"WTF is Magick?" By Gabriel Roberts

I found this explanation of magick to be interesting, particularly the self improvement aspect. Head on Over to Disinfo.com to read the full blog post. I had forgotten about this quote exchange from the "Black Pullet":

“Do you feel, my son, do you feel this heroic ambition which is the sure stamp of the children of wisdom? Do you dare to desire to serve only the one God and to dominate over all that is not God? Have you understood what it is to prove to be a man and to be unwilling to be a slave since you are born to be a Sovereign? And if you have these noble thoughts, as the signs which I have found on your physiognomy do not permit me to doubt, have you considered maturely whether you have the courage and the strength to renounce all the things which could possibly be an obstacle to attaining the greatness for which you have been born?”

At this point he stopped and regarded me fixedly as if waiting for an answer, or as if he were searching to read my heart.

I asked him, “What is that which I have to renounce?”

“All that is evil in order to occupy yourself only with that which is good. The proneness with which nearly all of us are born to vice rather than to virtue. Those passions which render us slaves to our senses which prevent us from applying ourselves to study, tasting its sweetness, and gathering its fruits. You see, my dear son, that the sacrifice which I demand of you is not painful and is not above your powers; on the contrary, it will make you approach perfection as near as it is possible for man to attain. Do you accept that which I propose?”

"6 Harsh Truths That Will Make You a Better Person" By David Wong

A brutally honest  rant to kick you in the ass for the beginning of the year. 

"2014, motherfuckers. Yeah! LET'S DO THIS.

"Do what?" you ask. I DON'T KNOW. LET'S FIGURE THAT OUT TOGETHER, MOTHERFUCKERS."

Read more: http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-truths-that-will-make-you-better-person/#ixzz2pL3nwdc4

"The Society Trap" By Joe Rogan

This rant by Joe Rogan nails it!I just had to share this with you all. It's a trap, and I want as many of us to get out of it as possible. Myself included. I currently suffer through a day job myself (it's hard out here for a sorcerer/stand up comic), but I know that I can get out. So can you.

Napoleon Hill "Laws of Success

I'm currently reading Napoleon Hill's " Outwitting the Devil". I 'm going to post a review of that soon, bit in the meantime here is a great video of him explaining his philosophy. It's long, so let it play in the background while you are doing something else. Enjoy!

La Santa Muerte in Tepito

Check out this great little article on Her Most Holy Death, and Tepito Mexico. The pictures really show the diversity of her followers, and the creativity that they put into creating personal statues to her. It has inspired me to create my own.
http://www.vice.com/es_mx/read/en-tepito-hasta-los-santos-son-rudos

100!

I made it to my 100th post and it only took me.....Well never mind how long it took me to get there. I am the "Silent Bob" of occult blogging. I only speak when I feel that I have something worth saying. I truly appreciate everyone that has tuned into read, comment, share, and support this blog over the past couple of years. I don't post a lot of content (clearly), so I appreciate everyone that has stayed engaged.

I would like to take this time to re-introduce myself. My name is Charles T. Ellis Jr, aka "Brother Ash". This blog is my attempt to explore what sorcery means to me, and what it takes to get the results that we desire. My views on this topic have changed since I started the blog, and continue to evolve. I once fancied myself a worker, but now just don't have the desire, or time to devote to client work. I am always willing to answer questions, and help out someone looking to do their own work, so feel free to email me with any questions that you might have.

If anyone is curious what I have been up to, I have been at work researching my upcoming booklet "Conjuring the Devil" which I have now moved the release date to next spring. I decided that this project needed a little more a scholarly touch than the "High John" booklet called for and has left me contemplating some interesting questions that I hope answer for myself and the reader. I will be launching a website specifically for that book as well, so be on the lookout for that. I have already previewed some of the material from the booklet through my newsletter (Subscribe to your left ------->), and will probably include some directors cut material through there as well, that doesn't make it into the book.

I have also apparently been becoming a stand-up comedian in the past year as well. Since the first time that I took the stage  , I have since one that same competition twice, and placed in the top three quite a few times. In this month's competition I was voted crowd favorite, which landed me a guest spot last night with the hilarious Brad Williams. It's been a interesting year for sure. I have been putting a lot of time into getting better with my comedy, and looking to branch out start getting more gigs soon, and come to a town near you. Tonight I am performing as Jules in a stage reading of "William Shakespeare presents: Pulp Fiction". That should be fun.

Thanks again for reading, you all rock!