The new millennium...
The year 2000 was a continuation of the joy of 1999. I got to travel and see the Grand Canyon. I went from a solitary to group practitioner by way of an Orlando pagan group. I still thought I had it made. I then made some foolish decisions. I tried to help people again and get involved in things I should have left alone. I became very good at the lesser banishing ritual and thought I could banish any negative force. I thought I could help people by doing ritual cleansings and banishing. I got involved with a couple who were not what they appeared to be. I also got involved in a wiccan group who on the surface seemed okay but had elements of the previous SCA witch was in it. I knew the people involved and thought the war was settled between Bob and this other witch that I didn't even think twice about it, I was over it by this time. Apparently the combination of this witch who was chastised legally by my master and the wrong choices would add up. Everything came to head in March of 2001 when I dared experiment with Chronomancy. That's right kids, uncle Arcanus played with time magick. Believe this to be codswallop if you wish, but I did go through with this magickal experiment, that much is true.
The ritual was simple. Create a circle of charged quartz crystal around me and intone the proper date astrologically. The effect was to be similar to the 'Quantum Leap' effect where I would astrally travel back in time to my past self. Part of this was due to the fact that I believed that the 'voice' and the deja-vu experiences were in fact due to myself doing this particular type of magick in the future. I felt I was magickaly experienced and knowledgeable enough to tackle something of this magnitude. I was wrong.
My equations were perfect. I had everything lined up correctly. The banishing rituals on the elemental and planetary scale were enacted. I even made sure I wrote notes in case there was temporary amnesia. Everything seemed perfect. At the time of the casting, everything was perfect. When I came out of the astral time-votrex everything seemed right, but I felt younger, and a bit confused. There was that amnesia effect I was expecting. I then thought that I may have switched places with my younger self, indeed I had. This was the law of exchange in action. While me age 30 was in the body of me age 16, age 16 me was displaced in my age 30 body. Even after the ritual and we were back where we needed to be, it was incomplete pieces of my 30 year old self were stuck back in 1986 and vice-versa, eventually all would straighten itself out, but not in time. This is where I seriously fraked up magickaly. Work became confusing due to having to retrieve memories. I did not take things a seriously as an adult would have. I am still not sure if this was the cause of me loosing the best job I ever had, nonetheless I did loose it.
After loosing my tech job that paid 35K a year, and the fact that I was only a month away from full vestiture of my 401K really torqued me off. The young kid that was still in me disappeared, and the angry dark wolf came back to the surface. I would stay in my room and not do a damned thing except to call the state and let them know I was still looking for a job so I could collect unemployment. 6 months later I would be contacted by a Wiccan coven.
Sept 2001. I would hook up with the Moon Children of the Earth coven, led by Crystal Moon a 3rd degree wiccan High Priestess who was only a bit younger than me. The first meeting was general an Esbat and get together and everything seemed cool. I really liked this group and I felt at home in this, my first coven. Me and Crystal have the same ideas on teaching, book knowledge types. She knew I was without job and helped me to find one. Then next week happened...
9-11-01
A date that will live in infamy as much as 12-7-41 did before. Those towers falling only enraged me more than seeing the plane crash into them. I could not hold back the shift, the rage was too intense. I had to run to the backyard and howl. I knew this was it, we were going to be at war, I just knew it. This may be Raganarok or whatever you want to call it. The following weekend we went back to the coven-stead to talk about the 9-11 attacks. When it came my turn to share, I freaked out everyone. Last week where there was a happy puppy about to learn new stuff in a group, there now sat a dark and fearsome beast. I was in full shift, and far from happy. "To you sons of camel whores, we will hunt you, we will find you, and we will destroy you, that can be certain." My face was contorted, my eyes squinted and glowing with burning rage. The HPs and her maiden could see my astral form, my true form. Before them sat a wolf, ready to attack and unleash his fury upon all who betrayed him and wronged so many innocents. It was then an there when I knew that the wolf was not my totem, but I WAS the wolf!
After that fateful day I lost all hope for mankind and any hope for the future. I became a wanderer on a dark path. Although I was part of a coven, it didn't really matter. All I had to do to go through the degree system was take a test for 1st degree which I passed and go to an elevation ritual. A year and a day after that I would take my 2nd degree test, pass it and be elevated by the then Maiden of the coven. You see Crystal and her husband came apart and the coven fell into the maiden's hands. I was to become the High Priest and assist in the coven. At this time I was in and out of jobs so I had plenty of time to deal with the coven. I was foolish to try to take on responsibility when I was still trying to get over a major issue, unemployment, but what was I going to do, brood in front of my computer all day? Besides I had taken upon myself to become as powerful as I possibly could be, go through the ranks in the coven and learn true magick power so that I could correct the mistakes of the past and get back what was rightfully mine. Spring, the HPs of the new coven stepped down and before I knew it I was the one in charge. My way of running the coven was at first liaises-faire, do what thou wilt and all that. That attitude would have serious repercussions in the fact that no one would respect me. We were a wild and free coven but rituals were structured. It was all well and good until people wanted more. There were then debates and discussions, but never a full blown witch war. In the end they went with either a vote, or what I decided.
In 2004, I finally landed a permanent gig at Wal-Mart. And at that time work became my biggest priority. I simply could not direct a coven and work and go to school(even if it was online) at the same time. I tried to delegate authority, but then that led to politics. Who's first at being a first as it were. It held together until the day we lost the house that was our coven-stead. We were renting and the landlady sold it. So with no place to go, the coven debated on where to do anything. "I'm closer", "I'm more experienced" yaddah yaddah. It was the beginning of the end.
We moved from Sanford to Eustis FL and met up with a Wiccan 2nd degree who had been trained out west in a Gardenarian coven. I was intrigued by how Wicca was done the "Old School" way and I pretty much found out that my coven was little more than a pack of fluffy bunnies led by a ceremonial magickian. I brought her in and decided she should at least be 1st degree. Well this did not go over well with the rest of the group and a great schism was created. There were attacks on both ends and before I knew it I had a full fledged witch was on my hands. I ended it my way, which effectively meant telling everyone to screw themselves and going home. The coven was over. I gave all the coven stuff to whoever wanted it and washed my hands of the situation. No I was not liked by many people after that fact. But I did not care. I was now free to pursue the real magick I so desperately looked for. I knew that Wicca as it was with this group was not what I wanted. I also discovered what it was I truly am, a quick search on yahoo found the word "Therianthopy". I also learned that the key to the great code of the universe had been under my nose all along in the art of Alchemy. I then decided to pursue the Great Work and declare myself an Alchemist and Hermeticist.
The old coven would eventually pick up the pieces and reform anew like the great Pheonix. "Igne Natura Renovatur Integra", Through Fire is Nature Remade Whole.
This story is still not complete, the last chapter details how I actually discovered the Philosopher's Stone and set things back the way they should be, and the trials and tribulations therein.
Then again, an alchemist's story is never complete...
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