Category Archives: Mysticism

The Hermetic Mysteries of Christmas

Posted on December 11, 2015 | 3 comments

I’m about half way through Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey Into Christian Hermeticism.  This is a very deep and esoteric book, one that deserves a full review when I’m done.  For the time being, suffice to say that it is without a doubt the most scholarly, original, and incomparably erudite book on the Tarot I have ever read.  A couple of conservative parts have made me angry,  a great many others have given me chills of realization and joy, still more or pure genius.  All of it is extremely thought provoking.

One of the things the anonymous author perfectly explains is that Hermeticism is the art of seeing in all four ways without contradiction — gnostically, magically, scientifically, and mystically.  This is one of several inner meanings of the Hermetic Quaternary, which is of course “To Know, To Will, To Dare, to Keep Silent.”

A number of things become apparent when I apply all four types of vision to the holiday known as Christmas.

I see that Christmas was and always will be.  Every religion that exists has a Christ figure, an Osiris, a Krishna, or a Dionysus.  Even Buddhism has a Maitreya and Wicca a Horned God of death and resurrection.  I see that modern humanity has lost track of the ancient view that men and women who do great things can become divine, as exemplified by biblical figures like Enoch and Mary the mother of Jesus, Athenian heroes and heroines like Lycurgus and Phya, and so on.  I see that a culture without the sacred respiration of the seasons — without death and resurrection, without suffering and redemption — has expired and breathed its last.  And lastly, I see that redemption and rebirth is an actual possibility for everyone, at any time and at any moment.

I’m so thankful that I’ve had these visions well in advance of the holiday.  Now I can relax, slow down, and allow myself to experience the mysteries of the season, the eternal Christmas Mysteries.

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Physical and Spiritual Respiration and Your WOD

Posted on December 4, 2015 | 1 comment

In response to a post by my virtual buddy Andrew, I wrote the following comment which I believe is a very important thing to keep in mind, both spiritually and physically.  Or maybe not.  I could be wrong.  Anyway, dig it and let me know what you think.

FYI, when I mention “the prophetess of the 2nd Key” I’m referring to the High Priestess of the Tarot (picture at right).

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Robert Mitchell
Dec 04, 2015 @ 10:47:43

Your comment is awaiting moderation.

The prophetess of the 2nd Key sits between the pillars of Mercy and Severity, and her wisdom lies in knowing when to be severe and when to be merciful (with oneself and others). This oscillation is like breathing, and breathing is life. Cessation of respiration is death. I advise breathing life and respiration into your “dead” regimen. You might have some 20 min days, some 1 hour days, the occasional 90 minute day, and some days off. And two weeks per year you should do absolutely nothing but eat, sleep, and veg out.

My regimen: Temple rites (LBRP, LUX, and meditation) 7 days/week at dawn. Fall & Winter I train once/day and take off Thurs & Sun. Spring I take off Sun only and work out twice on Sat (one AM and one PM). Ditto for Summer except no Sat doubles. Workouts are about an hour, longer on Fri and Sat, shorter on Weds. Full week off between Christmas and New Years, another full week around July 4th, and sometimes a third week off around Labor Day.

I do not claim to be all-wise, so please take or leave this info. I hope not, but I admit the possibility that I could be completely full of shit. Have a great weekend!

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20151204_070312.jpgAnd now for your WOD — a 30 minute, upper-body-crushing, all-out, High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) workout:

  • Set timer for rounds of :30/:10.  Work for the :30 and use the :10 to transition to next exercise and/or rest.
  • For the first 27 rounds, cycle through the following resistance band exercises: Squat/Rev. Flys, Push-ups, Lunges/Press.
  • For the final 18 rounds, max power punches and hand strikes vs. heavy bag.

 

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The Hermetic Formula (and a WOD)

Posted on December 1, 2015 | 1 comment

Hermes Trismegistus (courtesy of Wikipedia)

What is Hermeticism, and why should we care?

Hermeticism is a spiritual philosophy that claims to be the perennial philosophy, the Ageless and Primordial Wisdom.  Based on an ancient document known as The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus, whose most enduring quote is the famous, “As above, so below,” Hermeticism forms the backbone of Western esoteric thought.

The historical influence of Hermeticism cannot be overstated.  There was a time when the world’s greatest thinkers were Hermeticists — Pythagoras, Isaac Newton, Carl Jung, Giordano Bruno, Aleister Crowley, Israel Regardie, Dion Fortune, Franz Bardon, John Dee, William Butler Yeats, and many more.  And when you consider that Freemasonry is essentially a Hermetic organization,  and that 14 U.S. Presidents, plus Franklin, Mozart, Twain, and Churchill were all masons, you can see that Hermeticism is one of the most important spiritual philosophies in history.

Mainly though, we should care about Hermeticism because it the Unified Field Theory of spirituality.  Its formula for success in all things is,

“To Know, To Will, To Dare, To Keep Silent”

and it equates to the four ways of seeing, which are,

Mystic, Gnostic, Magical, and Scientific.

The individual who has achieved, reconciled and sublimated all four ways of seeing has attained the Holy Grail, the Philospher’s Stone, the coveted AZOTH.

In other words, Hermeticism is the original human potentiality movement.  If you are interested in learning more, consider becoming a hermit brother or sister of Cabal Fang — the world’s only Hermetic martial art — by joining our distance learning program.

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An without further ado, here is your WOD:

  • Dumbbells (2 sets of 15 + 1 set to failure of Lat Raises, Kung Fu Curls, Ripcords, Hindu Squats)
  • Grappling Conditioner #3 (3 x 5:00/1:00. For each 5:00 portion, squeeze medicine ball with max power Rear Naked Choke grip and while completing 30 Rear Lungnes, 30 Knees, and Squats until round ends. Rest 1:00 and repeat, changing grips with each exercise)

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Gods of Egypt Betrayed

Posted on November 25, 2015 | Leave a comment

This is Set. Does this look like Gerard Butler to you?  Is Gerard Butler the first name that pops into your head when you think about the right actor for the job?

Here we go again.  As usual, Hollywood thinks that actual mythology — despite the fact that it’s thousands of years old and still influencing culture the world over — isn’t good enough.  It has to be improved upon, punched up, super-sized and apparently bleached.  And so, rather than exploring the actual myths, in the upcoming film Gods of Egypt, we will instead follow the exploits of a human boy trying to put Horus back on his pedestal.  Or something.

Yawn.

And, what’s more, this human boy and all of the “gods” he will be interacting with (save one token magical negro) will be portrayed by white actors.

Yack.

I’m so disappointed with director Alex Proyas, who stunned me with The Crow (’94) and Dark City (’98).  Sure, he really mucked up I, Robot (’04) and but bit off more than he could chew with Knowing (’09).  But he was born in Alexandria for Pete’s sake, and I’ve seen what he can do when he’s on point.

Well, at least I’m not alone in my distaste — here’s a taste of the backlash.  And here’s the trailer.  Prepare to be so revolted that you actually have to press a hankie to your nose and swallow.

If I was casting this movie, these would be my picks:

Edi Gathegi as Set (he’s superb as Solomon on “Blacklist”)

Amr Waked as Horus (loved this guy in “Lucy”)

Emmanuelle Béart as Hathor

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Mystic Nutrition Facts (and your WOD)

Posted on November 23, 2015 | 3 comments
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This is my lunch for today. Grilled chicken breast, soy sauce, radishes, carrots, raisins, and a sesame bar.  What’s it packed in?  I bought one of those bistro boxes from Starbucks and I’ve been re-using the container for months.

A while back I posted a little mindfulness exercise that, for reasons unfathomable, hasn’t been all that popular.  Maybe if I rapped it, people would grasp it?  Momma didn’t raise to quitter, so here it is again, finger on the transmitter…

Mindfulness Lunch Exercise

Devote a full ten minutes to making your lunch.  Take your time.  Relax and focus.  Make your lunch as beautiful, nutritious and delicious as you can.  Really put some thought and effort into it.  If you work outside the home, do your prep the night before or in the morning before you leave, and take your meal to work with you.

When it comes time to eat, give your lunch your undivided attention. Do not eat while reading, surfing the web, or anything like that.  Just sit and eat the food. Think only about the food — about how pretty it is, how nice it tastes, how good for you it is, how wonderfully it is going to fuel your activities, what a blessing it is, and so forth.  Fully chew and taste every bite.

It just may be the best meal you’ve had in six months.

Listen guys!

Food is more than nutrients, and nutrition is a holistic and mystical experience that is still not fully understood. As Michael Pollan famously noted, we have identified 15 carotenes in the carrot, but carotene pills do not replicate the health benefits of munching on actual carrots.  “We still don’t know what is going on in the soul of a carrot,” he said.  “It’s a wilderness in that carrot!”

Choose healthy foods, then experience them fully when you eat them.

Lunch Ideas

  • Sesame bars — These little devils are the business.  Just under 60 calories per tiny bar, and with tons of fiber, these are a great addition to your lunch in the off-season.*  I got mine at the Asian market — 16 little thumb-sized bars for $2.49.  Sure, they have a tiny bit of sugar.  But they are minimally processed and make a perfect little healthy, mini-dessert to your lunch.

  • Buy single-serving bags of nuts and dried fruit.  I know, they cost more by volume and packaging hurts the environment.  But wasted food is also bad for my budget and for the environment, and over-eating is bad for my waistline.
  • Save those sauce packets.  I rarely eat fast food, but when I do I save the extra stuff that isn’t objectionable — taco sauce, soy sauce, salad dressing, mayo, etc. as long as it’s low in sugar.  Watch out for stuff like honey mustard that’s straight sugar and soybean oil.  Save extra fortune cookies and use them to zip up lunches on workout days when you can easily burn off the extra sugar.
  • Cook once, eat five times.  Make a main dish and pick off it for the rest of the week.  Make a few chicken breasts or cook a big steak.  Slice it on a diagonal and you’re good to go.
  • Veggie trays.  They’re not just for parties you know.  Get one from the grocery store, put it in the fridge, and you won’t have any excuse for not eating your daily vegetables.
  • Check out my recipes.  I’ve posted a fair number of them on this blog.

And now for your Cabal Fang WOD.

  • Calisthenics.  As many sets as you can in 10 mins of 10 each Diamond Push-ups, Steam Engines, Hop/Clap Push-ups, Split Squats.
  • Kicks.  5 x 2:00/1:00.  Kick combos for 2:00.  For the 1:00, full power kicks vs. heavy bag.  Count number of full power shots during the first round and try to exceed that count in your final round.

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* I generally eat a paleolithic diet.  During Fall and Winter I’m a little more relaxed and I let myself have a daily serving of whole grains and relax a little about trace sugars and such.  During Spring and Summer, when I’m trying to get cut, I get super strict.  I remove all grains and all fruit along with as many carbs as possible.

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I am so High Right Now

Posted on November 12, 2015 | 1 comment

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It’s a clear and cool morning with a wonderful sunrise dawning.  I have sounded the temple bell three times and performed the simple rites — the greeting of the Sun, the burning of the incense, the candle offering, the clearing of the space and the contemplation.

There is baggage behind me and there are problems before me, obstacles to overcome in the hours and days ahead,  things to do, endure, and achieve.  But this morning I have allowed my body to feel every breath of the breeze, allowed my spirit to hum a tune in synch with the universal rhythm, allowed myself to merely be.

I go forward now to face my day with a heart, mind, and body filled with easy bliss.

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The Making and Sounding of a Temple Bell

Posted on November 9, 2015 | 2 comments

Every temple should have a bell, even the Cabal Fang Temple.  Whether it is a cathedral or a chapel, a Buddhist temple or a Shinto shrine, there just has to be bell to to summon and unite the faithful, drive away the negative spirits, and gain the attention of the positive ones.

The problem is, bells are hard to find, and even when you do, they’re expensive.  And they take up a great deal of space, unless your temple has a bell tower or belfry, which ours does not.

So I decided to make a tubular bell from materials I had around the house (after all, the third Vital Grace of Cabal Fang is Frugality).  Here’s the final product:

Before I got started I did a ton of reading at Lee Hite’s Hands-on Engineering website.  This guy knows just about everything there is to know about making tubular bells a.k.a. chimes (and about other stuff too)!

I found a piece scrap of chain link fence pipe out behind the shed and sanded off all the rust.  Shot out the inside with a hose to remove any dirt.  Cut both ends off clean and filed them smooth.  Then, per Lee Hite’s recommendation, I drilled two mounting holes 22.42% of the way from the top end.  According to Mr. Hite’s math, this results in the longest possible sustained note.

To save space, rather than choosing the classic wire-through-the-middle-wind-chime method, I opted for a single hanging wire.  Using a heavy duty paperclip, I made an inverted “V” hanger.  As you can see by the pictures, I attached some picture hanging wire to the hanger and installed it with ease.  Once it was in place, I bent up the tips and it was hung.  Two coats of gold spray paint and voilà — one pretty tubular bell.  While the paint dried I made a striker from a scrap of maple and added a leather thong.

Refer to the picture set below for clarification.  I love this bell.  I can’t believe that, for just pennies and about an hour of work I was able to make something so beautiful.

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Hey Guys, Let’s Circle Up (and Your WOD)

Posted on November 5, 2015 | Leave a comment

It’s getting dark early now that we’ve done the whole Daylight-Savings-Time-Fall-Back-thing.  Pretty soon the martial arts club will be going to Winter hours, canceling Tuesday nights and meeting Saturday afternoons only.

I shot this video on Tuesday.  This is the blessing with which we close all our meetings.  Gotta say, my guys are the best.

And now for your two-part WOD.  This is only 20 minutes, but trust me, you’ll be pushing some serious carbon dioxide around your workout space.

  1. Sandbag Workout. Choose a bag at least 15% body weight and complete AMSAYC in 10 mins of 10 Prisoner Get-ups and 10 Squat-Curl-Presses.
  2. Ground Fighting Conditioner #1.  Set timer for two minutes and take as few 12 second breaks as possible:
  • Circle the bag: Forearms on bag and toes on floor are only points of contact.  Circle the bag using only legs and feet, alternating directions, until the timer beeps.
  • Mount the bag: Strike 10 times as hard as you can. Body lock the bag, barrel-roll, regain mount, and repeat until the timer beeps.
  • Roll the bag: Lay on your back with heavy-bag perpendicularly on top of your body.  Roll it up and down across torso, pushing and pulling like a rolling pin.  From time to time, press up the bag and let it drop on your torso to maintain your tolerance for the stresses of wrestling.  Continue for entire round.
  • Defend the bag: Lay on your back with back on top of you longways.  Push up the bag w/ left hand and strike it five times with the right, then switch and strike with the left hand.  Repeat for two minutes.
  • Side Mount the bag: Scissor legs each direction 3 times, then scramble over bag with forearms and toes only.  Repeat.  When the timer beeps, you’re done.

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Archangel Barachiel and Your WOD

Posted on October 30, 2015 | Leave a comment
Inside the Cabal Fang Temple an offering of incense burns in the shrine to Barachiel.

Inside the Cabal Fang Temple an offering of incense burns in the shrine to Barachiel.

Today’s Cabal Fang WOD is a three-parter, as follows:

  • Half-pyramid to 12 of: Hop or Clap Push-ups, Flutter Kicks, Prisoner Squats (that’s a total of 78 each).
  • Two-kick Combos vs. Heavy Bag: Set timer for 1 min.   Kick bag with lead leg two-kick combos for 1 min, then rear leg combos, then rest 1 min.*
  • Meditation: Set a timer for 10 mins.  Relax, open your mind, and spend a few minutes meditating on a mental image of Archangel Barachiel, the androgynous guardian angel of Cabal Fang.  In the Eastern Orthodoxy he is known as Saint Barachiel, leader of the guardian angels, Prince of Seraphim.  Ruler of the planet Jupiter, he/she holds dominion over lighting and is often depicted holding a white rose or a basket of bread. Interestingly enough, In Enoch 8:4 he/she is listed as the 9th Watcher, the fallen angel who taught Astronomy to humanity.

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My New Romance eBook Bundle — Pre-ordering Now Everywhere

Posted on October 26, 2015 | 3 comments
Here's the cover to my new supernatural romance eBook bundle. Pretty, huh?

Nice cover, huh? Pre-order now.  Price goes up to $7.99 on Dec 1st.

Deep realization: my three novels are actually in the Supernatural Romance genre rather than the Horror or Supernatural Thriller category.  Are they creepy, weird, and strange?  Yes.

Are they “Rated R?”  Yes.  There’s sex, violence, monsters, swearing, guns, stab wounds, blood, corpses, and kinds of stuff that aren’t in your grandma’s romance books.  But that’s not what they’re really about.

These books are about love, growth, and transformation.  They’re about overcoming the dark forces that seem to be trying to drag us down into negativity, mediocrity, boredom, and sloth, or even further down into prejudice, violence, and hate.  My books are about overcoming gravity and finding love.

Why am I just realizing this now?  Give credit to my ongoing sublimation, my continual confrontation of the shadow, or just thank the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus.  But somehow I was able to clear away the mask and see that I wrote three romance novels that some people seem to really like.  Here’s what some reviewers said about the books in this series:

  • “A good read — Love the end!”
  • “A terrific read…is it real or just fiction? Cannot wait for the next book to come out.”
  • “It puts your belief between fact and fiction. You begin to second guess what you know as fact.”

Save $2.00 (and support your local writer) by pre-ordering the set for $5.99.  Price goes up to $7.99 on Dec. 1st.  That’s three complete eBooks, over 200,000 words of reading pleasure, for just $5.99.  If it was any cheaper it’d be free.

Pre-order at iTunes

Pre-order at Barnes & Noble

Pre-order at Smashwords in any eBook format

Pre-order for your KOBO eReader

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