Today I am honored to share this guest post by Jean-Louis de Biasi, Grand Master of the Ordo Aurum Solis, Hermetic philosopher, and author of books such as Secrets and Practices of the Freemasons, and The Divine Arcana of the Aurum Solis. A Brief History of Color and Magic For many years now, it has been very easy to find various writings about the ritual use of colors. It seems evident that colors constitute a very old knowledge which was associated with ritual practices from the very beginning of the use of rituals. It is easy to imagine that there must have been a good symbolic understanding of the use of colors in ancient Egypt, but proof of this is very rare in the old texts. In

Throughout the existence of this blog I have avoided taking political sides other than to say that politics is important enough that you should educate yourself on issues and vote. When you feel an issue is important I believe you should contact your politicians and let them know. If need be, you should demonstrate in support of your positions. When I was going to UCLA it seemed like every vote in Congress, every action of the President, would change the world. And yet, we've survived. In every election since, the political pundits have declared that "this is the most important election in our history." And yet, in spite of who got elected, we've survived. Right now, there are political

In Modern Magick I introduced the idea that modern ceremonial magicians should become more in tune with the elements, seasons, and energies of the planets. (Here's a pre-announcement: Denning & Phillips' classic book, Planetary Magick—originally published over 20 years ago, it went out of print and used copies are now selling for up to $75—will be reprinted early next year. It includes my introduction from the first edition.) Pagans have long known this, honoring in their rites both the equinoxes and solstices. On December 21, 2010, we’ll experience the shortest day (and longest night) of the year, the winter solstice. Also known as Yule, it is a time when Pagans perform rituals