Category Archives: Comment

What the stars have in store for… America

If no-one comes from the future to stop you from doing it, then how bad of a decision can it really be?
It’s the US Presidential election, folks! Using my powers of Astrology, I will attempt to bring consolation to everyone hanging upon its outcome.

The Election itself.

The last polling station will close – hence sealing the fate of the election – at 8pm in the far Western reaches of Alaska – equivalent to 1am Washington DC time the morning of Wednesday 9th November 2016. This effectively represents the “birth” of the new administration.

Chart cast for Washington DC, 1am local time, Wednesday 9th November 2016.

Chart cast for Washington DC, 1am local time, Wednesday 9th November 2016.

The new administration will enjoy favourable relations with the nation’s media. It will do much to bolster US trade and commerce, but it will also seek to gain greater control over the internet as it tries to do so. Conspiracy theorists will be delighted to learn that it will be working hand in glove with corrupt and secretive people of influence!

During the term of the new administration, the case of the Dakota Pipeline will make it to the Supreme Court, who will rule in favour of the oil companies and those who seek to profit therefrom. However: Wikileaks will expose a tremendous number of flaws in the judicial process which lead to that decision, causing some of the worst rioting in US history.

The American people will mostly be concerned about the healthcare system – in particular, there will be great public dissatisfaction with the way it is covered by the media. Ironically this will lead to greater public activism and engagement in the political process.

Hilary Clinton

Donald Trump

Donald Trump

By analysing the transits of each of the Presidential candidates at the time of the election, one can gain an idea as to whether, at the time of the close of polls, they will be celebrating or not.

Hilary Clinton was born on 26th October 1947, in Chicago (not having her birth time, I have approximated this to 12 noon). A chart drawn up comparing the time of close of polls to her natal chart would be thus:

Comparison between Washington DC at the time of close of polls, Wednesday morning, and Hilary Clinton's birth-chart.

Comparison between Washington DC at the time of close of polls, Wednesday morning, and Hilary Clinton’s birth-chart.

Hilary has an interesting Mars / Pluto conjunction in her natal chart which greatly affects how she is feeling at this time. Transiting Jupiter suggest she is in high spirits, is strong and determined, hungry for adventure, and broadening her horizons and transforming her career in a positive manner. Transiting Saturn meanwhile shows that she is disciplined, in control, with a clear sense of purpose, and ready to undertake painstaking hard-work.

Transiting Mars is square her natal Sun (probably indicating the illness she had several weeks ago) – however it is also sextile Natal Jupiter, of which it is said

You possess willpower, verve, and energy that you can direct toward achieving your more lofty goals. You have the urge to expand, branch out, or take on more challenges. The desire to take action for the good or to better your life is strong now.

Courtesy of Café Astrology.

Sun transiting Natal Venus suggests a high degree of popularity – especially amongst female voters.

The transiting Sun is also square her Mars and Pluto, although I shall comment upon this further below.

Donald Trump

Hilary Clinton

Hilary Clinton

Donald Trump was born on June 14th 1946 in New York (again I don’t have the birth time, so I have approximated it to 12 noon). Hence, his chart, drawn up in a similar manner to that of Hilary, would be as follows:

Comparison between Washington DC at the time of close of polls, Wednesday morning, and Donald Trump's birth-chart.

Comparison between Washington DC at the time of close of polls, Wednesday morning, and Donald Trump’s birth-chart.

(NB: when I first saw Trump’s natal chart, I noticed that he has Mercury square Jupiter – his big-mouth often gets in the way of his ambitions!)

Donald has some favourable transits right now: for example transiting Jupiter is conjunct both his natal Jupiter and Chiron. This would suggest this could be a year of great fortune for Donald… either that or it is time to make big changes in his life. Moreover, this is an excellent time for Donald to travel to or study about foreign lands and cultures, as he will return home with a more tolerant and accepting attitude toward his neighbours (Mexico?), as well as a renewed desire to share his newfound knowledge and experience with others. However, he should resist any temptation to preach to others or push hisideas too hard, for this would surely lead to disagreements and conflict.

The transiting Sun, meanwhile, is trine to both his natal Saturn and Venus, indicating both his personal charm, and his ability to stay grounded. Hey, I’m just calling it like I see it!

On the other hand, transiting Pluto is square to the same Jupiter & Chiron conjunction noted above… Café Astrology says of this:

If you have been working along lines that are in conflict with your religious and philosophical views, this could be a time of tension. A change either in the direction of your life or in your values will thus be necessary to deal with your growing sense of frustration.

And:

Your main effort now should be in trying to live up to the best in you, rather than lowering your standards to achieve a more transient worldly success. … You certainly need to spread your wings now, but be wary of taking major risks and gambling on a venture that promises you prosperity, freedom, and adventure. …Your career can end up at right angles to your own inner sensitivities and need for growth and change. Emotional material welling up from within you may challenge and threaten the current path you travel, causing you to stop and consider it with care.

Finally, Donald has the transiting Sun square his natal Mars … but, as noted above, so has Hilary! Of this aspect it is said:

You could find yourself driven by a restless desire to do something; but without a well-defined goal, you tend towards impulsive actions and get yourself into needless arguments … As long as you channel this excess energy constructively, instead of wasting your time arguing, you can accomplish much.

Conclusion

Hence, although it may seem like stating the obvious, I am plumping for Hilary Clinton for the win. The reasons being:

  • Hilary will gain almost all of the female vote, as well as most of the male vote;
  • Both candidates have lots of energy and dynamism right now. But because Hilary has the sensible policies and Trump only has the intemperate rhetoric, this energy and dynamism will work in Hilary’s favour and against Trump’s.
  • Donald Trump may very well make a success of his life, so long as he does not become President. If he were to pursue an alternate career path, he would become a better person for it.

This is not to say everything will turn out alright, as Hilary will certainly have her problems when she does move back into the White House.

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Orlando: the occult response

Mars, Sol, Mercury, Venus, Luna, Saturn, Jupiter

Mars, Sol, Mercury, Venus, Luna, Saturn, Jupiter

With fifty confirmed dead and fifty three wounded, there are at least 103 souls in direct need of help, not factoring in distressed and bereaved friends, relatives, etc.

The key magic word you want to memorise right now is Psychopomp.

A fact little known except to those familiar with shamanic traditions is that both disincarnate and incarnate spiritual beings (read: humans) have a part to play in seeing to the welfare of the recently deceased. On an exoteric level, this mainly consists of the Last Rites and funerary practices of mainstream religions. However on an esoteric level, this amounts to actively using ones astral powers to investigate the situation of the soul of the departed, to see whether it is possible to help it make the transition to the post-mortem condition which it most deserves, whether that be reincarnation or eternal rest in the place appointed for it. The magician or shaman engaging in this work thus becomes a Psychopomp – helping the soul move on from the trauma of its body’s physical demise. In this way, the magician puts his or her Compassion for the deceased to practical expression.

It is within my personal knowledge that whenever there has been a major national tragedy, such as a terrorist outrage or natural disaster, the unreported story is that there are always dedicated magicians who do Psychopomp work for those affected. I would therefore invite my readers to aspire to help the victims of this shooting in Orlando in this way – and to support the work of those magicians who are already doing so.

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The Joy of Hex

News this week that after a witch planned a mass hexing of Stanford rapist Brock Turner by posting it on Facebook, Raymond Buckland threw a hissy fit by exclaiming “Witches do not hex!” This caused a certain amount of cynicism to manifest to visible appearance in certain quarters. The fact is that never mind what historical witches were alleged to have done or not done hundreds of years ago – the fact is that the Elders of the modern-day Craft are known to have indulged within living memory.

For example: Gerald Gardner once cursed a man into selling him his house when he was unwilling to do so. He then re-wrote the Book of Shadows to say that this was perfectly acceptable, so long as the seller gets paid a fair price for it.

Later on, Alex Sanders demonstrated a ritual technique for placing a curse on someone for the benefit of a film crew. Ironically, the same ritual technique found its way into Janet & Stewart Farrar’s The Witches Bible, although they did not make it clear that it could be used to make someone drown themselves. However, in Stewart Farrar’s earlier book, What Witches Do, he described another technique Sanders had for performing psychic abortions (i.e. on pregnant women who asked for it). The method consisted of destroying the foetus by first imagining it as a Pentagram, then magically collapsing it. The problem with this approach is that the Pentagram is the sign of an actual living being – Sanders was effectively admitting the foetus was alive, before killing it. This raises the possibility that the same method could be used on any Pentagram… but I have said more than enough.

This raises an interesting question: given that so many occultists publicly claim they never practice evil magick, just where do they get knowledge of these vile techniques, if the practice thereof supposedly does not form part of their tradition?

The answer unfortunately is that the knowledge of these evil rites is preserved, because it is good for marketing purposes. Seriously! I actually wrote about this in 2011, in my novel Licence To Depart. Without any trace of irony in relation to the quip about marketing, I quote:

 “Tonight we’re going to perform a black magic ritual, to kill one who is in the service of the forces of Light,” Sir William said gravely. He paused – and then lightened his tone. “Do you know where I got this ritual from?” he asked, almost conversationally. “A book on white magic!”

A murmur of laughter rippled amongst those present. Sir William continued.

“It’s true: it’s an extraordinary fact that often the vilest, most despicable forms of evil magic are set out in the books which claim most loudly to be working for the service of the light! The mediaeval grimoires. ‘Magick’ by Aleister Crowley – that’s got at least one death-spell in it: so too has that book on Huna by Max Freedom Long. ‘Psychic Self-Defence’ by Dion Fortune – that’s got lots of black magic in it, all for the sake of supposedly warning her readers against it. Pah! To them they’re hypocritically increasing their sales: to us, they provide a valuable resource.

“Well tonight the ritual we’re going to use is drawn from another book on so-called white magic – ‘The Tarot’ by Mouni Sadhu…”

Cover Artwork © 2011, der Autor.

Cover Artwork © 2011, Alex Sumner

 

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Prince: In Memoriam

Prince, 1958 - 2016 RIP

Prince, 1958 – 2016 RIP

PRINCE, the purple pop-star –
Earth’s greatest purple treasure!
Artisan of purple happiness
And craftsman of purple pleasure!

Purple the music he composed
Purple the instruments he played
Purple the love he spread around
And purple the millions that he made!

Drab and grey looked the world
Before Prince purple-turned it
His purple-talent surpassing all
That the acclaim he truly earned it.

One day, the Purple One expired –
Grief struck the entire nation!
Long tears and cries and wails rang out
At this Purple disincarnation.

But a Purple Spirit from the cadaver stirred
And into the Purple Air arose;
Purple the aura it radiated forth;
And Purple its ethereal clothes –

And down a Purple Chariot came
Drawn by Purple Unicorns
The Purple Ghost climbed therein
And so to heaven was he borne.

The Princely Ghost looked up ahead
As saw to where he would fly
A Paradise of Purple Light
Which filled the purple sky.

Purple were its blissful walls
Purple the dreaming towers
Purple pleasure gardens lay beyond
Bedecked with purple flowers.

Purple were the hills and vales
Purple the rivers and trees
Purple Bird-song filled the air
As did the buzzing of purple bees.

“Halt!” a purple-voice boomed out
Almost terrifying the Purple One,
“Thou canst not enter this Purple Heaven,
Unless thou tell the good that thou hast done.”

Prince stared bewildered for a moment
As the purple words assailed him
Desperately he tried to think
But his thoughts, they almost failed him –

But then he remembered his Purple Fans
And the happiness he had created
So he gathered his purple wits together,
And to the Purple God he stated:

“My purple songs are mystic gems
Too numerous to mention –
They raise the listeners up from their lives
Up to a purple dimension.

“My purple standards of excellence
Are, to musicians, an inspiration:
Long may the Purple Legacy continue
From generation to generation!”

“Fantastic!” the Purple Deity cried,
“Your deeds are duly noted –
Take your rightful Purple place herein:
A Purple-Angel, you’re promoted!”

So Prince approached the Heavenly City
Bathed in its Purple-glow
Saint Peter opened wide the gate
And told him: “INDIGO!”

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Clairvoyance

David Bowie, seen here trying (and failing) to give the Hailing Sign of a Fellowcraft Freemason ("Heroes," 1978)

David Bowie, seen here trying to give the Hailing Sign of a Fellowcraft Freemason!
(“Heroes,” 1978)

This is a follow-up to the article I posted on Thursday concerning David Bowie, in which I made the point that he incorporated esoteric symbolism even into the last video he released before his death.

In the 1997 interview quoted at the top of the article, Bowie revealed that he was influenced by Arthur Edward Waite and Dion Fortune, and briefly described the kind of occult practices in which he indulged. Now, it’s obvious to me that he was simplifying it for a non-magical audience, but from what he said it is clear to me that he was practising what I would call proper occultism – specifically the kind of Clairvoyant experiments undertaken by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

In Golden Dawn terms, Clairvoyance does not involve somehow seeing what is occurring elsewhere in the normal, physical world, beyond the range of ordinary sight: this instead is nowadays known as “remote viewing.” Instead, Clairvoyance, of the type Bowie described in his interview, involves seeing magical phenomena on the Astral Plane. The Astral Plane is a nebulous continuum which, in its lower reaches, is nothing more than the world of dreams which we all experience, but in its upper realms is where magical and spiritual forces manifest as phenomena which one can observe and with which one can interact.

This would imply Bowie would have had to have spent a lot of time studying the Qabalah, in order to gain the requisite background knowledge, but most of all, it would have meant learning to master the art of Astral Projection.

A typical Clairvoyant exercise would be what is known as a Tattva-journey. A “Tattva” is a symbol derived from Tantric art representing one of the metaphysical Elements. These symbols the Golden Dawn appropriated for itself to express the Elements known to western occultism. For example, this symbol represents Fire:

"Tejas," i.e. the Fire Tattva.

“Tejas,” i.e. the Fire Tattva.

So, the kind of thing that Bowie would have done would go like this:

Firstly: stare intently at the tattva-symbol chosen for that particular Tattva-journey.

Secondly: suddenly transfer your gaze to looking at a plain white surface, e.g. the wall. If you have been staring intently enough, you will see a negative image of the symbol appear on the wall. Thoroughly familiarise yourself with this image so you can visualise it before your mind’s eye.

Thirdly: astrally project, imagining that the image you are visualising is a doorway to the astral plane, and you are projecting yourself through it.

Fourthly: you should now find yourself in a magical realm – it is the astral equivalent of the force whose symbol you have just been visualising. At this stage, remain perfectly still – do not attempt to move about on the astral plane, but instead start chanting (or “vibrating” as it is termed in Golden Dawn literature) the Divine and Angelic names associated with your chosen Tattva-symbol. This is where prior knowledge of the Qabalah is essential. One should also make the appropriate grade-sign at this point. Technically, these would have only been taught to you if you had gone through the corresponding Golden Dawn initation ceremony, although they have been published for getting on for over 80 years now.

Fifthly: a creature or being should appear, and respond well to your chanting (if it doesn’t respond well, banish it, and wait for one that does). This is your Spirit Guide for this realm, and with its assistance you can now go exploring and find out all about the magical and spiritual implications of the realm you are visiting.

Sixthly: once you have finished exploring, return to the point of entry, thank your guide, and come back out of the Astral Doorway, back to the physical plane, your body, and to normal consciousness.

Speaking from personal experience, the Spirit Guides that one meets when going on these Clairvoyant-excursions can become valuable allies for performing magical operations in the future. For example, if one were to venture into the Fire tattva, pictured above, and made contact with a Fiery spirit-guide, and returned on subsequent occasions so as to build up a relationship with it, one could get to the point where one could call on this spirit-guide to help you with some other ritual involving the element of Fire, such as consecrating a talisman, or something similar.

Or, depending on which symbol or symbols you chose to work with, you could ask the spirit guides you meet for help with various aspects of your life – such as deriving inspiration for creating a new work of art – or even for composing a new song.

In the Stella Matutina, which was a magical order which succeeded the original Golden Dawn, papers were circulated amongst members who attained the grade of Adeptus Major and higher, which made the point that the same Tattva-journeys which the members had already learnt to make could be extended in scope for advanced magical projects – such as attaining knowledge of one’s past lives, learning the occult history of this planet, and making contact with discarnate spiritual masters.

In conclusion, this is basically what Bowie would have done. I presume this must have been in the earlier part of the seventies, before his excessive cocaine use started making paranoid about witches, and Jimmy Page, and so forth. NB: Bowie was afraid that witches were trying to steal his semen. I rather suspect that any witches that were, were not doing so for some nefarious purpose, but because they simply wanted to have sex with him! 🙂

 

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EU Unbans Occult Websites Banned By David Cameron | Alex Sumner

From Huffington Post:

It has been announced in the news today thatThe European Union has voted through legislation that will require all internet providers to treat online traffic “without discrimination” …

Source: EU Unbans Occult Websites Banned By David Cameron | Alex Sumner

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Syria: Christ, Angels, and the Occult | Alex Sumner

In my previous blog on the Syrian Refugee crisis, I proposed resorting to Sorcery to find out what the best solution ought to be. This naturally leads to the question: can Magic be used to put such a solution into effect?

Source: Syria: Christ, Angels, and the Occult | Alex Sumner

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Jeremy Corbyn is the only candidate the public actually likes – Labour or otherwise – Comment – Voices – The Independent

Your humble blogmaster is actually delighted that Jeremy Corbyn is heading the polls to become the next leader of the Labour Party. As long ago as 2010 I identified him as one of only a few MPs of all parties that I would actually have any time for (see: Britain’s Most Eccentric MPs). Also he gets props in my book for his quip “Tony Blair’s biggest problem is that we’re still waiting for the Chilcott Report.”

So good luck to Mr Corbyn! We may not get a Labour government, but at least we will get a Labour opposition which is more colourful than the last charisma-bypassed loser that they had! 😛

Full story:

Jeremy Corbyn is the only candidate the public actually likes – Labour or otherwise – Comment – Voices – The Independent.

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General Election 2015: The Aftermath

With the results declared, the British General Election is over, and so it is time to see how my predictions fared against the actual facts and figures. I cannot help but think that the overall conclusion to be drawn is that the stars predicted the direction the result was going to go today – though not the precise details.

David Cameron / The Conservative Party

What I wrote:

Cameron (9th October 1966, London) has a lot of favourable influences going for him that day… The Conservatives will be the largest party in Parliament, but without an absolute majority. David Cameron will stay on as Prime Minister, this time of a minority Conservative government, not a Coalition.

What actually happened:

The Conservatives did get an absolute majority – but only just, to wit: twelve seats. However, in practical terms it’s actually sixteen seats because Sinn Fein boycott the House of Commons on principle. The prediction I made did seem to reflect the BBC’s exit poll published just as the polls closed, but not the final results! Still, we should remember that it is entirely possible that with by-elections, this majority may be wiped out and become a minority in the course of this parliament – that is exactly what happened to John Major in 1992.

Ed Milliband / The Labour Party

What I wrote:

Labour will be the second largest, but will experience a loss of seats, mostly to the SNP, but also to UKIP.

What actually happened

Labour were the second largest, and did experience a loss of seats to the SNP. However, due to a quirk in the UK’s election system, they lost a lot of seats not to UKIP, but because of UKIP. More about this anon.

Nigel Farage / UKIP

What I wrote:

…UKIP will see significant gains in the numbers of their seats… UKIP will go through a period of reform where they are forced to jettison the more extreme elements of their party.

What actually happened:

UKIP saw significant gains in their number of votes, not seats. According to a BBC poll, UKIP notched up 12.6% of the popular vote, becoming the third most popular party amongst the electorate, with only the Conservatives and Labour in front of them. However, because of the way UKIP voters are distributed throughout Britain, voting for UKIP divided support for the Labour party, allowing in many cases the Conservative candidate to get in. Had for instance, the same number of UKIP voters been concentrated in a small region instead of equally distributed across the country, the same number of votes would have translated into increased seats in parliament – but the constituency map is gerrymandered against them.

Still I was right about UKIP having to jettison the more extreme elements of their party – e.g. Nigel Farage himself! 😛

Scottish National Party

What I wrote:

[T]he SNP … will see significant gains in the numbers of their seats. The SNP will find it difficult to hold the balance of power though, as the other parties will be reluctant to work with them.

What actually happened:

The stars were generally correct about the SNP’s fortunes – also vindicating my decision to examine the horoscope of Angus Robertson, their campaign director. The SNP did see a significant gain in the number of its seats – mainly because, unlike UKIP, they are concentrated in one (demographically) small region (i.e. Scotland), where the average size of each constituency in terms of voters is smaller than the rest of the country. The system, in other words, is gerrymandered in their favour.

The SNP also failed to hold the balance of power, though for different reasons entirely – i.e. the  Conservatives winning an outright majority. However: as I said above, it is still within the realm of possibility that the Tory majority may diminish within the lifetime of the parliament, so the dynamic of power between the parties may yet change.

Natalie Bennett / The Green Party

What I wrote:

[S]he will be disappointed by the result of the election. The day will be pretty much a non-event for her… The Green Party will be neither better nor worse off after the election than before.

What actually happened:

Unfortunately, this is precisely what occurred. The Green Party held on to its one seat in Brighton, but won nothing else.

Nick Clegg / The Liberal Democrats

What I wrote:

Clegg will be the subject of much anger, also the forces of change will be proving difficult for him to make any headway… [I]t will be a good time for Clegg to be alone, and to realise his flaws and weaknesses… The Liberal Democrats in general, and Nick Clegg in particular, will collapse.

What actually happened:

I so totally called this one!!!

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What the Stars have in store for… HRH Princess Charlotte of Cambridge

Their Royal Highnesses the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge with Princess Charlotte

Their Royal Highnesses the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge with Princess Charlotte

Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, second child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and fourth in line to the British throne, was born at 0834 British Summer Time on the 2nd May 2015, at the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London, England – 51°31′2″N 0°10′23″W. A horoscope calculated with these data gives the following:

2nd May 2015, 8:34 am (British Summer time).   Sun Taurus, Moon Libra, Asc Cancer.

2nd May 2015, 8:34 am (British Summer time).
Sun Taurus, Moon Libra, Asc Cancer.

What immediately strikes me in this horoscope is that there is so much militating in Princess Charlotte’s favour to grow up, fall in love and have a happy and successful marriage.

Taurus (Princess Charlotte’s sun-sign) is the sign of people who tend to get married for life: moreover, Moon in Libra suggests she will feel romantic and personable. Of this Sun-Moon combination, other astrologers have said:

[This combination]… produces one of the most likable personalities in the Zodiac. Others may have more wit, ambition, or intellect, but none equal the charm and appeal of this combination. A nice home and a close family are your first loves; social contact and involvement, a close second. Your keen social personality is aided by a fine sense of humor and an easygoing outlook. This personality is marked with optimism, even if you’re up to your ears in private woes. Anyone that doesn’t like you is probably motivated by jealousy. You are expressive and idealistic, your nature is inclined toward the dramatic and the artistic.

Sun and Moon Combinations by Michael McLain.

Other famous people with this Sun / Moon combination include: her own first cousin once removed Zara Philips, Catherine De Medici, William Shakespeare, Bertrand Russell, and many more.

More tellingly, Princess Charlotte’s Moon is in the Fourth House – the house of the home and family – signifying that a secure family and home-life is what will make Charlotte most comfortable. Her Caput Draconis (signifier of destiny) is also in the Fourth house, implying that this is the direction she will want to seek in her life as an adult.

With Cancer as rising sign, she will appear to be a sensitive, slightly shy person… but only outwardly. In reality she will actually enjoy a life of public engagements, and draw great strength from being in charge of whatever situation she might find herself in (Sun in 10th House / Cauda Draconis in Aries also in 10th House).

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