Sunday, February 26, 2012

Lake Music of Yellowstone Park

No explanation for mysterious ‘lake music’ reported by many Yellowstone visitors

This is the first I've ever heard of this phenomenon but I find it pretty interesting. It would seem to fall into the category of Forteana labeled brontides. Given the recent media buzz concerning mysterious trumpet sounds coming out of nowhere I'm wondering if anyone else will see similarities with this "lake music." Mysterious and unexplained sounds seem to be coming to the forefront as of late and I can't wait to see if more will be reported.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

The Power of Stones

Recently I've been reading more into the esoteric or magical properties of gems, stones, and crystals. I had a cursory knowledge of this area of magic before but had never taken much interest in it as far as actual practice though. That has changed recently and I picked up a few specimens at a recent metaphysical fair to get me started.

My opinion on the power of stones is that they are a way to trigger things within us as well as ways for us to focus on particular energies. I'm not sure if stones have any intrinsic power unrelated to what we give to them but I don't doubt that they have power within the context of magic and mysticism. I've actually acquired a couple of stones specifically to help me out with my astral projection project.

Stones aren't anything new in magic but the New Age movement has brought the use of crystals and semi-precious stones more into the mainstream. As with just about anything New Age there seems to be quite a bit of conflicting information concerning individual stones. One source will attribute certain properties and another source will attribute different ones. Most of the time these properties are fairly similar or at least related and I've not come across too many outright contradictions between sources. That said, I use what sources tell me as guidelines. I realize that a particular stone may not behave the same for different people so I trust my gut. As cheesy as it may sound I think the best approach is to let the stone tell me what it can do rather than other people.

Even if one doesn't use stones in their own practice they may wish to look into the folklore associated with specific stones as it's rather fascinating. For anyone studying mysticism or esoterica the folklore surrounding stones can be informative of how a certain culture saw the world around them and the stones they pulled from the earth. It provides a window into our ancestors' minds in a way. For the student that actively engages in magic, folklore can provide ideas and inspiration.

Something worth mentioning for the person that may be interested in getting started with stones is that most stones are not very expensive. The most expensive piece I purchased recently was a tumbled celestite for $3.50. Prices can be much lower for raw stones such as the small amethyst point I bought for 75 cents a few months ago. Naturally, the higher the quality or value of the specimen the more it's going to cost, but getting started with a few basic stones with lots of ascribed attributes can be done for $10 or less depending on what specific stones you're looking for.

If anyone has any tips or tricks related to stone, gem, or crystal magic then feel free to share in the comments below. Here is a link to a site that I've found has some associations and correspondences for some stones I've found missing in the books I have that discuss the subject:

Psychic Revelation - Crystal Properties & Uses

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

UFOs, Aliens, and the Paranormal

I've blogged extensively about the connections between the UFO phenomenon and folkloric accounts of fairies and spirits. I've also written a little bit about some government conspiracy theories. Now, taking a turn toward unifying all of this strangeness, I present this article that I very much enjoyed reading:

Behind the Mask: Aliens or Cosmic Jokers?

Hopefully you'll all find it as intriguing and interesting as I did. All of this talk of the Nine is new to me which just goes to show that no matter how much you think you've heard of, there's always something else out there.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Contradiction and Duality in Esoterica

Anyone that has delved into the occult or other forms of esoterica has probably noticed that there is a lot of contradiction going on in. Not necessarily in the sense of saying one thing and then saying another but more along the lines of taking two sides of a duality and combining them. It recently occurred to me that this is done for a very good reason.

As humans we tend to see the world in pairs of opposites: hot and cold, wet and dry, light and dark, good and evil. The list goes on and on. In truth, reality is a continuum of these assorted extremes but that doesn't stop us from categorizing things by what they are opposed to. This is just how we make sense of our world. This said, how can we understand the true nature of the world, the continuum, without combining these opposites in some way?

At the boundary where opposites meet, or even in that gradient between them, we find beautiful contradiction and dynamic interplay. This brings us to phrases like "the Middle Way" and to concepts like the androgynous Mercury that is a mixture of male and female. As Terence said, "Moderation in all things." I think this applies to belief systems and ideas as well. Perhaps we can only understand the extremes by seeing how they interact with one another. To know cold one has to know warmth.

I think that there is another, more important reason for expressing esoteric ideas in contradictions and riddles though. I think this is because some ideas or concepts can only be expressed by contradiction. Contradiction forces us to think outside of our typical day-to-day categorization. It frees our minds of the chains of physicality for a moment to consider the impossible, the higher realms of mind and spirit. Contradictions such as "cold fire" force us into a non-linear state of mind which is conducive to spiritual exploration and allows us to gain an inkling of the infinite.

Contradictions aren't always used to obfuscate information in esoteric texts. Sometimes that's the only way to actually convey the teachings. Some things cannot be expressed in words and sometimes the best we can do is guide the mind to that truth with something that ostensibly doesn't make much sense. It's not necessarily about reserving information for the chosen ones that can decipher the text; it's also about using that language to guide seekers to the state of mind necessary to really grasp what's being conveyed. Keep this in mind the next time you're reading through an old grimoire or religious text. You may begin to see things in a new light.