H.H. Pope Shenouda III
I am saddened to learn the news of the passing of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic Seat of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Pope Shenouda was the 117th Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church. He served in this capacity for 40 years. Pope Shenouda entered repose on March 17th 2012, dying of natural causes at the age of 88. It is said that he was a humble man, not seeking personal honors or dignities. Previous to his election as Coptic Pope, H.H. Shenouda chose the life of a contemplative monk, living for several years in a cave in an Egyptian desert, studying and praying. The Coptic Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Christian communions in the world. They trace their origin through Saint Mark’s travels to Alexandria in 42 CE. They have suffered a long history of persecution from other Christians as well as from Muslims. As recent as January 1st, 2011, 23 people died in a bomb attack of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Saint Mark and Pope Peter in Alexandria, Egypt. Pope Shenouda III was actively involved in ecumenical efforts with other Christian communions and made strides in healing some of the rifts that stem back to 451 CE during the Council of Chalcedon which caused a schism between the Coptic Church and most of the Orthodox Churches of the time.
My thoughts and prayers are with the Coptic Christians during this difficult time.
T Allen Greenfield
Check out the recent podcast from The Church of Mabus interviewing Bishop T Allen Greenfield. The podcast includes discussion about UFOlogy, Men in Black and Congregational Illuminism.
Points Chauds – A Free Illuminist Approach
By Abba Dositheos
On behalf of Ormus Lodge I was invited to speak about points chauds (hot points) at a recent session hosted by our friends at the Psychic Development Group which meet every Monday night in Atlanta, GA USA. The presentation was held on 16 January 2012 and ran just over two hours. What follows is a write up of the presentation based on the outline I prepared, my personal notes and my memory of the event. I want to take this opportunity to thank Karen for the invitation to come speak at her group, the participants for coming out and showing your support, and to Tau Lamed and Tau Kimberly Lynn for the valuable feedback each of you provided afterwards. I want to note that there are various ways and means for working with hot points. This is just one approach among many. I also want to note that while Ormus Lodge does incorporate some aspects of this practice that ultimately have their roots in Vodou, we do not make any claims to be practicing traditional Haitian Vodou. We respect all authentic African diasporic traditions. What we are engaged in is something quite different and should not be confused with something which it explicitly is not. Any errors regarding names, dates, historical references and other information contained herein are my own. Feel free to contact me with comments, questions, suggestions and/or feedback. If you have a sincere interest in this topic and want to connect up with a working group that explores this and other esoteric subjects you might consider affiliating with Ormus Lodge. If you do not live in or around the Atlanta area but want to connect with other Free Illuminists you can check out the list of nodes which I maintain on the illumiGnosis blog. Each node is autonomous and many have entirely different areas of focus. You will have to contact the node of interest directly to confirm what they are about.
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Report on Illumination Expo 2011
With comments about its origin
By +Dositheos
SPARKS OF LIGHT
The seed ideas for Illumination Expo date back to discussions that were held between members of Ormus Lodge and the Constellation of Abraxas three years ago (2008). At that time Tau Lamed, Tau Aron and myself began to formulate our initial thoughts about hosting a local event that would combine presentations of esoteric subjects with the arts (music, art, dance, writing, film, etc). This was to be a combined event hosted by various local Free Illuminist nodes here in Atlanta and include special guests traveling from out of town. The kindling was gathered, but the fire remained yet unlit. Then, in 2009, I was independently approached by Tau Saga who was, at that time, a facilitator of Templi de Niger Sol. Tau Saga told me she planned on bringing Thomas Karlsson of Dragon Rouge to Atlanta in 2010, that she wanted to have a series of events take place and asked if I wanted to be involved. I enthusiastically agreed. 2010 saw the first manifestation of this idea with great success.
See related links for 2010:
Schedule for 2010
Report of November 1st event, 2010
TENDING THE FLAME
The above mentioned discussions in 2008 and 2009 – along with the subsequent events of 2010 – were the direct precursors to what has now become Illumination Expo. Some of the original organizers have gone on to different projects while others have confirmed their ongoing participation and we have a few new folks who have joined the organizers team this year as well. The kindling that was gathered has been lit, the initial sparks of light have grown into a full blown fire and now we shall continue to tend the flame so that its light and heat may heal and enlighten the worlds. Or at the very least, we’ll have a fun time of it. 
2011 was the first year Illumination Expo was held under this name. I am personally committed to making this an annual event to celebrate creativity and gnosis in its varied forms. I want to thank the team of local organizers who helped make this a reality by graciously giving of your time, effort and resources, all of you who have sent donations and other expressions of encouragement and support, all of you who came out to the events and to each of the individual participants – those who are local and those who traveled from afar – I offer sincere expressions of deep gratitude. You have each in your own ways given concrete substance to what was once merely an abstract idea in the minds of a few humble illuminists sitting around a coffee table asking ourselves, “Wouldn’t it be cool if…?”. We couldn’t have done it without you. Special mention goes to Amodali and Mike Crowley. The Atlanta community loves you both very much. And to Max Grimm, for the care and skill with which you gracefully executed the complex task of coordinating the presentation of all the art.
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Posted in art, illuminism
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Greetings all,
I want to draw your attention to a recent post from Bishop Shaun McCann, the
current Patriarch of the Apostolic Johannite Church (AJC) and President of
the North American College of Gnostic Bishops. The post linked below is in
response to a series of vicious attacks – including slander, libel and
cowardly attempts to have various events canceled – against the AJC by an
individual who apparently has nothing better to do with his life. I have
personally met Bishop Shaun McCann and Bishop Will Behun, along with many
from the AJC community – both clergy and lay members – while attending the
Conventicle of the Alexandrian Gnostic Church in Rock Island, Illinois in
2010. We shared communion together, had some great dialog and forged
fraternal relations – both on a personal level as well as for our related
spiritual communities. On behalf of the Coptic Gnostic Church I signed the
All Saints Accord. I have also maintained ongoing dialog with AJC members.
The accusations being directed towards them are completely unfounded and
absolutely ridiculous – merely the venom of a disturbed person that holds a
grudge from online debates. The Coptic Gnostic Church stands in full support
of the Apostolic Johannite Church. We recognize their many years (over a
decade) of service as a model for any community interested in the
Independent Sacramental Movement and/or Ecclesiastical Gnosticism. These
folks are the real deal and I am proud to call them my friends as well as my
spiritual brothers and sisters.
Read Bishop McCann’s response here:
And please consider sharing the above message on your email lists, blogs and
other online forums.
In solidarity,
+Dositheos
Coptic Gnostic Church
– Announcing Illumination Expo 2011 —
Art by J. M. VonKotterhausen
Illumination Expo 2011 is a series of events being hosted by local Free Illuminists to celebrate art, music and illumination.
To begin we are hosting a musical performance by Amodali featuring tracks from her new project Liber Incarnadine. Amodali is traveling from the UK. Previous projects include Six Comm/Mother Destruction. This new project brings together many threads of Amodali’s work and research into the relationships between sonics/language/sexuality and magick.
Event: Amodali – Liber Incarnadine
Date: Wednesday, September 14th
Time: 8 pm to 9 pm
Location: Spring4th Center, Annex Location
Entry Fee: $10 (this event only)
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Posted in art, illuminism
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"Pillow Monster" - Sketch by Bryan Thompson
Ever wanted to help make a monster movie? Well now you can!Check out this kickstarter from my good friend Herb and all the crew at Astounding Pictures. Sundance, look out!
pwen cho - front head and neck
Mt. Arabia Gathering
Date: 13 August 2011 (Saturday)
Meet up time: 3 PM
Location: Mt. Arabia in Lithonia, Georgia USA.
Scheduled events include:
- Episcopal consecrations of Sashia Agape, Amanda Lanier and Pixie Bruner.
- Discussion on scrying the Memphis Degrees.
- Points chauds empowerments.
- Healing circle.
And, of course, an open floor to what others may want to share.
All are welcome.
Original Art by Mislen Linden
See the fascinating magical art of Mishlen Linden. “Habitat for Spirits” sculptures.
Original Sculpture by Fine Artist Mishlen Linden
Original Art by Paul Alexandre
See the visionary work of Paul Alexandre. Shamanistic journeys of inner alchemy.
Toarrow : Original Art
Posted in art, illuminism
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Photo by Tau Tula
Please consider donating for Illumination Expo 2011. This is an annual event hosted by Free Illuminists local to Atlanta, GA. Current events include a magical/musical performance by Amodali who is visiting from the UK, an art exhibit for local artists, talks, presentations and workshops on Vodou, healing, points chauds, Gnosticism, Buddhist iconography and more. Guest speakers include T Allen Greenfield, Tau Naamah, Michael Crowley, Caleb Storms, Bill Zenn, Pixie Bruner, et al. Art presented by Max Grimm, J.M. VonKotterhausen, Tau Roger, Darian Parker and Caleb Storms. Music presented by DJ Light. Dates are Wednesday 14 September for Amodali’s show, Friday and Saturday 23 and 24 September for the art exhibit, poetry readings and presentations. Other events are also being planned. A complete schedule with times, locations and other details will be forthcoming. We do not intend on making a profit for these events. We want to offer the events for free , or – at the very least – a very inexpensive entry fee. This is a celebration of how illumination extends out through our lives and is expressed through our art and ideas. If you choose to make a donation, it is possible you may receive compensation back if we break even.
Donations can be sent to the PayPal account listed below (click on the “Donate” button).
