Just started a new tag "Interesting Tidbit" for when you find a novel piece of information you think others should know about.

Ok so I'm sticking with a sports related theme here. I'm half-way through the NFL season while managing two fantasy football teams so I'm all about football these days.

Remember a few years back when Ricky Williams was suspended from the NFL for puffing the magic dragon? Well after a few year stint of chilling out and playing a year in Canadian football, Williams returned to the Miami Dolphins this season and is having a hell of a year playing backup to Ronnie Brown, and last night looked like a 25 year old on his way to having a spectacular game starting in place of the injured Brown.

I'm not going to go on about how althletes that smoke weed can go on to have successful...

Flip-Flop. Actually, more like just a flop...

In the early 2000's I was confident that Canada was going to forge ahead into the new millennium a leader in cannabis reform, and eventually set an example for other nations that marijuana legalization was indeed more rational than prohibiting it. Then it all went to shit...

In the US the powers that be were deeply concerned with what was happening in Canada. A law contradicting complete and utter prohibition of marijuana in a bordering country was unacceptable, and something had to be done. A 2004 Parliament report clearly states subtle overtures from American officials threatening restrictions on trade if Canada were...

I am going ahead and posting the first two parts of this article that I started working on more than a month ago now. It's just snap shot of the last decade in pot politics in Canada and the US within the last decade and how policies have changed. Once I got to writing it kind of ballooned to include alot of pot history within the last century, and the outline just got to big so I'm going with the original drafts I began with. I still think they are pretty rough, but I've been busy lately and was sick for a couple of weeks to boot so I'm just gonna say fuck it and post it now. The second half is still just a jumble of notes, online bookmarks, and a decent outline-both on paper and in my head-of...

Hello everyone. Wow, went to Quebec City for Halloween weekend with some old high school buddies to see Metallica and had a blast. Caught the chest cold from hell however and passed it on to the kiddies. Been down and out for the better part of two weeks now, and just starting to come around.

Read this interesting piece from ESPN yesterday:Fans behaving badly? Never fear. It's about the general rowdiness that occurs at college football games in the US, and the new high tech measures many schools are implimenting to deal with the 'problem'. Rowdiness and rude behaviour is nothing new at sporting events, and it certainly isn't limited to the US. However, I find it interesting how...

“We place no reliance on virgin or pidgeon.
Our method is science, our aim is religion.”


The idea of a synthesis of science and religion was central to Crowley's ideas and made him popular with later writers like Timothy Leary and Robert Anton Wilson. This quote from his Confessions expands upon the idea, in the context of drugs:

...

This is an extract from Crowley's essay on absinthe. The essay is typically verbose and and not easy to read, so I have tried to extract the relevant parts. I am dubious about the effects of absinthe but Crowley waxed lyrical about it.

_______________________________

Ah! the Green Goddess! What is the fascination that makes her so adorable and so terrible? Do you know that French sonnet "La legende de l’absinthe?" .....

"The Legend of Absinthe"

Apollo, who mourned at Hyacinthe's demise,
Refused to concede this victory to Death.
Much better that the soul, adept in transformation,
Had to find...

and I brought home enough sage to roll 20 smudge sticks. I'm going to tie feathers and beads to them, all local stuff, and sell them to the city's pagan shops, along with smudge fans. Next year I'd like to do this at the farmer's market, with fresh herbs, wild mushrooms, herbal smoking blends, and other crafts all from locally forged, or grown materials. I'm confident in my ID skills for a number of edible species and the prices for wilds are quite high. I have a growing map of sites where valuable plants grow in public around my city and surrounding areas. Fruits, spices, medicines, herbal smokes, all sorts of stuff that I could deal with in a sustainable manner. Increase the size of...

Soon after finding music from the Russian OTO, this comes my way:

AL - 100th Anniversary: Compilation of an exclusive and unreleased tracks dedicated to Aiwass & New Aeon & The Book Of The Law technically called Liber AL vel Legis sub figura CCXX as delivered by XCIII = 418 to DCLXVI that was dictated in Cairo on April 8th-10th in the year 1904.

This is a surprisingly good collection of modern music dedicated to Liber Al and Crowley in general. What is intersting is that Crowley's words are used here. These days it is relatively easy to produce good quality music inexpensively. One of the highlights of the collection is a new track by Genesis P-Orridge-- one...

Synopsis of Six Articles on Drugs

These articles were never written -- a great loss since Crowley succinctly anticipates (by at least thirty years) the main trends in sociological and psychopharmacological hought as they developed, often painfully, in the 1960s and 1970s. Although this synopsis appears to have been written in mid-to-late 1920s possibly the early 1930s), the articles could well have appeared in The Psychedelic Review or The Journal of Psychedelic Drugs. Aside from underscoring Crowley's pioneering work in this field, this synopsis remains valuable as an outline of Crowley's mature view of drugs later in his life -- their use and abuse....

Let's get real here people. Flaming, in terms of an internet messageboard, is direct attack on another member. This does not include criticising or making fun of widespread opinions that many people might hold. I'm pointing the finger at you Christians! I'm sick and tired of receiving a little red dot for having a poke at your crazy delusions. And look, having a pop at Christianity isn't having a pop at any ONE person in particular. So it's not flaming. Religion is a choice. It's not something you can't change. If you can't deal with criticism or mockery, I guess your faith just isn't that strong.

PS: To those Christians that can "turn the other cheek", you have my respect....

Music Of Thelema

Music by Valentin Dubovskoy, ordered by Moscow Oasis of OTO.


Ever wondered what the Crowley's poems, invocations and rituals might sound like set to Russian music? No-- nor me! But you can download MP3s here:

http://www.dubovskoy.net/epage49.htm

1. Credo (from the Gnostic Mess)
2. Hymn (from the Gnostic Mess)
3. One star in sight
4. Hymn to Pan
5. Invocation of Hecate
6. Nekam, Adonai!
7. Lift up this love
8. The Interpreter
9. Pan to Artemis
10. Stele of Revelation (AL III:37-38)
...

Hello everyone, I hope all our Canadian members had a wonderful thanksgiving and that everyone on the forum is well. I'm doing great myself, settling into a life on land with my family in a new province. We moved here at the beginning of the year, and since then I've decided to find work on shore and not go to sea anymore. I still haven't decided what new career path to pursue, so I've had lots of time to spend at home and feed my DF addiction to no end. I'll break down eventually and get a job out of necessity if nothing else lol, but until then you should see my handle in the 'who's online' for most of the day, as it usually is.

I've been getting a little more active on the forum...

just wanted to let everybody know in case someone thinks im missing.
i ll try again to take a break from the DF for some time.. lets see if i can make it

So Marc turned himself in last monday, four years after his arrest in Halifax. It's still kind of hard to believe this is happening considering the facts of the case, most importantly that he has never set foot on American soil. Anyways, we all know the case by now and that his situation would probably be alot different if Canada did not have a Stephen Harper led Conservative government at the moment.

Dispite the fact it appears the governments position is set and that our Justice Minister, Robert Nicholson, will not refuse Marc's surrender, Emery and his supporters have been urging people to voice there disaproval and write letters to various politico's, most importantly the justice...

Looking to the positives, family and friends that love me. Natures beauty that is all around you, the ocean, trees, beautiful flowers. The birth of a new baby, a marvel of life. One so innocent and not tainted by the harsh world. My pets who always bring me joy except my stupid German Shepard. Long story. The friends I made at df. Many people here have lots of issues but are willing to listen to yours and care. For that I say thanks

Swim didn't regret the last blog, just felt it was too personal. Swim is learning life is about choices, choose to do bad and don't whine when there are consequences. Know consequences are a part of any poor decision. She feels she is stuck in the negative and needs to gain more positivity. Death isn't something swim is comfortable with. She is dealing with it daily. Consequence, no a life situation. Life seems to throw us curveballs all the time. Supposed to make us stronger right? Swim can whine and cry about all that ails her, but what is the point? Will it make it better or worse? Swim is supposed to be strong, don't cry was what she was told growing up, it is a sign of weakness. Maybe swim...

A really close friend got deported the other day after spending 18 months in a federal prison. His crime, being in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people. Their excuse for deportation is that his green card expired while in prison and didn't have a job before he was arrested. Now his children is wondering if they will ever see their dad soon, his Mom and family is working the legal system. So it is up in the air on his situation.

...

Last month I attended Starwood festival, which you should all do. There was one ocurance I felt would be worth sharing.

I was at a concert by the Dragon Ritual Drummers, a voodoo/swamp rock band from Canada, something like zydeco with a real hard voodoo bent to it. They played for a voodoo parade and often used traditional voodoo call and responses, chants, drumbeats. They were also involved with a voodoo temple that also attends the festival and puts on rituals. The priestesses were at the concerts, little, old, wide, black, ladies in white gowns. I was standing in the crowd, kinda doing a white-guy-shuffle (i had just gotten there and was still full from dinner, not quite...

There is chapter in this book, Strange and Dangerous Dreams: the Fine Line Between Adventure and Madness by Geoff Powter, which is about mountaineering. Crowley was an accomplished mountaineer, although a poor team member. He reached a creditable height on K2 very early on, but treated fellow climbers and porters with contempt.

In fact, the first serious attempt to climb K2 was undertaken in 1902 by Oscar Eckenstein and Aleister Crowley via the Northeast Ridge.

The author examines Crowley psychologically in an interesting way, without being a rabid 'follower' or a dismissive critic, and details his career as a climber.

You can read much of the chapter...

Something I found in my wandering, have no idea who wrote it, but he/she must have been a very thoughtful person.

Go placidly amid the noise & haste, & remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly & clearly; and listen to others, even the dull & ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself to others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater & lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested...

Waking up I was broke, scanning the fridge I had leftover polenta. The only thing I could find to flavor it was thyme. It was dried out but still great so I used it. Anyways breakfast was delicious but then I wondered what was in thyme. So thyme contains Thymol, which is GABAergic and relaxes the trachea. Sounds like an excellent thing to attempt to smoke right?

So I rang up my raver friend and told him about the plan and he was stoked as usual for anything. He sent me this back.

"The smoke is extremely easy to inhale, feels almost like air and the throat is relaxed and not irritated at all. Calming effects are instant. Respiratory depression effects are noticeable...

Hope to check in with my close "cyber" friends personally, but thought I should also post here to keep continuity and let people know what's up with us. Between hyperemesis in early pregnancy and throughout, a late undiagnosed breech and immense pressure for a cesarean (which I declined, babe flipped, all's well- follow your body's wisdom and intuition and things really do fall into place) and a two month morphine taper for my little guy due to neonatal abstinence syndrome, the first month and a half in the NICU, things have been a journey, quite rough at times.

We are now settling in, my son is healthy and strong and the love of my life, and for now am single parenting,...

The notion of AD(H)D gets on my nerves sometimes. I accept that it exists to a degree... my main issue lies with how belief in its existence relies on twisted, corrupted science.

There are symptoms, such as inattention, inability to concentrate and chronic fatigue which are typical of inattentive type ADD. But I know for a fact that labelling millions of children as mentally ill is morally reprehensible, when they're acting perfectly normally.

Kids are not meant to spend eight hours a day in school, learning boring shit that they don't care about. They're kids; they should be having fun.

This is what I don't get: life should be all about having fun. Where...