The Black Nazarene, Thoughtforms and Talismans

Today, January 9, wass the annual Feast of the Black Nazarene, where thousands and thousands of devotees came to pay their respects and worship towards the venerated image, deemed to be miraculous by many of my people. Over the years, there are dozens of true to life stories where people were healed, saved and countless other testimonials. And, yes, I would say that the image does have power, but not because it's the physical representation of a holy figure... But because it's a gigantic talisman housing the cultural thoughtform of a suffering people.

It all started as a business as usual image that would be transferred here to the Philippines as part of the galleon trade route from Acapulco, Mexico, to Manila, but the ship it was on was set on fire after getting hit by lightning while on route. The whole ship was an epic charred pieces of destruction, but "miraculously", only the image survived, but with the white skin surface darkening from the burns and soot. It was all the rage because of that incident, practically drowning out St John the Baptist's presence in his own basilica!

Composing Magic by Elizabeth Barrette

I picked up this book a few months ago, and just can't keep my hands off of it ever since. It was Composing Magic by Elizabeth Barrett, a nonfiction book on writing literary pieces for magical use.

As One by L'arc En Ciel (Review)

L'arc en Ciel is among my favorite rock bands, and I've been following their work ever since I heard of them way back '09. They're very versatile when it comes to the spectrum of music they perform, they've done alt-rock, visikei, metal, and even performed a cover of a ballad.

There's this specific song that I like not just because it was a well arranged musical piece, but also for the deep meaning within the lyrics itself.

Sigil Magick (AKA: squiggles that makes things happen)

Rarely is there anything more magical than seeing a large collection of mysterious symbols written upon a wall or worn-out book. Something at the back of your mind is simply expecting something awesome to occur. That's why I love Sigil Magick so much, on top of the fact that it actually works!