About Me
Geographical:
I lived in Florida until my early twenties and have been in various parts of California since then. I'm currently living in the San Francisco Area, in the East Bay.
Vocational:
I've worked with computers in one way or another for most of my life. For the past several years, I've been specializing in Linux Systems Administration.
Familial:
I'm married and the father of three boys.
Astrological:
I'm a Sagitarrius on the Capricorn Cusp with Moon in Virgo and an Aquarius Rising. Interesting tidbits about my chart include a Grand Trine in Earth, Moon conjunct Saturn in Virgo, and Venus conjunct Uranus in Scorpio.
Metaphysical:
I've studied a handful of mystical traditions. Of the ones I've studied, I'd say that I resonate most strongly with Chaos Magick, Thelema, Taoism & Palo Mayombe. I'm an initiated Palero and an initiate in the Open Source Order of the Golden Dawn, amongst other things.
To give an idea of my background, I defer to the magic code block, which I'll explain.
-----BEGIN MAGIC CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 1.5.1
MCH/HE/VO POT W N++ Dd A(+) a+ C+++ G++ QH++(+) 666++ Y+
------END MAGIC CODE BLOCK------
MCH/VO: Type of Magic, which I classified as Chaos Magick / Hermetic / Voudoun. I come from a Chaos Magick background, and my current models of understanding the spiritual nature of the Universe are heavily influenced by the Western Esoteric Tradition and African Traditional Religions (which the Magic Code doesn't cover in full - Palo Mayombe and Umbanda also feature in my influences).
POT: Pantheon, which I listed as Other. There are many sorts of spiritual entities out there, some of which I encounter in passing and others that I form relationships with. I don't exactly worship any of them, though I try to foster relationships based on respect.
W: White and Black Magic, which I'm neutral about. Most people do magick for love and money, and those are fine pursuits in my book. Spiritual illumination is another fine pursuit, one that generally requires being fed and having somewhere to sleep, so I'd advise that you get the money first. I do tend to hold the ideal of Freedom in high regard, however, so I don't tend to advocate domination or coercion in spellwork unless there is a clear and present danger.
N++: Netmage Quotient. I rated myself ++, as I was on the Z(Cluster)'s zeelist for several years, took part in the Irreality community for several years, and have been on and off various other mailing lists for occult topics over the years.
Dd: Disciplines, dietary. There are a couple of foods that I can't eat, given up when I was initiated into Palo Mayombe.
A(+): Alchemy. I haven't done much reading, but I did a weekend workshop on plant alchemy. We made essential oil, did a second distillation on a tincture, and did some recombinations. I want to play with this more, but lack the equipment and space. If that becomes available, I'll probably do some more reading. I'm interested in mixing it in with some of the Hoodoo and Palo stuff I already do.
a+: Astrology. I know a good chunk of my chart and can do some basic interpretation.
C+++: Chaos. It forms much of my basis Peter Carroll and Phil Hine were both big early influences, and the Z(Cluster) is basically where I got a lot of my initial exposure to magical thinking.
G++: Goetia. I've done this a handful of times and regard its basic techniques, i.e. the use of the Circle and the Triangle, as being effective. What I didn't like was how, in Solomonic magick, the Magician is told to threaten and torture the spirits. I tend to appreciate the African model better, where spirits are negotiated with and paid for services rendered.
QH++(+): Qabala, Hermetic. I've got the Paths and Spheres of the Tree of Life memorized, along with the associated Tarot Trumps and names of the Hebrew letters memorized. I can talk about the four Qabalistic worlds an the four parts of the soul. I can't do Gematria in my head, nor do I have alternate (Luria, Achad, etc) Tree structures memorized.
666++: Crowley. I pronounce it like "Holy" instead of "Fouly," have several of his rituals memorized, can quote bits from several of his works, and agree that you can't look at much of modern magical practice in the West without seeing his shadow.
Y+: Yoga. I did it more in my youth, but I still do several postures semi-regularly. I can put my foot behind my head, so that has to count for something.
Net Presence:
I participate in a few social networking sites.
