There being a lack of interesting news stories these past few days, I am forced to resort to desperate measures to find something on which to opine: I read The Guardian. And lo! Here is a story about a Church of England Vicar who admits to being a magician and visiting a Druid gathering for Summer Solstice.
Excited I read on. Could this be someone like the Reverend Ayton who was a clergyman, alchemist, and one of the first members of the Golden Dawn? Or Father Fitzpatrick and his brethren who was active at Whare Ra? By calling himself a Christian and a magician, was he in fact saying he practised a Christian form of magic such as that of the Elus Cohens – or a form of Christian esotericism such as Martinism or Rosicrucianism?
As it happens, no. What he – a gentleman named Mark Townsend – actually meant was that he was a stage magician. Apparently he thought that this was somehow comparable to actual Magic(k) as is practised by both pagans and Christian Occultists. He seemed to think that the use of ledgerdemain can impress people so much that they will pay attention to him long enough for him to minister to them.
The fundamental problem though is this. With stage magic one experiences initial surprise which quickly wears off because one knows that it is actually false. With real Magic – as indeed with the miracles of Jesus – the wonder of it stays and continually grows, because one realises that it is actually true. It is a shame that the priest in question attempted to use a False thing to give witness to something which is purportedly the greatest truth of his religion, when the use of Theurgy – magical ritual used to attain the ends of mysticism, would have been so much more effective.
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Free Peter Aziz!
British-based Ayahuascero Peter Aziz
Disturbing news that a Shaman living in England has been convicted and imprisoned for supplying a class A drug. Peter Aziz is an Ayahuascero who has been conducting Ayahuasca healing-sessions in the West country for several years now. Ayahuasca – the Peruvian “Vine of Death” – is technically legal in the UK … but decocting it into an Ayahuasca Tea is not, as apparently this counts as supplying L-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which in England is a banned substance.
This will come as disappointing news to Ayahuasca enthusiasts in this country, who will now have to travel abroad to Spain or Peru itself if they want to go on a healing session.
Your humble blogmaster whilst not a partaker himself is nevertheless acquainted with more than a few people who have gone on Ayahuasca retreats. The remarkable thing is that in most cases they have come back looking and acting healthier, and reporting beneficial changes, for example, resolution of various psychological issues, or being miraculously cured of long-standing illnesses such as allergies.
However, I have also heard of people who complained that some Ayahuasca sessions were run by people who did not know what they were doing, and hence the sessions did not go particularly well. Clearly, Ayahuasca should only be taken – if it is going to be taken at all – strictly under the supervision of someone who is thoroughly trained in it, e.g. by having studied extensively under Peruvian shamen. Which is ironic seeing as Aziz, who is one of the few British-based Ayahuasceros who is reputable in this respect, has just been banged-up in hokey.
Given that Ayahuasca apparently has therapeutic uses, we should be conducting scientific studies to see if it can be incorporated into mainstream medical practice, and establish a responsible methodology for its administration: not prosecuting Ayahuasceros who act in good-faith, such as Aziz. I do hope that Aziz gets out soon, preferably by having his conviction overturned.
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Tagged as Ayahuasca, British Law, DMT, Guardian, l-dimethyltryptamine, Peter Aziz