​Having delivered to you over two hundred lessons under the auspice of Ordo Obscurus, I thought it was time to introduce myself, the person, the man, the Occultist behind the daily pen... So then, for many years I have been a practitioner of the Dark Arts ... yet seeing me walking down the street, you wouldn’t think that (all my collection of occult tattoos are usually hidden unless it’s summer and HOT!!) ... jeans, top, boots... Always hanging around artists and quirky cafes ... not really saying much, observing and taking in ...energy most of the time... I learned from an early age that magick works if you are willing to work with Magick. To do that you need to study for years. The results will vary according to what you are willing to put in.
Nobody can “give” you magick, the big secret here is that you already possess everything you need deep within you, your work is to uncover the layers of trauma that prevent you from being the awesome god/goddess that you already are, and propel you into becoming the deity you seek to emulate.
So, here I am, sitting in front of my computer enjoying a century-old glass of half-a-century old wine, reflecting on time, and what it means. Am I immortal? Who is the identity that I refer to as “I”? What is being experienced right now, and who is the one doing the experiencing? The answers to these questions are contained in the mystery of Enlightenment. Only someone not awake, who ignores the passing of time and tries to fight it, will find any reason to avoid the topic.
I am 50 but am often mistaken for being younger, with a soul scarred to the rafters. A dead daughter, a second that nearly died in my arms, I have experienced life’s rattling to the core bottom of my soul. Taking magickal steps to preserve youthful energy, and to delay the inevitable destruction of the outer shell that is my body, helps, of course, the most useful step is to keep a young set of thoughts, that playfulness of absolute youth, but with the sophistication of a 17th-century aristocrat.
I think the art of conquering your own mortality is to live life as though you are going to die the next day, but also as if you were immortal. In a way, if you play your cards right, you will be. Your body is a shell that may die; your soul can survive if you want it to. You decide. If you take your fill of love and lust, live this only life to the fullness of your being here, and now in the physical than that is one way to go. But I tell you, the art of transcending the ultimate barrier has a price-tag which comes with pain, pain, and more pain. And sacrifice. Maybe that is why most people are ignorant and deluded (they don’t want to know the truth) and why many, many occultists are just into Hedonism, they want to live only once. (They don’t want to experience the truth they already know).
Not so long ago, having returned to my predominantly Catholic country, I was walking through this park engulfed in peace and nothingness, when a passerby asked me "Why do you look so happy?"...I hadn’t noticed at first that I was smirking away, and then I realized my face was radiantly smiling. I said to him "I have been walking through this park since I was a child, I have only just finally killed God, and I can now see how beautiful everything around me actually is." He looked shocked, taken aback, gave me the evil eye, and said “You’ll be in hell boy" Still smiling I replied, "This is hell, and it is beautiful, heaven is for those who are not pleased with what they have." I bade him farewell and walked on...
May you all find that light that you seek...
​
ii-wy em Hotep - Patrick Gaffiero