED REFLEX
If you "rehearse" or repeat a pattern of stimulus-response often
enough, that pattern will become automatic. This is called a
conditioned response, and it is a fundamental part of the way we
learn to walk, ride a bicycle, or play a musical instrument. Often
enough, as used above, varies from person to person and from
pattern to pattern. These reflexes can be "chained" - the response
to A can become the stimulus to C, "ganged" - responses B, C, and D
can be linked to stimulus A as a complex reaction, and "stacked" -
stimuli A, C, D, E, and F can each be linked to response B.
.
In the concept of the conditioned reflex, both the stimulus and the
response are neurological patterns. In fact, any neurological
pattern can be such a stimulus and/or response. For instance, if
you were to practice visualising a purple monkey each time you
heard the word bananna, it would soon become a permanent (if silly)
pattern.
.
Successful use of this concept requires clearly and consistantly
defining and evoking the stimulus and response each time. This is
where the more creative and distinctive aspects of the various
techniques come in - leading you to consistantly and realistically
produce the desired response,
"access" the relevant stimulus, and link them.
.
This principle can be quite useful in designing rituals,
initiations, etc. It can also be an interesting feature to watch
for in such things as television commercials.
.
...one of a series for Ritual Consultants (a subsidiary of
Creative Technology Group) by...
.
Nihasa <-;
--- Opus-CBCS 1.11
* Origin: Dragonfriend's Place (1:104/11.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(38) Sun 22 Apr 90 17:23
By: Chuck Haynes
To: All
Re: New Feeds
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:fd38 8ae01496
Paul asked me to forward the below message from Pagansys to each of
the three
Magicknet areas so........
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-
OK, it looks like 90% of the details are worked out. I talked to
Tony Ianotti
today, and we will have Northeast distribution, whether it be from
me or from
Josh. Tony is trying to contact Josh to find out whether he (Tony)
or Josh is
to be the primary feed between the two. The only MAJOR hole left
in the net is
the feed to the North Central area. I cannot seem to get hold of
either David
Dyer-Benett of Terra Board, or Scott Raun of Fire Opal to see who
whants to Hub
that part of the country. If anyone can contact them, please do
so. I will be
feeding Denver direct as of Wed. Evening, as well as Austin Texas
and Phoenix
Arizona. The feed for So. Cal. is already in place, via Jim
Crowley and Joe
Larabell, And Sis from Modem Magic is coming online soon. Lone
Star at Atlanta
Connection will be setting up soon as well as K.C. Mo., and a
proposal has been
sent off to Michael Barnett, of Tampa. I have volunteered Chuck
Haynes as the
9600 source (Josh may prefer to feed from him). Russ Anderson and
Amergin
O'Kai in Denver have agreed to be co-moderators/coordinators, and
Chuck and
myself can handle the distribution end. I want to get everything
in place
ASAP, so we can work out any "bugs" well ahead of Brad's leaving.
Any ideas,
criticisms, comments?
B*B -Paul-
====================================================
So here it is!!
Namaste & Peace, Love, Light, & JOY
-=Chuck=-
--- TPBoard 6.1
* Origin: Casa De La Luz - Alamogordo, NM. - (505)-437-8267 *HST*
(1:308/60)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(39) Tue 24 Apr 90 17:34
By: Nihasa
To: All
Re: Persian Folk Tale
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:fb10 14988c45
When going over some old notes, I came across this translation of
an old Persian story, "The Wizard's Two Apprentices":
.
There was, at such a time and such a place, a wizard of great
repute. Such were the wonders and learnings ascribed to him that he
was forced to erect great trials to thin the ranks of those
clamoring to learn his secrets. From fire and water, through sand
and air, and past fear and greed emerged two. The first, a young
man of reverent demeanor and holy ways, introduced himself thus:
"Master, my humble life is dedicated to the persuit of that Holy of
Holies, Truth. I offer my life and my fortune and all that is in my
power if you will aid me on my quest." The second, who's eyes
burned with an inner fire, spoke thus: "Great Master, I too have a
quest. It has come to me that if I work to know the seeing of many
things and the knowing of what I see, a day may come when I can add
my grain of sand to that which is known. All that I have, all that
I am, I put at your disposal." The Master, quietly pleased, said
"All I offer is the chance to do the meanest of tasks in my
household while you earn the rights to learn the least of what I
can teach. If this is agreeable, then you may start."
.
After many years of effort The two learned much of the four arts.
They learned to read and understand the stories told in letters,
numbers, and the stars. They learned to draw water from the desert,
to climb the air as a ladder, and to walk on clouds as though on
solid ground. It was in this last place that they came to the time
of the final teaching.
"When you have mastered this skill, you will each have the
final tool you need for your quest." This said, he gave them the
secret of knowing the Truth in whatever they beheld. Once they had
shown their mastery, he spoke thus:
"The time of teaching has come to an end. Now each of you
must seek his destiny. I send you on your way with this final gift
and thought: until this day, until this moment, nothing I have
taught you or told you has been the Truth." The reverent
apprentice, seeing the Truth in the master's words, plunged to his
death in despair. As one, the old master and the new spoke: "He has
found his Truth."
.
Thus, the Truthseeker found his Truth, the seeker learned to see
and to know (and added many grains of knowledge to the world), and
the wizard added to the magick of the world for a time.
.
Nihasa <-:
--- QM v1.00
* Origin: Dragonfriend's Place (1:104/11.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(40) Fri 27 Apr 90 15:05
By: Jim Caldwell
To: Sysop Jack&jill
Re: Of Interest
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:69d3 78a0149b
>The novel The Exorcist is a grusemely Authentic portrayal...
So, what's new?
These Christians really are behind the times, are they not? An
amusing incident from the Sydney Seventh-day Adventist Hospital.
A 25 yo woman was recently admitted for sensitivisation/allergy
provocation tests. On the seventh day (funny that) of her
preliminary fast, four male orderlies and 3 nurses had to strap the
woman to her bed, and a Catholic priest was called to "Translate
from the Latin Vulgate".
The woman was spewing bile across the bed at visitors, and was
speaking in an archaic form of latin, in an unquestionably
masculine, italian accent. The woman was born in the Sydney suburb
of Bexley, and had never been outside of Australia. She was of
Australian origin.
She had never met the priest, and had given him a thourough
rendering of his family tree in a
heavy masculine italian accent, using a direct quote from the
Friedkin book, the Exorcist. "His mother sucked cocks in hell".
All this, whilst being rather frightening, is rather amusing when
the naivity and cultural backlash of the Christian Church is
concerned.
Nothing much has changed.
Regs,
Jim Caldwell.
What really miffed the Adventists was that they "needed" a
catholic. Ho ho ho!D˜ý
--- QuickBBS 2.64 & FD 1.99c [RT]
* Origin: Avalon - -= Ars Magica =- (28:200/0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(41) Fri 27 Apr 90 22:26
By: J. Harvey
To: All
Re: govmint stuf
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6f65 149bb34f
FEAR AND LOATHING IN AUSTIN
from: "Where we're Going" March/April 1990, No. 13 by Steve Jackson
Your Tax Dollars At Work
........This product was to have been GURPS CYBERPUNK (an RPG) set
for
a March release. But on March 1, our office was raided by the U.S.
Secret Service, in conjunction with a data-piracy investigation.
All current copies of CURPS CYBERPUNK, in both hardcopy and disc
form - along with the two office computers the manuscript was on -
were taken. The home of the GURPS CYBERPUNK author was also
raided, and his own computer taken. Also taken were the data files
of playtest comments, and thousands of dollars worth of assorted
hardware and software.
We have since been told that the GURPS CYBERPUNK manuscript
was not the object of the raids. However, we have been unable to
secure the return of the manuscript; the only result of our effort
has been huge legal bills. The Secret Service at first flatly
refused to return anything - then agreed to let us copy files, but
when we got to their office, restricted us to one set of
out-of-date files - then agreed to make copies for us, but has now
said "maybe tomorrow" every day since March 4.
"Are you going to sue the Secret Service?"
Many people have advised that we sue the government for loss
of business, the damage done to our offices in the raid, and so on.
But, while the Fourth Amendment theoretically protects against
"unreasonable search and seizure," we have been advised that a
lawsuit
against the Federal Government is very expensive and very time-
consuming, with no guarentee of success, no matter how outrageous
the offense. We may have to let it go in order to concentrate on
survival.
"Will GURPS CYBERPUNK ever come out?"
Yes. Although the confiscation of the manuscript forced us
to
rewrite many sections and miss the original deadline, the book will
appear in April. The agents who raided our office grumbled loudly
in my presence about the "manual for computer crime" that we were
publishing, but (aside from holding our hardware and text files)
they have taken no further action against the book. While it is
the most realistic cyberpunk game ever published - it contains a
great deal of real-world background information, including some
supplied by genuine, expert "hackers" - there is nothing in GURPS
CYBERPUNK that warrants government suppression, and we're going to
publish it.
Further information: Steve Jackson Games, Box 18957, Austin Texas
78760
- endfile-
---
* Origin:
(Opus 1:114/29)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(42) Thu 3 May 90 22:49
By: Anonymous
To: All
Re: Demons and Wizards and Fiends, OH MY!
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0 26468dcd
To: All
The Fiend
by
Michael K. Barnett
Johnathan Q. Wentworth III suffered in silence. Though he
knew he would die within the next month he tried to keep up his
courage. Still, it seemed ironic to him that someone with all his
advantages in terms of wealth, power, and prominent family
position would not survive long enough to enjoy them.
Johnathan, you see, was ill. To Johnathan, the eldest son of
one of Boston's most prestigious families, the worst part of his
illness was not the fact that it was fatal. The worst part was
the humiliation. Johnathan, it seems, was fatally constipated.
Constipated to such a degree that the medication and the daily,
painful indignities that he had to endure to prolong his life
only brought a partial relief. At this point the poisons in
Johnathans own body had built up until his doctor wouldn't even
hazard a guess as to how long he would live, but Johnathan was
certain it could not be more than another month.
From the depths of his dispair, Johnathan rhetorically
cried, "I'd sell my very soul for a cure". Then it happened. In a
cloud of smoke and a rush of air a fiend with huge slavering
jaws, pointed teeth, horns, and tail, cloven hooves, etc.
appeared before Johnathan waving a piece of paper in the air.
"Here it is, Johnie old boy," said the fiend, "the Standard
Contract. Just sign on the dotted line and I'll fix you right
up!". "As I live and breath, you're a deamon!", exclaimed
Johnathan, aghast. "No, Not a deamon", said the fiend "I'm just a
fiend, I mean after all I've only been working Down Below for a
couple of eons, you can't very very well expect me to get
promoted to Deamon in so short a time". "What's the difference",
said Johnathan. "Weellll..., you might say that between them, a
fiend is the lesser of two evils". Johnathan moaned, "You might
say such a thing, but I wouldn't dare for fear of being severely
pun-ished. Are you serious about this contract?". "Serious as
Hell.", said the fiend, "Skipping all the legalisms this contract
states that for an irrevocable interest in your soul, I, acting
as an agent for His Majesty Below, will provide you with a
complete and total cure for your... ahem... condition.".
"You won't mind if I check this with my lawyer will you?",
asked Johnathan. "Not at all, Johnie my boy. In fact, I insist on
it. We wouldn't want there to be any... ah... irregularities, now
would we?" quipped the monster. Johnathan winced and then
proceeded to call the junior partner of Biddle, Biddle, Reed,
Barton, and Smith to clarify whether the contract was really on
the up and up. After hearing from his attorney that the contract
was indeed iron-clad Johnathan pricked his finger and signed in
blood. Immediately the contract and the fiend vanished and an
urge struck Johnathan that he hadn't felt in over a year.
Johnathan smiled and proceeded to the bathroom to take care of
the urge.
As Johnathan sat in the bathroom placidly contemplating the
tiles between his toes a thought struck him and he said aloud,
"You know, with fiends like him, who needs enemas?".
We may all be grateful for the fatal heart attack which
followed.
--- Opus-CBCS 1.12
* Origin: Liberty BBS, Tampa FL (813)933-6247 (1:377/5.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(43) Sat 12 May 90 20:06
By: Paul Seymour
To: AuMeGen 0.0
Re: Reporting as ordered, sir!
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6d95 14aca0c0
SPIRITUALITY
In order to facilitate clearer communication in an area that
very often becomes very "fuzzy" because of specialized or unclear
definitions, let us now define the term Spirituality and the sense
of its use here. The term "spirituality" (as used here) is reserved
for situations that involve personal experiences of unique dimen-
sions of reality that give one's life and general existence a numi-
nous quality. Jung used the term "numinous" for the description of
experiences that feel sacred, holy, or out of the ordinary (in the
sense of a special feeling of ultimate meaning or reality). There-
fore, spirituality characterizes individual relationship to the uni-
verse and does not necessarily require a formal structure, collective
ritual, or mediation by a priest or other external authority figure.
Religion is a form of organized group activity that may or may
not be conducive to (or even supportive of) true spirituality, dep-
ending on the degree to which it provides a context for personal
discovery and experience of the numinous dimensions of reality.
While at the root of most great religions are the direct visionary
revelations of their founders, prophets, seers, and saints, in many
instances religions have lost their connection with this vital core
over time.
Experiences and mental states involving personal encounters
with the numinous dimensions of cosciousness are of two different
types. Included in the first are experiences of the "immanent
divine", or perceptions of divine intelligence expressing itself in
the world of everyday reality. All of creation - people, animals,
plants, and inanimate objects - seems to be permeated by the same
cosmic essence and divine light. A person in this state suddenly
sees that everything in the universe is a manifestation and expres-
sion of the same cosmic energy and that separation and boundaries are
illusory. In theology, this is called Monism. This is also the core
experience of the "all is illusion" claim in some belief systems.
Experiences in the second category do not represent a different
perception of what is already known but reveal a rich spectrum of
dimensions of reality that are ordinarily hidden from human aware-
ness and are not available in the everyday consciousness. These can
be referred to as experiences of the "transcendent divine". A typ-
ical example would be a vision of God as a radiant source of light
of supernatural beauty or a sense of personal fusion and identity
with God perceived in this way. Visions of various archetypal be-
ings, such as deities, demons, legendary heroes, and spirit guides,
also belong in this category. Other experiences do not involve
merely individual suprahuman entities but entire mythological
realms, such as heavens, hells, and purgatories, or various sceneries
and landscapes unlike anything known on earth. This seems to be the
nature of many reports of Native American "Shamanic Journeyings".
What interests many studying practical magic are the practical
consequences of personal encounters with spiritual realities. For
the people who have had them, the existence of the immanent and
transcendent divine is not a matter of unfounded belief but a fact
based on direct experience - much as our attitude toward the material
reality of our every day life is based on fist hand sensory percep-
tions. In contrast, a belief is an opinion about the nature of
reality based on a specific form of indoctrination, or reading of
religious literature; It lacks direct experiential validation. Yet
once again we are brought up against the very difficult
problems of
integrating personal realities with concensual reality, or at least
in integrating them closely enough that they can be discussed in a
meaningful manner.
One of the practical consequences of these spiritual
experiences is
permanent physiological change in the one experiencing them. There
are
usually also a set of perceptual changes, as well as (often) an
ability to
experience more of these episodes and not always with full control
over
when they will occur. In other words, the whole mind-body-spirit
linkage
takes on new dimensions and depth, and can become very difficult to
understand and manage! To be sure, no one has an experience of
this type
and remains the same person they were before.
Copyright May 1,1990 Paul G. Seymour
--- QuickBBS v2.61 [EVALUATION]
* Origin: The Mountain Oracle "Witches & Pagans & Druids.....Oh
My!" (1:301/9.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(44) Mon 14 May 90 15:48
By: Tim Maroney
To: All
Re: Definition of the Sacred
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:44a1 14ae7e13
On the Definition of the Sacred
by Tim Maroney
At our present level of psychological understanding, we lack even
the
basics for a definition of such a vague term as "spirituality",
except
in terms of equally vague words such as "holy", "sacred", and
"numinous".
These terms can only be defined in terms of each other, so we have
gained
no real understanding or clarity with such definitions. We are
merely
playing shuffleboard with syllables. "Sacred" means "consecrated
or holy"; "holy" means "divine or sacred"; "numinous" means
"divine";
"divine" means "spiritual".
At some point in the future, our understanding of psychology may be
such
that we will be able to break these concepts down into genuinely
simpler
concepts, such as the interrelationship of neural clusters. But
for now,
they remain irreducible absolutes.
In the face of these circularities, many mystics fall back to the
position of no-definition, often expressed in terms of the inherent
inadequacy of language to capture the ultimate ground of reality.
The Tao that can be named is not the true Tao; katz! But the same
is
equally true of the phenomena we typically consider mundane and
non-spiritual. No language can genuinely capture a single red
rose, or the sound of jackhammers at 7:30 on a Saturday morning.
Language is
by nature a scaled-down model of reality which fails to partake of
the
wholeness of the phenomenon it describes. There is no reason that
language should be any less useful in discussing the "numinous"
than it is in discussing the rose or the hammer.
The true problem in description of the spiritual is lack of a
vocabulary.
"Red" as an experience can't really be defined any more than "holy"
can.
It is just that we all know what the word "red" refers to, having
experienced the referent ourselves, and having experienced the word
in
conjunction with its referent. Those who have experienced
sacredness
recognize it, and they may be able to suggest to each other a
vocabulary
for describing its particular manifestations. Those who do not
know spirit will see this vocabulary as a meaningless jargon. But
even those
who know should be aware that they are not explaining spirit with
their
vocabulary. They are merely labelling it.
And yet, people persist in the silliest attempts to explain the
spirit
with labels. We are bombarded by totally foolish "definitions"
such as
"feelings out of the ordinary" (does this include the feeling of
being
rear-ended by a purple Volkswagen?) and "other dimensions of
consciousness"
(the term "dimension" is surpassed only by "evolution" in its use
as a
meaningless buzz-word by the metaphysically inclined).
Non-definitions
of this sort are in their way as good as any other terminology,
because
those who have known the spirit will recognize more or less what
the speaker is talking about, but they are no more basic -- and a
good deal
more fuzzy-minded -- than "holy", "sacred", and the rest of the
crew.
So let us take sacredness as an indefinable but recognizable
absolute,
and starting from there try to develop a taxonomy of sacred
experiences.
Immediately new problems arise. First, religions have long worked
to
develop these terminologies themselves, yet no two religions can
agree
on them. Second, being more or less familiar with these religious
systems,
we may find it difficult to avoid invisible but powerful
assumptions built
into them -- or, more likely, we will not even try, treating these
basic
assumptions as unquestioned fact. Third, we may once again fall
into
nonsense of the "dimensions of consciousness" or "feelings out of
the
ordinary" kind, imagining that we are analyzing things into more
basic
concepts when we are only spinning out absurdity.
Probably the most common error is to refer to "states of
consciousness".
This terminology ignores the fact that there are as many states of
consciousness as there are moments in the lives of all sentient
beings.
It's as if we are imagining the mind to be a car, with first gear
the
"mundane consciousness", second gear the first stages of "religious
illumination", and so on. But the mind is far more complex than a
car;
it does not have clearly distinct modes of operation. Each of its
"states" involves billions of variables. Not only is one person's
meditative trance not the same state as another person's, it is not
even the same state for the same person from meditation to
meditation,
or from moment to moment in a single session. We can speak of
broad classes of similar experiences, but not of states of
consciousness.
"Red" is not a "state of vision"; it is one component of a visual
experience which has many other factors and which will never be
precisely duplicated in another experience. We do not see vision
in terms of "states", but in terms of highly complex,
multidimensional
phenomena. Is the sacred simpler and more mechanical than the
visible?
"States of consciousness" is an example of all three kinds of
errors:
using the terminology of a single school, not questioning the
assumptions
underlying a terminology, and mistaking a meaningless label for
serious
analysis.
Another common error is the confounding of classes. For instance,
we
might divide spiritual experiences into the immanent and the
transcendent.
The former sees the unity (or voidness) of all phenomena; the
latter sees
all phenomena as transcended by some spiritual force or being
outside the
mundane world. This is a perfect valid measure of spiritual
experiences,
but it is not the only (or even the primary) measure. Many
experiences
are more similar to counterparts in the other class than they are
to their
classmates. Some belong in both classes or neither.
There are any number of spiritual measures, among which are static
or
dynamic, full or empty, harsh or soothing, personal or impersonal,
free
or structured, spontaneous or deliberate, passionate or arid,
solitary or
social, intellectual and emotional, differentiated and uniform, and
so
forth. We do not impose any useful taxonomy by putting one of
these measurements above the others, dividing all spiritual
experiences into
type 1 and type 2. A static, full, harsh, impersonal, immanent
experience
is more like a static, full, harsh, impersonal, transcendent
experience
than it is like a dynamic, empty, soothing, personal immanent
experience.
But if we were committed to making a basic division between
immanent and
transcendent experiences, we would have to say that any immanent
experience
is more like any other immanent experience than it is like any
transcendent
experience.
In summary, no language is truly adequate to description of
spirituality,
but some terminologies are less adequate than others.
Terminologies which claim to analyze but do not break notions down
into more basic
notions are nonsense. Terminologies which impose an oversimplified
linear structure on the multidimensional nature of spiritual
experience
are misleading. Terminologies based on unexamined assumptions
about the structure of the psyche and the superiority of some
experiences to
others are worse than useless.
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet San Francisco * (415) 751-9308 (Opus 1:161/93)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(45) Sun 3 Jun 90 16:29
By: Tim Maroney
To: All
Re: Notes on the LBR (1 of 3)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:44a1 14c383b8
On the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram by Tim Maroney
(excerpted from the New Age Mailing List #1, Fri Dec 21, 1984, the
first
national computer network run by a pagan or occultist, for pagans
and occultists; newly edited 1 June 1990)
The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram is one of the chief
rituals of Western Magick. It has been with us at least since the
Golden Dawn of the nineteenth century, and it has penetrated into
all the many Golden Dawn spinoffs, including Neo-Paganism. Yet
there is still no widely available, clear instruction. The
directions of the magical orders are mere mnemonics for those who
are assumed to have personal instructors. To formulate my personal
approach to the ritual, to aid any others who may be considering
practicing the LBR, and to satisfy the idle curiosity of any
gawking onlookers, I have put together this short discussion of the
ritual and its symbolism and performance.
A. Intent of the Ritual
The real action of a magick ritual takes place in the mind. Ritual
is a form of moving meditation. The effect is also primarily
psychological.* The LBR is a tool to facilitiate meditation.
[*Not all players would agree with this statement. Many would say
that the
effect of the LBR is a fortified and cleansed area on the astral
plane, which they think is as real as Hoboken, if not more so. It
doesn't really matter in practice.]
The experience of a proper LBR is pleasurable and soothing, yet
energizing and empowering. One is made at home in the mystical
realm, protected from lurkers and phantasms by strongly imagined
wards. This solace from mundane experience is a precondition for
more serious works of meditation or ritual, but it can also form a
healthy part of the life of the mind by itself.
B. The Ritual
I'll just reprint the description of the Lesser Banishing Ritual of
the Pentagram from Liber O, a publication of the occult order A.'.
A.'.
i. Touching the forehead say Ateh (Unto Thee), ii. Touching the
breast say Malkuth (The Kingdom), iii. Touching the right shoulder,
say ve-Geburah (and the Power), iv. Touching the left shoulder, say
ve-Gedulah (and the Glory), v. Clasping the hands upon the breast,
say le-Olahm, Amen (To the
Ages, Amen).
vi. Turning to the East, make a pentagram (that of Earth) with the
proper weapon (usually the Wand). Say (i.e. vibrate) IHVH.
vii. Turning to the South, the same, but say ADNI. viii. Turning to
the West, the same, but say AHIH. ix. Turning to the North, the
same, but say AGLA.
[Pronounce: Ye-ho-wau*, Adonai, Eheieh, Agla.]
x. Extending the arms in the form of a cross say, xi. Before me
Raphael; xii. Behind me Gabriel; xiii. On my right hand Michael;
xiv. On my left hand Auriel; xv. For about me flames the Pentagram,
xvi. And in the Column stands the six-rayed Star.
xvii-xxi. Repeat (i) to (v), the "Qabalistic Cross."
[* Modern scholarship has a different take on the pronunciation of
the Big
Guy's name. I use "Yahweh" rather than the "Ye-ho-wau" of Liber O
because that's what the Catholic priests of my youth taught me to
say, and I've never been able to shake it off. Use whatever
pronunciation you prefer, or a different name altogether.]
C. Politics of the Ritual
With practice, you will no doubt come up with your own style of
performance, and your own different symbolism for ritual acts.
Different people do rituals as differently as actors play parts,
even though the lines and motions may be fundamentally the same.
(The alternative is an authoritarian, dogmatic horror which is
alien to the deep occult understanding of religion, but is still
common in magical groups.) Slavish imitation will get you nowhere
in Magick
-- except, perhaps, to some high spiritual degree!
The Christianity -- or at least angelic monotheism -- of the ritual
symbolism may give a start to some. Many of us involved in
occultism have strongly negative feelings about Christianity.
These are perhaps justified, but there are a few saving graces
here.
First, as with any ritual, you should feel free to make it yours,
to mess around with it. If you don't start to at least play with
the styles of a ritual after a while, you are probably not doing it
very well. It is perfectly legitimate to substitute cognate
symbols at any time. However, the saying in the martial arts is
that one first learns another's style, and after mastering it,
moves on to create one's own. For a beginner, it will be easiest
simply to use an existing ritual form in order to explore the
meaning of a banishing ritual.
Given that experience, which transcends any mere set of symbols,
one may devise a form more in keeping with the emergence of one's
personal style. For instance, Neo-Pagans use a highly reified form
of the same basic ritual in many of their traditions, but with
non-Christian deities, spirits, and heros at the quarters.
Aleister Crowley wrote a new version which made the performance
more dancelike, and used the names of Thelemic deities and officers
rather than monotheist gods and angels. My private version, called
"Opening the Threshold", is entirely atheistic and philosophical.
In any case, of those people who so abhor Christianity, how many
have looked at some of the practices of historical pagans in
Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas? No religion should ever be
"accepted" by an occultist. When using any religion's symbolism,
the adept should cut to its sacred poetical core, and discard the
political dross. By this standard, Christianity looks about as
good as any other religion. Without this standard, and by
factoring in historical excesses and power plays, almost all known
religions look just about as bad as Christianity.
In other words, someone who will happily use Norse gods, Arthurian
heroes, Taoist immortals, Voudoun loas, or what have you in
rituals, but will never touch a Christian angel, is guilty of the
same narrowness he or she probably imparts to the Christians.
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet San Francisco * (415) 751-9308 (Opus 1:161/93)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(46) Sun 3 Jun 90 16:30
By: Tim Maroney
To: All
Re: Notes on the LBR (2 of 3)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:44a1 14c383cf
D. Preliminary Acts
These political considerations aside, there are a number of
necessary preconditions in any cleansing ritual. Not the least
important are the physical conditions.
It's not a good idea to just launch into this thing from a standing
start. You should start by evacuating any bodily wastes. Heavy
food in the digestive tract is bound to interfere, so don't pig out
right before practice. If your nose is clogged, clear it. (There
are some really gross yogic techniques for doing this if
necessary.) Remove any serious muscle tensions; I do this in two
ways, by informal stretching exercises and by sitting quietly for a
few minutes.
It is best to bathe or shower first, and put on special clothes
worn only during ritual, but those are optional considerations.
It is very useful to have a room in your home that is either set
aside for ritual, or can be transformed into a suitable room
readily. I share my ritual room with my lover, who uses it for
typing. This is a fortunate arrangement, since we both want the
room to be simple, uncluttered, and non-distracting, and all I have
to do is hide the typewriter and throw a cloth over the desk. If
you can't arrange something like that, make sure you at least have
enough free floor space in the center of the room for freedom of
movement.
E. Ritual Gestures
You should refer to the ritual above while reading this section.
The "Qabalistic Cross"
----------------------
The "Qabalistic Cross" (steps i-v) is a self-consecration. The
magician
(what an icky word -- I feel like I ought to have a few pigeons
hidden in my
pockets...) becomes a sanctified instrument for the execution of
the rest of the ritual. This can't be an empty exercise; linger on
each phrase for as long as it takes to form some strong, brief
concentration on the meaning.
Think of the short prayer of the Qabalistic Cross as a baptism,
using light rather than water. Imagine that your body has
"centers" which you are bringing to life by anointing them with
your hand. There are five such
"centers". At the end of the Cross, remain for a moment in that
posture,
upright, hands clasped, feeling the Cross within yourself, yourself
as the Cross. This should cause a sort of purified perception of
the body.
The Cross addresses a second person, a "thee". Who is this
mysterious person?
"Thee" is your own "higher self", if you're a humanist. If you
prefer
monotheistic symbolism, read "God[dess]" for "thee". Even for
monotheists, the consecration is of yourself, although "by the
power of God". The two symbolisms can be turned into each other
with less effort than a topologist requires to invert a torus, so
it doesn't really matter.
The "vanilla" version of the Cross is not what most Thelemites use.
Instead, go "Atoh" (touch brow), "Aiwass" (touch breast),
"Malkuth" (touch genitals), and then the arms as normal. "Aiwass
who?" That's a name Crowley's H.G.A. or "external manifestation of
the higher self" called itself by. If you attain to the Knowledge
and Conversation of your Holy Guardian Angel (as it is so quaintly
called), use its name instead of Aiwass. Don't expect this
attainment to happen tomorrow or next week. But then, you're the
only real judge of that.
The Banishing Pentagram of Earth
--------------------------------
It is a five pointed star, point up. To draw it, start from the
lower left-hand corner (your left), go up to the top point, and
continue from there. The index finger is a common tool for drawing
the stars; it's a very natural way of writing symbols in the air.
A good wand can be hard to find.
Note that you do not draw the stars at the end of your finger, but
project them outwards as if your finger was a laser, with the stars
being drawn by the beam onto an outlying vertical plane -- perhaps
a few inches short of the wall, or on the wall, or just in a
convenient expanse of air.
Drawing the pentagram will be easy or hard for you, depending on
whether you are good at visualization. I'm not, so it's hard. (I
am getting better with practice.) Ideally, the stars should be of
flame, drawn in the air, but early on a faint outline is no cause
to complain. Do not use drugs to increase your visualization
abilities on a routine basis. If you are experienced with drugs,
it may be useful to get stoned for an LBR every once in a while
just to show you what it could be like.
The pentagram can be a potent symbol. Recall Leonardo's image of
the microcosm, e.g., the individual human. The central pentagon
represents the torso, the top point the head, the other four points
the limbs.
For a religious humanist, the individually named pentagrams are
essentially aspects of the higher self (in contrast to the whole
higher self of "thee" in the cross), given life/breath by the
vibrations of the god-names. For a theist, the pents are
anthropomorphic manifestations of deity, summoned by the vibration
of god-names. It makes little difference in practice.
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet San Francisco * (415) 751-9308 (Opus 1:161/93)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(47) Sun 3 Jun 90 16:31
By: Tim Maroney
To: All
Re: Notes on the LBR (3 of 3)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:44a1 14c383eb
The Vibration of God-Names
--------------------------
In the LBR, the vibration of the god-names "charges" or "enlivens"
the pentagrams in the air. This is difficult to describe, but easy
to recognize. There is a feeling of presence in one of these
charged warding images -- though not necessarily a feeling of true
externality or separate intelligence.
We are told to "vibrate" the names. The description and
illustration of the
"vibration" given in Liber O have been known to mislead people into
hilarious
postures. What the picture most resembles is the skulking monster
from the movie The Mummy. To the modern eye, it is remarkable how
truly unclear a photograph can be.
I didn't learn how to vibrate a god-name until I signed up with yet
another occult order and was taught it in person. I wouldn't wish
the ensuing experience on anyone, so here is a description which I
hope will be adequate in print.
Vibration phase i -- The Sign of the Enterer (1-4)
--------------------------------------------------
1. Stand upright. Blow all the air out of your lungs. Hold your
arms straight out at your sides.
2a. Close your eyes and inhale nasally, imagining that the breath
is the name. The exact nature of this imagination differs from
person to person. Thus, you imagine yourself inhaling the name
into your lungs.
2b. As you inhale, sweep your forearms smoothly and deliberately up
so that your fists rest on your temples.
3. Imagine the breath moving down through your torso slowly, and
through your pelvis, your legs, and finally to the soles of your
feet. (Don't do this so slowly that you are hurting for air when
the name reaches your feet!)
4a. The instant the inhaled vibrational name hits the soles of your
feet, imagine it rushing back up and out.
4b. Simultaneously, throw yourself forward, thrusting your left
foot forward about twelve inches (or thirty centimeters) and
catching yourself on it. Your hands shoot forward, together, like
a diver. You bend forward at the waist so that your torso winds up
parallel to the floor.
4c. The air in your lungs should be blown out through your nose at
the same time, but imagine the name shooting out straight ahead.
Steps 3-4 are known as the Sign of the Enterer, or of Horus. This
symbolizes powerful active energy. The Enterer should be something
of a "rush". The vibrational name is projected outwards into more
tangible manifestation -- in this case, in the pentagrams of the
LBR, which are charged by the force of the projected god-names.
It is highly inadvisable to omit the portion of step (4b) which
reads "catching yourself on it." But again, I have no desire to
infringe on your freedom of choice.
Vibration phase ii -- The Sign of Silence (5)
---------------------------------------------
5. Finally, withdraw into a standing position, left arm hanging at
your side, right forefinger on lips, left foot pointing ninety
degrees out from the body.
Step 5 is called the Sign of Silence, or of Harpocrates. This
Egyptian god was mistakenly believed (at the turn of the century)
to pertain to silence, because his finger or thumb was touching his
lips. This gesture is now believed to be a symbol of childhood;
this correction appears in the World card of Crowley's "Book of
Thoth" Tarot deck. Harpocrates was the god of the Sun at dawn, and
so symbolizes wonder, beauty, potential, growth. So, step 5 may be
done in this academically corrected light instead.
However, the "hush" gesture of the Golden Dawn Sign of Silence is
adequate for the modern occultist, even if deprived of A Divine
Identification. It is a common gesture, at least in the European
culture, meaning silence. Silence perhaps balances the ultra-active
Sign of the Enterer better than does the more scholarly
positive/active "Sign of Harpocrates the Rising Sun", and silence
is surely no alien concept to mystics.
The Invocation
--------------
The pentagrams are given form by the drawing, life by the
vibration, identity by the four-part prayer of steps (x) to (xiv).
Some people do very elaborate visualizations of angelic guardians
on each of (xi) to (xiv). Because of my tragic personal
deficiencies, I am content with strong feelings of presence,
identity, and divinity in each of the four directions.
A horizontal cross is built up step by step as you say, "Before me
Raphael", etc, with you at the center; and the position of your
arms forms a vertical cross, a renewal of the Qabalistic Cross from
the start of the ritual. You may feel a quite peculiar rising and
expansion when both of these crosses are formulated. One has
become the center of the geometry of the space, and it is like a
little world in itself, cut adrift from the mundane currents of
everyday experience.
Steps (xv) and (xvi) are when the real banishing takes place,
during "For about me flames the pentagram, and in the column stands
the six-rayed star." A great pulse of force is emitted during these
steps, imposing the personal will on the space and clearing it of
all hostile influences.
After this is done, the invoked "archangels" maintain the banishing
effect, guarding in all four directions. Of course this talk of
angels is all bullshit -- the importance lies in the psychological
effect. Whether there
"really is" an archangel standing there keeping out inimical
spirits is not
important. The "feeling of cleanliness" is what matters.
Concluding Cross
----------------
The final Qabalistic Cross is an affirmation of the completeness
and symmetry of the ritual, and also a new self-consecration. This
is more efficacious than the previous Cross because it is done in a
banished environment.
One is now ready to do a formal invocation, an evocation, a
meditation, or whatever the overall purpose may be. The LBR is a
preliminary ceremony, although it has a beneficial effect in
itself. It can profitably be done as a stand-alone ritual, but you
should move on. The LBR should keep away the horrible ickies that
turn so many novices away from Magick. Its mastery is a first step
to adeptship.
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet San Francisco * (415) 751-9308 (Opus 1:161/93)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(48) Sun 3 Jun 90 20:12
By: Josh Gordon
To: All
Re: Correction to previous
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:44a1 14c3a185
TO: Josh Gordon FROM: Tim Maroney
Opus reformatting destroyed the reprint of the ritual instructions
in the
above. Please substitute this text into any copy you saved:
i. Touching the forehead say Ateh (Unto Thee),
ii. Touching the breast say Malkuth (The Kingdom),
iii. Touching the right shoulder, say ve-Geburah (and the Power),
iv. Touching the left shoulder, say ve-Gedulah (and the Glory),
v. Clasping the hands upon the breast, say le-Olahm, Amen (To
the
Ages, Amen).
vi. Turning to the East, make a pentagram (that of Earth) with
the
proper weapon (usually the Wand). Say (i.e. vibrate) IHVH.
vii. Turning to the South, the same, but say ADNI.
viii. Turning to the West, the same, but say AHIH.
ix. Turning to the North, the same, but say AGLA.
[Pronounce: Ye-ho-wau*, Adonai, Eheieh, Agla.]
x. Extending the arms in the form of a cross say,
xi. Before me Raphael;
xii. Behind me Gabriel;
xiii. On my right hand Michael;
xiv. On my left hand Auriel;
xv. For about me flames the Pentagram,
xvi. And in the Column stands the six-rayed Star.
xvii-xxi. Repeat (i) to (v), the "Qabalistic Cross."
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet San Francisco * (415) 751-9308 (Opus 1:161/93)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(49) Thu 7 Jun 90 6:32
By: Amergin O'Kai
To: All
Re: Midnight Ride
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:3727 14c73416
Where the pale moon rides like a ghost
Through the clouds that batter the coast,
Where the white winds lash,
And the breakers crash,
And the selkie scream with glee,
The storm-watch is falling
But my Lady is calling;
Salt spray in my face
As naked I race
'Long the shore of the wild tossed sea.
The Night-mare runs, no prints on the beach.
In terror I flee, just beyond reach.
Madly we race
In eternal chase
As the lightning plays in our hair.
The rocks tear my feet
In my weary retreat,
'Neath the thunder's growl,
'Midst the wind's feral howl
Carrying voices which cry, "Beware!"
At a cliff's foot I turn, calling Her name,
Slowly She comes, answ'ring the same.
Away we ride,
My jet-black bride
And I, Her wraith-like groom.
Where my life's blood has flown
The sea calls to its own.
And, lost in the glamour,
The tocsin bell's clamour
Is drowned in my wat'ry doom.
--- Opus-CBCS 1.11
* Origin: Dragonfriend's Place (1:104/11.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(50) Mon 4 Jun 90 3:06
By: Tim Maroney
To: All
Re: Sacredness
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:44a1 14ae7dae
On the Definition of the Sacred
by Tim Maroney
At our present level of psychological understanding, we lack even
the
basics for a definition of such a vague term as "spirituality",
except
in terms of equally vague words such as "holy", "sacred", and
"numinous".
These terms can only be defined in terms of each other, so we have
gained
no real understanding or clarity with such definitions. We are
merely
playing shuffleboard with syllables. "Sacred" means "consecrated
or
holy"; "holy" means "divine or sacred"; "numinous" means "divine";
"divine" means "spiritual".
At some point in the future, our understanding of psychology may
be such
that we will be able to break these concepts down into genuinely
simpler
concepts, such as the interrelationship of neural clusters. But
for now,
they remain irreducible absolutes.
In the face of these circularities, many mystics fall back to the
position of no-definition, often expressed in terms of the inherent
inadequacy of language to capture the ultimate ground of reality.
The Tao that can be named is not the true Tao; katz! But the same
is
equally true of the phenomena we typically consider mundane and
non-spiritual. No language can genuinely capture a single red
rose,
or the sound of jackhammers at 7:30 on a Saturday morning.
Language is
by nature a scaled-down model of reality which fails to partake of
the
wholeness of the phenomenon it describes. There is no reason that
language should be any less useful in discussing the "numinous"
than
it is in discussing the rose or the hammer.
The true problem in description of the spiritual is lack of a
vocabulary.
"Red" as an experience can't really be defined any more than
"holy" can.
It is just that we all know what the word "red" refers to, having
experienced the referent ourselves, and having experienced the
word in
conjunction with its referent. Those who have experienced
sacredness
recognize it, and they may be able to suggest to each other a
vocabulary
for describing its particular manifestations. Those who do not
know
spirit will see this vocabulary as a meaningless jargon. But even
those
who know should be aware that they are not explaining spirit with
their
vocabulary. They are merely labelling it.
And yet, people persist in the silliest attempts to explain the
spirit
with labels. We are bombarded by totally foolish "definitions"
such as
"feelings out of the ordinary" (does this include the feeling of
being
rear-ended by a purple Volkswagen?) and "other dimensions of
consciousness"
(the term "dimension" is surpassed only by "evolution" in its use
as a
meaningless buzz-word by the metaphysically inclined).
Non-definitions
of this sort are in their way as good as any other terminology,
because
those who have known the spirit will recognize more or less what
the
speaker is talking about, but they are no more basic -- and a good
deal
more fuzzy-minded -- than "holy", "sacred", and the rest of the
crew.
So let us take sacredness as an indefinable but recognizable
absolute,
and starting from there try to develop a taxonomy of sacred
experiences.
Immediately new problems arise. First, religions have long worked
to
develop these terminologies themselves, yet no two religions can
agree
on them. Second, being more or less familiar with these religious
systems,
we may find it difficult to avoid invisible but powerful
assumptions built
into them -- or, more likely, we will not even try, treating these
basic
assumptions as unquestioned fact. Third, we may once again fall
into
nonsense of the "dimensions of consciousness" or "feelings out of
the
ordinary" kind, imagining that we are analyzing things into more
basic
concepts when we are only spinning out absurdity.
Probably the most common error is to refer to "states of
consciousness".
This terminology ignores the fact that there are as many states of
consciousness as there are moments in the lives of all sentient
beings.
It's as if we are imagining the mind to be a car, with first gear
the
"mundane consciousness", second gear the first stages of "religious
illumination", and so on. But the mind is far more complex than a
car;
it does not have clearly distinct modes of operation. Each of its
"states" involves billions of variables. Not only is one person's
meditative trance not the same state as another person's, it is not
even the same state for the same person from meditation to
meditation,
or from moment to moment in a single session. We can speak of
broad
classes of similar experiences, but not of states of consciousness.
"Red" is not a "state of vision"; it is one component of a visual
experience which has many other factors and which will never be
precisely duplicated in another experience. We do not see vision
in
terms of "states", but in terms of highly complex, multidimensional
phenomena. Is the sacred simpler and more mechanical than the
visible?
"States of consciousness" is an example of all three kinds of
errors:
using the terminology of a single school, not questioning the
assumptions
underlying a terminology, and mistaking a meaningless label for
serious
analysis.
Another common error is the confounding of classes. For instance,
we
might divide spiritual experiences into the immanent and the
transcendent.
The former sees the unity (or voidness) of all phenomena; the
latter sees
all phenomena as transcended by some spiritual force or being
outside the
mundane world. This is a perfect valid measure of spiritual
experiences,
but it is not the only (or even the primary) measure. Many
experiences
are more similar to counterparts in the other class than they are
to their
classmates. Some belong in both classes or neither.
There are any number of spiritual measures, among which are static
or
dynamic, full or empty, harsh or soothing, personal or impersonal,
free
or structured, spontaneous or deliberate, passionate or arid,
solitary or
social, intellectual and emotional, differentiated and uniform,
and so
forth. We do not impose any useful taxonomy by putting one of
these
measurements above the others, dividing all spiritual experiences
into
type 1 and type 2. A static, full, harsh, impersonal, immanent
experience
is more like a static, full, harsh, impersonal, transcendent
experience
than it is like a dynamic, empty, soothing, personal immanent
experience.
But if we were committed to making a basic division between
immanent and
transcendent experiences, we would have to say that any immanent
experience
is more like any other immanent experience than it is like any
transcendent
experience.
In summary, no language is truly adequate to description of
spirituality,
but some terminologies are less adequate than others.
Terminologies
which claim to analyze but do not break notions down into more
basic
notions are nonsense. Terminologies which impose an oversimplified
linear structure on the multidimensional nature of spiritual
experience
are misleading. Terminologies based on unexamined assumptions
about
the structure of the psyche and the superiority of some
experiences to
others are worse than useless.
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet San Francisco * (415) 751-9308 (Opus 1:161/93)
@PATH: 100/523 301/9 102/922
--- msged 1.99S ZTC
* Origin: Cassandra-News * 818-899-3687 (1:102/922)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(51) Sun 10 Jul 88 22:56
By: Josh Gordon
To: All
Re: Tarot Cards
St: Sent
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Original: FROM.....Brad Hicks (100/523)
* Original: TO.......L.a. Hussey (161/93)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 161/93
@EID:0 22d855d8
... continued from previous message
X) THE WHEEL - From a traditional standpoint, I cannot criticize
this card much. Oh, the three emblematic figures around the
Rider-Waite Wheel seem more PERSONAL to me, but I can learn to
attribute personal ebb and flow to the seasons if I try. Unrelated
question: if you are converting to Neopagan symbolism, why keep the
Four Evangelists? Wouldn't the standard emblems for the elements be
better?
XI) JUSTICE - I love this card. I have nothing bad to say about it
at all. Beautiful, meaningful, appropriate.
XII) THE HANGED [MAN] - I'm afraid I cannot translate the runes
around his head, so I'm sure I'm missing something. Assuming that
this is Odin hanging from Ygdrassil, then perhaps the missing eye
(which I didn't notice until about the eight time I looked at this)
should be more obvious - maybe substitute a straight line for the
empty socket, the represent the eyelids swollen shut? Oh, and
isn't this guy a bit young to be the All-Father?
XIII) DEATH - The Rider-Waite displays Death as the Ultimate
Democrat, taking down King and Priest and Peasant all. This is an
aspect of Death that I can live without, and your Death as the
birth canal (I assume the vulval shape is deliberate?) is very much
in keeping with the traditional teachings on reincarnation. (Shame
I don't really believe in it.)
XIV) TEMPERANCE - Portrayed as Apollo. A bit juiceless, this card
lacks the impact of some of the others. It is, however, perfectly
appropriate.
XV) INTEMPERANCE - In the Rider-Waite, Trump XV is The Devil. I
can understand why you wanted to expunge this symbol (just as I see
why you expunged the Last Judgement, number XX). But I miss the
parallel between this card and V, the Lovers. I also like the
message that the "chains" of Lust are illusionary, that we can slip
them off when Lust is less appropriate than Love. (If you never
noticed this, look at the chains around the necks of the figures
"chained to the Devil" - they're both quite loose, and could be
slipped off easily.) It also made sense numerically for 5 and 15
to be related. On the flip side, your Dionysus makes a similar
parallel/contrast to/with XIV, Temperance/Apollo. There is
complexity here that I will have to meditate on.
XVI) THE TOWER - Simple and direct. Minor nit - the human figures
falling from the top lent identification to the image. Can/will
you work them back in?
XVII) THE STAR - You have portrayed the Star as the intersection of
Sun and Moon. I don't really like that, I think. Feel free to
speak at length in favor of your reinterpretation (it's your deck,
after all), but I much, much prefer the personification of Sirius,
bridging land, sea, and sky in radiant, sexual beauty, as shown in
Rider-Waite and portrayed SO beautifully in the Fantasy Showcase.
XVIII) THE MOON - The Cauldron of Cerydwen is a beautiful lunar
symbol, and I much prefer it to the traditional card.
XIX) THE SUN - I do not understand the symbolism of this card at
all. Could you explain it to me? I'm especially curious why you
didn't use the Yule Child as a straight-forward adaptation,
especially since some of your symbolism (the lemniscate on I, the
pillars on II, and the evangelists on X) are =more= traditional
than need be.
XX) THE PHOENIX - This could stand to be drawn a bit better
(perhaps a more flame-like flame) to make it look a bit less
cartoony, but I like the substitution of this card for The Last
Judgement.
XXI) THE WORLD - As with The Sun, I think I'm missing the point on
this one.
P.S. Nice self-portrait on card III. Is IV supposed to be David?
(Hard to tell with that helmet on.)
--- Sirius 0.50
* Origin: WeirdBase * St. Louis * 1-314-741-2231 * (Opus 1:100/523)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(52) Fri 6 May 88 19:44
By: Hugh Read
To: All
Re: The Pentagram
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:01a6 10a69d92
I invoke Ancient Powers of The Star
The Powers of Five
The Spiral Powers
The Powers of Earth
I invoke the Ancient Powers of Life
Star in the Circle
In the Iron Circle
Quaint, ancient symbol
So ancient, primordial and timeless
Dark symbol of life
On planets bearing life
Deep in DNA
Deeply branded in the Heart of our Earth
Touchstone of Wisdom
Of Ancient Knowledge, NOW,
Living in the stars
I call out through the Circled Iron Star
For my Star Power
Out through the Galaxies
Claiming Dark Powers
--- ZMailO 1.10 - Delta I (Opus/FTS001)
* Origin: Dragonfriend's Point(1:104/11.5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(53) Sun 22 Jul 90 17:33
By: Russ Anderson
To: all
Re: this echo area
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:9cbd 14f68c20
Metaphysical is part of the Magicknet triad. It is for magazine
quality posts only! Legitimate posts include articles, essays,
ritual, stories, extended quotes from magickal authors where such
quotes are legal, and poems. Topics run the gamut of the magickal
and/or Pagan experience and may include both humor and fiction, but
please try to make it reasonably obvious what is what.
Replies to posts in this echo must go to either the Magicknet echo
or the Mundane echo. Sysops are reminded that they are responsible
for making sure that only magazine quality posts are presented in
this echo. If your software allows, you are urged to disable
replies and limit posting or even screen posts in this area.
Amergin O'Kai and Russ Anderson are currently the acting
moderators of the Magicknet triad.
B*B
Dragonfriend (Mr. Moderator)
--- ZMailO 1.10 - Delta I (Opus/FTS001)
* Origin: Dragonfriend's Point(1:104/11.5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(54) Thu 9 Aug 90 19:20
By: No Exit
To: Any
Re: thoughts
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:bdf8 15099a80@
PID: RA 0.04
First time writing to this net. I don't know how many this
is going out to...
I've been wondering about the validity of "magic" and of religion
in general. The concept of evil, if one is to pull it from being
simply the catalyst or thing causing bad things to happen, then
where does it go? Is then evil really evil?
Take the notion of evil (considering that God should of been
powerful enough to begin with) and make it into something that
isn't necessarily bad. Same with holy or "good". Change that into
something that doesn't necessarily have to be good.
Now, with only some sort of catalyst running about (not being good
or evil to begin withe) controling our destinies, then what there
is is just something that needs to be reckoned with.
Also, if this controling force is the thing that is controling our
destinies, then before it (or it, the thing itself) then has no
pattern to understand about it. What controles destiny must be the
chaos from which it pulls our reality from. If this force were to
be anything less then complete chaos, then it would be itself a
formed pattern and, in being so, not be the "force" itself. So,
destiny comes from and is shaped by chaos.
Suppose a person wished to shape destiny, wanted to take control
of that power and begin to shape things into his own desires...
What would it take in order to go into chaos and cause a pattern to
form? He/she couldn't use any pattern of beliefs, they'd be
destroyed upon entering or else hold the explorer back. What then?
Curiosity? A plain and simple desire. What is more chaotic to
begin with then caprice or intuition?
No Exit
P.S. Looking for your opinion...
--- ZMailR 1.10 - Alpha B (RemoteAccess)
* Origin: The 8th Sea, Denver, CO (303)252-9235 (1:104/610.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(55) Mon 13 Aug 90 5:42
By: Chip Gordon
To: Tim Maroney
Re: Sacredness
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:73c4 150d2d4b
Sacred is one thing, but "spirit" (not spirituality, which is a
meaningless
word) is defined quite well by Jung in his 1930's lectures on
Nietzsche. It is a very definite psychological element and
altogehter
different from "soul." Spirit doesn't necessarily have anything to
do with religion. When we speak of "spirits" in the popular sense,
we are using the word incorrectly. Spirit is revelation,
consciousness, enlightenment, etc. It implies growth in the mind.
Soul is the opposite -- it has to do with private feelings and
unconscious impulses, with mood and emotion and mysticism.. If the
Spirit is the Sun, the Soul is the Moon.
---
* Origin: ThelemaNet San Francisco * (415) 751-9308 (Opus 1:161/93)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(56) Mon 13 Aug 90 20:09
By: Shanti Lightdancer
To: All
Re: Sup. Court and Peyote (1 of 13)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:e0d9 150da127
The following 13 messages, retrieved from PeaceNet, discuss the
recent Supreme Court ruling permitting states to prohibit
sacramental use of peyote.
Supreme Court Continues Chipping Away At Citizen's 1st Amendment
Rights, Part 1.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Exerpts from the following article detailing the April 17th
ruling
by the US Supreme Court which decided that Native Americans
could
no longer use peyote in their religious practices:
"For all practical purposes, a majority of the Supreme Court
has eliminated the Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment
from our Bill
of Rights," said American Jewish Congress Executive Director
Henry Siegman.
"The court's decision in the peyote case can have the most far-
reaching consequences for all religions, but primarily for
religious
minorities," continued Siegman. "It is precisely such minorities
the
Bill of Rights sought to protect, for it is they who are
particularly
vulnerable to the depredations of momentary and localized
majorities."
... Dr. Robert L. Maddox, executive director of Americans
United for Separation of Church and State, said the "Smith"
ruling is cause for
concern...
"We are concerned," he continued, "that this ruling will have a
negative effect on minority religions. Mainstream faiths will
probably
have little difficulty getting the exemptions they need; smaller
groups
with less political influence will have a tougher time of it.
That is
unfortunate. Religious freedom should not be left to the whim of
state
and federal lawmakers.
"No one wants anarchy in the name of religion," he added, "but
do we
really want more and more government regulation of religion?
What bothers us most is the movement away from individual
liberty and toward
statism--whatever the government wants, goes."
--- Opus-CBCS 1.12
* Origin: Opera=Amorum, BaphoNet-At-Night -> (718) 499-9277
(1:107/666.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(57) Mon 13 Aug 90 20:10
By: Shanti Lightdancer
To: All
Re: Peyote (2 of 13)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:2d0c 150da152
[2]
The following article appeared in the June 1990 issue of "Church
and State",
a publication of Americans United for Separation of Church and
State, 8120
Fenton St., Silver Spring, MD, 20910, and is reprinted here
w/permission.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
The Day 'Sherbert' Melted
by Rob Boston
Discarding A 27-Year-Old Test For Religious Liberty Cases, The
Supreme
Court Says Government May Restrict Religiously Motivated
Conduct
Alfred Smith considers himself apolitical; he's not even
registered
to vote. But, in light of what the Supreme Court did April 17,
the 70-
year-old Oregonian is ready to jump into politics in a big way.
The high court ruled 6-3 that day that Native Americans do not
have a
constitutional right to use the drug peyote during their
religious ceremonies. Smith, one of the plaintiffs who helped
bring the case
before the nation's highest court, is angry--angry enough to take
his
fight to the polls.
"I'm encouraging all people to register and vote this year,"
Smith
said. "This is the time for it. I have never voted before
because I
don't care to condone the system, but I have made a stand here
with this
case."
The political route Smith proposes may be one many members of
minority
religions are forced to take in the future, thanks to the Supreme
Court's decision in the "Employment Division v. Smith" case. The
justices' ruling marks an abrupt shift in free exercise
jurisprudence,
granting government broad new powers over religious practices.
What makes the "Smith" decision so significant is that in
reaching it
five justices voted to abandon the court's doctrine of
"compelling state
interest," a move with far-reaching implications for religious
liberty.
In a nutshell, the 27-year-old doctrine says that the
government can
restrict religious freedom only when it proves there is a
compelling
interest to do so and that there is no less intrusive alternative
available to achieve the state's goals. The judicial rule grew
out of
the 1963 "Sherbert v. Verner" decision and is usually called the
"Sherbert" Test.
In the recent peyote case the court rejected the "Sherbert"
standard
in favor of a much narrower test, holding that government may
offer
religiously based exemptions from generally applicable laws if it
chooses, but it is under no constitutional obligation to do so.
Wrote Justice Antonin Scalia for the majority, "We have never
held
that an individual's religious beliefs excuse him from compliance
with
an otherwise valid law prohibiting conduct that the State is free
to
regulate." [more]
--- Opus-CBCS 1.12
* Origin: Opera=Amorum, BaphoNet-At-Night -> (718) 499-9277
(1:107/666.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(58) Mon 13 Aug 90 20:11
By: Shanti Lightdancer
To: All
Re: Peyote (3 of 13)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:c4b3 150da172
[3]
Scalia went on to say that applying the doctrine of compelling
state
interest in the peyote dispute and similar cases would create "a
private
right to ignore generally applicable laws [which would be] a
constitutional anomaly." Rigorous application of the "Sherbert"
approach, he said, would be "courting anarchy."
Later in the opinion, Scalia admitted that the ruling will
force minority religious groups to seek relief from oppressive
laws by
lobbying elected officials, and some may fail in their efforts.
But he
excused this as unavoidable. "It may fairly be said," observed
Scalia,
"that leaving accommodation to the political process will place
at a
relative disadvantage those religious practices that are not
widely
engaged in; but that unavoidable consequence of democratic
government
must be preferred to a system in which each conscience is a law
unto
itself or in which judges weigh the social importance of all laws
against the centrality of all religious beliefs."
The court majority acknowledged that judicial exemptions from
neutral
laws have sometimes been granted for religious reasons. But,
Scalia
argued, such exemptions have generally been granted in
conjunction with
another constitutional right--such as free speech. He called
these
examples "hybrids" and implied they are special cases. Other
than that,
said Scalia, the only legal disputes where the "Sherbert"
analysis has
been applied consistently and usefully are unemployment
compensation
rulings, such as the line of decisions approving jobless benefits
for
workers who are fired for refusing to work on their sabbath.
Ironically the "Smith" case involved just such an unemployment
controversy. It started in 1984 when Smith, a Klamath Indian,
and another man, Galen W. Black, a non-Indian, were fired from
their jobs
as drug counselors after the agency they worked for learned the
pair had
used the drug peyote during ceremonies in the Native American
Church.
The Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Treatment
(ADAPT) had
a policy stating that all employees must be drug free. Smith and
Black
thought an exemption would be made for their religious use of
peyote, a
mild hallucinogen derived from some cactus plants, but ADAPT
officials
saw things differently: Both men were dismissed. [more]
--- Opus-CBCS 1.12
* Origin: Opera=Amorum, BaphoNet-At-Night -> (718) 499-9277
(1:107/666.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(59) Mon 13 Aug 90 20:12
By: Shanti Lightdancer
To: All
Re: Peyote (4 of 13)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:d9aa 150da190
[4]
When Smith and Black subsequently applied for unemployment
benefits,
they were turned down. Officials with the state Employment
Division
said the two had been fired for misconduct and therefore did not
qualify. The duo took the case to the courts.
Four years later the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that the
ceremonial
use of peyote is permissible under state law and is even
protected by
the First Amendment. The Supreme Court's recent action overturns
that
decision.
The "Smith" majority drew upon a somewhat unusual alignment of
justices. Scalia, Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices
Anthony
Kennedy and Byron R. White were predictable allies. All four
have argued for a narrower reading of the First Amendment's
religious liberty
clauses.
Justice John Paul Stevens, however, provided the key fifth
vote. Stevens, often thought of as a member of the court's
liberal wing,
favors a strict separationist reading of the Establishment
Clause, but
has argued in past cases for a less expansive reading of the Free
Exercise Clause.
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor concurred in the "Smith" outcome,
but
wrote a separate dissent that accused the majority of going too
far.
"Although I agree with the result the Court reaches in this case,
I
cannot join its opinion," asserted O'Connor. "In my view,
today's holding dramatically departs from well-settled First
Amendment
jurisprudence, appears unnecessary to resolve the question
presented,
and is incompatible with our Nation's fundamental commitment to
individual religious liberty."
The free exercise of religion, O'Connor added, is a "preferred
constitutional activity," entitled to "heightened judicial
scrutiny."
The "Sherbert" Test, she continued, has worked well to "strike
sensible
balances between religious liberty and competing state
interests."
Justices Harry A. Blackmun, William J. Brennan Jr. and Thurgood
Marshall indicated agreement with O'Connor's opinion, although
they said
they would have gone further and upheld the Native American
Church members' claim. The court's liberal wing criticized the
majority for
"mischaracterizing this Court's precedents" and engaging in a
"wholesale
overtuning of settled law concerning the Religion Clauses of our
Constitution."
--- Opus-CBCS 1.12
* Origin: Opera=Amorum, BaphoNet-At-Night -> (718) 499-9277
(1:107/666.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(60) Mon 13 Aug 90 20:13
By: Shanti Lightdancer
To: All
Re: Peyote (5 of 13)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6596 150da1ae
[5]
Wrote Blackmun, "One hopes that the Court is aware of the
consequences, and that its result is not a product of
over-reaction to
the serious problems the country's drug crisis has generated."
The justice insisted that ritual peyote use by Native Americans
could
be tolerated without jeopardizing the nation's campaign to curb
drug
abuse. He noted that the federal government allowed the Roman
Catholic
Church to employ sacramental wine at masses during Prohibition.
Said Blackmun, "I do not believe the Founders thought their
dearly
bought freedom from religious persecution a 'luxury,' but an
essential
element of liberty--and they could not have thought religious
intolerance 'unavoidable,' for they drafted the Religion Clauses
precisely in order to avoid that intolerance."
Even though the case dealt with the sensitive issue of drug
use, several religious organizations had sided with the Native
American
Church members, most notably the American Jewish Congress, which
filed a
friend-of-the-court brief in support of Smith and Black.
"For all practical purposes, a majority of the Supreme Court
has eliminated the Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment
from our Bill
of Rights," said AJC Executive Director Henry Siegman.
"The court's decision in the peyote case can have the most far-
reaching consequences for all religions, but primarily for
religious
minorities," continued Siegman. "It is precisely such minorities
the
Bill of Rights sought to protect, for it is they who are
particularly
vulnerable to the depredations of momentary and localized
majorities."
Three weeks after the decision the AJC and an extraordinarily
diverse
coalition of religious and civil liberties groups filed a
petition for
rehearing before the Supreme Court. The petition urged the
justices to
hear the case again so the organizations will have the
opportunity to
address their free exercise concerns in friend-of-the-court
briefs.
Groups joining the AJC include: the Baptist Joint Committee on
Public
Affairs, the National Council of Churches, the National
Association of
Evangelicals, People for the American Way, the Presbyterian
Church U.S.A., the American Civil Liberties Union, the Christian
Legal Society,
the American Jewish Committee, the Unitarian-Universalist
Association,
the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the
Worldwide Church of God and the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State also signed
the
petition. [more]
--- Opus-CBCS 1.12
* Origin: Opera=Amorum, BaphoNet-At-Night -> (718) 499-9277
(1:107/666.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(61) Mon 13 Aug 90 20:14
By: Shanti Lightdancer
To: All
Re: Peyote (6 of 13)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:198a 150da1cd
[6]
Attorney Oliver S. Thomas of the Baptist Joint Committee said
it is
important that religious and civil liberties groups have the
opportunity
to express their views to the court. He said the court's
abandonment of
the "Sherbert" Test could have a wide impact.
"Taxation of church assets, regulation of church schools and
child-
care centers, zoning and other land-use questions are all areas
of the
law where we've relied upon the compelling state interest test to
provide churches with exemptions," Thomas told the Baptist Press.
"With
a stroke of his pen, Justice Scalia has overturned 27 years of
legal
precedent and made the 'first liberty' a constitutional
stepchild."
The Rutherford Institute, a conservative legal aid group that
frequently litigates free exercises cases, was also dismayed by
the
ruling. Said Institute President John W. Whitehead in a press
statement, "Justice Scalia's opinion rejects the notion that free
exercise of religion is a preferred right. Rather, in most
situations
it is valid only when coupled with another constitutional right.
"Armed with this opinion, a state may draft a law that violates
religious liberty, claim it is `religiously neutral' and those
affected
by it may have no recourse under the Constitution."
Constitutional scholars were particularly amazed that the
majority in
the peyote case relied heavily on "Minersville School District v.
Gobitis," a 1940 Supreme Court decision that said Jehovah's
Witness
children in public schools could be forced to say the Pledge of
Allegiance. "Gobitis" was overturned three years later in the
"Barnette" decision and has been roundly criticized ever since as
one of
the court's biggest mistakes.
Observed Douglas Laycock, law professor at the University of
Texas,
"The court repeatedly quotes "Gobitis" without noting that it was
overruled in "Barnette," and without noting that it triggered a
nationwide outburst of violence against Jehovah' s Witnesses.
Until the
opinion in this case, "Gobitis" was thoroughly discredited."
But not all courtwatchers were chagrined by the ruling. Jules
B.
Gerard, a constitutional law professor at Washington University
in St.
Louis, told Religious News Service there has been a lot of
overreaction.
Gerard said the decision "overturns very little" and accused
those who
have protested it of "hysterical talk." [more]
--- Opus-CBCS 1.12
* Origin: Opera=Amorum, BaphoNet-At-Night -> (718) 499-9277
(1:107/666.0)
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(62) Mon 13 Aug 90 20:15
By: Shanti Lightdancer
To: All
Re: Peyote (7 of 13)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:e968 150da1ec
[7]
Bruce Fein, a conservative constitutional scholar, went even
further,
applauding the ruling in a column in "The Washington Times."
Fein wrote, "It is both counter-intuitive and contrary to
American political
experience to suppose the "Smith" ruling portends an epitaph for
religious tolerance and accommodation in generally applicable
legislative enactments. And when religion must yield to secular
law,
the former continues to prosper."
Fein went on to say that religions can drop fundamental tenets
and
still survive, pointing out that the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-
day Saints (the Mormons) in 1890 dumped its support for plural
marriage
after the Supreme Court refused to allow the practice for
religious
reasons.
Conservative columnist George Will also was pleased with the
"Smith"
decision. "A central purpose of America's political arrangements
is the
subordination of religion to the political order, meaning the
primacy of
democracy," he observed. "The Founders, like Locke before them,
wished
to tame and domesticate religious passions of the sort that
convulsed
Europe....Hence, religion is to be perfectly free as long as it
is perfectly private--mere belief--but it must bend to the
political will
(law) as regards conduct."
However, Dr. Robert L. Maddox, executive director of Americans
United
for Separation of Church and State, said the "Smith" ruling is
cause for
concern.
"If a majority of the justices did not believe the Native
American
Church members had a valid claim, they could have rejected them
by relying on the doctrine of compelling state interest," said
Maddox.
"But a majority chose to go much further, effectively weakening
the
protection the court has extended to religious free exercise.
"We are concerned," he continued, "that this ruling will have a
negative effect on minority religions. Mainstream faiths will
probably
have little difficulty getting the exemptions they need; smaller
groups
with less political influence will have a tougher time of it.
That is
unfortunate. Religious freedom should not be left to the whim of
state
and federal lawmakers.
"No one wants anarchy in the name of religion," he added, "but
do we
really want more and more government regulation of religion?
What bothers us most is the movement away from individual
liberty and toward
statism--whatever the government wants, goes."
The decision has already had a practical consequence for one
minority
faith. Just six days after the "Smith" ruling, the justices, by
a 7-2
vote, ordered the Minnesota Supreme Court to reconsider a recent
decision it made exempting an Amish group from complying with a
highway
safety law. [more]
--- Opus-CBCS 1.12
* Origin: Opera=Amorum, BaphoNet-At-Night -> (718) 499-9277
(1:107/666.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(63) Mon 13 Aug 90 20:16
By: Shanti Lightdancer
To: All
Re: Peyote (8 of 13)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:5a13 150da213
[8]
Members of the Old Order Amish had protested a state law
requiring
them to display orange safety triangles on their horse-drawn
buggies.
The Amish said the bright symbols violated their belief in a
plain lifestyle. The Minnesota high court agreed in 1989, but
now may be
forced to reverse the "State v. Hershberger" decision in light of
the
"Smith" ruling.
In Eugene, Ore., meanwhile, Al Smith has no more faith in the
courts.
After joining about 100 people in a protest of the decision that
bears
his name at a Eugene federal building April 20, Smith told
reporters he
is backing proposed legislation suggested by state representative
Jim
Edmunson of Eugene that would allow Native Americans to use
peyote in
religious rituals in Oregon. If that fails, Smith said, the
Oregon
Supreme Court could decide Native American peyote use is
permissible
under the state constitution.
Smith told "Church & State" he is also working with Native
American
groups in the United States that are considering filing a protest
before
the International Court of Justice (commonly called the World
Court) in
The Hague, Netherlands.
"The United States is saying the original people of this land
can't
worship," Smith told Church & State. "We were worshipping a long
time
before the white man ever set foot on this turtle island.
"The issue is not dead, by no means," continued Smith. "I'm
not giving up; I have committed no crime. It's not a crime to
pray in the
old way."
KOYAANISQATSI
ko.yan.nis.qatsi (from the Hopi Language) n. 1. crazy life. 2.
life
in turmoil. 3. life out of balance. 4. life disintegrating.
5. a state of life that calls for another way of living. [more]
--- Opus-CBCS 1.12
* Origin: Opera=Amorum, BaphoNet-At-Night -> (718) 499-9277
(1:107/666.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(64) Mon 13 Aug 90 20:17
By: Shanti Lightdancer
To: All
Re: Peyote (9 of 13)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:991b 150da22d
[8]
---------------------------------------------------------------------
----
Exerpts from the following article analyzing the
effects the US Supreme Court ruling on the Native
American Church's use of peyote as being illegal:
Native American church members stripped of their rights under
the
Constitution are now subject to the will of the legislative
branch of
our state and federal governments. Not an enviable place for
Indian
people; as a distinct racial and religious minority Indians have
always
had an uphill struggle in the halls of Congress and elsewhere to
have
their rights recognized and respected.
The legislative branch of any government is an exceedingly
unusual
place for individuals to look to have their rights under the
First Amendment vindicated. Courts are traditionally looked to
as protectors
of these rights, against majoritarian legislatures. Justice
O'Connor,
in a separate concurring opinion which joined the result of the
majority
but sharply criticized its method, reasoned that "the First
Amendment
was enacted precisely to protect those whose religious practices
are not
shared by the majority and may be viewed with hostility."
As a result of "Smith," minority religions, in Justice
Scalia's opinion, may be at a disadvantage in the political
arena. But that is,
in his estimation, "an unavoidable consequence of democratic
government," preferable to "a system in which each conscience is
a law
unto itself." Justice Scalia had to strain to defend his
decision,
citing the need to prevent "anarchy" in our democratic society.
Indian
people simply want to be left alone in our society to worship the
god of
their choice. Is that asking too much? The Court's decision in
"Smith"
strips Indians of their pride and integrity, and makes many of
them
criminals in the eyes of the law. Only history will judge the
Court's
decision in "Smith;" but for now the remote specter of anarchy
may very
well have been the preferred choice. [end of article; more to come]
--- Opus-CBCS 1.12
* Origin: Opera=Amorum, BaphoNet-At-Night -> (718) 499-9277
(1:107/666.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(65) Mon 13 Aug 90 20:18
By: Shanti Lightdancer
To: All
Re: Peyote (10 of 13)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:ff1b 150da255
[10]
The following article appeared in the Spring 1990 issue of "Native
American
Rights Fund Legal Review", a publication of the Native American
Rights Fund,
1506 Broadway, Boulder, CO 80302, and is reprinted here
w/permission.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
--------
Supreme Court Deals Devastating Blow to Native American
Church by Steve Moore
On Tuesday, April 17, 1990, the United States Supreme Court
struck a
gut wrenching blow to the religious lives of many of this
country's
Native Americans, in a decision which invites the return to an
era of
religious persecution one would hope a presumably enlightened and
tolerant society such as ours had left behind. In the case of
"Oregon
Department of Employment v. Alfred Smith," Justice Antonin
Scalia, writing for a five member majority, and describing the
First Amendment's
Free Exercise Clause as little more than a "negative protection
accorded
to religious belief," held that a member of a religious faith may
not
challenge under the free exercise clause of the First Amendment
to the
United States Constitution a legislature's criminal enactment of
otherwise general application which produces infringement on a
particular religious practice. In the "Smith" case this amounted
to a
challenge to the constitutionality of an Oregon drug law which
the Court
interpreted as a general criminal prohibition on all uses of the
drug
peyote, considered by Indian members of the Native American
Church as an
essential sacrament, the physical embodiment of the Great Spirit.
The Native American Church, which claims over 250,000 members
nationwide, and additional Indian practitioners in Canada and
Mexico,
and which can be traced back archaeologically several thousand
years in
North America, was not absolutely destroyed or driven underground
by the
Court's action. The Court did not go so far as to rule that any
state
or federal law exempting the religious, sacramental use of peyote
was an
unconstitutional establishment of religion, at the other end of
the
religion clauses of the First Amendment. In the Court's terms, a
peyote
exemption, while constitutionally *permitted*, is neither
constitutionally *required* or *prohibited*. A kind of
constitutional
limbo-land for the Native American Church and its members. [more]
--- Opus-CBCS 1.12
* Origin: Opera=Amorum, BaphoNet-At-Night -> (718) 499-9277
(1:107/666.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(66) Mon 13 Aug 90 20:19
By: Shanti Lightdancer
To: All
Re: peyote (11 of 13)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:b541 150da272
[11]
In real terms the decision leaves the fate of the peyote
religion to
the whim of majoritarian legislatures and Congress. Eleven
states currently have exemptions on the statute books protecting
the religion;
another twelve tie their exemption to a federal Drug Enforcement
Agency
regulation which rests on questionable foundation since the
decision. A
small handful of states, notably California and Nebraska, in
which are
located some of the largest Indian and Native American Church
populations, have based their protection on court decisions. The
others, and the federal government through Congress, have no
statutory
or common law protection. Indian reservation lands will provide
some
safe haven from possible prosecution, given the particular Public
Law
280 configuration in any given state, but problems of
transportation of
the sacrament into Indian country through "illegal" territory
will reduce peyote ceremonies to complex and dangerous liaisons.
Native American church members stripped of their rights under
the
Constitution are now subject to the will of the legislative
branch of
our state and federal governments. Not an enviable place for
Indian
people; as a distinct racial and religious minority Indians have
always
had an uphill struggle in the halls of Congress and elsewhere to
have
their rights recognized and respected.
The legislative branch of any government is an exceedingly
unusual
place for individuals to look to have their rights under the
First Amendment vindicated. Courts are traditionally looked to
as protectors
of these rights, against majoritarian legislatures. Justice
O'Connor,
in a separate concurring opinion which joined the result of the
majority
but sharply criticized its method, reasoned that "the First
Amendment
was enacted precisely to protect those whose religious practices
are not
shared by the majority and may be viewed with hostility." [more]
--- Opus-CBCS 1.12
* Origin: Opera=Amorum, BaphoNet-At-Night -> (718) 499-9277
(1:107/666.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(67) Mon 13 Aug 90 20:20
By: Shanti Lightdancer
To: All
Re: Peyote (12 of 13)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:991b 150da28e
[12]
A noted scholar of Indian law and philosopher, Felix Cohen,
was quoted
several decades ago as saying: "Like the miner's canary, the
Indian
marks the shifts from fresh air to poison gas in our political
atmosphere; and our treatment of Indians, even more than our
treatment
of other minorities, reflects the rise and fall in our democratic
faith
...." Cohen's words become even more prophetic after the Court's
decision in "Smith." The "Smith" decision may perhaps portend
even
greater persecution for other forms of Indian religious
expression.
Examples which come to mind include: the wearing of long hair by
Indian
students in public schools, and by Indian prisoners in federal
and state
prisons; missing school on a regular basis for
cultural/religious ceremonial purposes; the taking of game by
Indians out season, when not
otherwise protected by treaty; burning wood to heat rocks for
sweat-
lodge ceremonies, when burning is otherwise outlawed by local
ordinance
during times of high pollution; and body piercing as part of the
Sun
Dance ceremony. If these forms of religious expression are
otherwise
prohibited by general criminal laws, the First Amendment no
longer provides a basis from which to claim protection from
religious
infringement. As with peyote use, reservation boundaries will
provide a
buffer from the application of state law, except where Public Law
280
legitimizes intrusion.
As a result of "Smith," minority religions, in Justice
Scalia's opinion, may be at a disadvantage in the political
arena. But that is,
in his estimation, "an unavoidable consequence of democratic
government," preferable to "a system in which each conscience is
a law
unto itself." Justice Scalia had to strain to defend his
decision,
citing the need to prevent "anarchy" in our democratic society.
Indian
people simply want to be left alone in our society to worship the
god of
their choice. Is that asking too much? The Court's decision in
"Smith"
strips Indians of their pride and integrity, and makes many of
them
criminals in the eyes of the law. Only history will judge the
Court's
decision in "Smith;" but for now the remote specter of anarchy
may very
well have been the preferred choice. [end of article; more to come]
--- Opus-CBCS 1.12
* Origin: Opera=Amorum, BaphoNet-At-Night -> (718) 499-9277
(1:107/666.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(68) Mon 13 Aug 90 20:30
By: Shanti Lightdancer
To: All
Re: Peyote (13 of 13)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:8737 150da3cb
[13 of 13]
STATEMENT FROM PACIFIC NORTHWEST CHURCH LEADERS WHO SUPPORT INDIAN
RELIGIOUS RIGHTS Re: Employment Division, State of Oregon v. Al
Smith, Galen Black, 88-1213
The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding the sacramental
use of
peyote in Native American religious rites is unfortunate and deeply
disappointing. We support the right of Native Americans to
practice their religion as they have for centuries. We concur with
Justice Harry Blackmun, who writing for the dissent, called the
decision a "wholesale overturning of settled law concerning the
religious clauses of our Constitution." The decision jeopardizes
the fundamental right of all citizens to exercise freedom of
religion free from government restraint. We will continue to work
with Native Americans to help them protect their religious rights.
The Most Rev. Raymond G. Huthausen Archbishop of Seattle Roman
Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle
The Right Rev. Vincent W. Warner, Bishop Episcopal Diocese of
Olympia
The Most Rev. Thomas Murphy, Coadjutor Archbishop Roman Catholic
Archdiocese of Seattle
The Rev. John Boonstra, Executive Minister Washington Association
of Churches
The Rev. Calvin D. McConnell, Bishop United Methodist Church
Pacific NW Conference
The Rev. W. James Halfaker, Conference Minister Washington-Idaho
Conference United Church of Christ
The Rev. Lowell Knutson, Bishop NW Washington Synod Evangelical
Lutheran Church In America
The Rev. Dr. William B. Cate, President Director Church Council of
Greater Seattle
The Rev. Gaylord Hasselblad, Executive Minister
American Baptist Churches of the Northwest
These church leaders issued an apology to Indians that was carried
in the Winter 1988 NARF Legal Review
--- Opus-CBCS 1.12
* Origin: Opera=Amorum, BaphoNet-At-Night -> (718) 499-9277
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
(69) Fri 24 Aug 90 7:32
By: The Bard
To: All
Re: More verses for ROTR
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6f65 15183c0f
I was singing Hari Rama We will pray with those
Egyptians
With my friend the Dalai Lama Build pyramids to put our
crypts in
'Til they dumped us in the slammer Cover subways with
inscriptions,
But that's good enough for me which is good enough for
me.....!
One-eyed Odin we will follow We will pray to Zarathustra
And in fighting we will wallow And we'll pray just like we usta
Till we wind up in Valhallow I'm a Zarathustra boosta!
Which is good enough for me! And that's good enough for me!
Hare Krishna gets a laugh on I'll arise at early mornin'
When he sees me dressed in saffron When the Sun gives me the
warnin'
With my hair that's only half on That the Solar Age is dawnin'
But that's good enough for me! And that's good enough for
me!
It's the opera written for us
We will all join in the chorus
It's the opera about Boris
Which is Godunov for me!
---
* Origin:
(Opus 1:114/29)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(70) Mon 27 Aug 90 1:45
By: The Bard
To: All
Re: lest we forget...
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6f65 151b0da6
RULES FOR BEING HUMAN
1. You will reeive a body. You may like it or hate it, but
it will be yours for the entire period this time around.
2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time
informal school called LIFE. Each day in this school you
will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like
these lessons or think them irrelevant or stupid. It
makes no difference, you will learn lessons.
3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process
of trial and error, experimentation. The "failed"
experiments are as much a part of the process as the
experiment that ultimately "works."
4. A lesson is repeated until learned. A lesson will be
presented to you in various forms until you have learned
it. When you have learned it, you can then go on to the
next lesson.
5. Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life
that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive,
there are lessons to be learned.
6. "There" is no better than "Here." When your "There" has
become a "Here" you will simply obtain another "There"
that will again, look better than "Here."
7. Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate
something about another person unless it reflects to you
something you love or hate about youself.
8. What you make of life is up to you. You have all the
tools and resources that you need. What you do with them
is up to you. The choice is YOURS.
9. The answers to life's questions lie inside of you. All
you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10. You will get what you ask for. It may not be what you
wanted, but it will be what you asked for.
UPON ENTERING THIS LEVEL OF EXISTENCE,
YOU WILL FORGET ALL OF THE ABOVE.
---
* Origin:
(Opus 1:114/29)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(71) Mon 27 Aug 90 13:00
By: The Bard
To: All
Re: More Real OTR verses....
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6f65 151b6810
We will sing a verse for Eris
(Golden apples for the fairest!)
Though she sometimes likes to scare us
But she's good enough for me
We will sing for great Diana
Who will teach of love and honor
But you really gotta wanna!
'Cause she's tough enough for me
If your god of choice is Squat
Well then trendy, man, you're not -
But you'll get a parking spot!
And that's good enough for me
Of Great Murphy much is spoken
For his Law shall not be broken
It's not pretty when he's woken
Things go wrong for you and me
---
* Origin:
(Opus 1:114/29)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(72) Tue 28 Aug 90 18:11
By: The Bard
To: All
Re: More ROTR verses even yet......
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6f65 151c9167
More Real Old Time Religion:
We will venerate Bubastis Call Him God, or call him
Allah
'Cause my cat walked up and ast us The priest will take your
dollah
(Now the cat box is DISASTROUS!) Easy living from -your-
follah-
But it's good enough for me! -wers, but sorry, -not- from
me!
(The whole thing is FREQable as SONGS10.TXT at 114/29.....)
---
* Origin:
(Opus 1:114/29)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(73) Sat 1 Sep 90 23:55
By: The Bard
To: All
Re: Real OTR (revisions of contributions)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6f65 1521bef2
Herewith more verses sent for Real Old Time Religion:
(Yes, these have been re-written to scan better to the
song...
THANKS! for the contribution!)
I'll sing some songs to Lilith, Now Danae was sweet as
flowers,
Not so young, and not so girlish, She was into golden showers;
and She's always PMS-ish, And that showed her Zeus'
power
but She's good enough for me! And that's good enough for
me!
And what about this Baccus, Diana is a little spikey
Who lives just to raise a ruckus? And she is a little dyke-ey
Loosens women so they'll **** us, You don't have to be a
Psych-e Well, that's good enough for me! To know that's right
for me!
Lilith wears a lacy nightie
And She is a little flighty
She will get you all excite-y
She's wet-dream enough for me!
More verses are always welcome to this collection. Send them to:
the Bard FIDO Net: 1:114/29 (602) 439-8070
c/o Deus Ex Machina
PO Box 35190 Internet: the.Bard@f29.n114.z1.fidonet.org
Phoenix AZ 85069
---
* Origin:
(Opus 1:114/29)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(103) Sat 15 Sep 90 7:58
By: Pine
To: Thomas Frost
Re: Promised article, for moderated metaphysics echo
St: Pvt
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:1754 152f3f58
What is the difference between 'Philosophical' and
'Metaphysical'? (asked Jason Moore on the Magick echo). As Humpty
Dumpty said to Alice, "When I use a word, it means just what I
choose it to mean." "Philosophy" and "Metaphysics" can have many
meanings, depending on your mood and what you ate for lunch. But
most Pagans and New Age folk today choose a rather different meaning
for "Metaphysics" than it usually means when used in the same
sentence with "Philosophy".
Philosophy, loosely speaking, is the Quest for Truth. What
can we know, how do we know it, how do we choose whether one way of
knowing or living is better than another. The Ultimate Question of
Life, the Universe, and Everything.
Metaphysics says "That's an awful big territory. What's the
absolute ground starting point? What's the truly deep, ultimate
Reality like?"
In the West, Aristotle started it off with a series of essays,
which he did NOT say were about "Metaphysics". The title was
invented by the librarians. Aristotle was already well-known for
his"Physics", so his latest bestseller metaphysical stuff got
shelvednext to his "Physics". Since one of the meanings of the
Greek"meta" is "next to" in its trivial sense, "Metaphysics" merely
meant
the scrolls next to "Physics".
Therein lies a pun. "Metaphysics" now implies what precedes
physics. What is the underlying knowledge that makes it possible
for there to be a physics at all?
Aristotle's original work looked at three things.
1) What is the nature of be-ing? What does it mean to say something
"is"? What do we mean when we claim that there is a reality?
This is known as "ontology".
2) What is reality like? What are its first principles, which make
the more complicated knowledge we think of as physics, possible?
What things are always true of every possible thing? This
knowledge, if it exists, is the basis of all possible proofs.
This is known as "Universal Science".
3) What is the highest, or most ultimate, form of being? This is
the search for Divinity. Most philosophers today consider
theology to have spun off into a sitcom of its own, and don't
talk much
about the possibility of God/ess/ness within philosophy.
(part 2 of 2 follows)
--- msged 2.00
* Origin: The White Knight Cafe (1:109/409)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(104) Sat 15 Sep 90 8:03
By: Pine
To: Thomas Frost
Re: Metaphysics, Part 2
St: Pvt
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:824a 152f4073
All great fun for minds to play with. Of course, there is
also the argument that Aristotle was a silly old fool. Don't
forget,also, that many cultures besides the classic Greeks
developed their
own way of looking at reality. Western philosophy is not the only
wisdom in the Universe, and Aristotle and his followers (our culture
is influenced by Aristotle mostly via Aquinas) is not the only brand
of metaphysics.
New Age "Metaphysics", on the other hand, says "The answer
to the philosopher's metaphysical questions is that Reality is a
particular kind of universal Energy. If that is so, then we should
be able to do various meditations, achieve various awarenesses,
practice various skills with Spirit/Energy/Mind". This type of
metaphysics is more like an applied spirituality than it is like the
mind games of philosophers.
The New Age use of the label "metaphysics" comes from the
"Spiritualism" of the early 1900s. During the 1920s or so, two
groups of people wanted to break away from classical Spiritualism.
The psychologists said "Hey, there's something juicy here. Let's
not hang the label Spritualism on it. Let's call it
parapsychology."The psychics said "Hey, there's something juicy
here. Let's not hang
the label Spritualism on it. Let's call it metaphysics." (See
Mishlove, "The Roots of Consciousness", for this historical
accident.See the Philosophy shelf of your nearby college library
for more
academic background reading.)
So what's it matter? Is it useful to my life? To my
spiritual or psychic work? IMHO, it may contribute to the fun
you're having with your mind. Use it or punt it, as you like.
--- msged 2.00
* Origin: The White Knight Cafe (1:109/409)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(109) Thu 20 Sep 90 17:35
By: The Bard
To: All
Re: God is alive:Magic is afoot!
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:6f65 15348c65
GOD IS ALIVE, MAGIC IS AFOOT
-Leonard Cohen (c) 1966
God is alive.....Magic is afoot...God is alive....magic is afoot...
God is afoot.....Magic is alive...Alive is afoot..magic never died!
God never sickened. Many poor men lied.
Magic never weakened. Magic never hid.
Magic always ruled.
God is afoot.
God never died!
God was ruler though his funeral lengthened.
Though his mourners thickened, magic never fled.
Though his shrouds were hoisted the naked God did live;
Though his words were twisted the naked magic thrived;
Though his death was published round and round the world
The heart did not believe.
Many hurt men wondered. Many struck men bled.
Magic never faltered. Magic always led.
Many stones were rolled
But God would not lie down!
Many wild men lied.
Many fat men listened.
Though they offered stones, magic was still fed!
Though they locked their coffers God was always served.
Magic is afoot....God is alive....
Alive is afoot....Alive is in command.
Many weak men hungered. Many strong men thrived.
Though they boasted solitude, God was at their side.
Nor the dreamer in his cell,
Nor the captain on the hill:
Magic is alive!
Though his death was pardoned
'round and 'round the world
the heart would not believe!
Though laws were carved in marble
they could not shelter men;
Though altars built in Parliaments,
they could not order men;
Police arrested magic and magic went with them,
for magic loves the hungry....
But magic would not tarry, it moves from arm to arm,
It would not stay with them; it cannot come to harm:
magic is afoot!
It cannot come to harm.
It rests in an empty palm.
It spawns in an empty mind.
But magic is no instrument: magic is the End!
Many men drove magic, but magic stayed behind;
Many strong men lied.
They only passed thru magic and out the other side!
Many weak men lied.
They came to God in secret and
though they left him nourished,
would not tell who healed;
Though mountains danced before them
they said that God was dead!
Though his shrouds were hoisted, the naked God did live!
God is alive!
Magic is afoot!
Magic is afoot!
This I mean to whisper to my mind:
This I mean to laugh with in my mind:
This I mean my mind to serve
'til service is but magic, moving thru the world
and mind itself is magic, coursing thru the flesh
and flesh itself is magic, dancing on a clock,
and Time itself, the magic length of God!
*
---
* Origin:
(Opus 1:114/29)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(276) Fri 28 Sep 90 6:07
By: Amergin O'Kai
To: All
Re: A Drop of Moment
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0048 153c30f3
When I said you were leaving friend,
You laughed, 'til you said good-bye.
Realizing, with a sigh,
That we'ld never meet again.
--- Opus-CBCS 1.13
* Origin: Dragonfriend's Place (1:104/11.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(277) Fri 28 Sep 90 6:10
By: Amergin O'Kai
To: All
Re: In a Sea of Time
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:0048 153c3148
For we are always met.
While I sing in the Matrix
All my selves are one,
Solo and chorus,
As future precedes past
In a confusing back-wash of ever-lasting present
Which I conduct, perform,
Produced by the Mother,
Playing tonight and every night only:
The Prince of Light and Darkness,
Hereditary Keeper of Spiral Castle;
Will laugh you a song to maake you weep,
Cry a tune for your pleasure and joy.
I know the rhull of the game of dance
(Did I write it?)
The Kingdom of World
Is mine to die
In, reborn in its seas.
(Can I fight it?
Death I mean, Fool)
That I am
Lover and Poet
All in one
Taliesin you son
of my loins,
Father of Chaos
And off-spring am I.
Singer of madness in sanity's eye.
Sweet Mother please hear me sing while I die.
--- Opus-CBCS 1.13
* Origin: Dragonfriend's Place (1:104/11.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1323) Tue 16 Oct 90 20:35
By: Bill Moore
To: All
Re: crystal ball
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:199c a4601550
@PID: RA 0.04
A friend and I were in a discussion tonight, the subject of which
was the crystal ball that was found in an underwater pyramid some
time ago, the crystal substrate was studied by scientists and they
made a very interesting discovery. Namely that the substrate was
circular
in nature rather than the type of crystal found in the wild here,
namely a horizontal/vertical orientation. The decision was that this
crystal could never have formed in a gravity well such as earth .
the question myGt friend and I were wondering about was:
" HAVE THERE BEEN ANY DISAPPEARANCES IN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE SINCE
IT WAS
FOUND AND BROUGHT TO THE SURFACE."
I could not remember any nor could my friend, seems as tho they
have stopped. any one know anything better.?
bill
---
* Origin: (1:128/50)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1621) Sat 20 Oct 90 21:51
By: Paul Seymour
To: All
Re: Masonic $ (Part 1)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE "MASONIC" DOLLAR BILL
INTRO NOTE: The Great Seal of the United States can be easily
viewed on the back of a one-dollar bill. Although the colors
mentioned in this article won't be visible, it is still an
easily obtained reference point for your convenience. The
OBVERSE is on the right side (the eagle), while the REVERSE
is on the left side (the pyramid) of the instrument.
###################
Man is an enigmatic creature having a dual nature,
temporal and spiritual. His institutions reflect the
multiple facets of his complex and varied mental processes.
He is at once occupied with the routine of satisfying the
basic human needs for food, clothing, and shelter and the
less tangible and more varied spiritual and social needs.
His viewpoints are as varied as the individuals, subject not
only to the external changes of environment but to self-
created internal changes. Man alone has within himself any
considerable power of thought or imagination. One facet of
man's behavior to come out of his imagination, superstition,
spiritual groping, and reasoning is symbolism.
Signs, pictures, objects, emblems, words, numerals,
music, or any means of conveying ideas from one individual to
another become the vehicle of symbolism or symbols. Certain
of man's activities lend themselves more readily to symbolism
than others. The ritual of Freemasonry is especially rich in
symbols - familiar things that convey a hidden meaning to the
initiated. Philosophic Masonry is the heir to the symbolism
practiced in the ancient mysteries, the Hebrew Cabal, and
medieval Rosicrucian societies.
In this present age, where material things engross
almost every waking hour, symbolism has lost much of its
fascination, but this was not so in the eighteenth century
when the [American] revolutionary heroes pledged their lives,
their fortunes, and their sacred honor to the erection of the
new nation. As the crisis moved toward its climax the ideals
for which they fought began to assume symbolic form. Late in
the afternoon of July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress
"resolved, that Dr. Franklin, Mr. J. Adams and Mr. Jefferson
be a committee to prepare a device for a Seal of the United
States of America." On August 20 the committee reported its
design to Congress; but the report was tabled, and for three
years and a half no further action was taken. On March 25,
1780, the report of the first committee was referred to a new
committee consisting of James Lovell, John Morin Scott, and
William Churchill Houston. This committee received artistic
assistance from Francis Hopkinson. A new design was reported
on May 10 (or 11), 1780, but debate was followed by
recommital to the committee with no further progress for two
more years. In the spring of 1782, a third committee,
composed of Arthur Middleton, John Rutledge, and Elias
Boudinot with the assistance of William Barton, A.M.,
reported a third design for a seal to congress which was also
found not satisfactory. On June 13, 1782, Congress referred
all of the committee reports to Charles Thomason, Secretary
of Congress. Thomason prepared a design from these reports
and submitted it to Barton who suggested a few changes on
June 19, 1782. Thomason immediately wrote his report to
Congress and submitted it on June 20, 1782; the report was
accepted the same day and thus the design of the great seal
was fixed. It is described as follows:
ARMS: Paleways of thirteen pieces, argent and
gules; a chief, azure; the escutcheon on the breast of
the American eagle displayed proper, holding in his
dexter talon an olive branch, and in his sinister a
bundle of thirteen arrows, all proper, and in his beak a
scroll, inscribed with the motto, "E PLURIBUS UNUM."
For the CREST: Over the head of the eagle, which
appears above the escutcheon, a glory, or, breaking
through a cloud, proper, and surrounding thirteen stars,
forming a constellation, argent, on an azure field.
REVERSE: A pyramid unfinished. In the zenith, an
eye in a triangle, surrounded with a glory proper. Over
the eye these words, "ANNUIT COEPTIS." On the base of
the pyramid the numerical letters MDCCLXXVI. And
underneath the following motto, "NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM."
--- TPBoard 6.4
* Origin: Vote the Incumbents out of office. HST 505-437-8267
(1:308/60)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1622) Sat 20 Oct 90 21:48
By: Paul Seymour
To: All
Re: Masonic $ (Part 2)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Among those who helped design the Great Seal of the
United States the following are known to have been Masons:
Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, William Churchill
Houston, and William Barton. Whether they drew heavily upon
Freemasonry in this work it is impossible to assert but when
an informed Mason examines the Great Seal here is what he
sees:
On the obverse is an eagle whose dexter wing has thirty-
two feathers, the number of ordinary degrees in Scottish Rite
Freemasonry. The sinister wing has thirty-three feathers,
the additional feather corresponding to the Thirty-Third
Degree of the same Rite conferred for outstanding Masonic
service. The tail feathers number nine, the number of
degrees in the Chapter, Council, and Commandery of the York
Rite of Freemasonry. Scottish Rite Masonry had its origin in
France; the York Rite is sometimes called the American Rite;
the eagle thus clothed represents the union of French and
American Masons in the struggle for Liberty, Equality, and
Fraternity. The total number of feathers in the two wings is
sixty-five which, by gematria, is the value of the Hebrew
phrase YAM YAWCHOD (together in unity). This phrase appears
in Psalm 133 as follows: "Behold, how good and how pleasant
it is for brethren to dwell together in unity," and is used
in the ritual of the first degree of Freemasonry. The glory
above the eagle's head is divided into twenty-four equal
parts and reminds the observer of the Mason's gauge which is
also divided into twenty-four equal parts and is emblematic
of the service he is obligated to perform. The five pointed
stars remind him of the Masonic Blazing Star and the five
points of fellowship. The arrangement of the stars in the
constellation to form overlapping equilateral triangles and
the Star of David calls to the Mason's mind King David's
dream of building a Temple, to his God, the Companions who
rebuilt a desecrated Temple, and the finding of the Word that
was lost. The gold, silver, and azure colors represent the
sun, moon, and Worshipful Master, the first that rules the
day, the second, the night, and the third, the lodge. While
silver, connected with the letter Gimel or G and being
surrounded on an azure ground by a golden glory, reminds the
Mason of the letter G, a most conspicuous furnishing of a
proper lodge room. The shield on the eagle's breast affirms
by its colors, valor (red), purity (white), and justice
(blue), and reminds the Mason of the cardinal virtues. The
value of these colors, by gematria, is 103, the value of the
phrase EHBEN HA-ADAM (the stone of Adam) and suggests the
perfect ashlar, or squared stone, of Freemasonry. One
hundred and three is also the value of the noun BONAIM, a
Rabbinical word signifying "builders, Masons." Thus the
national colors spell out, by gematria, the name of the
fraternity. The scroll in the eagle's beak, bearing the
words E PLURIBUS UNUM (of many one) reminds him also of the
unity which has made brothers of many.
On the reverse, is the All Seeing Eye within a triangle
surrounded by a golden glory. Besides the obvious Masonic
significance of this design, it has a cabalistic value of
seventy plus three plus two hundred, equaling two hundred and
seventy-three which is the value of the phrase EHBEN MOSU
HABONIM (the stone which the builders refused) familiar to
all Royal Arch Masons. It is also the value of the Hebrew
proper noun HIRAM ABIFF, the architect of Solomon's Temple
and the principal character of the legend used in the Master
Mason degree. The triangle is isosceles, formed by two right
triangles having sides of five, twelve, and thirteen units in
length, illustrating the 47th Problem of Euclid. The
triangle also represents the capstone of the unfinished
pyramid and reminds the Mason of the immortality of the soul
and that in eternity he will complete the capstone of his
earthly labors according to the designs on the trestle-board
of the Supreme Architect of the Universe. The unfinished
pyramid cannot fail to remind him of the unfinished condition
of the Temple when tragedy struck down its Master architect.
The blaze of glory found on either side of the Great
Seal cannot fail to remind the Mason of the Great Light in
Masonry which is the rule and guide to faith and practice and
without which no Masonic lodge can exist. It reminds him
that only more light can dispel the pall of ignorance in
which he stumbles until he enters the Celestial Lodge where
all light is given.
--- TPBoard 6.4
* Origin: Vote the Incumbents out of office. HST 505-437-8267
(1:308/60)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1623) Fri 19 Oct 90 2:50
By: Farrell McGovern
To: All
Re: Channelling for Fun and Prophet
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:2f42 1553164d@
MSGID: 1:163/128 271eb042
Title: Channeling for Fun and Prophet
By: Farrell J. McGovern
Started: 9007.25
Channelling is one of the more popular parts of what is call
the "New Age". It is also one of the most controversial aspects
of this movement.
To properly channel someone, be it Marylin Monroe,
Aliester Crowley (I have been told this doesn't work well...) or
Devine, one must know something of this person. The easiest way
is by reading about this person. Autobiographies are the best, of
course, but biographies, news reports, or even old photos are
almost as good. You need some connection...
In Pagandom, and Wicca, popular beings for channelling are
various aspects of the God and the Goddess. Again, one must know
as much as possible about the Lady or Lord that you are going to
bring into yourself for the enjoyment, edification and education
of the others in the Circle with you.
The most popular source of information on Gods and Goddesses
is again in books. Since there are many aspects of deities, there
is a great deal of literature about these beings. Most of this
literature that is over a couple of hundred of years old is
usually in the form of Fables or Epics, which have more literary
content than reality. One could easily call these works
Docu-dramas, but they are still fiction.
"But..." I hear you ask, "How can they channel these beings
if all they know about them is fictional?" Well, there seems to
be enough consensus on certain deities, but not on all. But these
rituals work, as anyone who has attended the beautiful "Drawing
Down the Moon" ritual of Wicca.
So it seems to me that the idea of a "consensual reality" is
created from the energies that all these people put into their
concept of whatever God or Goddess they believe in. There are
hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of people who believe
in Cerwdwin, Eris, Hecate, Cherenous, and others. But...are there
not also millions of people who believe in Captain James T. Kirk?
Arthur Dent? Catwoman? Batman? Smurfs?.....or even Peewee
Herman?
Imagine some Circle performing the Drawing Down The Moon
ceremony, and due to a lack of concentration by the priestess,
she channels, not Athena, but Marry Tyler-Moore?!?!?!? Or the
priest channeling PeeWee Herman?!?!?!
We shall leave the further exploration of this to some
experiemental coven...but please! If you manage to channel Papa
Smurf....we DON'T want to hear about it!
******************************
Thought some might find this amusing!
ttyl
--- Maximus-CBCS v1.02
* Origin: Pandora's Box (1:163/128)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1889) Thu 25 Oct 90 6:38
By: Thomas Frost
To: All
Re: S.J. Mercury News article, Oct. 20 1990 (1 of 3)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:488c 155934d1
(brought to my attention by Eric Marsh)
From: emarsh@hernes-sun.Eng.Sun.COM
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca.
Message-ID: <144057@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Newsgroups: alt.pagan
The Witching Hour
By Joan Connell
Mercury News Religion & Ethics Editor
San Jose Mercury News - Sat. Oct. 20 1990
**********************************************
As Halloween approaches, fundamentalists march
to the Bay Area to begin a crusade against
the devil and thousands of pagans and goddess
worshippers prepare for the onslaught
*********************************************
A peaceful prayer crusade? Or just another witch hunt?
The term "holy war" will take on a whoe new meaning in San
Francisco on
Halloween, as Pentecostal Christans and goddess-worshipping pagans
square off
to prove who's holier than thou.
Texas telvangelist Larry Lea is mustering 10,000 Christian
soldiers in
San Francisco's Civic Auditorium Halloween night, to do battle with
the
forces of Satan. And memberso fhte normally low-key pagan community
in the
Bay Area - practitioners of Wicca, nature religions and New Age
spiritualism - have launched a counter offensive, claiming Lea's
spritual
warfare interferes with their constitutional right to practive their
religion.
Lea, a protege of Oral Roberts and former pastor of the Church
of the
Rock in Dallas, has made a name for himself among Pentecostal and
chrismatic
Chrstians for a tendency to preach in Army fatigues and hand out
"prayer
army dog tags" to his followers. He is a proponent of "spiritual
warfare" -
using prawer to exorcise demons.
Last month with the backing of 500 pastors of Bay Area churches,
Lea
announced a three-day San Francisco crusade to "reverse the curse"
of
Halloween and march through the city to convert those they consider
possessed by Satan: drug addicts, gay people, the secually
promiscuous,
believers in New Age religionists and Wiccans, those spell-casting,
goddess-worshipping filks commonly called witches.
"These are not just kids having fun," Lea said at the time.
"Thereis actual worship of the devil."
Janet Christian, spokeswoman for the Bay Area Pagan Assemblies,
anorganization of Wiccans and nature-worshippers in the South Bay,
is outraged.
"We're goddess worshippers: Witches don't have anything to do
withSatan. Who do these people think they are?" asks Christian,
who's group
is sponsoring a Witches' Ball at the Palo Alto Hyatt tonight, an
open-to-all
costume party designed to build bridges of understanding between
the practitioners of Wicca and the community at large.
"What if we brought some big-name witch to town on Christmas day
to
do a ritual outside their churches? We's never do that to them,"
Christian
says. "Why are they doing this to us?"
[cont.]
--- msged 2.05
* Origin: The White Knight Cafe (1:109/409)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1890) Thu 25 Oct 90 6:38
By: Thomas Frost
To: All
Re: S.J. Mercury News article (2 of 3)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:488c 155934d8
[cont.]
The Witching Hour
By Joan Connell
Mercury News Religion & Ethics Editor
San Jose Mercury News - Sat. Oct. 20 1990
Planning for trouble
Christian's group has taken defensive action in the pending holy
war,
hiring security police to keep out any Bible-wielding Christian
soldiers.
But other pagan groups are on the offensive, planning
counterdemonstrations
outside the Civic Auditorium and threatening guerrilla actions to
disrupt
Lea's crusade.
"Larry Lea's going to find out that there are more of us than he
can
handle," ways Eric Pryor, high priest of the New Earth Temple, a
San Francisco group of Wiccans and other pagans. Pryor is
marshalling a show
of spiritual force at 3 p.m. Tuesday in Civic Center Park, calling
together
New Age religionists, Hindus, Buddhists, humanists and other
non-mainstream
faiths to form a prayer circle to counteract the Lea crusade.
Pryor, who says he has repeatedly challenged Lea to public
debate but
never received an answer, has called off the annual Hallow Mass
ritual at
his temple Halloween night to attend Lea's crusade in disguise,
disrupt the
service and force a confrontation.
"We're not a bunch of uneducated dingbats running around in robes
waving wands," Pryor says. "We're intellegent, purposeful people
who have
chosen a particular spiritual path. We have a right in this country
to
practice any religion we choose." No reliable statistics exist on
the
number of practicing pagans in the Bay Area, but estimates range
from30,000 to 50,000.
Lea, who arrived in San Francisco Wednesday to prepare for the
crusade
says he was surprised by the intensity of the pagan backlash, which
has not
been evident in similar campains in Anaheim, Miami, Chicago and
Philadelphia.
Entreaties from several religious denominations to avoid
confrontation -
including the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco - convinced Lea
to
cancel plans for his spiritual warriors to march through the cith
on Halloween night. Instead, Lea says, they will keep a low profile
inside the
Civic Auditorium.
The right to disagree
"I love people. I love all people. I think we have been
misinterpreted;
we don't want to be seen as confrontational," Lea says. "Every
person
has the right to believe what they want to believe. But I have the
freedom
to stand up and say they're wrong. To me, there are only two kinds
of people
in the world: Those who have found Christ and those who haven't
found him yet."
The Rev. Dick Bernall, pastor of Jubilee Christian Center in San
Jose
is disappointed that the prayer warriors will not be a visible
presence on
the streets of San Francisco. Many of Jubilee's 5,000 congregants
are expected
to take part in the Lea crusade. Bernal's not a complete spoilsport
about
Halloween: Jubilee kids might not go trick-or-treating, but they do
get to
dress up as Bible characters for a party at church.
[cont.]
--- msged 2.05
* Origin: The White Knight Cafe (1:109/409)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1891) Thu 25 Oct 90 6:39
By: Thomas Frost
To: All
Re: S.J. Mercury News article (3 of 3)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:488c 155934e1
The Witching Hour
By Joan Connell
Mercury News Religion & Ethics Editor
San Jose Mercury News - Sat. Oct. 20 1990
The right to disagree [cont.]
"Larry and I are beginning to look like a couple of wackos,"
says Bernal.
"The misconception is that we're a bunch of narrow-minded
goody-two-shoes.
San Francisco's a city where everybody has parades; I wanted our
people
to be a presence, too. We weren't going to call down fire on
anybody; it
was not going to be a confrontation, just a little show of force.
"But the war on Satan will go on - inside the auditorium. There
won't
be any pussy-footing around," Bernal promises. "There'll be
singing, preaching and speaking in tongues. It'll be wall-to-wall
spiritual warfare."
Bernal, a former ironworker and self-described hell-raiser who
says
he was born-again a dozen years ago, has gained some fame himself
as a
televangelist and spiritual warrior.
After the Tiananmen Square massacre in 1989, Bernal traveled to
Beijing and in a much-publicized ceremony, annointed the stones of
the
square with oil to drive the devil out. He also has prayed to cast
the
devil out of several sites in the South Bay, including the San Jose
Mercury News.
Bernal says he respects the rights of Wiccans to worship as they
please.
"They're sweet, sincere people, who are operating out of
ignorance,
not malice." Bernal says. "I don't condemn these poor people; I
want to
convert them. I was a dope-smoking, LSD taking hippie myself once.
Some
of our greatest pastors today are old, burned-out hippies."
To Eric Marsh, a 36-year old software engineer from Fremont who
is a
practicing witch, Bernal's attidue demonstrates the stereotypes
that are
inflicted upon Wiccans.
"Fifty percent of big-city witches are involved in high-tech; 90
percent are computer literate. That's because people in high
technology
puersuits have innovative and inquiring minds," says Marsh, who
established a computer bulletin-board network for Wiccans who use
thetechnology to keep abreast of a variety of spiritual,
philosophical and
environmental issues.
What bothers Eric Pryor of San Francisco's New Earth Temple is
theautomatic linkage of Satan and Wicca.
"Satan is the best friend the church has ever had. Satan's the
bogyman who has kept them all in business," Pryor says. He adds
that the
members of his temple, who follow a Welsh tradition of Wicca and
have been
very private about their beliefs in the past, are starting to be
morepublic.
"People can come in here anytime and see we don't sacrifice
babies,
we don't worship Satan and we're not lunatics," Pryor says. "And
theonly good thing about this kind of campaign (that Lea is waging)
is that
it makes us open up more and be more accessible."
Carl Raschke, a sociologist at the University of Denver and a
specialist on Satanism in America, regards the pending
Christian-Pagan
holy war with a certain amount of amusement.
"This sounds like the gunfight at the metaphysical OK Corral,"
Raschke says. "There are Satanists out there: criminal Satanists,
who do
violent things in the name of the devil. There are religious
Satanists,
who dress up in black robes and do strange and essentially harmless
things. And that's part of the whole, exotic religious flora and
fauna
that is unique to the Bay Area.
"Doing spiritual battle with Satan is an established tradition
going
back to Jesus himself," Raschke says, adding that most spiritual
warfare
is done quietly, through the power of prayer and laying on of hands.
"But in the age of TV, there's an impulse to make religion into a
public spectacle. And the whole thing strikes me as supreme street
theater. We haven't had a good, crazy religious spectacle since the
harmonic convergence," Raschke says.
"And now, on the streets of San Francisco on Halloween night,
you'll
have neo-pagans doing ceremonial magic vs. Pentecostal Christians
praying
up a storm. This is probably better than skinheads bashing Geraldo
with
a chair."
--- msged 2.05
* Origin: The White Knight Cafe (1:109/409)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1892) Thu 25 Oct 90 6:41
By: Chuck Haynes
To: All
Re: Thanks
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@MSGID: 1:308/60 ac86b180
* Forwarded from "Aids Support"
* Originally from The "Bird"
* Originally dated 23 Oct 90 15:11:00
I would like to share and somehow show my thanks for all of the
Pwa's,
advocates, doctors, nurses, health workers, researchers, teachers
and everyone else who cares, my favorite poem written by James
Henry Leigh Hunt 1784-1859:
ABOU BEN ADHEM
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lilly in bloom,
An Angel writing in a book of gold;
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the Presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?" The Vision raised his head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."
"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the Angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily still; and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow-men."
The Angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!
--- FD 2.00
* Origin: Casa De La Luz-PODS HUB-Alamogordo,NM(505)
437-8267*HST*14.4 (1:308/60)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2047) Fri 26 Oct 90 21:37
By: Joe Bethancourt
To: All (forwarded As Interesting)
Re: something wiccam this way comes ...
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:1cc0 155aaca3
* Original: FROM.....Sam Bassett RCS (114/15)
* Original: TO.......All (114/29)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 114/29
@EID:b747 155aaca3@
MSGID: 1:114/15 27291942@
UFGATE newsin 1.27
From: samlb@pioneer.arc.nasa.gov (Sam Bassett RCS)
Date: 26 Oct 90 04:52:36 GMT
Organization: Old, used cleric
Message-ID: <1990Oct26.045236.7643@riacs.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
_ALL_ of the "wiccan" and "pagan" practices and artifacts
that
you see at Society events are products of the 20th Century -- most
are
products of the last half of the 20th Century (i.e. since 1950).
All of
the explicitly "witchy" groups trace their ancestry to Gerald
Gardiner
and his circle, who did not publish anything until after the
witchcraft
laws in England were repealed in 1950.
Gardiner's sources were mainly books, with some input from
members of the circles which grew up around the Golden Dawn magical
society around the turn of the century and later. _NONE_ of it can
be
shown to be part of any tradition earlier than the Golden Dawn,
except
for explicit borrowings from known sources. All of the Books of
Shadows
(liturgical/thealogical manuals) show clear evidence of descent
from the
originals written by Doreen Valiente of Gardner's circle in the 50s.
This is not to say that "Wicca", as practiced by some few
thousand modern pagans is not a valid religion -- it is, as I have
seen
and felt -- but it is distinctly POST-Christian, and not
pre-christian.
Your observation that it contains a lot of "new age" ideas and
images is
dead-on. It is practiced by distinctly new age people.
As to paganism in period, "paganes" in Latin means, quite
literally, "hicks" -- those rude persons in the hinterlands who
have not
heard and adopted the latest of fashions from the capital. Official
paganism was proscribed by the Roman Empire in the late 300s or early
400s, and Europe was officially Christian from at least 1000 on.
Pagan festivals survived in England until the Protestant
revolution of the 1600s, when the peasantry was converted to
Protestant
Christianity. The last purely pagan "kingdom" or "country" was
probably
Pruthenia (Prussia), destroyed by the Teutonic Knights in the
1200s. The
Germanic, Norse and Magyar (Hungarian) peoples were Christianized by
Roman and Irish missionaries from 500 onwards, and the Slavic
tribes by
the Orthodox spreading North from Constantinople -- if the Teutonic
Knights had not converted the Prussians when they did, monks form
Novgorod would have gotten them a couple of generations later.
As Joseph Campbell has observed, new religions tend to cast
the
dieties of the old into the position of demons -- Great Pan becomes
the
figure of Satan, for instance. There were Norse Pagan survivals in
Normandy up to the time of the Conquest -- an extant poem about the
battle by a Norman poet pokes much fun at a certain knight for crying
"Tur me ai!" (Thor help me) at Hastings, rather than the more usual
"Jesu" or "Dieu". One source I saw (but have forgotten the name
of) said
that there was an active pagan temple where the priests spoke a
Danish
dialect in the vicinity of Caen up to the time of the Conquerer.
William
Rufus was out-and-out non-Christian (and bitterly hated by the
monks) --
he died in 1189, if I remember correctly, the last pagan king of
England.
After that time, any active paganism among the nobility or
the
merchant class would have been looked on as satanism and diabolism
-- the
Church and Christianity (as then defined) were looked on as the only
defense of order and stability in an intrinsically evil and chaotic
world. Interestingly, witch-hunting on a large scale was a product
of
the Reformation and Counter-Reformation -- rather late in our
period. The
prosecution of Joan of Arc and Gilles de Rais seems to have been as
much
a product of Anglo-French politics as a matter of religious
persecution.
The English burned her for being uppity, basically, and the
French him for "superbia" -- haughtiness above and beyond the call of
duty. Other instances that I have read of were sporadic, and usually
involved someone denouncing a rival in business/love to a psychotic
Inquisitor (something we have seen in our own day, all too
frequently).
Katherine can thus throw wicked barbs at Muslim infidels and
sneer at hick superstitions with perfect period impunity. :-)
Sam'l Bassett, Sterling Software @ NASA Ames Research Center,
Moffett Field CA 94035 Work: (415) 604-4792; Home: (415) 969-2644
samlb@well.sf.ca.us samlb@ames.arc.nasa.gov
:= 'Sterling doesn't _have_ opinions -- much less NASA!'
--- QM v1.23/b
* Origin: St Joseph's Medical Center Phoenix (602) 235-9653
(1:114/15.0)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2093) Fri 6 Oct 89 0:55
By: Tuppence
To: Tuppence
Re: Divination (2of2)
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:e25f 6fb1346
TAROT DIVINATION
by: Tuppence
(Part 2)
Other methods which may suit:
a) Astrology
b) Numerology
c) I Ching
d) Pendulum
e) Runes
f) etc.
As humankind evolves spiritually (and in other ways) so too the
Tarot
evolves. Take for example the reconstruction of The Chariot
(Arcanum
VII) and The Devil (Arcanum XV) cards by Levi. He gave them a new
presentation based upon his advanced knowledge at the time. Also,
note
how The Lovers (Arcanum VI) has changed from earlier decks. It
still has
the same basic meaning, but the symbols have changed. No longer
are there
two women...one good one bad...with the man in between...now it is
two
people with an Angel above them. New Tarot decks continue to be
made as
our knowledge and understanding evolves.
A note on The Book of Thoth, Aleister Crowley's Tarot deck, is as
seen by
him from the Astral Plane. This is why it is so different from many
decks; why it is so striking; and, why the energy felt has such
strong
effects upon many people.
Some cards come and go....there are more cards on the astral plane
than we
have on the physical....between the cards, above and below the
cards are
others...as with the Qabala.
When working with the Tarot if one is in a Magickal State (Asana,
etc.)
and reads the cards it is a Magickal or Divine (hence the term
divination)
operation. I take the forces into myself when using the cards
thus they
affect me and I them.
Because of this knowledge, I respect the Tarot as a Living
Thing/Force and
I do not bother it with profane questions. I treat it as a Magickal
Weapon and thus with care and respect. Fortunetelling, while not
wrong,
is the profane use of the cards.
Contemplation of the cards is useful; without Divination, however,
one
could not experience the forces within them in the same way.
Also, there
are hidden uses for the Tarot. The Tarot is indeed a Teacher. It
is also
a door, a gateway, an entryway into other realms which is partly
how it
was used in Egyptian Initiation Rites. We may use it in some of
the ways
listed below:
1) Skrying/meditation
2) Ritual (invocation and evocation)
3) Works/spells
4) Talisman use/focus
5) Divination
Some of the goals of initiates (after perfecting divination and the
Tarot's philosophy) are 1) to read with a blank deck and to use a
spread
with no set meanings, and 2) to develop one's own Astral Deck.
Magick (in Theory and Practice), Crowley's famous book, calls
Divination
an important branch of Magick, and defines it thusly:
1. "We postulate the existence of intelligences, either within or
without
the diviner, of which he is not immediately conscious. (It does not
matter to the theory whether the communicating spirit so-called is
an
objective entity or a concealed portion of the diviner's mind.) We
assume that such intelligences are able to reply correctly - within
limits- to the questions asked."
2. "We postulate that it is possible to construct a compendium of
heiroglyphs sufficiently elastic in meaning to include every
possible
idea, and that one or more of these may always be taken to
represent any
idea. We assume that any of these heiro glyphs will be understood
by the
intelligences with whom we wish to communicate in the same sense
as it is
by ourselves. We have therefore a sort of language...."
3. "We postulate that the intelligences whom we wish to consult are
willing, or may be compelled, to answer us truthfully."
He goes on to discuss divination as shown in some of the quotes
below:
"In a system of divination each symbol stands for a definite idea."
"As regards the Holy Qabalah, based as it is on pure number, (it)
evidently possesses an infinite number of symbols. Its scope is
conterminous with existence itself; and it lacks nothing in
precision,
purity, or indeed any other perfection. But it cannot be taught,
each man
must select for himself the materials for the main structure of his
system."
"It is always essential for the diviner to obtain absolute magical
control
over the intelligences of the system which he adopts."
"Experience is the only teacher. One acquires what one may
almost call a
new sense. One feels in one's self whether one is right or not.
The
diviner must develop this sense."
"In order to divine without error, one ought to be a Master of the
Temple.
The faintest breath of personal preference will deflect the needle
from
the pole of truth in the answer."
"One must prepare oneself by general purification and consecration
devised
with the object of detaching oneself from one's personality and
increasing
the sensitiveness of one's faculties."
"The muscles with which he manipulates the apparatus of divination
must be
entirely independent of any volition of his. He must lend them
for the
moment to the intelligence whom he is consulting."
(note: one of the first steps in divination is the invoking of the
Angel HRU)
"He must have succeeded in destroying the tendency of the ego to
interfere
with the object of thought. He must be able to conceive of a
thing out of
all relation with anything else."
"He should allow the question entire freedom to make for itself
its own
proper links with the intelligence directing the answer."
"He must sink his personality in that of the intelligence hearing
the
question propunded by a stranger to whom he is indifferent, but
whom it is
his business to serve faithfully."
"He should exhaust the intellectual sources of information at his
disposal, and form from them his judgement. But having done this,
he
should detach his mind from what it has just formulated, and
proceed to
concentrate it on the figure as a whole, almost as if it were the
object
of his meditation."
"The concluding operation is therefore to obtain a judgment of the
figure,
independent of all intellectual or moral restraint. One must
endeavour to
apprehend it as a thing absolute in itself."
"Divination is in one sense an art entirely separate from that of
Magick;
yet it interpenetrates Magick at every point. The fundamental
laws of
both are indentical. The right use of divination has already been
explained: but it must be added that proficiency therein,
tremendous as
is its importance in furnishing the Magician with the information
necessary to his strategical and tactical plans, in no wise
enables him to
accomplish the impossible. It is not within the scope of
divination to
predict the future with the certainty of an astronomer in
calculating the
return of a comet. There is always much virtue in divination."
"One must not assume that the oracle is omniscient."
"The Magician ought therefore to make himself master of several
methods of
divination; using one or the other as the purpose of the moment
dictates.
He should make a point of organizing a staff of such spirits to suit
various occasions. These should be 'familiar' spirits, in the
strict
sense; members of his family."
"Divination of any kind is improper in matters directly concerning
the
Great Work itself. In the Knowledge and Conversation of his Holy
Guardian
Angel, the adept is possessed of all he can possibly need. To
consult any
other is to insult one's Angel."
"Although the adept is in daily communication with his Angel, he
ought to
be careful to consult Him only on questions proper to the dignity
of the
relation. One should not consult one's Angel on too many details,
or
indeed on any matters which come within the office of one's familiar
spirits. One does not go to the King about petty personal
trifles. The
romance and rapture of the ineffable union which constitutes
Adeptship
must not be profaned by the introduction of commonplace cares."
Thus we may use Divination for those worthy questions which we need
answered but cannot find out in any other way...either through our
own
research or by the contacting of one's Holy Guardian Angel. If we
can
attain the necessary magickal states discussed above and if we
complete
the necessary study and work which he suggests, we can become
masters of
Tarot Divination.
Bibliography
Crowley, A., The Book of Thoth (Egyptian Tarot), Weiser, 1974
Crowley, A., Magick, Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., 1973
Crowley, A., Magick without Tears, Llewellyn Publications, 1973
Douglas, A., The Tarot, Penguin Books, 1973
Mathers, M., The Tarot, Weiser (no date given)
--- TBBS v2.1/NM
* Origin: Modem Magick.... Was that a middle pillar joke? (202/311)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2094) Fri 13 Oct 89 10:57
By: James Crowley
To: All
Re: Positive Wicca Police info.
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:a45c 134d572a
A SURVEY OF CONTEMPORARY OPINIONS
of
LAW ENFORCEMENT & RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP IN AMERICA
on
OCCULT INFLUENCED CRIMES
PRESENTED BY
CASSANDRA-NEW
(818) 899-3687 (300/1200/2400 BAUD, 8N1, DATA ONLY)
An electronic news service of
UNITED WICCAN CHURCH
PO Box 16025
North Hollywood
California, 91625-6025
United Wiccan Church has prepared this report to further the
understanding of the press, law enforcement officers, religious
leaders and the general public as to what the Wiccan religion is,
where it has been, where it is going, who it is and when it is,
as well as in the hopes of clarifying some of the
misunderstanding about our Religion.
This report is available free of charge to accredited authors,
the media, teachers, police officers and other public officials
who write to the United Wiccan Church on their letterhead and
request a copy.
Members of the Cassandra-Net, pagan publications and other Wiccan
and/or pagan networks or organizations will also receive copies
under the normal network and pagan press exchange agreements.
Wiccans, pagans and members of the public may receive personal
copies of this ,200 page report, for a fee of $20.00. This fee
is charged in the spirit of the Wiccan "Law of Three" in that the
$20.00 fee will not only pay for the copy you read but also two
others that will be sent to members of the press or law
enforcement of the purchaser's choice presuming we have not
already sent to them.
This report is copyrighted 1988 and 1989 by United Wiccan Church
a 501(c)(3) California non-profit, tax-exempt religious
corporation. License is granted for Non-Commercial reproduction
and distribution as long as no fee is charged for these
reproductions other than the cost of reproduction and printing.
The name and address of the United Wiccan Church and this notice
must be preserved on all copies.
To facilitate copying and distribution, copies of this report
will be made available on plain white paper without binding,
under the terms and conditions stated above.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A NEW CLASS OUTLINE OCCULT INFLUENCED CRIMES
by United Wiccan Church
SATANIC, OCCULT RITUALISTIC CRIME: A LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSPECTIVE
by Supervisory Special Agent Kennith V. Lanning, FBI Academy
SATANIC CULTS: A SKEPTICAL VIEW OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT APPROACH
by Robert Hicks, Criminal Justice Analyst, Law Enforcement
Section Dept. of Criminal Justice Services,
Commonwealth of Virginia
LAW ENFORCEMENT GUIDE TO WICCA
by Kerr Cuhulain A Police Officer and A Wiccan
THE COVENANT OF THE GODDESS - ANTI-DEFAMATION INFORMATION PACKET
THE EVIDENCE OF SATAN IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICA: A SURVEY
Dr. J. Gordon Melton, Director
The Institute for the Study of American Religion
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT WITCHES
by David Farren and the United Wiccan Church
STATEMENTS ON SATANISM AND NEO-PAGANISM by:
The Institute for the Study of American Religion
School of Religion, University of Southern California
Sandi Daly Gallant, San Francisco Police Dept.
EXCERPTS FROM THE BY-LAWS OF UNITED WICCAN CHURCH
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS CONCERNING WICCA
DEFINITIONS OF WICCAN TERMS
ARTICLES CONCERNING THE OCCULT
---
* Origin: Cassandra-News * 818-899-3687 * North Hollywood, CA
(Opus 1:102/922)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2095) Fri 13 Oct 89 10:58
By: James Crowley
To: All
Re: Pagan AIDS Group formed
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:a45c 134d5740
T H E L I Z A R D R I N G
of
United Wiccan Church
The Lizard Ring was conceived on Beltaine of 1989. It was
brought to the attention of the board of directors of the United
Wiccan Church that there was need of a pagan, life-affirming
support group available to people who have HIV+, ARC or AIDS.
The Lizard Ring is a non-sectarian pagan group which
welcomes all people who have HIV+, ARC or AIDS, their family and
friends, and any others who want to help.
The group's objectives are to give support in maintaining
good physical and mental health by the use of religious, magickal
and herbal methods in addition to those of modern medicine. It
also provides a safe and loving space for those who have the
virus, as well as family and frends. It works toards assisting
all in accomplishing a positive image of their personal future.
The Lizard Ring is named for Rick Kunze, who was known to
his family and friends in the Wiccan community as "The Lizard".
Rick began his journey to Somerland in July of 1989, just as The
Lizard Ring was forming. At Rick's memorial service, it was
decided that the new support group would adopt Rick's nickname in
tribute to him and to all the other pagans that had crossed over
due to AIDS.
The Lizard Ring meets every Sunday at 1:00 P.M. For
additional information, contact Lady Artemis or Lord Ra. The
Lizard Ring welcomes you and all the love and help you can give.
United Wiccan Church
PO Box 16025
North Hollywood, CA 91615-6025
(818) 899-3327
Cassandra-News (818) 899-3687 (1:102/922)
---
* Origin: Cassandra-News * 818-899-3687 * North Hollywood, CA
(Opus 1:102/922)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2096) Sun 12 Nov 89 11:34
By: Magenta Griffith
To: All Interested
Re: Bibliography of MAgick in Science Fiction
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:d7e0 136c5c4c
Abbey, Lynn Daughter Of The Bright Moon
The Guardians
Anderson, Poul Operation Chaos
Mermaid's Children
Blish, James Black Easter
Bradley, Marion Z. Darkover series, especially
The Forbidden Tower
Crowley, Aleister Diary of a Drug Fiend
Moonchild
DeCamp, L. Sprague & The Complete Enchanter
Fletcher Pratt Wall of Serpents
DeLint, Charles Moonheart
Eddings, David Pawn of Prophecy
Queen of Sorcery
Magician's Gambit
Castle of Wizardry
Enchanter's Endgame
Farrar, Stewart Omega
Fortune, Dion Sea Priestess
Moon Magic
Winged Bull
The Goat Foot God
Garrett, Randall Too Many Magicians
Murder and Magic
Lord D'Arcy Investigates
Heinlein, Robert A. Stranger in a Strange Land
Waldo & Magic Inc.
Kurtz, Katherine Deryni Rising
Deryni Checkmate
High Deryni
Lammas Night
LeGuin, Ursula K. A Wizard of Earthsea
Lovecraft, H. P. The Shadow out of Time
At the Mountains of Madness
The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward
Miesel, Sandra Dreamrider
Norton, Andre Witch World Series
Paxton, Diana Brisingamen
Sky, Kathleen Witchdame
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit
Lord of the Rings
Walton, Evangeline Island of the Mighty
Song of Rhiannon
Prince of Annwn
The Children Of Lyr
Wilson, Robert Anton & Illuminatus! Trilogy
Robert Shea
Zelazny, Roger Chronicles of Amber
---
* Origin: The Terraboard, Minneapolis, MN (Opus 1:282/341)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2097) Fri 6 May 88 19:44
By: Hugh Read
To: All
Re: The Pentagram
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:01a6 10a69d92
I invoke Ancient Powers of The Star
The Powers of Five
The Spiral Powers
The Powers of Earth
I invoke the Ancient Powers of Life
Star in the Circle
In the Iron Circle
Quaint, ancient symbol
So ancient, primordial and timeless
Dark symbol of life
On planets bearing life
Deep in DNA
Deeply branded in the Heart of our Earth
Touchstone of Wisdom
Of Ancient Knowledge, NOW,
Living in the stars
I call out through the Circled Iron Star
For my Star Power
Out through the Galaxies
Claiming Dark Powers
--- ZMailO 1.10 - Delta I (Opus/FTS001)
* Origin: Dragonfriend's Point(1:104/11.5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2098) Sun 22 Jul 90 17:33
By: Russ Anderson
To: all
Re: this echo area
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:9cbd 14f68c20
Metaphysical is part of the Magicknet triad. It is for magazine
quality posts only! Legitimate posts include articles, essays,
ritual, stories, extended quotes from magickal authors where such
quotes are legal, and poems. Topics run the gamut of the magickal
and/or Pagan experience and may include both humor and fiction, but
please try to make it reasonably obvious what is what.
Replies to posts in this echo must go to either the Magicknet echo
or the Mundane echo. Sysops are reminded that they are responsible
for making sure that only magazine quality posts are presented in
this echo. If your software allows, you are urged to disable
replies and limit posting or even screen posts in this area.
Amergin O'Kai and Russ Anderson are currently the acting
moderators of the Magicknet triad.
B*B
Dragonfriend (Mr. Moderator)
--- ZMailO 1.10 - Delta I (Opus/FTS001)
* Origin: Dragonfriend's Point(1:104/11.5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2099) Sat 16 Sep 89 15:33
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: Grimorium Sanctissimum
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:b055 13307c20
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Morgan (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
Grimorium Sanctissimum.
Arcanum Arcanorum Quod Continet Nondum Revelandum ipsis
Regibus supremis O.T.O. Grimorium Quod Baphomet Xø
M... suo fecit.
De Templo.
1. Oriente ............... Altare
2. Occidente ............. Tabula dei invocandi
3. Septentrione .......... Sacerdos
4. Meridione ............. Ignis cum thuribulo, x.t.l.
5. Centro ................ Lapis quadratus cum
Imagine Dei
Maximi Igentis Nefandi Ineffabilis Sanctissimi
et cum ferro, tintinnabulo, oleo
Virgo. Stet imago juxta librum éEïHMA.
De ceremonio Principii.
Fiat ut in Libro DCLXXI dicitur, sed antea virgo lavata sit cum
verbis "Asperge me..." x.t.l., et habilimenta ponat cum verbis
"Per sanctum Mysterium," x.t.l.
Ita Pyramis fiat. Tunc virgo lavabit sacerdotem et vestimenta ponat
ut supra ordinatur.
(Hic dicat virgo orationes dei operis).
De ceremonio Thuribuli.
Manibus accedat et ignem et sacerdotem virgo, dicens:
"Accendat in nobis Dominus ignem sui amoris et flamman aeternae
caritatis.
De ceremonio Dedicationis.
Invocet virgo Imaginem Dei. M.I.N.I.S. his verbis. --- Tu qui es
prater omnia...x.t.l."
Nec relinquet alteram Imaginem.
De Sacrificio Summo.
Deinde silentium fragat sacerdos cum verbis versiculi sancti dei
particularitur invocandi.
Ineat ad Sanctum Sanctorum.
Caveat; caveat, caveat.
Duo qui fiunt UNUS sine intermissione verba versiculi sancti alta
voce cantent.
De Benedictione Benedicti.
Missa rore, dicat mulier haec verba "Quia patris et filii s.s."
x.t.l.
De Ceremonio Finis
Fiat ut in Libro DCLXXI dicitur. AUMGN.
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: Operation Do Do Bird - New York, New York, (718)
499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2100) Sat 16 Sep 89 18:39
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: Liber Resh vel Helios
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:91e9 133094e0
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Apollonia (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
LIBER RESH
vel
HELIOS
SUB FIGURA CC.
0. These are the adorations to be performed by aspirants to the
A: A:
1. Let him greet the Sun at dawn, facing East, giving the sign
of his
grade. And let him say in a loud voice:
Hail unto Thee who art Ra in Thy rising, even unto Thee who art
Ra in Thy
strength, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the
Uprising of the
Sun.
Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor
abideth at the
helm.
Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Night!
2. Also at Noon, let him greet the Sun, facing South, giving
the sign of
his grade. And let him say in a loud voice:
Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor in Thy triumphing, even unto
Thee who art
Ahathoor in Thy beauty, who travellest over the heavens in thy
bark at the
Mid-course of the Sun.
Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor
abideth at the
helm.
Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Morning!
3. Also, at Sunset, let him greet the Sun, facing West, giving
the sign of
his grade. And let him say in a loud voice:
Hail unto Thee who art Tum in Thy setting, even unto Thee who
art Tum in
Thy joy, who travellest over the Heavens in Thy bark at the
Down-going of the
Sun.
Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor
abideth at the
helm.
Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Day!
4. Lastly, at Midnight, let him greet the Sun, facing North,
giving the
sign of his grade, and let him say in a loud voice:
Hail unto thee who art Khephra in Thy hiding, even unto Thee
who art
Khephra in Thy silence, who travellest over the heavens in Thy
bark at the
Midnight Hour of the Sun.
Tahuti standeth in His splendour at the prow, and Ra-Hoor
abideth at the
helm.
Hail unto Thee from the Abodes of Evening.
5. And after each of these invocations thou shalt give the sign
of silence,
and afterward thou shalt perform the adoration that is taught thee
by thy
Superior. And then do thou compose Thyself to holy meditation.
6. Also it is better if in these adorations thou assume the
God-form of
Whom thou adorest, as if thou didst unite with Him in the
adoration of That
which is beyond Him.
7. Thus shalt thou ever be mindful of the Great Work which thou
hast
undertaken to perform, and thus shalt thou be strengthened to
pursue it unto
the attainment of the Stone of the Wise, the Summum Bonum, True
Wisdom and
Perfect Happiness.
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: Operation Do Do Bird - New York, New York, (718)
499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2101) Sat 16 Sep 89 15:34
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: The Star Ruby
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:b218 13307c40
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Roger Rabbit (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
LIBER XXV
THE STAR RUBY.
Facing East, in the centre, draw deep deep deep thy breath
closing thy
mouth with thy right forefinger prest against thy lower lip. Then
dashing
down the hand with a great sweep back and out, expelling forcibly
thy breath,
cry AãO ãANTOä KAKOAIMONOä.
With the same forefinger touch thy forehead, and say äOI, thy
member, and
say ê èAïïE {Note 1}, thy right shoulder, and say IäXYPOS, thy
left shoulder,
and say EYXAPIäTOä; then clasp thine hands, locking the fingers,
and cry IAê.
Advance to the East. Imagine strongly a Pentagram, aright, in thy
forehead.
Drawing the hands to the eyes, fling it forth, making the sign of
Horus and
roar éîPION. Retire thine hand in the sign of Hoor-paar-Kraat.
Go round to the North and repeat; but say NUIT.
Go round to the West and repeat; but whisper BABALON.
Go round to the South and repeat; but bellow HADIT.
Completing the circle widdershins, retire to the centre and
raise thy voice
in the Paian, with these words Iê ãAN, with the signs of N.O.X.
Extend the arms in the form of a Tau and say low but clear:
ãPO MOY IYââEä OãIXê MOY TEïETAPXAI EãI EðIA
XYNOXEä EãAPIäTEPA AIMONOä èïEâEI âAP ãEPI
MOY O AäTHR TêN ãENTE KAI EN THI äTHGHI
ê AäTHR TêN Eð EäTHKE.
Repeat the Cross Qabalistic, as above, and end as thou didst
begin.
----------------
1. The secret sense of these words is to be sought in the
numeration
thereof.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
---
IBM Extended ASCII Greek Letter Equivalences:
A = Alpha à = alpha
â = Gamma á = beta
= Delta ç = gamma
î = Eta ë = delta
é = Theta æ = mu
ï = Lambda l = lambda
O = Omicron o = omicron
è = Phi í = phi
ã = Pi å = sigma
P = Rho r = rho
ä = Sigma s = sigma
ð = Xi x = xi
Y = Upsilon u = upsilon
ê = Omega w = omega
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: Operation Do Do Bird - New York, New York, (718)
499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2102) Sat 16 Sep 89 15:37
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: The Star Sapphire
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:dcd6 13307ca0
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Nancy Brooks (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
LIBER XXXVI
THE STAR SAPPHIRE.
Let the Adept be armed with his Magick Rood [and provided with
his mystic
rose].
In the centre, let him give the L.V.X. signs; or if he know
them, if he
will and dare do them, and can keep silent about them, the signs
of N.O.X.
being the signs of Puer, Vir, Puella, Mulier. Omit the sign. I.R.
Then let him advance to the East and make the Holy Hexagram,
saying: Pater
et Mater unus deus Ararita.
Let him go round to the South, make the Holy Hexagram and say:
Mater et
Filius unus deus Ararita.
Let him go round to the North, make the Holy Hexagram and then
say: Filia
et Pater unus deus Ararita.
Let him then return to the Centre, and so to The Centre of All
(making the
Rosy Cross as he may know how) saying Ararita Ararita Ararita
(In this the Signs shall be those of Set Triumphant and of
Baphomet. Also
shall Set appear in the Circle. Let him drink of the Sacrament
and let him
communicate the same.) Then let him say: Omnia in Duos: Duo in
Unum: Unus
in Nihil: Haec nec Quatuor nec Omnia nec Duo nec Unus nec Nihil
Sunt.
Gloria Patri et Matri et Filio et Filiae et Spiritui Sancto
externo et
Spiritui Sancto interno ut erat est erit in saecula Saeculorum sex
in uno per
nomen Septem in uno Ararita.
Let him then repeat the signs of L.V.X. but not the signs of
N.O.X.: for
it is not he that shall arise in the Sign of Isis Rejoicing.
--- ConfMail V4.00
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2103) Sat 16 Sep 89 15:38
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: The Mass of the Phoenix, Part 1
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:c586 13307cc0
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Hymenaeus Alpha (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
LIBER XLIV
THE MASS OF THE PHOENIX
The Magician, his breast bare, stands before an altar on which are
his Burin,
Bell, Thurible, and two of the Cakes of Light. In the Sign of the
Enterer he
reaches West across the Altar, and cries:
Hail Ra, that goest in thy bark
Into the caverns of the Dark!
He gives the sign of Silence, and takes the Bell, and Fire, in his
hands.
East of the Altar see me stand
With light and musick in my hand!
He strikes Eleven times upon the Bell 333 - 55555 - 333 and places
the Fire
in the Thurible.
I strike the Bell: I light the Flame;
I utter the mysterious Name.
ABRAHADABRA
He strikes eleven times upon the Bell.
Now I begin to pray: Thou Child,
Holy Thy name and undefiled!
Thy reign is come; Thy will is done.
Here is the Bread; here is the Blood.
Bring me through midnight to the Sun!
Save me from Evil and from Good!
That Thy one crown of all the Ten
Even now and here be mine. AMEN.
He puts the first Cake on the Fire of the Thurible.
I burn the Incense-cake, proclaim
These adorations of Thy name.
He makes them as in Liber Legis, and strikes again Eleven times
upon the
Bell. With the Burin he then makes upon his breast the proper sign.
Behold this bleeding breast of mine
Gashed with the sacramental sign!
He puts the second Cake to the wound.
I stanch the Blood; the wafer soaks
It up, and the high priest invokes!
--- ConfMail V4.00
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499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2104) Sat 16 Sep 89 15:39
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: The Mass of the Phoenix, Part 2
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:c586 13307ce0
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Hymenaeus Beta (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
He eats the second Cake.
This Bread I eat. This Oath I swear
As I enflame myself with prayer:
"There is no grace: there is no guilt:
This is the Law: DO WHAT THOU WILT!"
He strikes Eleven times upon the Bell, and cries
ABRAHADABRA.
I entered in with woe; with mirth
I now go forth, and with thanksgiving,
To do my pleasure on the earth
Among the legions of the living.
He goeth forth.
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: Operation Do Do Bird - New York, New York, (718)
499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2105) Sat 16 Sep 89 15:44
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: Liber Reguli, Part 1
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:3317 13307d80
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Rajas (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
LIBER V
vel
REGULI
A: A: publication in Class D. Being the Ritual of the Mark of
the Beast:
an incantation proper to invoke the Energies of the Aeon of Horus,
adapted
for the daily use of the Magician of whatever grade.
THE FIRST GESTURE.
The Oath of the Enchantment, which is called The Elevenfold Seal.
The Animadversion towards the Aeon.
1. Let the Magician, robed and armed as he may dee to be
fit, turn his face towards Boleskine, that is the House of
The Beast
666. {Note 1: Boleskine House is on Loch Ness, 17 miles from
Inverness,
Latitude 57.14 N. Longitude 4.28 W.}
2. Let him strike the battery 1-3-3-3-1.
3. Let him put the Thumb of his right hand between its index
an medius, and make the gestures hereafter following.
The Vertical Component of the Enchantment.
1. Let him describe a circle about his head, crying NUIT!
2. Let him draw the Thumb vertically downward and touch
the Muladhara Cakkra, crying, HADIT!
3. Let him, retracing the line, touch the centre of his breast
an cry RA-HOOR-KHUIT!
The Horizontal Components of the Enchantment.
1. Let him touch the Centre of his Forehead, his mouth, and
his larynx, crying AIWAZ!
2. Let him draw his thumb from right to left across his face
at the level of the nostrils.
3. Let him touch the centre of his breast, and his solar plexus,
crying, THERION!
4. Let him draw his thumb from left to right across his breast,
at the level of the sternum.
5. Let him touch the Svadistthana, and the Muladhara Chakkra,
crying, BABALON!
6. Let him draw his thumb from right to left across his
abdomen, at the level of the hips.
(Thus shall he formulate the Sigil of the Grand Hierophant, but
dependent
from the Circle.)
The Asseveration of the Spells.
1. Let the Magician clasp his hands upon his Wand, his fingers
and thumbs interlaced, crying LAtSAL! éEïHMA!
FIAOF! AâAPH! AUMâN!
(Thus shall be declared the Words of Power whereby the
Energies of the Aeon of Horus work his will in the World.)
The Proclamation of the Accomplishment.
1. Let the Magician strike the Battery: 3-5-3, crying
ABRAHADABRA.
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: Operation Do Do Bird - New York, New York, (718)
499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2106) Sat 16 Sep 89 15:45
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: Liber Reguli, Part 2
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:3257 13307da0
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Tamas (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
The SECOND GESTURE.
The Enchantment.
1. Let the Magician, still facing Boleskine, advance to the
circumference of his circle.
2. Let him turn himself towards the left, and pace with the
stealth and swiftness of a tiger the precincts of his circle,
until he complete one revolution thereof.
3. Let him give the Sign of Horus (or The Enterer) as he
passeth, so to project the force that radiateth from Boleskine
before him.
4. Let him pace his path until he comes to the North; there
let him halt, and turn his face to the North.
5. Let him trace with his wand the Averse Pentagram proper
to invoke Air (Aquarius).
6. Let him bring the wand to the centre of the Pentagram and
call upon NUIT!
7. Let him make the sign called Puella, standing with his
feet together, head bowed, his left hand shielding the
Muladhara Cakkra, and his right hand shielding his
breast (attitude of the Venus de Medici).
8. Let him turn again to the left, and pursue his Path as
before, projecting the force from Boleskine as he passeth;
let him halt when he next cometh to the South and face
outward.
9. Let him trace the Averse Pentagram that invoketh Fire
(Leo).
10. Let him point his wand to the centre of the Pentagram,
and cry, HADIT!
11. Let him give the sign Puer, standing with feet together,
and head erect. Let his right hand (the thumb extended
at right angles to the fingers) be raised, the forearm
vertical at a right angle with the upper arm, which is
horizontally extended in the line joining the shoulders.
Let his left hand, the thumb extended forwards and the
fingers clenched, rest at the junction of the thighs (Attitude
of the gods Mentu, Khem, etc.).
12. Let him proceed as before; then in the East, let him make
the Averse Pentagram that invoketh Earth (Taurus).
13. Let him point his wand to the centre of the pentagram,
and cry, THERION!
14. Let him give the sign called Vir, the feet being together.
The hands, with clenched finger and thumbs thrust out
forwards, are held to the temples; the head is then bowed
and pushed out, as if to symbolize the butting of an horned
beast (attitude of Pan, Bacchus, etc.). (Frontispiece,
Equinox I, III).
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: Operation Do Do Bird - New York, New York, (718)
499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2107) Sat 16 Sep 89 15:48
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: Liber Reguli, Part 3
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:f296 13307e00
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Satvas (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
15. Proceeding as before, let him make in the West the
Averse Pentagram whereby Water is invoked.
16. Pointing the wand to the centre of the Pentagram, let him
call upon BABALON!!
17. Let him give the sign Mulier. The feet are widely
separated, and the arms raised so as to suggest a crescent.
The head is thrown back (attitude of Baphomet, Isis in
Welcome, the Microcosm of Vitruvius). (See Book 4,
Part II).
18. Let him break into the dance, tracing a centripetal spiral
widdershins, enriched by revolutions upon his axis as he
passeth each quarter, until he come to the centre of the
circle. There let him halt, facing Boleskine.
19. Let him raise the wand, trace the Mark of the Beast, and
cry AIWAZ!
20. Let him trace the invoking Hexagram of The Beast.
21. Let him lower the wand, striking the Earth therewith.
22. Let him give the sign of Mater Triumphans (The feet are
together; the left arm is curved as if it supported a child;
the thumb and index finger of the right hand pinch the
nipple of the left breast, as if offering it to that child).
Let him utter the word éEïHMA!
23. Perform the spiral dance, moving deosil and whirling
widdershins.
Each time on passing the West extend the wand to the
Quarter in question, and bow:
a. "Before me the powers of LA!" (AL, to West.)
b. "Behind me the powers of AL!" (LA, to East.)
c. "On my right hand the powers of LA!" (AL, to North.)
d. "On my left hand the powers of AL!" (LA, to South.)
e. "Above me the powers of ShT!" (tS, leaping in the air.)
f. "Beneath me the powers of ShT!" (tS, striking the ground.)
g. "Within me the Powers!" (in the attitude of Phthah erect, the
feet together, the hands clasped upon the vertical wand.)
h. "About me flames my Father's face, the Star of Force and
Fire."
i. "And in the Column stands His six-rayed Splendour!"
(This dance may be omitted, and the whole utterance chanted in
the attitude of Phthah.)
The FINAL GESTURE.
This is identical with the First Gesture.
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: Operation Do Do Bird - New York, New York, (718)
499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2108) Sat 16 Sep 89 18:10
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: Liber RU vel Spiritus
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:43ed 13309140
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Larry (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
LIBER RV
vel
SPIRITUS
SUB FIGURA CCVI.
2. Let the Zelator observe the current of his breath.
3. Let him investigate the following statements, and prepare a
careful
record of research.
(a) Certain actions induce the flow of the breath through the
right
nostril (Pingala); and, conversely, the flow of the breath through
Pingala
induces certain actions.
(b) Certain other actions induce the flow of the breath through
the left
nostril (Ida), and conversely.
(c) Yet a third class of actions induce the flow of the breath
through
both nostrils at once (Sushumna), and conversely.
(d) The degree of mental and physical activity is
interdependent with the
distance from the nostrils at which the breath can be felt by the
back of the
hand.
4. First practice. --- Let him concentrate his mind upon the
act of
breathing, saying mentally, "The breath flows in", "the breath
flows out",
and record the results. [This practice may resolve itself into
Mahasatipatthana (vide Liber XXV) or induce Samadhi. Whichever
occurs should
be followed up as the right Ingenium of the Zelator, or the advice
of his
Practicus, may determine.]
5. Second practice. Pranayama. --- This is outlined in Liber E.
Further,
let the Zelator accomplished in those practices endeavour to
master a cycle
of 10, 20, 40 or even 16, 32, 64. But let this be done gradually
and with
due caution. And when he is steady and easy both in Asana and
Pranayama, let
him still further increase the period.
Thus let him investigate these statements which follow: ---
(a) If Pranayama be properly performed, the body will first of
all become
covered with sweat. This sweat is different in character from that
customarily induced by exertion. If the Practitioner rub this sweat
thoroughly into his body, he will greatly strengthen it.
(b) The tendency to perspiration will stop as the practice is
continued,
and the body become automatically rigid.
Describe this rigidity with minute accuracy.
(c) The state of automatic rigidity will develop into a state
characterised by violent spasmodic movements of which the
Practitioner is
unconscious, but of whose result he is aware. This result is that
the body
hops gently from place to place. After the first two or three
occurrences of
this experience, Asana is not lost. The body appears (on another
theory) to
have lost its weight almost completely and to be moved by an
unknown force.
(d) As a development of this stage, the body rises into the
air, and
remains there for an appreciably long period, from a second to an
hour or
more.
Let him further investigate any mental results which may occur.
--- ConfMail V4.00
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499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2109) Sat 16 Sep 89 18:12
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: Liber RU, part 2
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:b1ec 13309180
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Moe (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
6. Third Practice. --- In order both to economise his time and
to develop
his powers, let the Zelator practise the deep full breathing which
his
preliminary exercises will have taught him during his walks. Let
him repeat
a sacred sentence (mantra) or let him count, in such a way that
his footfall
beats accurately with the rhythm thereof, as is done in dancing.
Then let
him practise Pranayama, at first without the Kumbhakam, and paying
no
attention to the nostrils otherwise than to keep them clear. Let
him begin
by an indrawing of the breath for 4 paces, and a breathing out for
4 paces.
Let him increase this gradually to 6.6, 8.8, 12.12, 16.16 and
24.24, or more
if he be able. Next let him practise in the proper proportion 4.8,
6.12,
8.16, 12.24 and so on. Then if he choose, let him recommence the
series,
adding a gradually increasing period of Kumbhakam.
7. Fourth practice. --- Following on this third practice, let
him quicken
his mantra and his pace until the walk develops into a dance.
This may also
be practised with the ordinary waltz step, using a mantra in
three-time, such
as epeljon, epeljon, Artemiv; or Iao, Iao Sabao; in such cases the
practice
may be combined with devotion to a particular deity: see Liber
CLXXV. For
the dance as such it is better to use a mantra of a non-committal
character,
such as To einai, To Kalon, To 'Agadon, or the like.
8. Fifth practice. --- Let him practice mental concentration
during the
dance, and investigate the following experiments:
(a) The dance becomes independent of the will.
(b) Similar phenomena to those described in 5 (a), (b), (c),
(d), occur.
9. A note concerning the depth and fullness of the breathing.
In all
proper expiration the last possible portion of air should be
expelled. In
this the muscles of the throat, chest, ribs, and abdomen must be
fully
employed, and aided by the pressing of the upper arms into the
flanks, and of
the head into the thorax.
In all proper inspiration the last possible portion of air must
be drawn
into the lungs.
In all proper holding of the breath, the body must remain
absolutely
still.
Ten minutes of such practice is ample to induce profuse
sweating in any
place of a temperature of 17= C or over.
The progress of the Zelator in acquiring a depth and fullness
of breath
should be tested by the respirometer.
The exercises should be carefully graduated to avoid overstrain
and
possible damage to the lungs.
This depth and fullness of breath should be kept as much as
possible, even
in the rapid exercises, with the exception of the sixth practice
following.
10. Sixth Practice. --- Let the Zelator breathe as shallowly
and rapidly
as possible. He should assume the attitude of his moment of
greatest
expiration, and breathe only with the muscles of his throat. He
may also
practice lengthening the period between each shallow breathing.
(This may be combined, when acquired, with concentration on the
Visuddhi
cakkra, i.e. let him fix his mind unwaveringly upon a point in the
spine
opposite the larynx.)
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: Operation Do Do Bird - New York, New York, (718)
499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2110) Sat 16 Sep 89 18:12
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: Liber RU, part 3
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:712d 13309180
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Curley (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
11. Seventh practice. --- Let the Zelator practise restraint of
breathing
in the following manner. At any stage of breathing let him
suddenly hold the
breath, enduring the need to breathe until it passes, returns, and
passes
again, and so on until consciousness is lost, either rising to
Samadhi or
similar supernormal condition, or falling into oblivion.
13. Ninth practice. -- Let him practice the usual forms of
Pranayama, but
let Kumbhakam be used after instead of before expiration. Let him
gradually
increase the period of this Kumbhakam as in the case of the other.
14. A note concerning the conditions of these experiments.
The conditions favourable are dry, bracing air, a warm climate,
absence of
wind, absence of noise, insects and all other disturbing
influences,{Note 1}
a retired situation, simple food eaten in great moderation at the
conclusion
of the practices of morning and afternoon, and on no account before
practising. Bodily health is almost essential, and should be most
carefully
guarded (See Liber CLXXXV, Task of a Neophyte). A diligent and
tractable
disciple, or the Practicus of the Zelator, should aid him in his
work. Such
a disciple should be noiseless, patient, vigilant, prompt,
cheerful, of
gentle manner and reverent to his master, intelligent to
anticipate his
wants, cleanly and gracious, not given to speech, devoted and
unselfish.
With all this he should be fierce and terrible to strangers and
all hostile
influences, determined and vigorous, increasingly vigilant, the
guardian of
the threshold.
It is not desirable that the Zelator should employ any other
creature than
a man, save in cases of necessity. Yet for some of these purposes
a dog will
serve, for others a woman. There are also others appointed to
serve, but
these are not for the Zelator.
16. Eleventh practice. --- Let the Zelator at an time during the
practices, especially during the periods of Kumbhakam, throw his
will utterly
towards his Holy Guardian Angel, directing his eyes inward and
upward, and
turning back his tongue as if to swallow it.
----------------
1. Note that in the early stages of concentration of the mind, such
annoyances become negligible.
-408-
---------------------------------------------------------------------
------
(This latter operation is facilitated by severing the fraenum
linguae,
which, if done, should be done by a competent surgeon. We do not
advise this
or any similar method of cheating difficulties. This is, however,
harmless.)
In this manner the practice is to be raised from the physical
to the
spiritual-plane, even as the words Ruh, Ruach, Pneuma, Spiritus,
Geist,
Ghost, and indeed words of almost all languages, have been raised
from their
physical meanings of wind, breath, or movement, to the spiritual
plane. (RV
is the old root meaning Yoni and hence Wheel (Fr. roue, Lat. rota,
wheel) and
the corresponding Semitic root means "to go". Similarly spirit is
connected
with "spiral". -- Ed.)
17. Let the Zelator attach no credit to any statements that may
have been
made throughout the course of this instruction, and reflect that
even the
counsel which we have given as suitable to the average case may be
entirely
unsuitable to his own.
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: Operation Do Do Bird - New York, New York, (718)
499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2111) Sat 16 Sep 89 18:38
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: Liber B vel Magi, Sub Figura I
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:b538 133094c0
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......All Magi (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
LIBER B
vel
MAGI
SUB FIGURA I.
00. One is the Magus: twain His forces; four His weapons. These
are the
seven Spirits of Unrighteousness; seven vultures of evil. This is
the art
and craft of the Magus but glamour. How shall He destroy Himself?
0. Yet the Magus hath power upon the Mother both directly and
through love.
And the Magus is Love, and bindeth together That and This in His
Conjuration.
1. In the beginning doth the Magus speak Truth, and send forth
Illusion and
Falsehood to enslave the soul. Yet therein is the Mystery of
Redemption.
2. By his Wisdom made He the Worlds: the World that is God is
none other
than He.
3. Now then shall He end His Speech with Silence? For He is
Speech.
4. He is the First and the Last. How shall He cease to number
Himself?
5. By a Magus is this writing made known through the mind of a
Magister.
The one uttereth clearly, and the other Understandeth; yet the
Word is
falsehood, and the Understanding darkness. And this saying is of
All Truth.
6. Nevertheless it is written; for there be times of darkness,
and this as
a lamp therein.
7. With the Wand createth He.
8. With the Cup preserveth He.
9. With the Dagger destroyeth He.
10. With the Coin redeemeth He.
11. His weapons fulfil the wheel; and on What Axle that turneth
is not
known unto Him.
12. From all these actions must He cease before the curse of His
Grade is
uplifted from Him. Before He attain to that which existeth
without Form.
13. And if at this time He be manifested upon earth as a Man,
and therefore
is this present writing, let this be His method, that the curse of
His grade,
and the burden of His attainment, be uplifted from Him.
14. Let Him beware of abstinence from action. For the curse of
His grade
is that he must speak Truth, that the Falsehood thereof may
enslave the souls
of men. Let Him then utter that without Fear, that the Law may be
fulfilled.
And according to His Original Nature will that law be shapen, so
that one may
declare gentleness and quietness, being an Hindu; and another
fierceness and
servility, being a Jew; and yet another ardour and manliness,
being an Arab.
Yet this matter toucheth the mystery of Incarnation, and is not
here to be
declared.
15. Now the grade of a Magister teacheth the Mystery of Sorrow,
and the
grade of a Magus the Mystery of Change, and the grade of
Ipsissimus the
Mystery of Selflessness, which is called also the Mystery of Pan.
16. Let the Magus then contemplate each in turn, raising it to
the ultimate
power of Infinity. Wherein Sorrow is Joy, and Change is
Stability, and
Selflessness is Self. For the interplay of the parts hath no
action upon the
whole. And this contemplation shall be performed not by simple
meditation
--- how much less then by reason! --- but by the method which
shall have been
given unto Him in His initiation to the Grade.
17. Following which method, it shall be easy for Him to combine
that
trinity from its elements, and further to combine Sat-Chit-Ananda,
and Light,
Love, Life, three by three into nine that are one, in which
meditation
success shall be That which was first adumbrated to Him in the
grade of
Practicus (which reflecteth Mercury into the lowest world) in
Liber XXVII,
"Here is Nothing under its three forms."
18. And this is the Opening of the Grade of Ipsissimus, and by the
Buddhists it is called the trance Nerodha-Samapatti.
19. And woe, woe, woe, yea woe, and again woe, woe, woe, unto
seven times
be His that preacheth not His law to men!
20. And woe also be unto Him that refuseth the curse of the
grade of a
Magus, and the burden of the Attainment thereof.
21. And in the word CHAOS let the book be sealed, yea, let the
Book be
sealed.
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: Operation Do Do Bird - New York, New York, (718)
499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2112) Sat 16 Sep 89 18:43
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: Liber Cheth vel Vallum Abeigni, sub figura CLVI
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:03f0 13309560
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Babalon (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
LIBER CHETH
vel
VALLUM ABIEGNI
SUB FIGURA CLVI.
1. This is the secret of the Holy Graal, that is the sacred
vessel of our
Lady, the Scarlet Woman, Babalon the Mother of Abominations, the
Bride of
Chaos, that rideth upon our Lord the Beast.
2. Thou shalt drain out thy blood that is thy life into the
golden cup of
her fornication.
3. Thou shalt mingle thy life with the universal life. Thou
shalt keep
not back one drop.
4. Then shall thy brain be dumb, and thy heart beat no more,
and all thy
life shall go from thee; and thou shalt be cast out upon the
midden, and the
birds of the air shall feast upon thy flesh, and thy bones shall
whiten in
the sun.
5. Then shall the winds gather themselves together and bear
thee up as it
were a little heap of dust in a sheet that hath four corners, and
they shall
give it unto the guardian of the Abyss.
6. And because there is no life therein, the guardian of the
Abyss shall
bid the angels of the winds pass by. And the angels thereof shall
be no
more.
7. Now therefore that thou mayest achieve this ritual of the
Holy Graal,
do thou divest thyself of all thy goods.
8. Thou hast wealth; give it unto them that have need thereof,
yet no
desire toward it.
9. Thou hast health; slay thyself in the fervour of thine
abandonment unto
Our Lady. Let thy flesh hang loose upon thy bones, and thine eyes
glare with
thy quenchless lust unto the Infinite, with thy passion for the
Unknown, for
Her that is beyond Knowledge the accursed one.
10. Thou hast love; tear thy mother from thine heart and spit in
the face
of thy father. Let thy foot trample the belly of thy wife, and
let the babe
at her breast be the prey of dogs and vultures.
11. For if thou dost not this with thy will, then shall We do
this despite thy will. So that thou attain to the Sacrament of
the Graal in
the Chapel of Abominations.
12. And behold! If by stealth thou keep unto thyself one
thought of
thine, then shalt thou be cast out into the abyss for ever; and
thou shalt be
the lonely one, the eater of dung, the afflicted in the Day of
Be-With-Us.
13. Yea! verily this is the Truth, this is the Truth, this is
the Truth.
Unto thee shall be granted joy and health and wealth and wisdom
when thou art
no longer thou.
14. Then shall every gain be a new sacrament, and it shall not
defile
thee; thou shalt revel with the wantons in the market place, and
the virgins
shall fling roses upon thee, and the merchants bend their knees
and bring
thee gold and spices. Also young boys shall pour wonderful wines
for thee,
and the singers and the dancers shall sing and dance for thee.
15. Yet shalt thou not be therein, for thou shalt be forgotten,
dust lost
in dust.
16. Nor shall the aeon itself avail thee in this; for from the
dust shall
a white ash be prepared by Hermes the Invisible.
17. And this is the wrath of god, that these things should be
thus.
18. And this is the grace of God, that these things should be
thus.
19. Wherefore I charge you that ye come unto me in the
Beginning; for if
ye take but one step in this Path, ye must arrive inevitably at
the end
thereof.
20. This Path is beyond Life and Death; it is also beyond Love,
but that
ye know not, for ye know not Love.
21. And the end thereof is known not even unto Our Lady, nor to
the Beast
whereon She rideth, nor unto the Virgin her daughter, nor unto
Chaos her
lawful Lord; but unto the Crowned Child is it known? It is not
known if it
be known.
22. Therefore unto Hadit and unto Nuit be the glory in the End
and the
Beginning; yea, in the End and the Beginning.
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: Operation Do Do Bird - New York, New York, (718)
499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2113) Sat 16 Sep 89 18:44
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: Liber A'ash vel Capricorni Pneumatici sub figura CCCLXX
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:ac66 13309580
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Therion (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
LIBER A'ASH
vel
CAPRICORNI PNEUMATICI
SUB FIGURA CCCLXX.
0. Gnarled Oak of God! In thy branches is the lightning
nested! Above
thee hangs the Eyeless Hawk.
1. Thou art blasted and black! Supremely solitary in that
heath of scrub.
2. Up! The Ruddy clouds hang over thee! It is the storm.
3. There is a flaming gash in the sky.
4. Up.
5. Thou art tossed about in the grip of the storm for an aeon
and an aeon
and an aeon. But thou givest not thy sap; thou fallest not.
6. Only in the end shalt thou give up thy sap when the great
God F.I.A.T.
is entroned on the day of Be-With-Us.
7. For two things are done and a third thing is begun. Isis
and Osiris
are given over to incest and adultery. Horus leaps up thrice
armed from the
womb of his mother. Harpocrates his twin is hidden within him.
SET is his
holy covenant, that he shall display in the great day of M.A.A.T.,
that is
being interpreted the Master of the Temple of A: A:, whose name is
Truth.
8. Now in this is the magical power known.
9. It is like the oak that hardens itself and bears up against
the storm.
It is weather-beaten and scarred and confident like a sea-captain.
10. Also it straineth like a hound in the leash.
11. It hath pride and great subtlety. Yea, and glee also!
12. Let the Magus act thus in his conjuration.
13. Let him sit and conjure; let him draw himself together in that
forcefulness; let him rise next swollen and straining; let him
dash back the
hood from his head and fix his basilisk eye upon the sigil of the
demon.
Then let him sway the force of him to and fro like a satyr in
silence, until
the word burst from his throat.
14. Then let him not fall exhausted, although he might have been
ten
thousandfold the human; but that which floodeth him is
the infinite mercy of the Genitor-Genitrix of the Universe,
whereof he is the
Vessel.
15. Nor do thou deceive thyself. It is easy to tell the live
force from
the dead matter. It is no easier to tell the live snake from the
dead snake.
16. Also concerning vows. Be obstinate, and be not obstinate.
Understand
that the yielding of the Yoni is one with the lengthening of the
Lingam.
Thou art both these; and thy vow is but the rustling of the wind
on Mount
Meru.
17. How shalt thou adore me who am the Eye and the Tooth, the
Goat of the
Spirit, the Lord of Creation. I am the Eye in the Triangle, the
Silver Star
that ye adore.
18. I am Baphomet, that is the Eightfold Word that shall be
equilibrated
with the Three.
19. There is no act or passion that shall not be an hymn in
mine honour.
20. All holy things and all symbolic things shall be my
sacraments.
21. These animals are sacred unto me; the goat, and the duck,
and the ass,
and the gazelle, the man, the woman and the child.
22. All corpses are sacred unto me; they shall not be touched
save in mine
eucharist. All lonely places are sacred unto me; where one man
gathereth
himself together in my name, there will I leap forth in the midst
of him.
23. I am the hideous god, and who mastereth me is uglier than I.
24. Yet I give more than Bacchus and Apollo; my gifts exceed
the olive and
the horse.
25. Who worshippeth me must worship me with many rites.
26. I am concealed with all concealments; when the Most Holy
Ancient One
is stripped and driven through the market place, I am still secret
and apart.
27. Whom I love I chastise with many rods.
28. All things are sacred to me; no thing is sacred from me.
29. For there is no holiness where I am not.
30. Fear not when I fall in the fury of the storm; for mine
acorns are
blown afar by the wind; and verily I shall rise again,
and my childeren about me, so that we shall uplift our forest in
Eternity.
31. Eternity is the storm that covereth me.
32. I am Existence, the Existence that existeth not save
through its own
Existence, that is beyond the Existence of Existences, and rooted
deeper than
the No-Thing-Tree in the Land of No-Thing.
33. Now therefore thou knowest when I am within Thee, when my
hood is
spread over thy skull, when my might is more than the penned
Indus, and
resistless as the Giant Glacier.
34. For as thou art before a lewd woman in Thy nakedness in the
bazaar,
sucked up by her slyness and smiles, so art thou wholly and no
more in part
before the symbol of the beloved, though it be but a Pisacha or a
Yantra or a
Deva.
35. And in all shalt thou create the Infinite Bliss and the
next link of
the Infinite Chain.
36. This chain reaches from Eternity to Eternity, ever in
triangles --- is
not my symbol a triangle? --- ever in circles --- is not the
symbol of the
Beloved a circle? Therein is all progress base illusion, for
every circle is
alike and every triangle alike!
37. But the progress is progress, and progress is rapture,
constant,
dazzling, showers of light, waves of dew, flames of the hair of
the Great
Goddess, flowers of the roses that are about her neck, Amen!
38. Therefore lift up thyself as I am lifted up.
Hold thyself in as I am master to accomplish. At the end, be
the end far
distant as the stars that lie in the navel of Nuit, do thou slay
thyself as I
at the end am slain, in the death that is life, in the peace that
is mother
of war, in the darkness that holds light in his hand, as an harlot
that
plucks a jewel from her nostrils.
39. So therefore the beginning is delight, and the end is
delight, and
delight is in the midst, even as the Indus is water in the cavern
of the
glacier, and water among the greater hills and the lesser hills
and through
the ramparts of the hills and through the plains, and water at the
mouth
thereof when it leaps forth into the mighty sea, yea, into the
mighty sea.
(The Interpretation of this Book will be given to members of
the Grade of
Dominus Liminis on application, each to his Adeptus.)
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: Operation Do Do Bird - New York, New York, (718)
499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2114) Sat 16 Sep 89 18:45
By: Aleister Crowley
To: All
Re: Liber A vel Armorum
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:a0cd 133095a0
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Hephaestus (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
LIBER A
vel
ARMORUM
SUB FIGURA CCCXII.
" ... the obeah and the wanga; the work of the wand and the work
of the
sword; these he shall learn and teach." Liber AL, I, 37.
The Pantacle.
Take pure wax, or a plate of gold, silver-gilt or Electrum
Magicum. The
diameter shall be eight inches, and the thickness half an inch.
Let the Neophyte by his understanding and ingenium devise a
symbol to
represent the Universe.
Let his Zelator approve thereof.
Let the Neophyte engrave the same upon the plate with his own
hand and
weapon.
Let it when finished be consecrated as he hath skill to perform,
and kept
wrapped in silk of emerald green.
The Dagger.
Let the Zelator take a piece of pure steel, and beat it, grind
it, sharpen
it, and polish it, according to the art of the swordsmith.
Let him further take a piece of oak wood, and carve a hilt. The
length
shall be eight inches.
Let him by his understanding and ingenium devise a Word to
represent the
Universe.
Let his Practicus approve thereof.
Let the Zelator engrave the same upon his dagger with his own
hand and
instruments.
Let him further gild the wood of his hilt.
Let it when finished be consecrated as he hath skill to perform,
and kept
wrapped in silk of golden yellow.
The Cup.
Let the Practicus take a piece of Silver and fashion therefrom
a cup. The
height shall be 8 inches, and the diameter 3 inches.
Let him by his understanding and ingenium devise a Number to
represent the
Universe.
Let his Philosophus approve thereof.
Let the Practicus engrave the same upon his cup with his own
hand and
instrument.
Let it when finished be consecrated as he hath skill to perform,
and kept
wrapped in silk of azure blue.
The Baculum.
Let the Philosophus take a rod of copper, of length eight inches
and
diameter half an inch.
Let him fashion about the top a triple flame of gold.
Let him by his understanding and ingenium devise a Deed to
represent the
Universe.
Let his Dominus Liminis approve thereof.
Let the Philosophus perform the same in such a way that the
Baculum may be
partaker therein.
Let it when finished be consecrated as he hath skill to perform,
and kept
wrapped in silk of fiery scarlet.
The Lamp.
Let the Dominus Liminis take pure lead, tin, and quicksilver, with
platinum, and, if need be, glass.
let him by his understanding and ingenium devise a Magick Lamp
that shall
burn without wick or oil, being fed by the Aethyr.
This shall he accomplish secretly and apart, without asking the
advice or
approval of his Adeptus Minor.
Let the Dominus Liminis keep it when consecrated in the secret
chamber of
Art.
This then is that which is written: "Bring furnished with
complete armour
and armed, he is similar to the goddess."
And again, "I am armed, I am armed."
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: Operation Do Do Bird - New York, New York, (718)
499-9277 (1:107/666)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(2115) Tue 19 Sep 89 20:21
By: Aleister Crowley
To: Those Who Want To Know
Re: TRanslation of Grimorium Sanctissimum
St:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
@EID:5226 1333a2a0
* Original: FROM.....Tony Iannotti (107/666)
* Original: TO.......Latin Students (107/666)
* Forwarded by.......OPUS 107/666
The Most Holy Grimoire.
This Grimoire, which contains the Secret of Secrets not yet
revealed,
was made by the Supreme King O.T.O. Baphomet Xø M... himself.
Regarding the Temple.
1. East ............... Altar
2. West ............... Tablet of god to be
invoked
3. North ............... Priestess {or Priest}
4. South ............... Fire with thurible. etc.
5. Center ............... Four-sided Stone with:
Images of the God
Most Great, Ineffable, Unspoken Secret
and with sword, bell, oil
The Virgin. Place the image beside the Book Thelema.
Regarding the First Ceremony.
Let it done be as Book 671 has said, but first let the Virgin be
purified
with the words: "Asperge me..." etc., and put off her garments
with the
words: "Per sanctum Mysterium," etc. Thus is the Pyramid raised.
Then the
Virgin purifies the priest, and removes his vestments as is above
ordained.
(Here the virgin states the orations of this work of god).
Regarding the Ceremony of the Thurible.
Let the virgin kindle the fire and the priest with her hands,
saying:
"Accendat in nobis Dominus ignem sui amoris et flamman aeternae
caritatis."
Regarding the Ceremony of Dedication.
The virgin invokes the image of the God Most Huge, Ineffable,
Secret, not
to be spoken of, with these words. --- "Tu qui es prater
omnia...x.t.l."
Neither does she relinquish the other image.
Regarding the Final Sacrifice
Then the priest breaks the silence with the words of the holy
versicle of
the particular god being invoked
He enters the Holy of Holies.
Beware; beware; beware.
Two who are become ONE sing without interuption, and in high
voice,
the words of the holy versicles.
®MDNM¯ Regarding the Blessing of the Blessing
Having spent the dew, the woman says these words "Quia patris et
filii s.s."
etc.
Regarding the Final Ceremony
Let it be done as it has been said in Book 671.
®MDSU¯®MDSD¯®MDNM¯
--- ConfMail V4.00
* Origin: Wacko's Like Us, Inc. -=*=- New York, New York, (718)
499-9277 (1:107/666)
