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Run Your Own Cult with Rev. Ivan Stang
High Epopt of Slack and Most Holy Emissary of “Bob” on Earth, the Rev. Ivan Stang, is holding an online course on “Running Your Own Cult” courtesy of the lovely people at the Maybe Logic Academy.
Florida Substitute Teacher Fired For Wizardry
A teacher at Rushe Middle School in Land ‘O Lakes, Florida, has been fired after doing a conjuring trick where he made a toothpick disappear and reappear in front of students. He said he later got a call from the supervisor of teachers, saying he had been accused of wizardry.Jim Piculas stated:
“I get a call the middle of the day from head of supervisor of substitute teachers. He says, ‘Jim, we have a huge issue. You can’t take any more assignments. You need to come in right away.”
The school are now saying he wasn’t fired because of wizardry, but because he wasn’t following lesson plans. But of course they would say that, wouldn’t they?
CESNUR conference proceedings online
The proceedings of the latest Center for Studies on New Religions conference, Twenty Years and More: Research into Minority Religions, New Religious Movements and ‘the New Spirituality, are now available online. Unfortunately the rather clumsily named “cyberproceedings” have been posted in a weird mish-mash of formats (including some in the nasty Microsoft .doc format instead of a proper open format), but there’s some interesting stuff in there all the same.
Two women report ghost has been having sex with them
The following is a sample from the Federal Way police public information log:
At 4:02 p.m. April 10, two women went into the Federal Way police station claiming that over the past two years, a paranormal person has been placing sensors on their bodies and visiting them in their house at 28600 block of 25th Place South. They said that the ghost has been having sexual intercourse with them. One woman said that these incidents started in Kent and continued when she moved here. The other woman said that this just started now.
Internet Dream Machine
Many years ago I built one of Brion Gysin’s dream machines using some card and an old record player. It worked extremely well. Since then I’ve been waiting for someone to build a computerised version, and it’s finally here on the Internet.
I encourage readers to try it out and report their experiences here.
An Old Master
Thelema Media have just made available once more the official catalogue for the largest exhibition of Aleister Crowley’s art to date, held in London in 1998 e.v.
A4 size, 32 pages, featuring 47 color illustrations of paintings and drawings by Aleister Crowley, with essays by Martin P. Starr and Karl Nierendorf.
Also now available the excellent facsimile reproduction of the original 1918 e.v. self-portrait by Aleister Crowley, from a numbered limited edition of 666 prints.
Measures 35cm x 49cm (13.75″ x 19.25″), printed on heavy stock, shipped flat.
Ordering info here
Lon DuQuette European Tour 08
Noted occult author and raconteur, Lon Milo DuQuette will do a series of public workshops across Europe over the next weeks. The dates are:
- May 03: Amsterdam
- May 04: Hamburg
- May 14: Copenhagen
- May 16: London
- May 17: London
Lon’s wit and erudition are unsurpassed and we highly recommend that you catch at least one of his shows if you can.
UK mediums foresee trouble ahead
A change in the law could mean mediums, psychics and healers face prosecution if they cannot justify their claims. Spiritualists are delivering a mass petition to Downing Street and complaining that a genuine religion is being discriminated against.
More at the BBC
17th Century pagan remnants turn up in Cornwall
Evidence of pagan rituals involving swans and other birds in the Cornish countryside in the 17th century has been uncovered by archaeologists.
Since 2003, 35 pits at the site in a valley near Truro have been excavated containing swan pelts, dead magpies, unhatched eggs, quartz pebbles, human hair, fingernails and part of an iron cauldron.
The finds have been dated to the 1640s, a period of turmoil in England when Cromwellian Puritans destroyed any links to pre-Christian pagan England. It was also a period when witchcraft attracted the death sentence.
More at The Times
Climate change to bring more witchhunts?
There is evidence that European witch-burnings in past centuries may also have resulted from climate variations and the resulting crop failures, economic distress and search for scapegoats. Emily Oster, a University of Chicago economist, tracked witchcraft trials and weather in Western Europe between 1520 and 1770 and found a close correlation: colder weather led to more crackdowns on witches.
More at the New York Times