Check out this awesome short film, Exmoor Beast, from my good friends over at Alchemical.TV
Pwen Cho - front head and neck
On 11 March 2013 I was invited by the Spiritual Circle of Atlanta to give a presentation on points chauds (hot points) empowerments. I was speaking on behalf of Ormus Lodge, a philosophical and research lodge of which I am one of the facilitators. This was the second time I was invited to speak on this topic to this particular community. On the previous occasion, which was in January of 2012, my approach was to present a historical overview of the points chauds Work as it has come down to Ormus Lodge through various channels. For those who have an interest in this, you can read my account here. For this more recent session I decided to take a different approach. The presentation for 2013 was geared towards the practical side of this Work. What follows are my notes from the session of March 2013. While I did provide a brief historical overview to set the context, I will not repeat that here as what I said and more can be found at the above link from last year. It is my hope that this material may be of some benefit for those who are interested in engaging in this Work as well as contributing in some way to the ongoing collective dialog of those who are already practicing within this experimental system in one form or another.
I want to thank all of those who have shared from their experiences over the years, both in private correspondence and on the In Free Communion working group. Without the help, insight and support shared from this community, none of this would have been possible. I thank you and Ormus Lodge thanks you. There are too many of you kind folks to name individually. You know who you are. Let’s keep the dialog going!
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Coptic Gnostic Church
[This is part 2 of 2. See previous post here]
Sethian Gnostics
The Sethians are one of the earliest gnostic schools we have any information about. According to noted scholar John D. Turner, there is some evidence that Sethian communities emerged during the 1st century BCE and continued well into the 3rd century CE (possibly even later). So the Sethians appear to be pre-Christian in origin, possibly starting out as a Jewish baptismal sect and only later, after the advent of early Christianity, incorporating some Christian elements into their teachings and praxis.
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Coptic Gnostic Church
[This is part 1 of 2]
What follows is a summary based on my personal notes of a presentation I was invited to give at the Spiritual Circle of Atlanta on 18 March 2013. The topic was Gnosticism: Past and Present. I want to thank the organizers for inviting me to give this presentation, the hostess for welcoming us all into your beautiful home and the participants who made it out in spite of a very threatening and ferocious thunder storm. It was a great joy for me to have this opportunity to share about one of my favorite topics.
I am a bishop serving at Holy Mother Barbelo Sanctuary within the Coptic Gnostic Church, a contemporary independent sacramental Gnostic community.
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Posted in apostolic, coptic, gnostic
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Tagged coptic gnostic church, gnosis, gnosticism, heresiology, irenaeus, mandean, manichaeism, marcionism, nag hammadi, tertullian
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Greetings,
I thought it might be helpful to share a few words about Ormus Lodge regarding the nature of the organizational model we have adopted as well as indicating some of the principles which are important to us as a philosophical and research lodge aligned with Free Illuminism. It is my hope that this letter will provide a clear and true reckoning so that anyone who approaches us with an interest in affiliation will be doing so with an informed understanding. It is more important to the lodge to have a few suitable members who feel this is a good match than to have lots of members who don’t really understand where we are coming from or who seek affiliation for spurious and/or misguided reasons. We are open and welcoming and have a public presence but we are not evangelical. We don’t want to waste your time (or ours) if you find that another type of organization is more to your liking.
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Posted in illuminism, memphis-misraim, points chauds
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Tagged congregational illuminism, dositheos, esoteric, experimental, free illuminism, nonhierarchical, nonsectarian, ormus lodge, principled
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Soror Ishtaria and Frater Damon
[Soror Ishtaria, pictured here with Frater Damon, aka William Wallace Webb, QBLH. 1996]
You were a Star that burned so fierce. Your Light still touches many of us whom you have left behind to explore new adventures. Today is the seventh anniversary of your passing into the kisses of Nu. You are one of my magical mentors – sorely missed and never forgotten. As it turns out, a fellow Free Illuminist has recently created a new web-based version to use for English Qabalah after being inspired by working with LEXICON, the program you created back in the 80′s that was so ahead of its time. Your Work continues dear Sister, in the hearts and minds of many in our extended community and beyond. Agape.
Honor to Bondye!
Honor to the Ancestors!
Honor to the Lwa!
This year was the 10th annual celebration of Fet Gede (“Gede’s Feast”) by vodouisants, friends and associates local to Atlanta, GA USA. It has been my great honor to participate every year (with one exception, in 2005, when my spirits uncharacteristically advised me to stay home in quiet contemplation). As always, I want to give a very special thanks to Tau Anahita for initiating this local celebration back in 2002. I love you girl, and am ever grateful for the invite to participate way back when. You knew, didn’t you? <wink> I also want to give special thanks to Mama Vescha of Ezili Roots for hosting the Fet, inviting us all into your home, preparing all the food, and for doing those things that you do. Much Love to you dear sister. I want to express gratitude to the following wonderful people as well – Greg for serving as priest during the opening ceremony, Brooke for serving as hounsi, Collin for serving as laplace and for drumming, Dustin, Davina, Mark, Kozma, Damon and everyone else who played the drums in honor of the lwa, Darian for serving as drapo carrier, Leigh for attending the fire at crucial points when this was needed, Alice for singing songs to Papa Legba during the opening and for being there with me when we were attending to those who were ridden hard, and last, but not least, to everyone who came out to participate with us. It was a wonderful year, there is so much I can say about the entire experience, but will confine myself to just a few of the highlights.
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Honor to Bondye!
Honor to the Ancestors!
Honor to the Lwa!
Greetings,
This is to announce the 10th Annual Celebration of Fet Gede for Atlanta locals. This event is being hosted by Ezili Roots. Please bring drums, music makers and your dancing shoes! You may also bring an offering for your personal ancestors. If you plan to spend the night, please bring tents, blankets, and pillows.
Please do not bring food or drink as all these will be supplied by Ezili Roots, but donations are acceptable to help cover the cost for the feast and for the rum. You can bring your donations to the event and/or send them via PayPal to: Mama Vescha
Event: Fet Gede
Date: 3 November 2012
Time: 7 pm
Place: Ezili Roots
Feel free to contact Mama Vescha or myself for directions, or if you have any questions regarding the event.
Fet Gede 2012
Greetings Friends,
On 13 October 2012 I (along with other clergy, friends and associates of the Coptic Gnostic Church) had the pleasure of visiting Bishop +Palamas and Priestess Salome+ to celebrate an Elemental Healing Mass and participate in a Labyrinth meditation walk at Chapel of the Gnosis in Cave Spring Georgia, USA. I want to express my personal gratitude to +Palamas and Salome+ for inviting us into their home, for being such perfect hosts, for the wonderful rites we celebrated together, for the fellowship we shared and for the refreshments (you gotta try those muffins I tell ya!). The entire experience was extremely edifying. This was the first time I was able to partake in the Elemental Healing Mass. I found the Rite to be a seamless blending of a liturgical Eucharistic Mass, a Magical Healing ceremony and a Golden Dawn inspired ritual. Bishop +Palamas and Priestess Salome+ really know how to serve community with sincerity, integrity and a humble – yet potent – spirit. The Vortex, which is a power-zone in the midst of the Chapel demarcated by a permanent magical circle painted on the floor before the main altar, was already vibrating and surging with etheric energy even before the Mass began. I have been advised that this is a constant occurrence. I particularly enjoyed how each member of the congregation was led inside the Chapel – one at a time – and was given individual healing inside of the Vortex by Priestess Salome+. I also note how intuitive Priestess Salome+ is. The Divine Feminine was clearly manifest while the Priestess anointed me with healing oil. Then Bishop +Palamas began the Purification, chanting the Trisagion Prayers, circumambulating the Temple, calling the Elemental Quarters, censing the Altar, reciting the names over the sacramental Gifts of those who previously requested Healing and leading us through the Eucharistic Communion. A wonderful experience indeed. May you both be blessed for your kind service given freely and with Love.
Altar
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The good folks over at kiamagic are hosting a magical retreat 12-15 October 2012 in Foyers on the shores of Loch Ness. You can find details on the KIA site.
It promises to be an amazing gathering.
Posted in art, illuminism
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