IX: Technicalities
[Magickal Journal—5/6]
Oh, my God, did that freak the hell out of me! Not even five minutes ago, I saw the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen suddenly pop up in middle of the dream. However, imprinted upon her face was a look of great fear; she immediately began to plead with me to wake up!
Even though I seriously wanted to learn more about this woman, her frightened manner seemed very desperate, so I heeded her advice and forced myself awake—indeed, still lying in my bed, I discovered that I was slowly being surrounded by many red gargoyle-like demons with glowing-red eyes, and incredibly-long fangs and claws which all appeared razor-sharp—there were many more still sneaking their way into my room through the walls, floor, and ceiling, drawing closer and closer by the second!
The room was becoming packed with their foulness, making it hard to breathe!
Terrified, I tried to stammer, “Who…who are you?,” but found that my voice had become quite raspy and thin.
Chills ran up and down my spine, as the demons’ eyes flared for a moment in unison; still in unison, they then growled, “We are Legion…..”
“Oh my God,” I finally whispered.
“No…” they all answered, “Prepare to suffer, die, only to suffer eternally, human!”
Instinctively, I chanted: “The serpent wise protects one from all lies!”
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“No!” they whined and pleaded. “Stop!”
“Amen!” I added, and without waiting for a reply, I firmly demanded, “Who are you?”
This time, I heard over a thousand names at the same time—most of the names were from obscure languages that I’ve never heard of, but some had the names of negative emotions and actions: “Deception,” “Jealousy,” “Envy,” “Lust,” “Depression,” “Suicide,” “Malice,” “Revenge,” and “Murder.”
After processing their names, I proceeded with my inquiry and demanded, “Why are you here?”
Their answer was filled with hatred and disgust at their inability to tell anything but the truth: “We are here to destroy you!”
“Why?” I asked, as chills ran up and down my spine again.
“Because…we have been sent by the Master!”
“Who is the Master?” I asked, becoming more confused with each answer.
The demons began to whine loudly, and I found myself putting my hands over my ears to muffle the highly irritating sound. Finally, in a deafening roar, they answered, “The Master is…Magnium!”
Not trusting them at all, I, with my hands still cupped over my ears, “Why are you answering all of my questions?”
“Because we must!”
“By whose authority?” I had somehow stunned them with this last question. They turned from me and stared at each other, at first in confusion and then anger—after roaring so loud that it even hurt my hand-protected ears, they vanished! It took a few extra minutes before I could clear my head from the ringing in my ears…and it was only then that I wondered aloud, “Who in the hell is Magnium?”
P.S. No information was to be found on the Internet regarding who this Magnium could be.
[Magickal Journal—5/11]
Victor Plush sent me a letter yesterday regarding the upcoming weekend. For the third time, he asked whether I was actually ready to deliver my thesis to the Elders or if I needed more time. Of course, I responded in the affirmative—I am ready! I will be leaving for Maryland tomorrow morning.
In other news, I have just finished a meditation session, and what an interesting session it turned out to be! A vision appeared to me, and I could see a scene as if on a television set. I could see rocks being thrown at some strange-looking military vehicles, which definitely weren’t American, and the scene shifted, as if from a moving camera, and settled on some Arabic youths. Their faces were contorted into looks of hatred, and I could hear the sounds of sirens in the asked air.
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The “camera” zoomed back to the military vehicles again; the doors opened and several Arabic soldiers, armed with strange-looking assault rifles, jumped out. As rocks thrown by the youths pelted the soldiers, the soldiers retaliated by opening fire, killing most of them!
I was then whisked out of the dream and back to reality, with no idea of what had happened! I wonder what it means?
[5/12—Tape-recorded entry]
“Well, I didn’t hear anything specific about the Middle East yesterday, last night, or today. Perhaps the vision I had pertained to some future event or some recent event that we ordinary Americans aren’t meant to hear about….
“Well, I’m almost done packing! I’ll be leaving in about twenty minutes or so, back to the ole’ castle…I’m so excited! Whooooooooo!
“I’ve written about 250 pages of ‘The Dragon’s Realm!’ I am almost done! I have to finish the last two chapters, the climax and the ending, about forty more pages or so, and then I have to write a segment for the second book—something to keep the readers thirsting for more! Okay, what should I do for my second book?
“Oh yeah—Trendon Harrn, a very powerful archmage and warrior in the Chaos Lands, travels through the mysterious portal of the Dragon’s Realm and arrives upon the planet of Manos. But the problem is, as Trendon soon discovers, none of his magical items or spells work—not even the slightest cantrip! To make matters worse, the portal won’t reopen, either, despite any and all attempts.
“Mistake it not—magick exists on Manos, but the laws that govern it are different. It is the Gods, he shall eventually discover, who grant the powers of magick to their followers upon this new, forbidden frontier—instead of chaotic nature!
“The only thing that he has going for and against him, power-wise, is the Vompareus. Still, as Trendon continues to refuse to drink the blood of good-aligned humanoids like humans, elves, and dwarves; this frequently denies him most of his superpowers, other than his night-vision and immortality. Continuously does he seek a cure…to his vampirism and to his nocturnal lifestyle.
“One thing to note—I need to contact the Fantasy Writers Guild, or whoever is responsible for giving me approval to use a bit of their materials, so that I don’t get sued!” Car starting
“The truth is, Trendon says nothing to anyone about the portal between the two worlds, which is located within the ruins of an ancient temple—his reasoning is that the fewer who know about it, the safer it’ll be for exploration and to find out just who created these two
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ancient, yet identical, temples! The temples lie within small caves, just near the surfaces of both worlds. In the world of…Manos, just twenty miles northeast of the city of…Thespier, and in the Chaos Realms, about one hundred and fifty miles east of the city of Harrnsfort, in a remote part of the Mountains of—” Click
(New tape)
“I really hate it when that happens! My tape ended without me knowing about it and I conjured a ton of useful and exciting information about my sequel…maybe the whole book? Oh well, at least I got a pretty good memory nowadays, which is continuously getting better and better.
“Well, I’m going to listen to some music and relax…my throat’s tired from all the talking anyway. And I still have much farther to go until I reach Victor’s castle….” Click
(Tape recorder on)
“Well, I’ve finally crossed over into the border of Maryland…I have another hour to go, and then I’ll be able to relax at Victor’s house. Come to think of it, the more and more I think about Victor, the more I like the guy! To be fair to him, I wonder if I should tell him that I recorded the conversations that we had on my last visit there.” Click
(Tape recorder on)
Me: “Are you sure you don’t mind me using the tape recorder to record our conversations?”
Victor: “Wait a second…which conversations did you record, if you don’t mind me asking? You didn’t record our guests, did you?”
“No, sir, I only wanted to know more about you, my teacher. I thought about it before dinner the last time I was here; but no, I chose not to go through with it!”
“Young man, on the one hand, I’m a little perturbed that you chose this type of deception…. On the other hand, I find it ingenious!”
“I’m not sure whether to be ashamed or proud, sir!”
“Well, now that I think about it, the students in ancient times used to record the great sayings of their teachers! At first all knowledge was passed on orally, but then writing and printing evolved, followed by electronic media. As long as you are using your tape recorder for personal reasons only, I suppose it’s okay…but once you’re done with the tapes, please destroy them…deal?”
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“Deal! Thank you, sir!”
“Now, then, dinner should be ready in about an hour—are you getting hungry?”
“Yes, sir!”
“Sit, please. Get yourself nice and comfortable…. Now, tell me, young man, how have you been doing?”
“Very good, sir—as I said in my last e-mail to you, I am now a Manager in the shipping department at Telexia!”
“Very good, indeed! We of the Order accept only those who can reach their aspirations on all levels—after all, we can either let ourselves be chained to false ideals and illusions, or we can truly transcend our limitations by cutting those chains and rising to the next level of attainment.”
“Sir?”
“Yes?”
“Can I ask you a few questions?”
“Jeb, ask any question of me and I shall answer to the best of my ability.”
“First of all, what exactly is the purpose of the Order?”
“The OSS is an Order of the Elite, a group of like-minded professionals, all carefully placed into one field or another. We are ultimately in control of both this physical world and the worlds beyond, for we hold the esoteric truths of life, and our purpose is to share our knowledge, to extend that understanding to new depths!”
“Sir…how do you know that you aren’t deceiving yourselves?”
“How do I know that we are not just deceiving ourselves? Well, consider that concept from the perspective that the Truth is simply what we make of it. For example, if we see ourselves as slaves to our present conditions, then that is exactly what we become. But it is exactly in the present that we can achieve our greatest accomplishments by rising above these conditions, by transcending! But getting back to the purpose of the Order, it might be stated this way: Our concern is to continue the Order but always in a new fashion. Since our conception, our objective has been to blend in with the other orders and religions, to make what is theirs ours! The truths that we are in possession of have made us masters over the entire human race…”
“Sir…if you would allow it, I could stay here and learn from you—I could be your protégé, you my mentor. I can feel that you are telling me the truth….”
“Son…if only you had been my natural-born son, I would have held you up, high above the highest cliff, and pronounced your existence to the four winds of the Earth and beyond! You would be a Master now—
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and in some ways, I already see that potential in you—but you cannot stop the natural course of your life…you can only transcend!”
“Sir…you don’t understand! All my life, I’ve been seeking these answers—all my life, I’ve struggled without these ans—” Click
(Other side of tape)
Victor: “Of course you want answers—that is what we are here for... But first, contemplate heavily upon the questions, before you ask them—you’ll find that 98% of the answers are already there, buried within that very intelligent head of yours... By the way, are you ready to deliver your thesis on Islam tomorrow?”
“Not totally, sir…I thought I was before I came here, but now, I am not so sure!”
“It’s not a problem if you decide to postpone it, but I need to call them now and inform them not to fly out here….”
“Sir, on second thought, I believe that I am ready—quite ready!”
“Son, remember—if you fail, there will be no second chances.”
“Sir, I have put a lot of time and effort into this project! I believe I am ready….”
“Very well, then.”
The butler, Bernard, knocks on the door before entering the room, and informs, “Masters, dinner has been prepared, and is now ready to be served.”
“Thank you, Bernard. Are you ready to dine?”
“Yes, sir…” Click.
(Tape-recorder on)
“Jeb, there is a particular reason I asked you to turn on your tape recorder. I’m about to tell you something that I want you to listen to over and over again, no matter how the test fares for you tomorrow—you must always believe in yourself, before the average person can or will… I, on the other hand, have complete confidence in you and your abilities, young man… That is all.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“The Elders will be here at noon tomorrow; breakfast is at nine o’clock. Go get a good night’s sleep—you’re going to need it...”
“Yes, sir. Oh, sir?”
“Yes, son?”
“Thanks!”
“You’re welcome. Oh, yes…remember not to bring the tape recorder with you into the session tomorrow, okay?”
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“Yes, sir.”
“Goodnight, Jeb!”
“Goodnight, sir…” Click
[5/13—Tape-recorded entry]
“Right now, I am sitting out in the hallway awaiting their decision…. My nerves are totally wracked—I was so nervous during my presentation with all those eyes on me—I think I failed! No, I shouldn’t think like that—I need to be positive!
“The only thing that comforts me is the knowledge that Mr. White wasn’t there, as a judge.” Click
(Tape recorder on)
Victor: “While you were sitting out here this last hour, waiting for the Council’s vote, one of your judges went to your room and laid a sash onto your bed.”
Me: “Are you going to escort me to my room, Mr. Plush?”
“If you’d like, young man.”
“Yes, I would….” Click
(Tape recorder on)
“Mr. Plush—there is a white sash on my bed! What does that mean? Does that mean that I’ve passed?”
“Only the sash with the red sacred seal of the OSS upon it indicates that one is considered eligible for ‘becoming.’ I’m afraid that I see no such seal here….”
“Oh my God—I’ve failed!”
“You shouldn’t think of it that way, son; you should just look at all of this as a big learning lesson and move on!”
“But I just can’t believe that I failed! When I sat out there, waiting for you, I was a nervous wreck, thinking that I failed. But as the two of us walked back here to the bedroom, I felt my confidence blooming, and I was sure that I had passed…until now!”
Victor, sympathetic: “Good luck, young man….”
Me, sad: “I’ll be out of here in an hour, sir….”
“Nonsense! You’ve had a very hard day! At least stay here for the night before you return home. Though I wasn’t one of the judges, I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation!”
“No…. Wait a second! There’s something underneath this sash….”
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Victor’s voice, approaching: “Congratulations, Jeb!”
Me, aghast: “Thank you so much, Teacher!”
“Son, you shall become great within this Order! Your initiation will be performed next month, on the twenty-first of June—the Summer Solstice—are you ready?”
“Yes, sir, I am!”
“Son, in just a moment, I want you to turn off the tape recorder. The information that I am about to tell you relates directly to the Order, and is expressly forbidden to be communicated, other than orally, from Master to Seeker. So please turn it off now.” Click
[5/16—Tape-recorded entry]
“I am on my way home. Victor and I talked about a great many things—I wasn’t allowed to record any of the remaining conversations we had, but I understand the reasons why—the Order seems to be entirely legitimate. I can’t wait to tell Bryan! When I get back to Illinois, I’ll call him up and inform him of my success…yeeeehoooo!” Click
[Magickal Journal—5/21]
I have just performed another meditation session, and I had another vision—this time, I was at Lenny’s. Jared, Crystal, and the rest of the coven walked in, but trailing them were hordes of demonic creatures....
As soon as they spotted me, they all surrounded my table and glared at me, but I didn’t feel uncomfortable in the least. The Serpent’s Prayer works wonders.
Jared spoke first, spitting out, “What the hell are you doing here?”
Calmly, I said, “I came to retrieve the book that you borrowed…so, give it to me!”
“Oh, yeah? What book would that be?” The demons responded to the anger that flared in his voice and attempted to whisper miserable nothings into my ear.
Laughing, I retorted, “Magick: The Forbidden Fruit!”
A male member of the coven yelled, “Nobody challenges Magnium that way and lives!” The hostility in the air exploded and all of them—coven and demons—leaped at me to finish the job. However, they were suddenly blindsided by a host of angels that mysteriously appeared!
The angels bore glowing yellow swords, and they began to hack away at the demons, who were now trying to escape in fear! The trails from the swords left the air awash in bright yellows, oranges, and
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reds—the enemies both human and spiritual were completely blinded and were helpless against this overwhelming foe!
Aided by the surprise attack of the angels, I was easily able to grab the book from Jared’s backpack and calmly walk out the door! It was after I walked out the door that I suddenly woke up…but I’m not so sure that this was just a random dream. Maybe I’ll indulge my taste for diner food and head over there tomorrow night after work…?