"Steal This Book of Shadows" - "Bass-Ac Words": A Blog

"Steal This Book of Shadows" ver 2.0
(What's Really Happening in the Mind of a Wizard)
An Occult Tutorial,

"Bass-Ac-words"

~A Blog~
by Azzerac

~PAGES~

Prev HOME Next

(Brought To You By,...)

This Bog has been moved. If you actually Found this page, you want to go to "Bass-Ac-Words" The Author's Blog

(January, 13th, 2009)

OUCH!

I'm quitting smoking, this week, and it's playing Merry-Hob with my Brain-Pan!

Imagine you're all alone, in a big empty bus, on a dirt road, all the way in the back, with no seats, and the driver has turrets syndrome....But it's the only way to get to where you need to go! This is Brain on Nicotine Withdrawals!

For some reason, it really made sense that a "Tuesday & Thursday Update" didn't need to be done until midnight Tuesday & Thursday! ~L~

I'm trying, Folks! Really I am. Let's see if we can't get through this, and out the other side, together!

Please Be Patient with Me!

~Azzerac

(December, 21st, 2008)

WOW!

It's amazing what cold weather, high winds, and lack of fore-thought can do to your "Regularly Scheduled Programming"! It's bad enough when you catch the flu, but the one-two punch of the weather, hard on it's heels, can make one look...."Unreliable". That problem has been solved. We're no longer depending on simply one machine for all of our web-work, and have made assurances that -20 Far. Degree Wind-Chills won't keep us from up-linking again!

I've literally been composing these updates, right up to the moment before posting them. Some might say that's bad form, but I believe that one teaches from the mind, and not the research papers! If I don't know it, I shouldn't be teaching it. Given that, it would be deceitful to do it any other way than "My Way". I do some of my best work on a dead-line. ~Wink!~

Thanks for checking back, Faithful Friends!
I won't leave you hanging again!
~Azzerac

(October, 7th, 2008)

This is how I like to write these: On The Fly!
It's 18:30 (6:30 pm, in Colorado, USA), and I haven't any notes composed. This is great for keeping me from over-thinking things! It's one of the biggest problems with practitioners, today. They get lost in this, that, or the other, and forget that Magic is from "Self", not Circumstances!

They think that Magic MUST be done in accord with Astrological Charts, Stone Correspondences, or the perfect wand! These are simply tools for "Spiritual Momentum"! A stone has a vibration, a wand the same, and they really help a lot with doing magic. The one thing that helps the most, though, is between your ears! It weighs about 5-7 lbs, is composed mostly of fat, and contains most of what you know about yourself!

The truth of the matter is that If I can't explain how it's done, as I would in polite conversation, then I'm no better than the Theorists! They sit in their armchairs, talk the talk, but teaching & doing falls outside of the prevue of their experience & abilities! If I have to look it up, it ain't MY Magic! It isn't how I do things. It would be how someone else thinks they do it!

This is about how I get it done. It's about where the Magic hits the Streets, not The Altar Room, and about how the World we live is is Magical, not just the stores we shop in!

I'll be the first to admit that it makes my writings a bit more disjointed then the printed authors, and perhaps a bit harder to follow. I'm sure holes appear in certain cases, and there's also the likelihood that I may have left out certain processes out of pure oversight & enthusiasm! There may even be topics I've forgotten all about, and won't even cover, until you Remind Me! (Feel free to contact me, and let me know to cover some skill or process, or ask how soon I'll get to it!)

The thing to remember is that this is a Book of Shadows: It has, through that very title, Free-Reign to "Free-Form"! I'm here to help, with what I know, remember, do, think, and (most of all) chart my successes, so you can gain from them.

This, also, shouldn't be your whole diet of metaphysical texts. The thing that you need to find is what techniques work for you!

For those of you that this does help, I'm so very glad you're here, and that I get this great opportunity to share my finding with you!

Thanks!

Azzerac

(8/06/08)

Today in Class:

It was a small group, as a few were out of town, and others had guests visiting (Note to Self: Check Astrological Variances, placed on today. Cross Reference predictions with results).

I was surprised to hear that one of my newest attendees had not only achieved a state of Auric Field Awareness through his meditations, but had learned to differentiate between not Three, but Many More layers of Etheric Bodies. This is in keeping with the Buddhist Model, of a Seven Layer Aura. Though I can't say I have ever perceived this level of distinction of layers, it has given me inspiration to explore the phenomenon further. I have only a cursory knowledge of this direction of metaphysical specialty. Chakras & Meridians, yes, but this?

My hat is off to you, Hermano!

~Azzerac

(8/04/08)

"Independence" as a defense mechanism:

I get a lot of questions about the Interconnected-ness of all creatures and how I "preach" Self-Empowering, Religion-Free Occultism. I'm sure you know (or will see) how I do believe in the power-potential of tapping into the collective unconscious to amplify spell ability & effectiveness (they are different aspects, really!), but there is another aspect to address.

As you begin to expand your powers of telepathy, the thoughts and feelings of others can 'get under your skin'. You really don't want to know how much that thoroughly repulsive creature wants to sleep with you! You don't want to feel how pissed-off that belligerent drunk asking for change got when you turned them down! You need to be able to shut it out. The easiest way I learned was to simply unplug from them. Separate yourself from the communal madness of the rest of humanity (and the animal kingdom at large), and not only do you NOT experience their crap, but you don't feed it, either. Their spell works and empathic barrages can just try to work without Your Mojo empowering it!

Another aspect to address: "Going Rogue" forces you to develop your abilities without anyone meeting you 'half-way'. You have to be stronger than the rest to get the same job done. When you do finally decide to 'plug-in', every aspect becomes easier! What required you to turn into a frothing-at-the-mouth Juggernaut of emotional & metaphysical power will have you barely breaking a sweat.

I teach you how to "Get Off The Net" metaphysically!

It's a great way to get your head back together, and figure out if you are the one causing you to feel, think, & act that way, or is it....

"THEM!!!!"

I have found great "Respite from the Repugnance" in this technique, and the Metaphysical Work-Out "hasn't hurt me none, no-how".

Give it some thought,

~Azzerac

(8/01/08)

I need to apologize for the lateness of this entry:

It's a big topic to cover, many references to track down, exercises to expound upon, and observations to direct you to. It's a monumental undertaking, and not so easy to boil-down into a consumable level. Also, I had to change the order in which I approach the manifestations of magic. In the earlier order, it would have been as if I were setting you up for failure. The new order will give you a better order for successful experimentation.

I'll be posting this entry on Monday morning.

Thank You for your patience!

~Azzerac

(7/28/08)

"The Accountability of Spiritual Guides"

I just finished writing the page on Emotions, and their importance, and realized at the start that this is asking a lot from most people. How do you tell someone that they need to push themselves to the breaking point? I warn in every page how this is not for the faint-of-heart, or fragile-of-mind, but I still fear for the novice and their sanity.

To most men in our culture, or at least those of my subculture, asking them to face their own emotions is like asking them to wear a dress. They see it as an assault on their masculinity! It occurs to me as well: they are the ones who are walking into completely alien territory, and are the most likely to "break"!

The deeper they are buried, the more likely are the land-mines you'll find.

I can't stress enough the need for a support structure, on this one, folks! This can really damage the unwary! If you have a lot of shit buried deep behind your emotional walls, this might bring it all crashing down. Some might even require therapy, afterwards. I don't envy you, folks! I wish I could walk you through it.

Just remember: Don't Rush It! Take things slowly, as "stuff" begins to surface! If you try to rush, you could bring your mind to ruin! I've been doing this since I was a child, and was able to examine the damaging aspects of my life as they happened. If you come across something "Closed-Off", or "Blacked-Out" of your memory, don't push the issue! This may be an indicator of some seriously repressed issues, and you could be in for a world of shock & trauma if you try to face these things without a trained psychotherapist!

Most people pursue the Occult or Metaphysics out of a need for power & control over their lives. These repressed issues may be just that reason for you, on an unconscious level.

It is better to err on the side of caution, under these circumstances.

~Azzerac

(7/25/08)

"The Edge is no place for people who break"

A lot of people ask me what I suggest as a good beginner's-book for Witchcraft & Magic, and are surprised when I suggest Terry Pratchett! With raised eyebrows they ask, "Isn't he a fantasy author? What about Cunningham or Buckland?".

"Well", I say, "You asked about Witchcraft. Not Herbalism, not Wicca, and not Politics, but Witchcraft"!

They didn't ask me about where to get this-spell or that-trinket, but how to learn Witchcraft.

Well, though they may know his name or even read his works, not many of them realized that with each page, they were learning from a master! If you haven't had the opportunity, I suggest you stop reading this post right now, and run out and get anything from the "Weird Sisters" thread of the Discworld Series. I put particular emphasis on the "Wee Free Men" thread. The adventures of Tiffany Aching are "the Cure for Potter"!

Though "Equal Rites" is a bit dicey at times, "Weird Sisters" introduces you to the Maiden, Matron, and Crone as archetypes as well as characters. In "Witches Abroad" you really start learning how to think like a witch!

…and that's just the beginning!

Not all of the Discworld series follows the adventures, trials, & triumphs of the Witches of Lancre, but the ones that do are pure gold to the open mind!

By his Twenty-Ninth Book in the Discworld Series, he seems to have stopped beating around the bush, and decided to "Dree His Wyrd"! The Books "Wee Free Men", "A Hat Full of Sky", and "Wintersmith" follow the instruction & apprenticeship of nine-year-old girl, Tiffany Aching, as she goes from cheese-making shepherd's daughter to the 'Wee Big Hag' her allies know her to be. These books go beyond the baubles and mixtures and guide you in the wisdom of Witchcraft.

I'm not here to do a back-of-book synopsis of his writings, but to tell you what you will learn would rob you of the learning all together! You have to be There! Learn the Difference between "Headology" and truly 'getting your head right'. He guides you in the importance of The Strength & Faith in One's-Self, and teaches you that "You can't be a Witch just by 'Going Shopping'"!

So many people, from the solitary practitioner to Llewellyn Publications themselves, are looking for "Advanced Books" on Magic. There in lies the Rub, doesn't it? Mr. Pratchett is the first author I've read who comes out and says it: "In Witchcraft, the Magic is in the Witch; not The Craft"! You can't buy a book on advanced magic. Only real witches know it, and a real witch would never sell it! You have to be There! The wisdom comes from 'the doing', not from 'the reading'! Also, the Rede forbids it. You don't charge for magic. Pratchett leads down many a merry path. If you really are a witch, you'll spot the landmarks. If you don't, "Open your eyes, and then Open Them Again"!

Witchcraft will never be about how many Froud Books you Own, or how many Amy Brown Statues you display in your abode. "They're just something pretty to look at while you do the work"! You do know how to 'do the work', don't you?

Also, witchcraft isn't just about spell-casting. It's in "Getting The Job Done". Healing, planting, birthing & death-ing, and so much more are the stock and trade of a Witch. There's a big difference between playing at magic, and being a Witch. Many a shaman will come-clean and confess that half of healing people in ritual is just a matter of distracting the patient. It's about getting you out of your own way. It's about getting out of the wrong thinking and into the right! Sometimes, when you loose the remote, the best way to change the channel isn't by snapping your fingers, but to get off of the damned sofa, and just turn it off. (…and leave it off!)

We could all (and I mean 'All') of us use a Granny Weatherwax in our lives: Someone there to test us, constantly; Someone to keep us sharp, toughen us, and keep us honest about ourselves, and what we think and see; Someone to keep us Hard. It's a tough place, being a Witch; living on the edge of so many aspects of life.

"The Edge is No Place for People Who Break".

If you don't have a Granny Weatherwax in your life, then become one! Not out of ego, or spite, or for some silly need for drama, but because you know that fire and hammering tests the metal and makes it stronger! Do it for the good of yourself & the Community. Anyone can spout the new-age platitudes and politically-correct jargon that has softened our subculture, but it takes a truly strong person to be able to look at fertilizer and call it for the bull-shit that it really is. We need those kinds of people in our world.

On a more somber note, we are told that we're losing this master of whit, whimsy, and wisdom to Alzheimer's disease. It is one thing to have someone leave us, but it's another to watch it happen slowly. Any and all support you can show, even by simply embracing his work, would do justice to this man's memory as his own fades! He is, after all, the one who taught us, "There is no Justice. There's Just Us"!

Right now, he needs our attention, our prayers, and (if the adage is true), our laughter. If anyone can get you laughing, it's Terry Pratchett. The best Doctor for The Best Medicine! He faces his illness on his feet, facing it down and doing all in his power to fight it. At the same time, he's not letting it stop him from doing the job he loves: Teaching us all between the tears of laughter.

He isn't just telling us, but is showing us that "The Edge is No Place for People Who Break".

You may learn more of his writings, collaborations, and appearances at his website, here:

http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/

.. ..

Note: I feel it only respectful to you, the reader, and to the esteemed Mr. Pratchett to note here that, on NO occasion has Mr. Pratchett Ever confessed to practicing witchcraft, to the best of my knowledge. I would be surprised, nay Shocked if he doesn't, but I mean no liable or perceived besmirching of character in anything that I have posed here.

Thank You.

~Azzerac

(7/23/08)

Pardon the OBVIOUS Lack of Updates: I'm still trying to cement a schedule, for this & all things added into my life.

I appreciate your patience, and will be back with the next two additions by Thursday Noon (Colorado Time), and another by Midnight, Friday Morning.

Again, thanks for understanding,

Azzerac

(7/23/08)

A Cry for a Common Set of Terms!

Oh man, it is so very hard to write on the subject of a science without a lexicon! To express the experiences without a common linguistic thread it debilitating, to say the least. Even druggies have a lexicon of terms: sober, drunk, buzzed, wasted, geeked, loaded, sketching, spun, and on, and on. I'm not talking slang as the answer, but some sort of dictionary for the impressions, expressions, and techniques we've used, and are still using today. Having seen, felt, and experienced, there's no doubt in my mind that it was as real for our predecessors as it is now. What language, terms, and techniques have we lost through the ages?

Mahayana Buddhism started the strain of metaphysics that inspired what we do today. Maybe we should look there to re-develop the language we so lack today? How better to teach to our students then to find ways to become students, again, ourselves? How better to teach then with a common tongue through which to exchange this information?

If you have any insights on this line, I'd love to share them!

If you can advise a starting point better suited, please do!

Contact Me, Here!

Azzerac

(Update 7/21/08)

Which Witch is "Persona Color-Predator-Planet-God-Organ"?!?

Once upon a time, a witch's name was a Witch's NAME! Now it's like as if everyone is drawing from the same "Find Your Witch's Name" java applet!! There are so many "Merlin Silverwolf Otterheart"'s out there that they become so very ....forgettable!

Remember Myrddan (The origin of "Merlin")? Baba Yaga? Nimue? Rasputin? Aleister? (My Spellchecker is going nuts, right now! ~L~) These names are infamous! They hold their fame through originality! There will only EVER be "One Rasputin", One Merlin", "One Morgaine"! Why do so many seem afraid to stand out? There will only Ever be one YOU!*How can anyone make a name for themselves when a java applet spit that same handle out at countless others?!? "Morgainne' PurpleFlower Timberwolf Ravenmoon" isn't a name, it's a mask! It's a flag! It's a banner to stand under that says "Look! I'm a witch! Just like all these other people! Hate Me Too!" Even from within. The cowardly lack of creativity on the part of the contemporary practitioner is an embarrassment!

It's not as though it even serves a purpose anymore! The Inquisition is in a coma (Note: I did NOT say 'Dead'!), and with the help of the internet, we know that our numbers are without measure. You've no one to hide from anymore! Even if there was, there's so damned many of us, "We could Take 'em", if it came to it!

Took the name of a God, did you?

OUCH!

That's Binding yourself to the service of that god or ancestor (which can be worse)! Steal a name of power, for it's power, and you're stuck in the back-seat, with them behind the wheel. So much for free will. You signed yourself over to a "God of...", and you did it willingly!! Gods are bad enough, but what do you really know about that historical figure you bound your true-name to? Myrddan (Merlin) is reputed to be a loony, a Drug Fiend, and a baby-stealer, AND a Dirty Old Man! Morgaine (Morganna) is reputed to have seduced her brother and destroyed Camelot! Lilith? OUCH! We all know how she handles a "First Date"!! ~LOL!~

Names are Personal: Get Your Own!!

What about the Law of True Names?

(OTHER than lashing yourself to the mast of an Insane, angry, lecherous, alcoholic,........etc,....Deity, that is)

Screw 'em! Anyone who wants to 'Tango' with you, using your True-Name, is asking for a "Slam-Down"! Anyone that uses mine learns not to do it twice!

Show that you Got A Pair, People!

Azzerac

*-Certain Ideologies, not withstanding!

(Update 7/21/08)

So much to add, so little time! Three Pages is a good start, right?

How do you write a book like this without talking to half the people like their idiots? Well, it's going to geared towards both Novice & Adept. Once you've been doing this for 30 years, most of the people you meet are "Novice" by comparison, anyways, aren't They? ~Shrug!~ What can you do but "Hope for the best & plan for the worst"!

You have an opinion?

Sound Off

~Push The Button!~

(Update 7/13/08) I've taken a long look at this book, and decided that, with all the typos & uncoordinated lines of thought, it's time for a total re-write! What should of come first doesn't get addressed until after Chapter 8, and Chapter 3 was a bad Idea to begin with. I went too fat and burned out. I figure about three updates a week. Should keep it fresh & manageable! I'll re-read what I wrote before, and expound in greater detail, and anything added to previous paragraphs will simply be added in footnotes, with hot-links.

I hope this doesn't burn out the topic! ~L~

Azzerac