From Hoodoo to Hermetica to Hell and Back Again

Lots has happened since my last post. I've begun a new course of study into Hermetic Magic. Actually, not exactly new. The magical practice part of it is for me, but the precepts behind it I learned some time ago.... guess I need to back track.

I began my magical career as it were, with Southern folk magic, or Hoodoo. It mainly consists of working with herbs, roots, oils, candles and specially drawn seals directed towards a specific purpose. For instance, getting a job or finding love. It's a very focused and direct way of addressing the spirits or saints to request their help for virtually any reason you can think of.

Hoodoo was something that I took to very easily and was successful at almost immediately. Marie Laveau was a sort of inspiration to me, as she was a hairdresser, like myself, and she is one of my "ancestors" that I honor. I began at the age of 16, and by my 30's, I was at expert mode. Banishings were my specialty. A friend joked that the mob had nothing on me when it came to making people disappear! But to be honest, I was bored.

I needed a challenge -- something to stimulate me. By this time I had already began daily devotions to Isis on the recommendation of a psychic who told me she saw Isis with me and that Isis was waiting for me to accept her. Once I did, all sorts of experiences and opportunities started developing. I fell in love with Isis! I had never experienced such joy and ecstasy in my magical practice before! It was like I became Isis and it was awesome!

Under the tutelage of Isis, Thoth, and Anubis, my magical abilities increased to the point where I no longer really needed any sort of herbs, oils, or candles. I could simply think on a thing, or a situation, and it would come to pass.

Through Thoth, I was led to study the Hermetica, a book attributed to Hermes Trismegistus, the Greek god of writing and magic. In Hellenistic Egypt, the Greeks worshipped both Hermes and the Egyptian god of writing and magic, Thoth as one god.

The Hermetica explores how we were created, the mind of God, (as well as that can be put into words anyway), and what we are here to do. It's all outlined. The whole process of creation: birth, life, death and re-birth.

Isis served as the great gateway for me, onto new paths and new life experiences. I joined the O.T.O. given that the rituals included the Egyptian gods that I had already worked with, and yet again, it would be another learning experience for me. I also thought it would help give me some structure. I have always been a solitary practitioner, so I thought joining a magical fraternity would perhaps instill discipline and that the initiations would help give me the much needed push so that I could progress faster. For some reason, I have this beat the clock mentality about reaching enlightenment. lol

But then... I met my husband. I was in Michigan and he was in Illinois. Long distance relationships are a bitch. Since I was possessed by an adventurous spirit at the time, I moved to Chicago. I realize now, that I was following the path of Isis, and if you know anything about the story of Isis and her wandering and tribulations, then you know that I had one hell of a road ahead of me....

I arrived in Chicago the week before Christmas 2006, hopeful -- but I did have a weird sense that it was not to be my "forever home"*. I initially started looking for work as a stylist. I had been a successful stylist in Michigan for 10 years, but every place I went to wanted someone with a clientele, but my clientele was back home in Michigan over 200 miles away. After 2 months of continuous salon scouring, I said screw it. I'll just work retail or whatever else I can do. No dice. No one would even call me for an interview! Of course I was using my magic along side my job hunting. I had like 3 different versions of my resume. I even resorted to leaving off my 4 year college education, so I wouldn't appear over qualified.

Finally after many tears, being stressed to the point of wanting to just say "Fuck it, I can't do this!", cursing the gods and asking them why they had abandoned me, many days of eating hot dogs or noodles, and being hungry as hell, I finally got a job at Sally's Beauty Supply, based on my Cosmetology license. Good thing I picked up a trade after college!

I was being tested BIG time! It's like all the mojo I was give was "poof" gone! My calls for help fell on deaf ears. It was like Isis said, "Hey, did you enjoy all that fabulous power I gave you before? Good." and then BAM! Ooooo I was so mad at her! I had a talk with her and said, "Look, I respect you, and I love you, and I thank you for all the blessings you have given me. I realize that I must be tested. That I cannot be given help every time I ask for it. That I must earn things, but all I was asking for was help to get a job so that I could help pay our bills. I wasn't asking for diamonds or a fur coat. That was really shitty!" 

Message received. She never played that shit again, and I think she respected me a lot more, because now she saw me as an equal and not as a supplicant. "Equal?!" you say. Yes!! We too are gods! But there is a caveat to this. You're not automatically crowned King or Queen without doing any work on yourself. You do have to earn it, as I mentioned earlier. That's why I got away with confronting Isis, otherwise I don't think that would have gone over so well! 

That's what we are here to learn my brothers and sisters. The gods/God want us to learn that we are here to create in the microcosm -- you know "As above, so below."? That's what that really means! We are here to do, unite (sex), create. 

And it wasn't as if I didn't try on my own first. I don't use magic as a crutch -- ever. Just because I know how. It's important to prove to yourself that you can achieve goals because it helps build confidence. That was the point. Isis pushed me to the point where I got pissed and confronted her without fear. That bullshit about fearing God is just that. Respect YES -- fear, NO -- never!

*My feeling was to prove correct. After exactly 2 years, my husband and I moved to back to Michigan.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T Find Out What It Means To Me

The election is over, and most everyone I know is happy with the result, but I personally know of a few out there who are not. Ideally, the way it's supposed to work is that now that the election is done, everyone gets behind the president, and we get on with the business of living our lives and addressing what needs to be fixed. Yet that's not the case this time. Why not? I have a few theories on this, and yes, race is one of them. How can it not be?


I believe that a good portion of this country is forward thinking, and believes in equal rights for all races, ethnicities,and homosexuals. But there is another portion of this country that is accepting of only some of these groups, but not all, or worse yet, Americans who flatly reject all of these groups and are stuck in a time warp of backward thinking. Half of this country is spiritual, but not particularly religious, while most of the other half believes if you're not religious, you're amoral.


Obama's election in 2008 was truly an amazing achievement. Something, I personally didn't think I would see in my lifetime. I remember watching his inauguration with such hope, and yes, a few tears streaming down my cheeks. How far things have fallen since that day.


Since being elected, President Obama has been treated with flagrant disrespect and venomous hate. From Governor Jan Brewer wagging her finger in his face, to Neil Munro the conservative blogger who kept heckling the President during a press conference, to John Boehner refusing to return his phone calls during the fiscal cliff fiasco of 2011, to Donald Trump with his silly and childish ultimatums demanding birth certificates and college transcripts. The tension and dislike is so palpable you could cut it with a knife.


Lets go back to the not so distant past. Remember Reagan and the Iran-Contra scandal? Yet the GOP holds him as the gold standard of presidents. Then there's good old Bill Clinton. Now I'm going to be fair here. I loved Bill Clinton as president, but Bill just couldn't keep his pants on to save his life! He was impeached as we all know. Yet neither of them was treated with the measure of disrespect that has been shown to President Obama. Whether you agree with his policies or not, he deserves at least a modicum of respect for the office that he holds.


President Obama is called a Socialist and a Communist. Well, which is he? He can't be both, because they're two different things. If you're going to criticize, at least get your argument right! I think to compare Obama to Stalin or to Hitler is a slap in the face to those who suffered and died under those horrible regimes. The morons who use those comparisons have no idea what those people suffered and are taking for granted the freedoms we enjoy on a daily basis. Moreover, we have already lived under 4 years of the Obama administration, and I don't see anyone herded into death camps, jailed in gulags, or killed by the millions, so lets not be so fatalist, shall we? It seems people wish to create drama where there is none.


I suppose it never occurred to any of his critics that President Obama might be an inspiration to people, particularly in the minority community. Indeed his background is not too dissimilar to mine. I too was raised by a single mom. My grandma helped raise me and was like my 2nd mother. My mom is Mexican-American, and my father is white, of French/German ancestry. My mom has olive skin, and I have fair skin. Because she and I look so different, everywhere we went, people would stare at us, or make comments. I often witnessed her treated rudely, and she was even followed once at the store because they thought she was going to steal something! The kicker is that the lady didn't even work at the store! Yet still, I can only imagine what it must have been like for President Obama growing up and the prejudice he undoubtedly faced. His story is my story, and the story of anyone else who faces discrimination based on race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. When he is disrespected, I happen to think race is a factor, despite any protestations to the contrary. His demeanor -- cool and confident, is interpreted as smug and condescending. The black man after all, is supposed to be the comedian -- the fool. Not a man in power, certainly not the one in charge of an entire country! He is exceedingly intelligent, witty and understands both what it's like to be poor and what it's like to be financially successful.



Part of me wonders if perhaps this country was truly ready for an African-American president. But then, again, 51% of this country has shown that at least they are. We have to move forward. Those who do not wish to move forward will just have to be left behind. For those of us who wish to progress, we cannot allow the rest to drag us down with their negativity, divisiveness, and hate. Our country has made advances in towards social justice, but we still have a ways to go. What is certain is that we cannot go back, and we cannot be like Mayberry or something, nor should we want to.


It's easy to get caught up into the whole "us vs. them" thing when you read the news, and the subsequent comments which are breeding grounds for trolls and racists. What's nice to know is that the majority of people, if you look, really are accepting, tolerant, and open minded. I think the best and greatest weapon one can have is common sense.


In this country we have the right to criticize the President, our government, or anything else we choose. Brave men and women throughout our history, both military and civilian have fought and died for the virtue of freedom. What we don't have the right to do is to treat anyone as less than a human being. That goes for the poor, our disabled, minorities, and yes, the President of the United States.

 

A 90 year old veteran, who insisted on standing up to shake his President's hand. 

True Equality and Empowerment

If wanting equal rights for women, minorities, and the gay community makes me a heathen, so be it. If you have gay friends, & you vote Republican, in my opinion, you don't truly support your friend, because the GOP doesn't view gay people as equal citizens. I value everyone equally. I really mean that. You have the right to marry, share health insurance; be with your sick partner in the hospital to hold their hand, just like I would do for my spouse. Women have the right to choose. Minorities are no less a person than anyone else. I honestly believe we ARE here to help and take care of each other when it's needed. Why is all this so hard to comprehend and why is it wrong?

I am going to the polls tomorrow with a heavy heart, because I know that there's a large number of people in this country, who for varying reasons of ignorance and intolerance don't agree with me. Be it because of lack of education, lack of exposure to people of various cultures and backgrounds, or religious intolerance, there are those who might never change their minds or open their hearts to other segments of society.

How many children have been shunned from their families because they are gay? How many have committed suicide? I personally experienced this my freshman year in college, when a classmate committed suicide because his strict religious family found out he was gay and told him he was mentally ill and needed to be cured. I will never forget him. 

I think about how many people of color: Black, Asian, American Indian, lived their whole lives in misery, never knowing freedom. Working, the field, the railroads, lumped into reservations.

How many women who never learned how to read or write, or got the chance to vote. 

How many homosexuals lived their whole lives as a lie, never being able to express their love freely, and if they did, well.... look what happened to poor Oscar Wilde.

When I see and hear hate rhetoric in the guise of politics and religion it sickens me to the core. I know it may sound extreme to some, but it is no less than when Hitler played into the fear and dislike of the ugly foreigner in the person of the Jew, whom he blamed for the extreme recession and poverty after WWI. Is the scapegoating of the "Godless Liberal", "The Illegal Alien", or "The Sinful Homosexual" any different? Of course this is not to say we have been herded into camps and ghettos, thank goodness. I am speaking on the level of rhetoric only.

Hate only begets more hate. The concept of getting to the top at all costs means that lambs must be sacrificed, and the lambs my friends, will be us. A system is created whereby only the elite few can succeed, thereby keeping the rest under submission. Hurling criticisms of socialism, while ironically, and covertly promoting fascism.

Don't let them silence you, or make you feel like you are any less of a person because you lack wealth, prestige, your skin is a different color, you are disabled, you worship differently, or worship no god at all. Ultimately, you have the power. Own it!

Awww, Why Not?

Alright, so I've danced around with this idea of starting a blog for quite some time and decided to take the plunge. Seems everyone and their brother has their blog these days!

Just to get the "about me" out of the way.... 
I'm a retired hairstylist, and I'm disabled. I have Fibromyalgia, a muscular-skeletal connective tissue disorder. I'm in pain everyday, some days worse than others. You know how it feels when you have the flu or the next day after a heavy work out? Or if you suffer from arthritis? That's how I feel everyday times ten. That's why I retired at the age of 38. 

In addition, my mobility has been extremely limited, and the muscle relaxers I take for pain make me feel groggy. I no longer drive, so I rely on husband and my mom to take me to my bi-monthly appointments. Luckily for me, I was diagnosed in less than a year. It can take much longer for others, because Fibromyalgia mimics Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis among other diseases.

This blog isn't going to be solely about my illness, because I am more than my illness. However, I have to acknowledge and accept the fact that this illness has changed both my body and my life. 

These are things you can't write about on Facebook. These are things that friends from school don't know about me. I am not the person that everyone remembers from school or work. I was the quintessential social butterfly, weaving in and out of cliques and social settings at will. I had energy to burn. The girl who you couldn't keep off the dance floor, or away from a party. But like all things, the party has to end sometime.

But guess what? The essence of that feisty spirit still exists inside this body. My love of various cultures, religions and people, led me to study about them, and I have amassed a wealth of knowledge, inner peace and understanding because of it. Although raised a Catholic, I have studied Buddhism and Judaism, the Qabalah in particular, as well as Hinduism.

I really believe that I have been blessed with a gift of relating to, and understanding people. Even people online ;-) I "read" people very well. It's a gift my grandma, of blessed memory had. I like using the phrase "of blessed memory" when referring to someone who is deceased. It's something I learned from studying Judaism. 

My hope is that there will be something of value here for virtually anyone, whatever your background. The reality is, that probably won't happen, but that's ok. It's not as if my words are sacred scripture! But there might be someone looking for insight from someone who is walking the mystic path, which is not only difficult, but can actually be lonely sometimes. But the payoff really is worth it -- honest! Being spiritually aware is not the same as being religious. Being spiritually aware infiltrates every aspect of life -- as well it should.

Perhaps I'm missing something, but there don't seem to be a lot of women in the magickal community, particularly from the Hermetic side of things, speaking about their experiences either online or in print. I certainly support my sorors that I may have missed! The Wiccan side of things is a different matter. I can't speak on it, because I am not a Wiccan. I'll speak more about why in a future blog to come. Here's a hint: Responsibility 

Hope everyone is safe and warm!