Friday, January 30, 2009

Dalet: A Crash Course to Operating the Third Eye Part 1


The pineal gland has been the center topic of concern for many mystical circles of discussion. It is known as the ancient ‘third eye’ used by the masters to reach enlightenment. In David Wilcock’s presentation on the pineal gland, he explained that this gland found in the center of our brain receives more blood flow than any other gland in our brain. It is our own personal water gateway into the nether worlds. Lined with optical cells, David made the observation that maybe we actually use this gland to visualize our outer world in the inner sanctum of our experience. The pictures and shapes that we dream may come directly as a function of this gland.


The avatar name that I have been using for a while around the internet is Dalet. This is a Hebrew letter that can be literally translated as door. When I was taking Hebrew a few years ago, the rabbi explained to me that I could meditate on this letter to open channels of communication with the higher self. I have heard many teachers talk about this idea of the door, so the concept intrigued me.


We hear so much about the pineal gland as the third eye and how it is revered by all cultures. We even see its symbolism in our government, our secret societies, and the Vatican. But why is it so important? What are its uses? How can I use it to further my own spiritual evolution? I want to go over a few different uses in this blog and explore even more, further down the line. The truth is there are many ways to use the pineal gland, none of them are wrong.


We use the pineal gland everyday and don’t even consider it. Do you ever day dream? Do you think I pictures? These operations are governed by the pineal gland. Its innate function is to regulate the chemicals that produce our sleep cycles. One of the chemicals administered by the gland to regulate sleep cycles is the most powerful hallucinogen on earth called dimethyltryptamine (DMT). DMT is also pumped into the blood stream during the time of death creating the death experience as a hallucinogenic trip.



One of the ways that we can stimulate the pineal gland and our third eye chakra is with the use of hallucinogens. I never advise people to experiment with hallucinogens on their own but to find someone who knows what they are doing and follow are set of guidelines to produce a healthy trip. They are not for partying! They are for self discovery and cosmic awareness. If you do choose to go down the road of the hallucinogen, recommend finding some mushrooms (use discretion), or purchase some Salvia over the internet (its legal!). Psilocybin mushrooms make for a nice trip, but they last much longer than a salvia trip which last about 10 minutes as opposed to 4 hours. Its very important to pay attention to setting. I recommend getting out doors, making a camp fire, starting a drum circle, surrounding yourself with your favorite symbols, pick out some high quality vibrations for music, etc. For your first time, you probably want to have a ‘baby sitter’: someone who takes a much smaller dose so they can have one foot in your world in order to communicate but most of their body in the real world to maintain stability. This person will make sure that you don’t do things like run onto your local highway or do somersaults into the fire. I haven’t heard of these things happening, but its safety first when it comes to Mother Nature. There are much better guides out there for this sort of thing, hope this gives you a little guidance. Try http://www.shroomery.org/ its packed full of great information.

There are other, safer, slower avenues of stimulation such as yoga, meditation, anytime you study something with a sacred connotation. I believe that all of these things open the third eye and allow the wisdom of God to flow through your being.

Finding your personal Spirit Guide.

Everyone has a spirit guide. I believe that we have many spirit guides. There is a whole entourage of guides and angels that surround you at every moment. It takes a lot of work to incarnate on earth and you are watched over from the second you enter until the second you leave. All of these guides serve their purpose, but they guide that you will be meeting will be a part of yourself: an extension of your dormant cosmic wisdom.


This exercise was given to me by Dr. Lindsey Daniels during a presentation on a comparison of western psychology and Peruvian shamanism at the Mystikal Voyage. You can visit Dr. Daniels website at http://synchronisticalchemy.webnode.com/ and you can visit the Mystikal Voyage at http://www.mystickalvoyage.com/ . This is a journey to find your center, and the guide that awaits there for you.


Close your eyes and take several deep breaths. Breathing in slowly and deeply through the nose and out slowly through the nose. Relax. Be calm.


Imagine that you are a walking down a path; it can be anywhere, in any setting that brings you peace. You are walking down the path and you come to an opening. In this opening there are many paths, and you may choose anyone of them to follow. There is no wrong choice. You walk down the path and it winds back and forth a bit. Eventually, you come to a place that you determine to be your center. You go there and explore. What does your center look like? Is it the top of a mountain, a beach, a cave, a hole in the ground?


After coming to your center, ask with humility and respect to meet your guide. Wait at your center and whatever the first thing to come to you is your guide. It could be a sheep, or a cardboard box, or a snake, a grandparent. Whatever the first thing is that comes to you is your guide. Don’t second guess, take your first vision. This is your spirit guide; ask the name of your spirit guide. Now that you have met your guide you need to devise a stopping point called a dead canary.


Miners used a canary at the mouth of the mine to tell if air in the mine was ok to breath. If the canary was dead, then the air was not fit to breath. There are answers to questions that you are not ready to understand and your guide will gently let you in on what you need to know.


Ask your guide what the stopping point will be. After the guide has established the stopping point, tell him/her/it that you honor its wisdom and you will respect the dead canary. At this point, feel free to ask your guide some questions, you can make them simple and vague like, “how do I look better at work”, “why does my father act this way, when this happens”, “what about my childhood is affecting my behavior”, “why doesn’t my husband help around the house”, etc.


If you should happen to come across the dead cananry, feel free to ask the question differently. If “why does my father act this way” gets you the dead canary, ask “what can I do to help my father avoid this sort of behavior.”


Play with it, have fun. After you are done, thank your guide and leave your center. It is very important that you don’t second guess yourself. Go with your first impressions.


My guide is a red headed giant named Andre (go figure).

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Today was a Jazz day.

Poem by Stephen Gulliford




Today was a Jazz day.

Cool blue nights rise and fall in the alley where the moon plays,
smackling off the brick and steel burrows of gods.
Spirits conjured in nostalgia of Lester Young.
Black and blue, blue and blue.

Today was a Jazz day, not unlike any other day.

The Duke puts a hitch in my get up.
I swing down the corridor, poppin jive and smokin cats.
Maids and home mama's catch my vibe.
Breakn bottles with sewing pins, the Jazz Messangers master the chi of Bebop.

Yes, it was a Jazz day.

A reefer smoke sets my stride.
The city is buzzing.
The mission looses its shine.
Lady Day holds my hand by the shade of the pear tree.

Today was Jazz day, night light eyes.

Lindy hoppin, rock droppin, hot mama's at every turn.
Sweet sweat and smoke lingering in the hall.
Don't dance a square to this jam.
I snap a finger, dreaming of a Love Supreme.

It was just a Jazz day, like any other day.

The morning is young, the night is cold.
My swing comes to sway.
I reach into my dreams,
praying that tomorrow would remember today
and maybe I would wake to find
that today, is a Jazz day.




Monday, January 12, 2009

Astrological Associations of The Major Arcana





This is a simple astrological breakdown according to The Golden Dawn. This system helps us draw more meaning from the pictoral forms of these astrological associations. It is also important in determining significators of the person involved in the reading. If someone you are reading is a Capricorn and The Devil comes up in the reading, you may draw an extra level of information out of the spread. There are many significators for every person in the deck that I will cover in more time.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Urine Therapy vs. Apple Cider Vinegar


Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well. (The Book of Proverbs 5:15)*

But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you? (Isaiah 36:12)* (See also 2 Kings 18:27)

(http://skepdic.com/urine.html)

There is a new disturbing trend arising out of the ashes of the pharmaceutical monopolies. Drinking one’s own urine seems to provide a wide spectrum of health benefits as a cure all. Many civilizations and times have promoted the medicinal use of urine. I have no doubt that this is a great method for disease prevention and personal nutrition….BUT! Come on…. I don’t want to drink piss. That sucks. What if there was another way? A middle path. Eureka! I believe I have found a solution.

There is another trend that is making a strong come back in our current age, raw Apple Cider Vinegar. I have been using this product for the last couple of months to heal myself of a persistent stomach ulcer. Now that the ulcer is gone, I was wondering if there was a good reason to keep this practice in my routine. I’m not one to usually get sick, but I have noticed that through these long cold bitter winter months, I haven’t had a sniffle, cough, fever, not a thing. What’s going on with this apple cider vinegar anyway?





  • Surprise, ACV has never even been studied by the FDA or any other profiting organization. This is because it is a natural occurring phenomenon and therefore cannot be patented; so no one can make any drug money on it. It is believed that ACV causes the body to balance its PH to the perfect level of slightly alkaline. Disease cannot live in the body with the correct PH. ACV is also acid and makes a great antiseptic. Here is a small list of the healing properties of ACV:

    · ARTHRITIS
    · ASTHMA
    · BLOOD LOSS
    · COLITIS
    · COUGHS
    · DIARRHEA
    · DIZZINESS
    · EAR DISCHARGE
    · ECZEMA
    · EYES (TIRED AND SORE)
    · FATIGUE
    · FOOD POISONING
    · HAIR LOSS
    · HAYFEVER
    · HEADACHES
    · HEARING
    · HEARTBURN
    · HEMORRHAGES
    · HICCOUGHS (HICCUPS)
    · HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
    · INSOMNIA
    · KIDNEYS AND BLADDER


The list goes on and on. This site has a list of hundreds of aliments with personal testimonies for each problem cured: http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/acvinegar.html

Friday, January 2, 2009

Tarot Hierarchy: Deck 1 symbols



This will be an outline of the basic understanding of the tarot symbolism so that we may ultimately become more intuitive readers.

We know that the Tarot deck is broken down into three different decks. I would like to further break down each symbol archetype in each deck. The first deck is consisted of three elements, seven planets, and twelve zodiac signs. Each card represents a path on the tree of life, with negative and positive attributes. The elements are easy enough, the planets are a little harder, and the zodiac sings can be broken down into sign, element, modality, and planetary ruler. The complexity of the symbolism builds as we go from element to planet to sign and each I will explain how each component contributes to the personality of the overall symbolism.

The Elements




Fire is represented by the Aeon or Judgment card. A basic understanding of fire says that it is a purging energy. Represented by the letter Shin, which embodies the spiritual life force of the Universe, fire can be thought of as thought, spirit, insight, and new beginnings.


Water is represented by the Hanged Man and the letter Mem. This card represents the end of a cycle, baptism, the feminine, emotion, intuition, peace, and tranquility.



Air is represented by the Fool. What symbolic associations can you think of for air? What takes place in the air? Communication, spirit, action, relationships, intellectual reasoning.

Earth is not represented in the Hebrew aleph-bet, but is considered to be represented in the combination of the other three elements. Symbols commonly associated with the earth in Tarot are materialism, money, stability, and final outcomes.
The Planets

From here on out I would recommend the card interpretations of Michael Tsarion:
http://www.taroscopes.com/tocardmeanings.html

He includes positive, negative and reversed interpretations in the cards and I can’t find any that compare.

The Sun
The Sun is considered one of the strongest symbols in the Tarot, and for good reason. Anyone involved in synchromystics or conspiracy study knows the prominence of solar symbolism in our society. Representing ego, Sun Card and everything that comes with waking consciousness, we can compare the sun symbol to fire representing creativity, will power, clarity, success and purpose.

The Moon
The Moon represents the unconscious as a whole and is associated with Cancer and the 4th House. This symbol can be associated with The High Priestess Card, water and represents emotions, habits, intuition, and sensitivity .

Mercury
Mercury represents our communication and mediums for that communication, associated with Virgo and Gemini in the 3rd and 6th houses. Mercury is represented by logic, reasoning, thinking and communication. Mercury is represented by the Magician in Tarot and the element air.

Venus
Venus represents the goddess of love and is associated with Taurus and Libra and the 2nd and 7th Houses. We find Venus in the Goddess Card and can also represent love and relationships, family, compassion and heart and is associated with water and earth.

Mars
Mars is the pure masculine energy and represented by war with Aries and Scorpio and the 1st and 8th houses. The fiery Tower Card is the representative of Mars as a chaotic, brave, confident and cataclysmic change associated with air and fire.

Jupiter
Jupiter is the objective perspective with Sagittarius and the 9th house. Jupiter symbolizes expansion, growth, luck, revolution and good will and can be associated with the fire and earth energies.

Saturn
Saturn represents the material world with Capricorn and Pisces and the 10th and 12 houses. Saturn represents structure, duty, and rules associated with water and earth.
The Signs of the Zodiac

I will not be listing all of the meanings of the zodiac signs but I will just show a few examples to show how the symbols interact to come about with stronger, broader meanings.
The meaning for the zodiac signs follows a general formula:
Meaning = sign (element + modality) + planetary ruler
The sign itself holds a personality that is not completely derived from, but majorly influenced by the element and modality of the sign. Other components of the card can add further complexities to the meaning. I’m just trying to outline the basic understandings and you can go on to add at your own discretion: Hebrew letter, number, color, etc.

Lets take my sign for instance: Sagittarius



Represented by the Art Card, ruled by Jupiter with the element of fire and mode of mutable. According to the formula, the sign or card represents an objective yet flexible energy that is on the move and strives for higher thinking.

One of the tricks is to learn how the symbols play together, and to see how the different cards play together in the spread. You will be able to objectively see patterns in the layouts that will add to the information you can intuitively pull during the reading.

A basic understanding of astrological signs and symbols is pertinent to tarot, and the two systems work beautifully together. MacGregor Mathers, Michael Tsarion, Aliester Crowley, Dione Fortune, the Ciceros, and one of my new favorites, the Raven have been documenting the correlation between divinatory systems, painting a new picture for understanding the inner workings of the mind. I would recommend learning how each planet reacts in each sign and this will help with your Tarot work tremendously.

This concludes my summary of the symbolism of the first deck.