Writing the ATS Grimoire - Communal sharing of all wisdom Occult and Paranormal, page 8

reply to post by Gradius Maximus

Perhaps someday we will have coffee. After all, I owe several people handshakes across my country;nothing is beyond possible when it comes to meeting people.

I agree that personal tastes in all occult material—from the library, to the tools, to the Tarot, and beyond—can help psychoanalyze a person. I actually taught myself the oracle by using the standard Rider-Waite deck. I found it to be lacking after about a year though. Thus it was, after that first year and during my study of Thelema and Aleister Crowley that I adopted the Thoth Tarot of the Egyptians. I used the Thoth Tarot for many years, while training students. It wasn't until just over a year ago that I perused a bookstore's Tarot collection and discovered the Necronomicon Tarot. The rest, as they say, is history.

Archetype systems do vary greatly: from the literary archetypes (hero, antagonist, protagonist, antihero, etc); to the psychological (mother archetype, child archetype, etc); to the Sacred Contracts system; to your 8 archetypal system. I'm always interested in learning all about them. The "virgin, satyr, lover, warrior, king, fool, priest, magician" is a new one for me though. Would you care to elaborate some on how it works, or what I could do to better understand the symbolism of the system?

Unfortunately, Sacred Contracts is not widely available. To my knowledge it is occasionally on the shelves at Borders, or Barnes and Noble. But most often Caroline sells it personally as she tours the world performing workshops on meditation, sacred contracts, and healing astrology. I may be able to lend a copy from her niece (who has several), but I would most likely need it back when you've finished.

The sacred contract breaks down like this:

• Everyone is born and develops 12 chief archetypes
• Everyone shares at least 4: child, prostitute, saboteur, victim
• The remaining 8 archetypes vary from a collection of 70+
• Once you have determined your 8 remaining they are cast into the contract
• The contract consists of 8 aspects of life, and an archetype guiding your actions
• You can see my contract right here

The linked image won't be as detailed as I could get on it, I just drafted that up quickly one night so I would have a personal reference, and I combined it some with astrological principles as well. But, it is through the wheel and the archetypes that our personality, choices, and goals in life begin to come to the surface. It's all very interesting when you read through the book and begin trying the system on yourself.

"Her" is, as it appears. An honorific for one whom I serve. I don't use her legal name on ATS because some sham-psychics are currently endeavoring to tell me her real name. And I don't want them to simply read through my posts, find me mention it, and then report back that they locked on and received her name.

She was my-wife-to-be in life, as well as my teacher. Post-death she has become my Guide, and, as of late my Higher Power. Though I am willing to teach anyone just about anything, several of my students have joined me in serving Her purposes as well as their own. So I guess you could say we have become Her sect: the goal of which is to disseminate spiritual awakening, while dispelling old false beliefs, and attempting to tune people in to their real spiritual potential. We don't discriminate though, whatever you want to learn, we make it our business to teach.

That is that though. Again, I don't intend to give away too much information so the sham-psychics don't use my own posts against me.

I am just under a year's worth of experience in Tai Chi, so I am still learning. But I can already feel my own spirit moving more freely because of the practice. I am more grounded, and can attain my center more steadily. So, I am quit glad that I decided to take it upon myself to learn the steps.

I have also been meditating for 7 years! Though my practices of it continually advanced as I was guided by well-intentioned hands. The past year or two have shown breakthroughs similar to my experiences in my students though, so I assume that I have been on the right path thus far.

Concerning the mirror and other small rituals; perhaps later this evening I will post an addendum to this. I am quickly trying to devour my lunch so that I can get to work on time. Perhaps when I get home tonight I will have more time to post about these things.

~ Scribe