I was working on the second part of my 3-part series concerning the 110 years of Llewellyn (you can read part one by clicking HERE), when I had a realization I thought I'd share. Last night, I attended a wonderful Pagan full moon ritual held by a local coven. As is found in virtually all rituals, there were speeches. Now, it so happens that this group has some excellent writers. Some of the speeches were longer, poetic, and evocative. Some were shorter, direct, and to the point. That got me wondering: which is better (by which I mean more effective)? Long, elaborate speeches as are frequently found in ceremonial magick rituals, or shorter, less flowery ones? Passion and Emotion Crowley

110 Years of Spiritual Development Part 1 of a 3-part Series It was 110 year ago that Llewellyn Publications was founded. So? What’s the big deal? Llewellyn, after all, is just a publishing company. Yes, I suppose that’s true. But let me draw a comparison. In January, 1776, Thomas Paine published a small booklet entitled Common Sense (original title: Plain Truth). In three months it had sold an astounding 100,000 copies to American colonists, a copy for 1 in every 20 people. It was the best selling work in 18th century America. (To do that today, a book would have to sell 15.5 million copies in three months in the U.S.) Ideas always precede actions. It is quite likely that without

Initiation of an apprentice Freemason around 1800. This engraving is based on that of Gabanon on the same subject dated 1745. The costumes of the participants are changed to the English fashion at the start of the 19th century and the engraving is colored, but otherwise is that of 1745. Initiation In the Western Mystical Tradition there are three purposes for initiation. The first is to make you a member of a group or a level or degree within a group. The second, which is the outcome of the first, is to give you some power, knowledge, or rights that are not available to those who have not been initiated into either the group or a level within that group. The third purpose is the most

Mystics talk about it all the time. Some doctors are getting wise to the idea. Simply put, there is an incredibly strong link between he functioning of the mind and the physical body. But some people demand proof. For those I would direct your attention to the April 6, 2011, issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. There you'll find an article written by six researchers entitled "Brain Mechanisms Supporting the Modulation of Pain by Mindfulness Meditation." If you don't want to pay $30.00(!) just to read the article and if the abstract isn't enough, you can go to this article by Anne Harding which explains the paper. To put it briefly, some subjects were given a pain to experience. Next,