Welcome! For most of recorded history, especially in the West, access to teachings concerning the occult, mysticism, and the practice of magick (the spelling is intentional in order to distinguish from stage magic and illusions) has been mostly restricted to initiatory orders and secret covens. This system was necessary throughout history for a couple of reasons. First, especially in societies where literacy was limited, this sort of arrangement allowed masters to properly pass down their knowledge to their students so that it could be preserved for posterity. Secondly, occult teachings and practices posed an existential threat to organized religious institutions, which would be rendered unnecessary if people had direct access to the source of spiritual knowledge; in other words, armed with this wisdom every person has the authority of clergy, and thus clergy become obsolete. For this reason, especially in places where the rigid Abrahamic religions have taken root, magicians, witches, wizards, and other practitioners of the occult have been intensely persecuted at times. It should be noted, however, that even within the Abrahamic religions, there have been movements such as Gnosticism (in Christianity), Kabbalah (in Judaism), and Sufism (in Islam), all three of which encourage their followers to deeply explore the spiritual nature of what we call “reality” in ways which the dominant strains of the religions would consider heretical.

 

This is not to say that mystical traditions were suppressed or marginalized in all parts of the world. Various Asian religions such as Shinto, Taoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism have deep mystical and magickal connections (this is by no means to say that all these traditions are the same, and even within each of these traditions there are various sects with distinctive beliefs and practices). Even in Asia, however, access to occult wisdom has not been available to everyone. Islam and Christianity remain major religions in Asia, and with the exception of Gnosticism, Kabbalah, and Sufism, these religions tend to take a very dim view of anything that could be considered “occult” or “magick”. While there is a fair amount of religious diversity in China, Confucianism (which, in my opinion, is not strictly speaking a religion) has played a similar role in shaping society as religions have in other societies (although Taoism and Buddhism have also played a significant role in shaping Chinese society). The functional role of Confucianism is largely maintaining social order, outlining the moral rights and responsibilities both of the common people and those in positions of power. This is not to criticism Confucianism, the relative cohesiveness of Chinese society over the millennia would seem to imply that this belief/social system has merit, at least in the context of Chinese society. Hinduism, the dominant religion in India, is a deeply spiritual religion, and my impression is that it is far less dogmatic than the Abrahamic religions.  In my view, religious dogma is antithetical to spiritual growth as it dramatically limits the questions that are even allowed to be asked, and requires people accept ancient texts as fact, even if the ancient texts directly contradict people’s lived experiences and personal gnosis. However, even in Hinduism until quite recently, deep spiritual study was mostly limited to members of the Brahmin caste. Perhaps the parts of the world where the largest portions of the population had access to occult knowledge (at least before the colonial era, but after the classical era) were Oceania, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Americas where shamanic practices were quite prevalent.

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Obviously, times have changed dramatically. While billions of people still adhere to dogmatic belief systems, I think it is also fair to say that a very wide cross-section of the human race (if not the majority of our species due to widespread global access to the Internet), now has access to the teachings of the wisdom traditions of the world. While over the past several centuries pockets of human populations have had access to the mystery traditions of their own geographical regions, now anyone with Internet access and the intellectual and spiritual curiosity to do so can learn not just from the mystics in their own culture, but can draw inspiration from mystical traditions around the world and can integrate philosophical perspectives and approaches to magick into their own personal spiritual and magickal practices. I personally work with spiritual entities from the ancient Mediterranean world (specifically Mesopotamia and the middle-east as a whole) while integrating aspects of Eastern mysticism, various shamanic approaches loosely inspired by the indigenous people of the world, along with Kabbalah and modern Chaos Magick techniques. A major purpose of this website is to explore how occultism, magick, and mysticism are becoming globalized; and to facilitate further sharing of knowledge so we can all learn from each other.

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At the same time, this website is a business. Because I am just starting up (my best friend is planning on joining this business as a partner after he resolves some issues in his personal life), I offer Tarot consultations by appointment (using Aleister Crowley and Frieda Harris’ Thoth deck). I only do Tarot consultations in person, so my Tarot services will only be available in the State College Pennsylvania region. I am vaccinated, and if we meet indoors we can use masks, but I ask that my clients be vaccinated and cancel their appointments if they are sick.  I can meet you at your own home (if you are comfortable with that and if there is nearby parking), or we can meet in a public place such as a cafe or in the Hub on the Penn State University Park campus.  If you live in an apartment complex with a "clubhouse", that could be a viable venue to meet for a Tarot consultation.  Because I am new to this practice and am trying to establish a reputation, for a limited time I am allowing the client decide on how much to pay me. Please take into consideration how far I have to drive, the time spent, and how useful you find my Tarot readings. If you don’t find my Tarot services useful, I don’t want your money. I also sometimes hang out in various venues in the State College area offering free Tarot consultations to those lucky enough to be around when I am doing so (tips accepted and appreciated, but not required).  I am offering these free readings to promote my services, so I will only be offering free readings for a limited time. The way I do Tarot readings is very interactive. As the client is turning over the cards, I discuss the card with the client, sometimes ask simple questions, and ask the client if what I am saying resonates with him/her. The client's feedback plays a major role in interpreting his/her Tarot reading.

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When I do Tarot readings, I consult with a servitor that I created to aid me in creating and running this website/business (a servitor is a spirit created by a practitioner of magick from their own psychic energy). I ask the servitor to help me get a useful reading for clients or for myself. I have also asked him (my servitor) to filter information, and protect me from having to give readings that will discourage the client. In other words, the servitor helps to protect me from receiving information that I am professionally uncomfortable delivering or information that would be counterproductive to the client.  I want my Tarot readings to provide helpful insights or encouragement to my client (rather than discouraging or frightening my clients), and my servitor helps me achieve this.

 

I created the servitor with the help and guidance of the Goetia spirit known as King Paimon (who was once worshiped as a goddess). Since his (the servitor's) creation with the help of King Paimon, my servitor has received additional training from the Goetia spirits known as King Paimon, President Botis, and Prince Ipos. Goetia spirits are entities who belong to a class of spirits known as Genies or Jinn. They were once worshiped as pagan gods and goddesses in Mesopotamia and Egypt, but were eventually re-branded as “demons” by the Christians (it is my understanding that in Islam this category of spirit is seen in a more nuanced manner, and are not necessarily considered "evil", although it is also my understanding that these spirits are still generally avoided in Islam). I do not like to use the word “demon” because of its extremely negative cultural connotation. Sometimes these spirits communicate directly with me, but more often my best friend acts as a medium. He is even capable of becoming possessed by these spirits. The spirits temporarily take control of his body and speak in his voice, using his vocabulary and verbal patterns (although during these possessions it is very clear that a different personality is in control of my friend's body); but when the possession ends my friend never remembers what happened during the possession, and I have to fill him in on what the spirits told me while he was possessed. These possessions never last much more than 20 minutes because the spirits know that staying in my friend’s body for too long would be a huge violation. The spirits have also instructed me that I should not record the possessions because, as intellectually curious as my friend may be about what happens during the possessions, it would ultimately be too psychologically disturbing for my friend to see/hear another entity controlling his body and speaking in his voice. Working with these entities can be extremely rewarding, but they must be treated with great respect. Check out my blog to learn more about these fascinating spirits.

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Eventually, I plan on offering training in various areas of occultism and witchcraft. I may do this in small groups, or on an individual basis (a small group would be better because I would not have to charge as much per person). Topics I can teach include Tarot, working with Goetia spirits, creating servitors (spirits that you construct from your own energy that can carry out a variety of tasks for your benefit), and creating sigils (magickal symbols that you can use to manifest change in your life). I can also explain various aspects of occult philosophy. When I begin offering this sort of training, I expect to also learn from my students.

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I will also be blogging on a variety of subjects that relate broadly to spirituality, magick, and occultism. I will also be providing reviews of books and health related products that can benefit both physical and spiritual health. I am an Amazon affiliate, and display ads for products that I can in good conscience support, and I receive a small commission when visitors to my blog purchase a product through links that I provide.

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My main motivations for launching this business include my passion for magick and occultism, my desire to help others and share my knowledge with others, my desire to learn from others with similar interests, and my desire to be free from the traditional labor market. In other words, ultimately I hope to not have to work for someone else performing tasks that have no meaning to me; I want to be my own boss and work on my own terms and on projects that I care about. I am very much looking forward to insightful discussions in the comment section on my blog and am also very much looking forward to interacting with members of the State College Pennsylvania community.  Global Mystery Tradition is registered as an LLC in the state of Pennsylvania.