Thursday, August 22, 2013

The Syncretic Artistry of Johfra Bosschart

http://sarahannelawless.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/pillar_johfra_bosschart.jpg
Detail from Pillar by Johfra Bosschart

I have discovered a new occult artist, Johfra Bosschart, whose artwork is visually stunning and one of the best examples of Syncretism in a visual medium I have ever seen. Franciscus Johannes Gijsbertus van den Berg, was born December 15, 1919. At the age of 14 he begins a course in still life drawing at the Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague. He had his first exhibition in 1943, and in 1945 bombing during WWII destroys his home and most of his work. Undaunted he sees this as a "Great Liberation" that frees him to move forward without failures and shortcomings of his earlier work haunting him. In 1945 he changes his name to JOHFRA; FRA from FRAncisus, and JOH from JOHannes but in reverse order.  In 1946 he begins a friendship with a surrealist painter named Diana Vandenberg, they marry in 1952. They both join the Rosicrucians in 1953. In 1962 he leaves Diana and the Rosicrucians. In 1973 he begins the Zodiac series which is by far his most famous work. Some examples are here:
http://www.myastrologybook.com/Johfra-Bosschart-Sagittarius-3x4.1.jpg
Sagittarus by Johfra Bosschart

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mb2v8oFRQa1rzhtlmo1_400.jpg
Libra by Johfra Bosschart

http://www.healingstars.com/wp-content/uploads/Johfra-Bosschart-Taurus.jpg
Taurus by Johfra Bosschart

There many more fine examples of his work, I find the density and layers of meaning illustrated in his paintings awe-inspiring. I feel as if my personal belief path has been illustrated, by an Dutch Artist while I was but a child. This discovery is most serendipitous, and is a treasure beyond words. I shall spend many hours using Johfra art as a meditative aid and spiritual guidebook. Even though you passed on to the otherworld in 1998, I am still thankful for your gift.

http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lszie002Mz1r4ck1wo1_500.jpg
The Vision of Hermes Trismegistus by Johfra Bosschart 

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

The Work Continues



My further air workings have led me into the Pyramid of Air. Clarity, Inspiration, Joy, and Wisdom, have become my tools, new sub-elementals have revealed themselves to me and soon I will post pictures of them. a wand is also in the making and will be consecrated soon, I  lost all my tools years ago to an evil landlord. Dismayed I went forth without self made tools for nearly ten years now. So I reacquaint myself with the elements and make new tools.

I am an avid collector of rocks, bones and feathers, if you have a need let me know. If you have items to share let me know. Looking for skeleton keys and would appreciate any leads.

Lastly, my new linguistic venture is under way,and soon I will be back in school. Going to keep going until I can teach college classes. Now to decide, Philosophy or Cultural Anthropology? Time to consult the oracles.

http://leavethecult.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/consulting-the-oracle.jpg

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Mad World

It is indeed a Mad World. This post is made out of sadness and anger. These are just some of the things we as humans do to each other, please pay attention. Time is running out.

  1. Fukushima is leaking radioactive water into the ocean.
  2. Hydraulic "fracking" is poisoning  our groundwater.
  3. "Global Warming" is changing our world.
  4. The ocean is full of trash.
  5. Even our food is unsafe.
This is by no means a conclusive list, and it is truly tragic what we are doing to ourselves. Tomorrow I will offer some glimpses of hope, and perhaps we can pull it together in time. We need a new way.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/p480x480/207612_488724457814409_768918903_n.png

Monday, August 5, 2013

The Magick of Linguistics



My ancestral tongue is Welsh or Cymraeg, as it is known in this particular Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages. As my path delves deeper and deeper into the Traditional Witchcraft of Wales and Cornwall, I find myself longing to learn the tongue of my ancestors. Just as I decided to delve into something more authentic and less New Age (rhymes with sewage) than Wicca, so I find myself reading the Mabinogion, I begin to wonder how much it must differ in Cymraeg. Languages are reality tunnels, as Robert Anton Wilson has so poignantly discussed. To continue my quest for understanding the authentic traditions of my ancestors I now am compelled to learn a new yet old language. Knowing myself the way I do, I also know that this will mean forays into traditional foodstuffs as well, although I will probably skip on "lights". I have already begun own form of Resh that gives honor to Olwen the Cymru goddess of the sun and Mani a Germanic god of the moon (more on that in another post.) I know Resh is not authentic to the traditions of my ancestors but is also not Wiccan, and my path is a solitary and crooked. So into the books I shall dive, the rites of air urging me ever forward into the realms of knowledge. Keep up the Great Work.



My Recent Artwork


T Shirt designs Copyright 2013 Sasquatch Jones

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Further Revelations from the Eastern Portal



AIR: To Know, Inspiration, and Wisdom

Thoughts on the Environment, Magick,  and the Immediacy of Experience

This post is a bit long and is broken into different sections. The first will deal with new knowledge of my surrounding countryside and the effect of erroneous environmental policies upon that land. The second topic is my ongoing work with rituals of an elemental nature, which at this time is air. The final area covered is access to new knowledge that has helped me to incorporate the previous two and develop a plan for future workings.

Water Water Everywhere Not a Drop Potable

Despite the widespread use of the practice, and the risks hydraulic fracturing poses to human health and safe drinking water supplies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") does not regulate the injection of fracturing fluids under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.
- See more at: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/inadequate_regulation_of_hydraulic_fracturing#.UfsYo23AES4
Despite the widespread use of the practice, and the risks hydraulic fracturing poses to human health and safe drinking water supplies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") does not regulate the injection of fracturing fluids under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.
- See more at: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/inadequate_regulation_of_hydraulic_fracturing#.UfsYo23AES4
Despite the widespread use of the practice, and the risks hydraulic fracturing poses to human health and safe drinking water supplies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") does not regulate the injection of fracturing fluids under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.
- See more at: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/inadequate_regulation_of_hydraulic_fracturing#.UfsYo23AES4
Despite the widespread use of the practice, and the risks hydraulic fracturing poses to human health and safe drinking water supplies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") does not regulate the injection of fracturing fluids under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.
- See more at: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/inadequate_regulation_of_hydraulic_fracturing#.UfsYo23AES4
Despite the widespread use of the practice, and the risks hydraulic fracturing poses to human health and safe drinking water supplies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") does not regulate the injection of fracturing fluids under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies.
- See more at: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/inadequate_regulation_of_hydraulic_fracturing#.UfsYo23AES4
The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies. - See more at: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/inadequate_regulation_of_hydraulic_fracturing#.UfsYo23AES4
The oil and gas industry is the only industry in America that is allowed by EPA to inject known hazardous materials -- unchecked -- directly into or adjacent to underground drinking water supplies. - See more at: http://www.earthworksaction.org/issues/detail/inadequate_regulation_of_hydraulic_fracturing#.UfsYo23AES4
The oil and gas industry is the only industry allowed by the EPA to inject hazardous chemicals directly into the water supply. In 2005, at the urging of Vice President Dick Cheney, Congress created the so-called "Halliburton loophole" to clean water protections in federal law to prevent the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from regulating this process, despite serious concerns that were raised about the chemicals used in the process and its demonstrated spoiling and contamination of drinking water. In 2001, Cheney's "energy task force" had touted the benefits of hydrofracking, while redacting references to human health hazards associated with hydrofracking. Halliburton, which was previously led by Cheney, reportedly earns $1.5 billion a year from its energy operations, which rely substantially on its hydrofracking business.

About two weeks ago while watching a Daily Show episode about the show down at the Texas Capitol, my wife and I saw an interview with director of Gasland. Curious about the movie we found it on the internet and watched it. Realizing that Texas is one of the largest petroleum producing states (Alaska produces more) we did some more research on the internet and found this:
http://a.tiles.mapbox.com/v3/texastribune.map-sit023yd,texastribune.texas-disposal-well-hex/6/14/26.png
This is a map of disposal wells for hydraulic fracturing, I live near the dark spot northeast of San Antonio. These wells are used to dispose of the toxic soup of chemicals used to fracture the rocks during the extraction process. Compare that map with this map of the major aquifers of Texas.
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/geo/pics/Major.gif
Take note of the red band, that is the Carrizo - Wilcox Aquifer where my local water comes from. The same area the disposal wells are located. We decided that we should change our water filters and that is when the real horror began.
The filter on the right is brand new, the filter on the left is the old one. Normally these filters last six months and are light gray when I change them. This one is five months old, stinks and is dark brown. We also saved water from the filter housing which has brown particulate matter in it. We will be sending this off for analysis.
Do the research, this is happening everywhere, your water may not be safe.

Connections with the Spirits of Air

On a happier note, my elemental working have been progressing nicely. I have developed a relationship with an air elemental who has presented herself to me. This is an illustration I made of her.
Beautiful isn't she? Since our contact many birds have been presenting themselves to me and communicating. Owls, crows, vultures, hawks and roadrunners have crossed my path many times in the past few weeks, including three owls in one place at the same time during the day. These weekly workings and daily meditations have opened paths of knowledge lead to deeper understandings of herb-lore, native spirits, and atavistic cthonic currents. These currents have shed light on the origins of Tubal Cain, Germanic lore, root-work, Camino Ambre, and the need to construct a new wand. As a practitioner of Traditional Craft and one who walks a crooked path, I can honestly say these last few months have been some of the most amazing in my many years of practice. Many praises to Hekate and Herne,and much thanks to those who give me inspiration, John Halcyon, T Thorn Coyle,Sarah Anne Lawless, and Robert Artisson .


Increasing Knowledge and the Ethics of Responsibility

When one becomes aware of situations that are dangerous to self and community an obligation to reveal this truth is imperative. To do less than this is not only negligent but irresponsible. When that same individual is a practitioner of nature based spiritual systems this becomes a moral imperative. So now I share information with others via the internet, in person, and join campaigns to make petroleum companies better stewards of the planet they exploit for profit. We are all indigenous spirits of Spaceship Earth and as such we  must take care of our home as an extension of our spirituality. Now the earnest work begins, rituals of healing, public workings to draw attention, and dissemination of knowledge. I must engage others and show them why they should care. I plan to use Humor, Magick, and Knowledge to combat my enemy.

This is spiritual warfare on the material plane, clean air, clean water, and clean food are the birthright of every human alive. This about more than my local environs, this is being a voice for my animal allies and plant family, my sustainers, my healers. The aether that flows through us all gives the strength to change our world , but it must be tempered with the knowledge of limits, the passion to do right, the empathic urge to care for nature and the practical skill to responsibly work with nature to ensure the survival of all living things. Everything depends upon it.

Final Thoughts

Take a few moments every day to meditate upon the current condition of our planet, and how you would like to see it improve. Construct rituals of environmental healing, sacred compost piles, volunteer recycle bins at your bus stop, encourage people to test their water. Create sigils that contain links to websites about hydraulic fracturing. Perform theatrical rituals in public to exorcise the demons from the water. These are some the of ideas I have developed, feel free to create your own. We must use everything at our disposal to ensure our mutual existence. Have good cheer and keep up the Great Work.