The Brass Goggles Occult Society...The Esoteric Order of the Brazen Dawn...

[Connor MacPhie]

...
Picatrix (I have only found a partial translation of this work, and only in Seattle. The second half of the book is supposed to be translated soon, but will be limited in only short run publication). Note - my copy of the first two segments of this work cost me over a C-Note to finally get an english translation of a text, to date, had only been available in Latin.
...

You've found a copy of the Picatrix? I'm impressed! Where in seattle was this?

Pike Place Market...the shop - Tenzing Momo...herb shop, newage source and small book store...Pic is under lock and key with a few other limited run books. Worth the investment IMO.

Hope this helps,
Connor

[hereaftermouse]

...
Picatrix (I have only found a partial translation of this work, and only in Seattle. The second half of the book is supposed to be translated soon, but will be limited in only short run publication). Note - my copy of the first two segments of this work cost me over a C-Note to finally get an english translation of a text, to date, had only been available in Latin.
...

You've found a copy of the Picatrix? I'm impressed! Where in seattle was this?

Pike Place Market...the shop - Tenzing Momo...herb shop, newage source and small book store...Pic is under lock and key with a few other limited run books. Worth the investment IMO.

Hope this helps,
Connor

That does help - thank you!

[Sean Patrick O-Byrne]

Aaauuugghh!!! *Runs screaming for a while, doesn't turn and wacks right into a wall, a la the Iranian guy in the first Mummy movie. It seems Sean has been deep in study of Runes today and it's gotten to him. Perhaps this could be considered an unofficial 'I'm in' of sorts. You'll have to ask him when he reawakens.*

[Mlle A. Aurantia]

I've had days like that. . .

[Gazongola]

I really must get round to learning a divination technique. I am ace with a pendulum, but I want to do more than just ask it yes or no.

[DrTom]

I really must get round to learning a divination technique. I am ace with a pendulum, but I want to do more than just ask it yes or no.

Oh, there's loads you can do with a pendulum other than yes/no questions!  Do a Google search on pendulum charts.  There are a few freebies you can print up that you can use the pendulum with to provide much more rich experiences.

My preference is a sort of technological version of the pendulum, The Mystic Eye.  It's essentially a pendulum with a magnet set at a repulsive polarity to another magnet set at the center of the board.  This forces the pendulum to move across the board as you hold it, so that it reliably point to letters, words, etc. printed along the boards perimeter.  It reminds me of a Ouija board for one.

[Mal `e Diction]

I had a Ouiji Board when I was a kid. I was always accusing my sisters of "pushing" the planchett.  A while back I mentioned this to some members of my writer's group, and they all blanched. I got odd comments like "You should NEVER let a child play with a Ouiji Board!", or "I wouldn't allow one in the house!"

Odd, mine never seemed dangerous, just informative...in an abstract sort of way. I wish I still had it.

[DrTom]

I had a Ouiji Board when I was a kid. I was always accusing my sisters of "pushing" the planchett.  A while back I mentioned this to some members of my writer's group, and they all blanched. I got odd comments like "You should NEVER let a child play with a Ouiji Board!", or "I wouldn't allow one in the house!"

Odd, mine never seemed dangerous, just informative...in an abstract sort of way. I wish I still had it.

Yeah...the merits and percieved dangers of the Ouija board is fraught with debate.  After using and stuyding them for over 30 years, I've had some frightening experiences and some hilarious ones.  The one correlation I found is that you get out what you put in.

[Sean Patrick O-Byrne]

*Apparently concious again.* Yeh, I've heard some second hand accounts of rather spectacular happenings with ouija boards. Mind you, this was from a Christian youth pastor who was telling these as warnings. Good man, but his stories intrigued me more then frightened me.

Never used one myself. I've never had much interest in divining my future. I had a brief little reading with a friends Tarot deck but it was a rather sarcastic thing and didn't please me.

I'd be interested to hear your Ouija stories, Dr Tom, and if your writers group elaborated at all on why they were so surprised Mr. Diction.

From what I remember of one of the stories told, and this Pastor's explination, there was a demon or the devil himself playing around with these friends of his who were trying out the ouija board. Things started to go off, falling and things. Thinking back on it, sounded like a poltrageist.

[Jake of All Trades]

Thinking back on it, sounded like a poltrageist.

Lots of clucking?

[deps]

Just a quick observation: Chaos Magic is rather interesting.

[DrTom]

Just a quick observation: Chaos Magic is rather interesting.

Agreed.  Assuming you're just now finding Chaos Magic, explore Peter Caroll's Liber Nul and Psychonaut (published as one volume by Weiser books).   You might also try searching the net for a PDF of Phil Hine's Oven Ready Chaos, which is a freebie version of Condensed Chaos.  These are fairly standard books on the subject (and as such, you may have already run across them).

[vt13013]

Just a quick observation: Chaos Magic is rather interesting.

Agreed.  Assuming you're just now finding Chaos Magic, explore Peter Caroll's Liber Nul and Psychonaut (published as one volume by Weiser books).   You might also try searching the net for a PDF of Phil Hine's Oven Ready Chaos, which is a freebie version of Condensed Chaos.  These are fairly standard books on the subject (and as such, you may have already run across them).

FYI, http://philhine.org.uk and

http://philhine.org.uk/writings/pdfs/orchaos.pdf.

Cheers.

[deps]

Agreed.  Assuming you're just now finding Chaos Magic, explore Peter Caroll's Liber Nul and Psychonaut (published as one volume by Weiser books).   You might also try searching the net for a PDF of Phil Hine's Oven Ready Chaos, which is a freebie version of Condensed Chaos.  These are fairly standard books on the subject (and as such, you may have already run across them).

FYI, http://philhine.org.uk and

http://philhine.org.uk/writings/pdfs/orchaos.pdf.

Cheers.

Thank you both so much for the help! I have heard about the books by Peter Caroll and plan to check them out soon.
That PDF file is on my harddrive and will be read as soon as I have a quiet moment to spare.

[clockwork creation]

there used to be  huge star of chaos spray painted just down my road it allways made me smile

[Mal `e Diction]

*Apparently concious again.* Yeh, I've heard some second hand accounts of rather spectacular happenings with ouija boards. Mind you, this was from a Christian youth pastor who was telling these as warnings. Good man, but his stories intrigued me more then frightened me.

Never used one myself. I've never had much interest in divining my future. I had a brief little reading with a friends Tarot deck but it was a rather sarcastic thing and didn't please me.

I'd be interested to hear your Ouija stories, Dr Tom, and if your writers group elaborated at all on why they were so surprised Mr. Diction.

From what I remember of one of the stories told, and this Pastor's explination, there was a demon or the devil himself playing around with these friends of his who were trying out the ouija board. Things started to go off, falling and things. Thinking back on it, sounded like a poltrageist.

Well, um, first off, that would be Ms. Diction.

As for the writer's group comments, it seemed to be a general aversion to the whole idea of being able to "conjure" up some force—it being agreed that the force in question was evil—that would tell you things you weren't necessarily supposed to know. They didn't come right out and say this, but that's the impression I got. I found it ironic that in the next breath, they would also comment that they didn't really believe in Ouija boards anyway, which would beg the question, "Then why would you be afraid to let a child play with it, or allow one in the house?"

The only unsettling session I had with one was in high school, with my best girlfriend as a partner. We did it very ceremonially, with only candlelight in the room and incense burning. During this session I had a  friendly, and touching conversation with my grandfather, who had been dead for almost ten years. I didn't come away from that session frightened, but rather with a new respect for Ouija boards.

[Sean Patrick O-Byrne]

Miss, sorry.

Interesting. People are so strange sometimes. Fear of the supernatural is strange to me, as I find the idea comforting mroe then anything.

[Katrina Broekhart]

*Apparently concious again.* Yeh, I've heard some second hand accounts of rather spectacular happenings with ouija boards. Mind you, this was from a Christian youth pastor who was telling these as warnings. Good man, but his stories intrigued me more then frightened me.

Never used one myself. I've never had much interest in divining my future. I had a brief little reading with a friends Tarot deck but it was a rather sarcastic thing and didn't please me.

I'd be interested to hear your Ouija stories, Dr Tom, and if your writers group elaborated at all on why they were so surprised Mr. Diction.

From what I remember of one of the stories told, and this Pastor's explination, there was a demon or the devil himself playing around with these friends of his who were trying out the ouija board. Things started to go off, falling and things. Thinking back on it, sounded like a poltrageist.

Why conjure demons and things? Ordinary people are so much more interesting. And less smelly.

I have some GREAT board/general haunting stories- Ms. Granger is trying to get me to write them all up, but I'm too lazy. Suffice to say, my house is full of unexplainable phenomena and easily contacted, absolutely fascinating ghosts. And a colony of bats that decided to hibernate in my basement, for some reason. I always list my return address as 'Bat Country'.

[deps]

And a colony of bats that decided to hibernate in my basement, for some reason. I always list my return address as 'Bat Country'.

[Katrina Broekhart]

And a colony of bats that decided to hibernate in my basement, for some reason. I always list my return address as 'Bat Country'.

*falls off chair, despite having seen and loved before*

[Sean Patrick O-Byrne]

*Apparently concious again.* Yeh, I've heard some second hand accounts of rather spectacular happenings with ouija boards. Mind you, this was from a Christian youth pastor who was telling these as warnings. Good man, but his stories intrigued me more then frightened me.

Never used one myself. I've never had much interest in divining my future. I had a brief little reading with a friends Tarot deck but it was a rather sarcastic thing and didn't please me.

I'd be interested to hear your Ouija stories, Dr Tom, and if your writers group elaborated at all on why they were so surprised Mr. Diction.

From what I remember of one of the stories told, and this Pastor's explination, there was a demon or the devil himself playing around with these friends of his who were trying out the ouija board. Things started to go off, falling and things. Thinking back on it, sounded like a poltrageist.

Why conjure demons and things? Ordinary people are so much more interesting. And less smelly.

Not saying they were conjuring demons, but the good christians that they are, they simply assumed that. I can't elaborate on the subject, it's against forum policy.

[DrTom]

I'll try to elaborate in such a manner as would not be violating any rules.  Some of my favorite experiences includes one iwhen I was in my early teens, in which we experienced a similar poltergiest style session as was described earlier.  We recieved all sorts of profane threats and were scared out of our minds.

Of course me being--well, me--it wasn't long before I started poking my nose back around the corner to get a better idea of what scared the willies out of me.  Besides, I was curious.  I had had several experiences with the Ouija before that, and nothing negative.

A few years and many sessions later--in undergrad--a friend of mine decided to combine the Oujia with Goetic conjuring.  We used the Ouija as a means to speak with the spirit in question and, consistent with the system, we reached the point where we would have to banish the little nasty with by ceremonially burning its seal.  Just as things reached a high point and my friend's and my own thrill-induced anxieites were at its height...the smoke alarm went off.  Nothing sends someone out of his skin like a high-pitched shrill scream from nowhere during such a session!

Most of my sessions, however, were nothing like this.  Some were funny, others touching, and others merely gibberish, but all were civil, friendly, nonthreatening.  In addition, no lasting aftereffects (possession, poltergiesting after the session, unexpected runs of bad luck, etc) were noted even after those rare unpleasant ones.

Discussing my experiences with that of others, I came to the conclusion that in each case of unpleasant experiences, one of us came in with fear, hostility, or animosity.  The Ouija may or may not serve as a portal to spiritual beings, but it seems that it certainly does amplify and reflect whatever state you happen to be in at the time.  This, I believe, is why people who have been taught "The Ouija is Evil" a la' their own spiritual belliefs, peers, urban legend or believing what you've seen in Witchboard, have such negative experiences.  On some level, they bring in a significant amount of fear.  They have an experience that is consistent with that fear, which of course confirms and stregnthens their belief.  It's kind of a vicious circle.

This is, also, why I think many folks require the ceremony of lighting candles taking spiritual protective precautions (a circle, prayers, etc).  It makes one feel safe and secure.  As such, they have a safe, secure experience.

We did it very ceremonially, with only candlelight in the room and incense burning. During this session I had a  friendly, and touching conversation with my grandfather, who had been dead for almost ten years. I didn't come away from that session frightened, but rather with a new respect for Ouija boards.

That is absolutely perfect!  It's wonderful that you've been able to have that experience (and it also illustrates my point!  )

[Sean Patrick O-Byrne]

Thank you, Dr. Tom. I think that's what I was looking to hear.

[Samuel]

Consider me In.

[Maverynthia]

Ooohhh Ouija Boards, I love stories about those. I played around with one before, I think I contacted a spirit I "latched onto" for a bit. Hrmm... that thing was probably responsible for me "going insane" >_>