[Part One of this Series: Click HERE] [Part Two of this Series: Click HERE] [Part Three of this Series: Click HERE]   People make a big deal over meditation. Unfortunately, there is more bad information about meditation than there is good. This is a shame, because it is a valuable and important technique for people learning magick. A levitating gnu, deep in meditation, wrapped snuggly in a gold robe. Both he and his computer float gracefully above the floor—only his tail lightly touches the ground. He gently holds a recorder between his front hooves, as if he has just gotten the inspiration to play music. There is a gleam in his eyes as he gazes ahead at his computer

Thank You, S.F. Bay! First, I would like to thank everyone who showed up for my workshops at Ancient Ways in Oakland, CA, this last weekend. I'd also like to thank shop owner Glenn Turner for her hospitality and friendship, as well as nods to Marilee, Michael, and everyone else at the shop. If you're in the S.F. bay area, I would encourage you to visit the shop, if only to say "Hello." I'd also like to thank the couple who came in all the way from San Jose on their "date night" to attend a workshop. And speaking of San Jose, the 18th annual PantheaCon convention, run by Glenn and a group of wonderful, dedicated workers and volunteers, is being held February 17–20, 2012. It's one of the

A few years ago, a publishing administrator asked me why so many occultists were short on money. I told him that some occultists, magicians, and Pagans view wealth in terms other than money. They value having time and being able to study, learn, be with friends, etc. "But," he said, "it seems like many don't have enough to live in decent housing, have a vehicle, or buy healthy food. As magicians, shouldn't they be able to do magick that would bring them enough money to meet their basic needs?" I explained that some are mired in "poverty thinking." I discussed this type of thinking in a recent blog post. Recently, an internationally-famous occultist admitted to me that he wasn't making

[Part One of this Series: Click HERE] [Part Two of this Series: Click HERE] An Alchemical Laboratory Most people think of alchemy as a bunch of frauds trying to cheat people into thinking they could change lead (actually any base metal) into gold. In actuality, alchemy is far more complex than that. The challenge is that the original books and documents about alchemy are written in coded language. As a result, there are commonly three ways used in interpreting them. Sexual Alchemy: In this system the terms of alchemy are decoded as sexual terms, resulting in the production not of gold, but of a "magickal childe," your magickal goal. Until the late 20th century many, if