Category: DADA
DADA101 – Fear
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” -Frank Herbert
I first read this quote when I was about 11. I bought the book Dune while on our annual trip to Yosemite. It interested me after coloring a coloring page (yes, I was 11) from the story of Dune. It featured a Freman sitting out, staring across a desert landscape. I fell in love with the image and had to get the book.
We arrived at Yosemite by about noon and quickly set up camp. It was raining bad. We then all went inside to wait out the storm. I began reading Dune and remember this quote vividly. I got through the section about the Gom Jabbar before doing something unusual for me. I fell asleep and took a nap. Probably the only nap I can remember in my childhood. I could never see the point.
But it was a fateful nap. My older brother snatched up my copy of Dune and began reading it. I did not see the book again the whole week. And it was a long week because it rained the entire time.
And I did not return to the book Dune until about 12 years later. I think I was a little afraid of it. I was not a strong reader and there were a lot of weird words. And if you have read it, then you understand how disjointed the story is presented. But when I picked it up again, it was the same book I had picked up off a rack in a tourist shop all those years ago. I swiped it from my brother’s coveted collection of books – something he has never let me forget. And I took it for good.
Now that I am rereading the story for about the 10th time, I bought a “new” copy from a used bookstore. The original is held together with duct tape and half the pages are falling out.
Back to Fear . . . and some of our favorite stories
Dune, like Harry Potter, is a coming of age story. Young boy must face uncertainty, evil people and death. They have friends, but pretty much must accomplish it with their own wits (oh, and some magic and genetic superiority). And along the way, us faithful readers see ourselves in these characters. We experience their ups, their downs, their loves, their heartbreaks. And we also live with their fears.
How many times have you watched an action, adventure or horror movie and asked yourself, WHY after experiencing ANY of what they present (car crashes, falling out a window, shootings, muggings, being punched out of nowhere) is the main character not crouched and shivering in a corner from fear? Most action adventure movies do not even touch the subject.
Every once in a while, they do. Consider The Hunger Games, where 26 children are placed in an arena and forced to kill each other. Seeing the horror acted out before during and after the action in that movie really show the faces of fear caused by trauma.
And these examples get to the heart of what I want to discuss . . .
How do we deal with fear?
Directly and indirectly, this is the core of the entire world of psychology today. People get to a really bad place and need to talk it out. So, they go to a therapist. Or a religious leader. Or someone who will listen to them. Unfortunately, the person suffering from the low point usually has no idea how to get out of it. And it is up to the “professional” to lead them there.
But what if these “professionals” have no idea themselves how to lead you out? Therapy is not an exact science. And we may never know how much snake oil has been involved. What we do know is how prevalent the use of medications, drugs, alcohol and anything else that people are using to dull the senses.
Are these the answer? Maybe. Maybe not.
But be sure that whether they are or whether they are not, someone is making money from the process.
And this also brings up another inconvenient truth. And that is about the amount of stimulus out there specifically designed to pump up the volume of fear and anxiety.
When you put it all together, it speaks highly to the idea that society is directing us into paths and markets we do not even know we are being ushered into. It’s like Russian workers who left work and got into the first line they found, not knowing what it was that they would get at the end but figuring that it would be all they could get. Is it bread? Vodka? Underwear?
stimulus – response
stimulus – response
eat, drink, smoke, pop, sleep
These can be a treadmill. A never-ending cycle.
What we must ask ourselves is if such thing as a “CURE” exists. I think that if we look deep inside ourselves, we know there has to be. Are we waiting for someone to dream it up? Are we hoping that one of the allopathic options may work?
To me, it all screams that there probably are some actual “cures” out there. And the industry known as mental health will do everything in its power to make sure you can’t find it. Is that me being like Alex Jones? A bit of cynicism? Hell yes.
Finding the Secret
As with so many things, I believe there are secrets that have been hidden from us about how to resolve these issues of the mind. We would like to believe that there are genius’s out there waiting to come up with a new solution to our problems. Names like Freud and Jung are well known and have offered us insight into the mind’s workings.
But to look at society today one questions whether it is worse now than any time in our history? Have all of the mental diseases and disorders that are being worked on today always existed? Are they different sides of the same coin? Have we created new names (and subsequently new drugs to deal with them) for the same things?
Or has the shock treatment we receive in our daily dosages of lamestream news and toxic life really messed us up and pushed us over the PTSD edge. Some people manage it better than others?
Consider a Couple Classics
Since this is a blog about comparative fiction in our everyday life, let’s consider for a few minutes, a couple examples.
Harry Potter – With all the trauma in Harry’s life, it’s a wonder that it took until the 3rd book, Prisoner of Azkaban, to address fear. It appeared in the guise of boggarts and dementors. And to me, one of the most poignant story lines in the entire series is Professor Lupin teaching Harry Potter about dealing with his own fears.
Boggarts were magical pests who take the form of whatever scares someone the most. It’s their own magical defense mechanism that works like a skunk’s spray. Once you can recognize it for what it is, dispelling the creature is not that difficult. The problem arises when you are faced with that which scares you the most. And can you mentally look beyond it to see that it is really innocuous?
The teaching of this lesson begins innocently, as the professor has each student face the boggart and come face to face with their worst fears. There are snakes, spiders, clowns and even people that the students face down. It’s done humorously in order to show that it can be light-hearted. But as Harry faces the boggart, what appears is something much more sinister – a dementor. One of the must vile and horrible creatures of all.
Dementors are evil creatures who feed off of the fears and emotions of others. Their affinity for evil made them quick allies of the dark forces in the book. At the time of the teaching, however, they offer their services as guards of the wizards’ prison. They are both effective guards to the worst criminals of the wizarding world. But also add an element of torture to the convicted – feeding off all their fears.
To combat these fear-mongering creatures, Professor Lupin teaches a couple of different spells. Riddikulus dispels the boggart, by transforming it into something funny. But for the Dementor the required spell is a Patronus Charm – which embodies a good spirit energy to fight it off.
Most important with each spell, however, is an element that is entirely non magical. And therefore an important lesson for all of us eager readers wanting to be warriors ourselves. That non magical element is Emotion. To make riddikulus work, the caster must think of something funny. This funny energy feeds the counter spell. Similarly with the patronus, the caster must recall a powerful happy emotion. And this emotion feeds the energy that will dispel the dementor.
Fiction or not, it tells of the importance of our emotions in fueling our own well-being. And being in control of our emotions and being able to feed our emotions helps in conquering our own fears.
Dune – I Must Not Fear – This article started with the Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear. Young Paul Atreides invokes the rite early in the book as he faces the trial of the Gom Jabbar. He must face a fear of the unknown as he inserts his hand into a box that causes him pain. He is then faced with the dilemma. Remove his hand from the pain source or he would face death by poison. Which fear is worse? Paul faces the test be reciting the mantra “I must not Fear. Fear is the Mind Killer”. In the end he faces the fear and moves beyond it. The pain, and the memory of the pain, remained. Be he was the master.
He faces other trials later in the book. And many of them also involved the facing of fear and invoking the rite. To me, this kind of fear mantra is excellent teaching tool in facing fears in our own life.
Fantastic Fears and How to Dispel Them!
All of this leads us to consider how we face fears here in our own lives. What fears do you have? Are you afraid of Spiders? Snakes? Clowns? Heights? Enclosed Spaces? People?
We all have and hold onto our own core fears. Some of these may have been learned from experience. Myself, I have a fear of snakes. Why you may ask? I grew up in Southern California. I have been face-to-face with Rattlesnakes 4 different times. Each one scared the living shit out of me. They are a constant fear to this day. But this does not debilitate my life. I live in Pennsylvania now. Not so many snakes.
Through Astrology, we find that there are also fears that we are born with. And a great key to understanding them is explained in Laura Walker’s Book about the Black Moon. In her own words:
There has been a missing piece in astrology – the Black Moon. This mysterious astrological body has been hidden in the shadows and mired in misconception. The Black Moon pinpoints our shadow side – the fractured part of the psyche that harbors a primary fear and keeps us locked in repetitive, self-sabotaging cycles of behavior. When the shadow side is identified and healed, we become whole and our untapped potential is liberated.
When you study the black moon, you are looking at your own shadow side. You are delving into the core fears that were active at the time of your birth. These Black Moon Energies, as defined by the location of the Black Moon in the Zodiac when you were born, are imprinted on you. It is like other planetary aspects. However the effects are more personal. They are activated when The Moon or the Black Moon are either conjunct or oppose your natal signs. Being aware of them can help you to acknowledge the source of the energy you may be feeling and offer you suggestions on how to deal with them.
To understand this, it will help you to find out your natal Black Moon. You can look it up in Laura’s Book. Download it here:
The Black Moon: Guide to Healing the Shadow Side (2011)
The Shadow sides and fears are listed here.
| Sign | Shadow | Fear | Issues |
| Aries | Shadow of Success | unworthiness | identity, self esteem |
| Taurus | Shadow of Security | scarcity | insecurity, consumption |
| Gemini | Shadow of Acceptance | rejection | liked/disliked by others |
| Cancer | Shadow of Support | abandonment | dependency, neediness |
| Leo | Shadow of Order | change | arrogance, self-centered |
| Virgo | Shadow of Ability | failure | self-criticism, overwork |
| Libra | Shadow of Perfection | loneliness/isolation | perfectionism, boundaries |
| Scorpio | Shadow of Death | loss | winning-losing, death, endings |
| Sagittarius | Shadow of Truth | meaninglessness | honesty, dishonesty |
| Capricorn | Shadow of Control | neglect | control, attention seeking behavior |
| Aquarius | Shadow of Power | powerlessness | power struggles, self-discipline |
| Pisces | Shadow of Trust | vulnerability | trust in others/God |
Understanding and working with your fears is a start. But I would like to finish with a note of encouragement and a short practice I have found a lot of success with.
Tap on That Shit!
I am a huge proponent of meridian tapping. Funny part about tapping is that it was developed by a psychologist, Dr. Roger Callahan, who was looking for a mode of healing that worked. He was a therapist who had worked for years with different clients with little to no success. He had researched and studies eastern medicine and happened upon a process of tapping on different meridian points on the body. By tapping in the right sequence and with the right intention, negative energies could be released. It’s funny because he found an actual cure for so many issues that he had been working around. And it was not written in the Medical journals.
Now, I am not a doctor or a therapist. But I have used this process to help rid myself of a l0t of emotional baggage. And I offer this basic technique for you to try.
The tapping is simple. Take your middle 3 fingers together and gently tap on your forehead – between your eyebrows. (If you read my previous article about the Curse Clearing, it is the same process).
Think about the fear or problem that you are having and start tapping. tap tap tap
- Acknowledge the fear (name it for what it is)
- Dispel that fear
- Replace it with something good
For this simple exercise, it may sound like this.
tap tap tap
- I acknowledge that snakes are there and they scare me.
but
2. They cannot hurt me. I stay away from them. I wish them well and my life to be better without them and without the thought of them.
3. I replace them with the weasel. The Weasel is good and furry and fluffy. It is my protector. It makes me happy. And weasels kill snakes.
Finish tapping and breath in deeply 3 times.
This is not necessarily the best example, but it gives you the idea of what to do. Acknowledge the fear, dispel it and replace it with something good. The tapping and the intention help to put that fear away in your head.
Good Luck
ASTR101 – The Solar System to Scale
The Solar System
Back many many years ago, when I was in college in the 80’s, I took an astronomy class. It fulfilled my science requirement with a lab. And since I had no interest in the sciences (I had OD’s on them in high school with Advanced Chem and Advanced Bio) this would do.
This morning, I saw a post on Facebook that reminded me of one of the more educational labs we did. The “experiment” was to make a scale model of the solar system. And the process of creating it ( in our short 3-hour lab) was much less cool than the video I am about to share with everyone, it was just as educational.
Probably one of the more mind bending parts of understanding the Universe is scale. We simply do not have any frame of reference here on earth to feel it.
So we started at one end of the longest hallway at San Diego State University. I believe it was 2 buildings that had been Frankensteined together making one massively long hallway. There, we took a sheet of paper and traced a circle the size of a quarter – and taped the paper to the wall.
Then we were given measurements – and I forget whether they made us use tape measures or just counting out footsteps. A dot some 30 steps down the hallway was Mercury. Another dot some 50 or more steps further was Venus. As I recall, the Hallway did not allow us to get past Jupiter.
The question asked at each planet was to look at the papers we had taped up before and think about how much we could actually see of the dots we put on the paper.
The Video
For the purposes of my blog, I cannot share the video that I saw this morning. But I can send you to the site to see it yourself. You understand the whole plagiarism thing. But I thought it was so cool, that I wanted to talk about it and share it.
Every solar system model you’ve seen is wrong
So these filmmakers mapped out the true scale of the planets’ orbits in the sand.
The video is educational, beautiful and awe-inspiring. It shows off our planet’s place in the solar system, and it offers perspective on just how small Earth is in the grand scheme of things. The entire film is captivating, but perhaps the most poignant moment is at sunrise, when the real sun matches the model’s sun, showing that the representation is accurate.
So please go watch and enjoy!
DADA101 – More on Astrology
In the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Astrology Still Gets a Bum Rap.
You would think that in a world where people performed magic spells, and curses, there would be an open minded awareness of such arts as Astrology. But as you read through the series, you soon learn this is not the case.
This is a case where reading the books provides a more extensive view of the Wizarding World than if you only watched the movies. there is only so much you can cram into a 3 hour movie. Some details had to be erased. The case of Astrology and Astronomy are one example.
Astronomy, as a subject at Hogwart’s school, is addressed in a few of the books, starting with book 1 – The Sorcerer’s Stone. It’s one of the classes they attend (at night of course). They draw star charts and discuss planets. Its very much treated as any science would be in our own existence. And as a plot device, useful to set the scene.
It is not until the 3rd book, Prisoner of Azkaban, where Astrology is introduced. And it is done with humor and derision. Movie watchers only saw Professor Trelawney – Half Blind, kinda crazy and prone to weird fits of insanity (we later find out to be prophesies.
Hermione Granger helps push the points about Trelawney home by referring to her as an old fraud and and calling the whole subject of Divination “a bunch of rubbish.” Her preference in subjects was for Arithmancy (dare we call it numerology)?
Truth be told, the books are not much kinder to her. Though they do discuss in much more detail some of the subjects that she teaches, including tea leaf reading, crystal balls and Astrology.
Knowing a little bit about astrology, the interplay about Astrology homework is actually very funny. But it points out a blatant disrespect for the subject.
Some Personal Notes on Astronomy and Astrology
In my freshman year in college, I decided to take an Astronomy class. As a business major, I was required to take a science with a lab. I had already studied both Chemistry and Biology in high school and was looking for something different.
And Astronomy sounded so cool. I could go on star gazing tours, go visit the observatory (Palomar Mountain was only about 30 miles away and the University had a partnership there). Learning about the planets and the solar system had more of an appeal to me than chemicals and dissections.
Besides this, it was one of the few classes that I could get. San Diego State University boasted over 45,000 students at the time. Most classes were held in large lecture halls, and still would fill to capacity. You took what you could get.
Day one in the class re educated me quickly about the “fun” in astronomy. Astronomy could be better described as applied mathematics, chemistry, and physics all together.
NOTE FOR FUTURE REFERENCE: I have never taken physics, so most of my simplistic descriptions of physics principles will be borrowed from someone else’s work who knows WTF they are talking about.
As my major would eventually change from Business to Economics (which is another applied mathematics, specifically statistics and calculus, field) the mode of learning fit right into my own mindset.
Astronomy is all about DESCRIBING what is going on in the universe around us. It provides the descriptive information that has helped us to ask some of the more important questions about life, the universe and everything.
Now the Science of Astrology has been studied for a long time. So long, that most of what was learned in the past was either forgotten or has been ignored or suppressed by different groups trying to control the narrative (Think organized religion or the organized education, or governments).
These organizations, for their own purposes have sought to define our world on their terms – in order to control the thoughts of the populations at large. But as in a fair game of poker, the cards call themselves. Facts are presented. Hopefully people will not continue to keep these facts to themselves.
People in Babylon, Ancient Greece, Egypt, India, China, Scandinavia, Central, South and North America. Have actively studied what they saw in the sky. Each sought answers to the questions of their existence, and to discover what they could about the world around them. They would ask questions like:
- What was that crazy light that just streaked across the sky?
- Why did the Moon just disappear and darkness just fill the sky for an hour?
- Why do most stars always in the same place in the sky while others appear to wander across the sky?
Given that very little of what they knew can be figured out today due to lack of written records, we can only look at what they left for us and guess. And they have left us some pretty big hints:
- The Pyramids being built with exact measurements and specific alignments towards cardinal points and directions. And in alignment to the constellation Orion.
- Stonehenge and many other megalithic sites aligned exactly to the equinoxes.
- An understanding of the procession of the equinoxes.
- “Gods” named same at the planets.
The sophistication of what they built far exceeds our own estimation of their ability to understand things.
But Back to Astrology
I have wanted to gather, in one place, a comprehensive explanation many aspects of Astrology. I have been studying Astrology pretty closely for about 8 years. And while I have many books and know of many websites, it is still a challenge to answer what I feel are basic questions.
I feel that there are many others out there that may feel the same.
So while this is not exactly Defense Against the Dark Arts (until we get to sections on how the Archons and Illuminati Elites use astrology to time their attacks that is), it is important information. So I am opening a second “class.
ASTRO101
Future articles will be headlined ASTRO101. It will be training as basic as it gets. As I have found. astrology can get pretty deep pretty fast. So I will be walking through subjects as slowly as it takes for me to be able to explain them.
More than likely, there will be fewer references to good old Harry Potter. But I promise to keep it fun.
Again, as with Defense, I am hoping that these will be interactive subjects for all to engage in.
DADA101 – Curses
“Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic, capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it.”
– Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)
WHAT Exactly is a Curse?
I always remember this scene from the movie The Jerk. It takes the simpleton’s view of a common situation in everyday life taking our daily speech literally:
“Damn these glasses!”
“I damn thee.”
How often are we speaking or emanating curses throughout the day and not even know it?
The Law of Attraction says that thoughts are things. And there are powers out there that are floating through the ether that may be affecting us on a daily basis.
It is one thing if these curses are simply flying around and happen to hit us. It is quite another if one is aimed our direction.
A curse is any expressed wish that some form of adversity or misfortune will befall or attach to some other entity: one or more persons, a place, or an object. – Some definition that popped up on Google
Curses are negative energy sent from one source and aimed at another. The intent is malevolent.
And it Comes Back to Harry
In the Harry Potter series, curses are talked about a lot. There is a constant battle or balance going on between dark and light forces. Being magic, the effects of these curses are often dramatic and vary greatly in intensity. Many can be innocuous as making someone stumble while walking. But could also be much worse, or even evil.
3 of these curses were so heinous as to make them “unforgivable.” These included The Imperious Curse (Imperio) – Controlling someone and forcing them to action, The Cruciatus Curse (Crucio) – the torture curse, and The Killing Curse (Avada Kedavra).
More about the curses in Harry Potter will be addressed in future posts. For here, suffice it to say, they were part of the story. And very much, they displayed a very dramatic visual representation of things that have been whispered about throughout our own history.
The Curse Clearing
I learned about the Curse Clearing back a few years ago – sometime around 2012 (it’s amazing all the things that were revealed in that year). It was taught in a seminar given by Lee Beymer – which I listened to the podcast of rather than live. It was part of a discussion about his healing technique called Quantum Emotional Clearing (QEC).
He related a number of stories about how he learned about curses. To the untrained eye, they are not noticed. But to those under attack, they can ruin your whole day, or worse.
GLOBAL
At the time of the seminar, it was revealed that our collective consciousness was under serious attack. The source of the attack was not “human.” The way I read it from his description was that it was what we have been calling archontic in nature. And the attacks came in waves. Many of which were astrologically triggered.
NATIONAL
So, we start from a position of being is a think, evil soup of curses. We also face the what’s going on in the world around us. Listen to or read the news or watch any television and really pay attention to what is being said. Are the politicians attacking you for your beliefs? Are you bombarded with scare tactics.
PERSONAL
We can also be under specific attack from other individuals. Is your home life positive? Do you swear at other drivers when you are out on the road? Do you have wonderful loving relationships with everyone you work with?
It is with this toxic cloud or generalized and specific curses what we need to find ways of protecting ourselves.
Sticks and Stones Can Break My Bones, But Words . . .
It makes sense to practice techniques to “clear” them from your field. The Curse Clearing ritual was developed just for this specific purpose.
We created a group that has been practicing The Curse Clearing daily (twice daily actually). I find it beneficial to take part as a group, but it is not necessary. I have also used the Curse Clearing on my own.
If you are interested in the group, on Facebook search for
It is linked here
If interested, here are the Call in Procedures:
Daily at 7:30am and 10:30am Eastern Time
Call-in Number: (712) 432-0900
Participant Access Code: 189370#
For Canadian Residents:
Please dial 559-546-1400 prior to using the dial-in information above.
Skype Name: freeconferencing.0900
The purpose of this group is to provide scheduled and/or on-request energy clearing based on Lee Beymer’s Energy Clearing Procedures that he shares. Call participants generally come away from these calls feeling lighter and brighter.
Meridian Tapping
The Curse Clearing, in addition to being a recited message, also employs meridian tapping. Tapping was popularized by Dr. Roger Callahan. Many people have taken up the practice and spread it around. There are many techniques you can try, which I may go into in another lesson.
This specific ritual was developed by Lee Beymer. He learned from Gary Craig, who worked with Dr. Callahan in the early stages of the tapping development.
For this ritual, we will tap using three fingers (given that you have all three – if not, you can improvise). With your three center fingers (hand is up to you). Tap between your eyebrows in the center of your head. Speed should be 2-4 taps per second. and strength should be enough so you can feel it, but not so much that you might leave a mark (though if you do it long enough the spot you are tapping may be a little red).
Belief Not Necessary
This was a somewhat funny statement that Lee would often utter. Part of the statement asks you to address a higher power. When I first learned it, he used the term “GOD” which bothered many people. It bothered them due to their own belief systems (or lack of them).
This is not meant to challenge any of your belief systems. Only to draw on any powers that you do believe. So when it is asked, and you want to say “God” or “Allah” or “Buddah” or “Vishnu”, please do. We say “By the Powers of All That Are Divine” and leave it at that.
At the conclusion of the ritual, you are asked to follow a breathing ritual. Simply breath in deeply, hold for the count of ten and then exhale. Repeat 2 more times for a total of three deep breaths.
If you do the ritual on you own, simply say the following phrases out loud while tapping between your eyebrows. If you take part in the group call, A leader with say the lines, and everyone else follows in turn.
THE CURSE CLEARING
By the Powers of All That Are Divine
All curses, interference, antagonisms
and all angers, fears and repeaters are bound and defeated
And must leave us now
To return to Source
To be revealed in The Truth
And absolved in The Light
So be it
Let it be done
And it is so
(repeat 3x)
Thank You
Breath in and out 3 times as explained above.
DADA101 – Medicine Wheel of Protection
“Some things are true whether we believe in them or not. I call these big “T” truths. Other things are true only because we do. I call these little “t” truths. The Universe is spacious enough to accomodate big “T” truth and all our little “t” truths. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to increase our conscious creation of Reality and reduce our unconscious creation. Who wants to play?”
– from one of my Facebook Friends named Gerald Thomas
Daily Prayers
Do you Pray?
This is a somewhat controversial topic when asked in mixed company. Different faiths practice in different ways and focus their energies in different ways. I come at this from an American and Judeo-Christian background. We learned to Thank God at meals and to pray before going to bed. Some of these prayers were rote learned prayers:
“Bless us oh lord and Thanks for this gifts we are about to receive. Amen”
This was the basic prayer recited at meals in our house and in the homes of most of my friends growing up.
And something similar each night before going to bed.
“Now I lay thee down to sleep. I pray the lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake. i pray the lord my soul to take.”
I hated this one. So early on I changed it to something more personal.
I believe there are far fewer children nowadays blessing their food or saying prayers at night before bad. Organized religion is less popular today than it was 50 years ago when I was being brought up.
I often wonder where, in world absent the specific teachings of moral absolutes that our children today are learning about it. I know pretty sure that it isn’t from schools.
But this wasn’t intended to be a discussion about religious faith. Rather, its an introduction to the idea of protection. After years of daily practice saying my prayers, they were doing nothing for me. So I stopped. I questioned much of what I believed spiritually at that time.
The question is, what do you believe and how do you see the universe. Are there powers and energies that you feel or that can influence. And what, if anything, are you doing as you face the universe each day in the form of spiritual protection?
For my part, I would like to offer suggestions or practices that I have learned about that may help. And give as much background and information as I can find to help you in these practices.
The Medicine Wheel – Shamanic Prayer of Protection
The first of the “Prayers” I want to offer is The Medicine Wheel of Protection. This “prayer” comes from Shamanic practices and is much followed by Native Americans still today.
It invokes a sphere of protection around us that is sovereign. It makes a complete circuit between the Earth, the heavens, and ourselves. I can attest that it works and it works very, very well.
The Medicine Wheel of Protection is an ancient, daily practice of reconnecting and sealing with the Earth and the stars. It is highly effective at affecting archontic intrusion by placing a sphere of sovereignty around us.
I practice The Wheel as morning ritual before beginning the day. For me, it is generally in the shower – which seems the best time for me to do it. The following procedure is given as a general outline and is meant to be personalized. Add your own elements to make the Wheel your own.
You will be addressing each of the cardinal directions during the ritual. So you should determine these in advance. Not owning a compass, I used a compass app on my phone to find them. Then found a mark to concentrate towards.
1. EAST – Yellow – Land of the Rising Sun – “I seek wisdom.”
Medicine Wheels are always begun and entered from the East. Bring your hands together in prayer and honor the East. Aloud or silently to yourself, repeat the keynotes, “I honor the East, the Land of the Rising Sun. I seek wisdom.” Picture what lies to the East of you. For me, I visualize the sun breaking the horizon and imagine the yellow light filling me with wisdom.
2. SOUTH – Red – Land of the Winds of Experience – “I experience.”
Turn 90-degrees and face South. Repeat the keywords, “I honor the South, the Land of the Winds of Experience. I seek experience.” What do you imagine when you look to the South? The South is the part of the wheel that represents our sense of learning through playfulness and sensations. Our quest for wisdom is furthered by our experiences. It also embodies music. I am often filled with a song that may have entered my consciousness and allow it to overtake me. This song will often carry me through the full ritual.
3. WEST – Black – Land of the Setting Sun – “I am transformed.”
Turn 90-degrees and face West. Repeat the keywords, “I honor the West, the Land of the Setting Sun. I am transformed.” Repeat the visualization with what lies to the West of you. Transformation is a difficult visualization for me. West is where the sun sets. It is also the direction of my home – the land where I was born – California. We have been in such a transformative time over the past 10 years. It is at this time that i embrace that trasformation.
4. NORTH – White – Land of the Winds of Change – “I am enlightened.”
Turn 90-degrees and face North. Repeat the keywords, “I honor the North, the Land of the Winds of Change. I am enlightened.” The North is regarded as the direction of Spirit, the place from which we are enlightened to wisdom. I imagine being buffeted by the white winds of change rushing down from Canada. It is cold and refreshing. And I feel myself filled as a pillar of white light.
This step completes the first circuit of the sphere of the Medicine Wheel of Protection.
5. ABOVE – Father Sky – Galactic Center – God (The Originator, in the Gnostic texts)
Turn your head above, raise your arms to the sky, and honor the stars, the Galactic Center, and the heavens. I generally completely turn in a circle, continuing right until I face the west again. I feel the energy as a vortex from above – spinning blue sky. Repeat “I honor Father Sky…” Honor what you feel comfortable with – God, Galactic Center, etc.
6. BELOW – Mother Earth – Gaia Sophia
Bow your head and bring your arms down to your sides. Honor Mother Earth/Gaia Sophia. Feel her green energy move up from your feet and up through your body to your heart. I imagine the energy pulling from the center of the earth – connecting me. Sophia’s energy resides in our hearts. Repeat “I honor Gaia Sophia…” Honor what you feel comfortable with – Mother Nature, Mary, etc.
7. SELF
Bring your arms to heart center and open them in an expanse as if you were hugging the world. This is the step where we place ourselves into the sphere of the Medicine Wheel – radiating purple energy from within. We place ourselves in the Wheel, ready to play our part in the dream. The Medicine Wheel of Protection is now in place.
Each can implement the wheel as it fits into your life. For me, it is a morning ritual. But I also will invoke it while outside – barefoot in the grass if possible.
DADA101 – Patriot Intel Report Interview
DADA 101 – Basic Defenses
How Do You Defend Physically Yourself?
This is the opening question to ask yourself in considering your personal Defense Against the Dark Arts. What kinds of things do you do to defend yourself.
Get a piece of paper and write down all of the things that you might be doing for defense.
This is the beginning of the practical portion of this class. There is much to learn. But there is even more that we need to apply to our own lives. And one place it to begin at the beginning.
Ask yourself what ways you defend yourself.
Locks and Doors – We all live somewhere. And in this abode or home, we have doors. Doors close. Doors lock. Sometimes we barricade them against the outside. Then there are windows, with locks and curtains and shades. And if you are still worried, there are endless levels of security systems you can add to your line of defense.
Much of what you may do is dependent on your own circumstances. If you live in a walk up apartment in New York City, you might want multiple locks with a safe or two for valuables. You might want weapons and whatnot. On the other hand, if you live in the suburbs in a locked and gated community, the level of personal protection may be different. As it would be if you live in a farmhouse in Iowa or a shack on a desert island.
Everyone’s circumstances are different as are everyone’s need for personal security. Often times, the choice of where to live takes into account your personal need for protection.
And can you personally defend yourself? Have you ever been in a fight? Can you throw a punch? Have you taken a kickboxing class or Karate? If you are unable to defend yourself, people may consider weapons – whether it’s a baseball bat or a shotgun, it depends on how much personal protection you feel you need.
Putting Up Walls
With so many outside forces baring down on us, it is up to us to find lines of defense to protect ourselves.
Walls are pretty big in the news these days with all the talk about them along the Southern Border of the United States. Our country defends itself with so many walls. Most of them legal. Our laws are in place to protect us. Are we being protected from each other or from the government. That’s a big question to ask. In the end. When our laws are not working, physical barriers must be in place to assure that all are protects.
Often this is the same with our personal lives. Are you comfortable going to sleep at night with the front door unlocked?
Is it any shock that there is such a big controversy in the United States about the status of its Southern Border. And the focus is on a wall. My personal feeling is in favor of having completely open borders. We are the land of opportunity – the last frontier.
However, while we are the land of opportunity, we have also become the land of giveaways. Thanks to the New Deal back during the Great Depression, we have endless entitlements and government programs. Not to debate the value of these programs, but they all come at a cost – and they are paid through taxation of all of us here.
Add to this the very real threats we face from terrorism. We need to have some system in place that might identify threats that may come across the border. How this system works is up to the politicians – none of whom agree. Until that time, the first line of defense is a barrier.
What About Security in the Wizarding World?
As you progress through the Harry Potter Series, you are slowly more and more aware of the security measures put in place for the magical protection of the students. You see measures of protection in the first two books (Guarding the Sorcerer’s Stone and then protecting the students against the threats contained in the chamber of secrets. In Prisoner of Azkaban, Dementors were used to guard Hogwarts. It is also in Prisoner that we begin to learn about protective spells. Chief among these is the Patronus Charm.
In Order of the Phoenix, we find out about protective charms to hide things (like 12 Grimmauld Place – Unplottable on a Map, protected by a Fidelius Charm). And also protection such as Occlumency, the counter spell to the offensive Legilimency. And in the Deathly Hallows, there is constant talk about protective charms cast over all of their many hiding spots.
It speaks of the need for personal protection and the lengths that you must go to protect yourself against outside attacks.
And while we may not be facing magical incantations (we hope)It still speaks to the level of alertedness we must keep. It also suggests that there are many forms of attack that we may want to consider defending against.
Not all Attacks (or Barriers) are Physical
In addition to physical protection, there is also the question of protecting your mind and spirit against other forms of attack. Consider simple electric or cyber threats. Do you worry about effect of 5G (or even every other cell or wifi service). How many people had smart meters installed at their homes? Do you fall asleep with your cell phone next to you? We are being bombarded constantly electromagnetic fields constantly.
And then what about gravitational forces? We are in Mercury Retrograde now. The Full Moon will hit next Tuesday. And anyone who wants to question these aspects I would ask to go visit your local Emergency Room and then report back to us your experiences.
Which brings us to the question of other outside influences and what lines of defense we may need for our protection.
A Case for a Good Defense
It is here that all the learnings of science kind of leave us. And a starting point for why we are looking at a Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Anyone who has followed Astrogardens over the past year and a half knows that I like to play in the prepper universe. Personal protection and preparedness are important. But the kinds of Defense taught in DADA are not the same.
The types of defense, and the threats that you may be defensing against, far exceed the scope of this article. This is more of a “lets get ready” article.
Next we will begin to explore personal protection and what you may need to do to prepare yourself daily to face the world.
DADA – Must Read List – Fiction
THE ESSENTIAL FICTION BOOK LIST
I am compiling this list of essential fiction books that people should read. These books are important in the opening one’s eyes to the world as it is (or may be) around us. Call it getting ready for the Red Pill. I will be doing a similar “movies” list later, as there are many eye opening movies that we should pay attention to. I may also do a non fiction list as well.
But my purpose also is to prepare you for future commentary. This is NOT a complete list by any means. It is just what has come up off the top of may head and will serve as a starting point for a lot of what I will be talking about.
Note that I am including pictures because they are fun! Most are the covers from the original books I read. I could get into the whole idea of reading old books, their smells, first editions and all that. But I will not bore you for now. Suffice it to say that I prefer real bound paper books to ebooks.
At the beginning of most college classes, you get a book list. This is usually enough to make you groan as you try to count the money in your bank account to see if you can afford the hundreds of dollars to pay for them all.
This will be a little less onerous than that. Most of these books are old and can be found used on Amazon for a song. Or, even better you may already have them.
Harry Potter Series – J. K. Rowlings
Book 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Book 2: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
For the Purposes of Defense Against the Dark Arts, it helps to start at the beginning.
I LOVE YA (Young Adult) novels. My reason is simple. As a writer, it helps to read books that are “easy to read”. And with YA, you have easy plot lines and relatively simple sentence structure. For me, reading YA helps develop a rhythm for writing. And when the stories are fun, all the better. The Harry Potter series ascends to the top of many positive categories in so many ways.
For Our purposes, I plan to focus on a lot of subjects that come up in the books and the movies. And while it is not completely necessary to have read the books or watched the movies to understand what i will be talking about. It will be fun if you have and you understand a little bit about the characters.
NOTE: I have read the HP series about 5 times and I have no idea how many times I have seen each movie.
Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkien
I have read the Lord of the Rings series 16 times (The Hobbit only about 10 times and The Silmarillion twice). While not as easy to read as YA Harry Potter, Tolkien has a relatively easy writing style that flows well (with the exception of the Silmarillion which is damn near unreadable).
LOTR makes my list because . . . its my favorite. I read it and reread it because it is like an old friend or a favorite vacation spot that I like to revisit. My wife about goes nuts because I reread books. And LOTR is at the top of her list of the books that make her shake her head (Note she has never read any of them).
As for advancing the cause of our enlightenment, it does not have a lot to offer. Other than showing the battle between good and evil. And about power and magic. This is an important theme that I will explore later. And the characters in LOTR definitely must face it. Much can be learned from their stories.
Dune – Frank Herbert
Soon after I first discovered Laura Walker’s Oracle Report, I downloaded her Eris book to read. It begins with the following quote:
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
It is the Bene Gesserit litany against fear. Reading it in Eris, I knew I was in the right place. Dune, like Harry Potter, offers a world of depth for discussion. I will come back to it a lot.
Avoid the Stanley Kubrick movie with this name AT ALL COSTS. Painful! The SciFi Channel did a passable 2 part mini series.
1984 – George Orwell
“1984 was a warning not an Instruction manual.” This quote has made its way all over social media in the last few years. And why not. Therre have been many political novels in the past 75 years that have touched on the subjects that 1984 nailed. Animal Farm by Orwell , Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, Brave New World by Huxley to name a few. All of them explore a distopian future where Government takes control of everything.
Most people don’t appreciate freedom of expression and thought. We have grown up with that luxury. But guess what — most of the world hasn’t. If you have not read it, please buy “1984” (it’s a great book), and learn what the threat of a superstate, where power is solely consolidated in the federal level, really does to people.
PS There is NO GOOD MOVIE VERSION. Do not even try.
Childhood’s End – Arthur C. Clark
Arthur C Clark was best known for 2001 A Space Odyssey. But he was an amazingly prolific SciFi writer. And in my book, Childhood’s End may have been his masterpiece.
For the purposes of this list, the reason is that he touches on a number of very important theme’s that are relevant to all of us. What (or who) else is out there (in space that is). We have made huge strides in science. But where we have not figured (think space travel, knowledge of the universe, evolution, knowledge of life outside our galaxy), we are blind.
Fiction, when it is good fiction, works because the author can tell a story. When you label it fantasy or science fiction or horror. All you are doing is adding a backdrop. The good writers can make any backdrop work because they can tell a good story. This is a good one.
A TV version of “Part 1” of Childhood’s End was created. Gave me chills. But they took wierd liberties and I did not finish it.
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
The Hitchhiker’s Guide is only consequently Science Fiction. It is better described as either Humor or Satire. Science and space travel are just the backdrop. Douglas Adams is able to skewer just about everyone.
It started as a radio script in the late 1970’s and progressed into a series of novels (7 in all) that that are gems to anyone who has ever been interested in speculative fiction. The Amazon description pretty much says it all:
Seconds before Earth is demolished to make way for a galactic freeway, Arthur Dent is plucked off the planet by his friend Ford Prefect, a researcher for the revised edition of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy who, for the last fifteen years, has been posing as an out-of-work actor.
As for my list, in 1979, Douglas Adams single handedly predicted the internet and Wikipedia. Genius.
Avoid the Movie Versions. Does not do the books justice.
Snooze – Sol Luckman
For people who follow me, I had started a chapter by chapter reading of the book Snooze. I was having a great time of it until some personal tragedy struck. We lost a child we were in the process of adopting. And for anyone who has lost a child, you may understand the devastation. I cannot apologize enough to those who were following it. But I became kind of lost for a couple months afterward.
As for Snooze, it is brilliant. YA – easy to read. And chock full of inter dimensional fun. Oh. And Bigfoot too.
Dan Brown’s Books
This is somewhat of a punt. But I have to mention him because he has approached so many interesting subjects and put them out there. He writes with the pace of a James Bond movie and manages to deeply uncover amazing topics.
There is not a single Dan Brown book that has not caused me to research and read at least 1 book more. He fictionalizes things. But adds so much “fact” that you have to look further. His first major hit novel, The DiVinci Code, opens the can of worms of The Sacred Feminine – exposing The Catholic Church, The Masons and pretty much every version of history we have been taught.
Angels & Demons – The Catholic Church, Antimatter
The Da Vinci Code – The Sacred Feminine, The Catholic Church, Secret Societies, The foundation of Christianity
The Lost Symbol – The Masons
Inferno – Renaissance Art and Bio terrorism
Origin – No idea. I have to read this one
Digital Fortress – Big Technology – Makes what Snowden taught us seem tame
Deception Point – Extra Terrestrial Life
Honorable Mention Dystopian Fiction
I do not have a lot to say about them now, but I have to recommend The Hunger Games books and the Divergent series. Both are written in YA fashion (easy to read, but I might think twice about allowing my twelve year old to read them). They present a frightening future. Frightening because of what they envision in an alternate future. And how it affects the people.
Consider yourself as a person from the 1890’s transported to today. How would you react to all the technology? Racial Integration? Female equality? Homosexuality? These books imagine a future. What do you think about what we become?
Not for the Feint of Heart
I am adding a couple books that I highly recommend. But I must warn anyone considering them that they are complicated and long.
Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand
What happens when the productive people in society become so sick of the people who expect to live off of their success, decide to quit. Leave.
Ayn Rand is HATED by the institutional left. She is an ardent Capitalist/Libertarian. Having emigrated from Communist Russia, she has very strong views about the pitfalls of Socialism, Communism and Totalitarianism.
Foucault’s Pendulum – Umberto Eco
This is a brilliant book. It explores secret societies, like the Catholic Church, the Rosicrucians, The Kabbalah.
By the end, you cannot help but be looking over your shoulder at all times, wondering whether One of them is coming to get you.
It is difficult for multiple reasons. Unberto Eco is Italian and his translator has some trouble slogging through some of the complications of the Italian language (particularly its over formality and strong gender bias). But if you can make it through, it is well worth it.
Now this is just a few books that I had to mention and recommend. I plan to talk about them at different times throughout the DADA process.
THIS IS NOT ALL BY A LONGSHOT
If you would like to add to this list, please add your suggestions in the comments. BUT! Do not just give me titles. If you like the book, please share why. Tell us a little bit about it and WHY IT IS IMPORTANT.
Modern Day Mystery School – Rules of Engagement
Now we have piqued your interest with the idea of learning a little bit more about the mysterious world around us, I would like to take a few moments to say a little more about what this is (AND what it isn’t). This may tell you whether you are interested in continuing. I hope we can keep your interest.
A Mystery School –
Know Yourself. Know the Universe.
There are many races in the galaxy, but how many have the opportunity to be expressing their souls in collaboration with a planet that is the physical embodiment of the very consciousness that designed them?
I start from the point of view advanced by the gnostics and the hermetics of “KNOW THYSELF, KNOW THE UNIVERSE.” Much of our future discussions will be about thoughts and ideas that have slipped by the wayside of modern education. Under the filter of fiction (like the Harry Potter series and other fascinating works), many of these subjects can be revealed, remembered and opened up for discussion.
Gnostic-Style –
The Mystery schools were developed to help those who were ready to understand the mysteries. Often, the messages were hidden in symbols that would be revealed to initiates of the school. And these symbols and secrets are all around us. Sometimes we recognize them and engage. Other times you know something is being said but are at a loss as to what. And still others most people notice nothing at all.
Who is spreading the secrets? What are they trying to accomplish? All questions we want answered and many of them that either do not have answers or the answers just create more questions. Someone is keeping a secret and it is likely they do not want you or I to know.
Fanfic? Book Reviews?
I am starting this with the theme of Harry Potter. It named the series. I will be taking a lot of examples from Harry Potter as well. But it is not Harry Potter Fanfic (fanatic fiction). This disclaimer is mostly to let J.K. Rowling know that she need not worry that I might be trying to take over for her.
This is also not intended as a book review site. I will not being taking each book title by title to discuss it.
BUT
I am using many themes from the Harry Potter books (and other books) to bring up points and subjects. But let’s face it. When we apply it to ourselves and our lives, its not likely that anyone will be able to whip out their wands to solve anything.
It’s Also About Defense
Knowledge is power. Just knowing about a lot of things that are going on behind the scenes (secretly) is part of the game. But there are also many ways we can help ourselves be ready to face these outside influences.
Consider astrology and planetary alignments. Today, Mercury went Retrograde. There was a New Moon last Tuesday. There are crazy and insane planetary alignments happening that will have an effect on us.
There will also be practical advice for defense against outside forces. Defense you may ask? Sure. Have you considered meditation? Grounding? A specific diet? We are going there!
Contributions (from other authors and people) Are Welcome
I will not be doing this alone. And in fact I openly welcome guest writers and contributors. I want this to be an open forum where we can all think about and discuss topics of interest. If you have a subject you can tell us about, please send me a message alfoss1540@yahoo.com or on Facebook or the Comments here.
SIGN UP FOR UPDATES
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I may suggest things (books, courses, supplements – I use Apple Cider Vinegar like its going out of style). But all will be things for you to consider in your own life.
Politics? Not really.
Crazy things are happening on the global political fronts. We will sometimes mention them when they are relevant to discussions about other things. BUT THIS WILL NOT BE US ELECTION CENTRAL.
FULL DISCLOSURE – I am politically Libertarian. I am against government involvement in our lives. And I actively speak out against political figures and movements that intrude.
That’s about it for the intro to class. I look forward to writing more for you.
andrew
