LINKS 2 THE OCCULT - POETRY RELATING TO THE OCCULT
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Each of the following poems, a selection from my anthology of in excess of 100, was inspired either as a direct result of a paranormal experience, or by my researching the particular subject.  Just click on one of the links to read that poem.  I had never written any serious poetry until after my first psychic experience.

All of these poems are subject to copyright, but should you like a copy of a particular poem each one is priced at £0.69 sent by email.  It will come with a border in either A4 or A5 size (your choice) suitable for framing, and can be ordered from my Shopping page.

Please note that should you purchase the Aspects of the Occult CD, all of these poems are included on it.


Ashes

To Sylvia:

I scattered your ashes where bluebells grow wild, ’neath the trees in the forest where you played as a child.
Your name is now whispered by the soft gentle breeze as it impishly plucks the leaves from those trees
or treads on the heads of those first bluebell buds.  It’s playing, like you did, like a nymph of the woods.
That’s what your name meant, “Sylvia,” it cried, and with it you left, leaving me petrified.
You straddled that breeze, ’twas a horse without rein, then you galloped away, released from your pain.
All these long lonely years, ever since your ascension, you’ve ridden that breeze in your new-found dimension.
But while your pain has gone, mine just increases; my heart’s with your ashes, shattered, in pieces.
It stopped beating with yours, now daily it searches through the leaves and the ashes ’neath the oaks and the birches.
It misses you, Lover, each day more than ever, thus the passing of time, I promise, can never
diminish the love for the girl of my dreams, and dreams are all I have left so it seems.
I live each long day with help from 'out there' awaiting your sign which shows me you still care.
My faith in your love is my only possession; that faith is still strong and I know cannot lessen
for should I need help, in my tortured mind flashes that most peaceful place where I scattered your ashes.
Ashes to ashes, we all turn to dust, of one thing I’m certain and that is we must
return to our Maker when our time’s at an end.  I thank Him for showing we simply transcend.
Sylv, I adore you, as I did from the start, and beg you, my darling, take care of my heart
until we can meet in His Kingdom above, until then, my angel, I send you my love.
Continue to play with the breeze in that wood, your name ever whispered by all that is good
in the wonders of Nature in that spot so serene, for Sylvia, now, you are surely their Queen.
You’ll not be forgotten as each day slowly passes; like the phoenix your soul rose up from those ashes.

I'll always Love you,

Brian

©   Brian Northmore

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An A to Z of Greek Mythology

Let’s take a quick look, from A through to Z, at Grecian mythology, but it’s got to be said
I can’t list all names, though I know one or two, so with those that now follow you’ll have to make do.
A’s for Achilles, the man with the heel, and also Andromeda whom Perseus did steal.
B is for Bacchus tending his vine, a name for Dionyssus, the Greek god of wine.
C is for Charon who ferries the dead, and also for Cronus, a Titan to dread.
D is for Demeter, the mother of agriculture, and also for Daedalus the inventor of sculpture.
E is for Echo, not favoured by Hera, and also for Eros, still known in our era.
F’s for the Fates who sit spinning life’s thread, and also for Furies, avenging the dead.
G is for Gaea, the earth is her home, and also for Gorgon who turned men to stone.
H is for Helius still shining upon us, and also for Hades, one of three sons of Cronus.
I is for Icarus who flew high and low, and also for Iris whose form is a rainbow.
J is for Jason, who set sail on the Argo, going in search of a very fine cargo.
K is for Keres the Fates of the night, bringing all evils like death and crop blight.
L is for Laomedon, an old Trojan king, and also for Lamia – she’s a bestial thing.
M’s for Medusa with snakes for her hair, and also for Mopsus who was one of a pair.
N is for Nemesis who seeks retribution, and Nike, now making her sports contribution.
O’s for Odysseus, a hero, you know it, and also for Orpheus, a singer and poet.
P’s for Pandora, who punishes man, and for Hermes’ strange son we know better as Pan.
Q we will skip as I don’t know of any, and of the next letter there aren’t very many.
R is for Rhea, a great Titaness; the mother of gods is her title, no less.
S is for Styx, which you cross when you’re dead, and that odd bird, the Siren, with a feminine head.
T is for Triton, son of Poseidon, the seaman, and also for Telchines, a web-footed demon.
U is for Uranus who was once high and mighty, and also Urania, alias Aphrodite.
V’s for Vrykolakas, they drink blood I hear.  They’re vampires you know, you’re advised to stay clear.
W’s for Wooden Horse, used in the Trojan War, by which the Greeks gained entry through the Trojans’ door.
X is for Xanthus, a horse, as was Balius, and also for Xuthus, brother of Dorus and Aeolus.
Y am I struggling to think of a Y when I don’t know of any, oh Y, tell me Y?
Z is for Zethus, twin brother of Amphion, and also for Zeus, who of gods was a mighty one.
Well we’ve been through the alphabet starting at A and ending at Z so there’s nothing to say,
except now that you know some names from old Greece (and there are many others who now rest in peace)
if you wish to know more of mythology’s dead I suggest you read something by Homer instead.
But mythology, some say, is oft based on facts, in which case, with some gods, I’ll make a few pacts.

©   Brian Northmore

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Deception, Illusion & Magick

From scandalous frauds to children’s crocodile tears the art of deception has been practised for years.
From the little white lie through to downright deceit, they’ll always be with us, the ones we call cheat.
All through man’s history, our kings, queens and popes, have cheated all those unaware of the ropes.
Our governments, too, have been the wrong shade of white but their films were destroyed when exposed to the light.
Going over the water to the American senate we think of Dick Nixon, and, of course, Watergate.
But it’s very unfair to choose one or two nations, for it’s throughout the world, in all of man’s stations.
So from the bad to the good we now turn our minds to consider deception of an alternative kind.
This other form, taking place all the while, believe it or not often raises a smile.
On our TV screens we see so-called magicians performing their tricks in the good old traditions.
A woman’s cut up or she’s floating on air; how do they do it?  Is she truly there?
The answer to this we really don’t know.  It looks real enough but it cannot be so.
We know in our minds that we’re being deceived, but we’ve just seen it happen; it must be believed!
These men are illusionists, they’re just there to tease us; Real magick’s performed by Masters like Jesus.
But be it deception, illusion, magick or what, they make us believe in something that’s not.
Aleister Crowley, the Beast, he was quite clever, he tricked people, yes, but he certainly never
did it for evil.  The Book of the Law he wrote to deceive the forces of darkness – that was the card up his sleeve.
‘Do what thou willst is the whole of the law,’ were the first words that Aleister’s visitors saw.
But just whose law was it, that of poor Sod?  Not on your life!  It was the law of his God.
The deceptive art is still practised by many, but if you lose a small fortune or simply a penny,
if the odds were against you you’re not very pleased when you realise the swindler tricked you with ease.

©   Brian Northmore

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Does God Exist?

 Does God exist?  My God, what a question, probably best answered by a subtle suggestion
and some reasons explaining why most of the laity are firmly convinced there is some sort of deity.
But atheists will tell you there isn’t a God, thus when they expire they won’t think it odd
if that is the end, but with no heavenly cure.  They may be surprised, but no, they’re so sure!
But without a Creator what started things going, and why is the cosmos continually growing?
Why don’t the planets crash into each other, and why does one galaxy follow another
on, ever on, into mind boggling infinity if not well arranged by an act of divinity?
This planet of ours plays such a small part, but nevertheless it’s a good place to start.
We’re a tiny existence in the vast realms of space with everything ordered and falling in place.
Why is it that Nature provides all resources for all living creatures through unexplained forces?
The sun and the moon, the tides and the seasons, the forests and rivers; there must be some reasons.
Look at the clouds that carry the rain, then look at the earth, refreshed once again.
Look at insects on flowers, look at birds in the sky, look at children at play, then ask yourself, “Why?”
Look at a rainbow after cool summer showers, it was surely designed by superior powers.
Look at your body with each intricate part from a waterproof covering right through to a heart
which pumps rich red blood to a logical brain, which interprets each sense, be it pleasure or pain.
This tiny microcosm or individual psyche, and the cosmos, or macrocosm, are so much alike.
We’ve all heard the saying as above, so below, and it’s now been established by those in the know.
Scientists now say that some great-unknown force is behind all creation and is thus our own source.
You either believe it or not, you can’t sit on the fence, mankind was created by a hidden intelligence!
So is this the true God each person still seeks, or are we all simply biological freaks
whose lives are a fluke?  If so, why persist in a pointless existence if God doesn’t exist?

©   Brian Northmore

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Hale Bopp

 For four thousand years we awaited your light to return to our heavens that clear winter’s night.
To some on this earth you caused panic or fright; you celestial stranger; you cosmic delight.
But all others aware of the Natural Law gazed up at your splendour in wonder and awe
of your tail reaching far from your icy cold core.  That spectacular sight was well worth waiting for.
But why do you come here, and where do you go?  Then on your departure, a fast fading glow,
a faint fleeting wink appearing to show you know of existence mere mortals can’t know.
Mysterious life forms of which we’ve no trace, ethereal ‘essence’ unseen in this place,
obscure anti-matter, dimensions in space as yet undiscovered by our human race.
For how long you’ve wandered I have no idea, nor the orbit you’re tracking, the path that you steer,
nor the places you go to, so distant from here.  If I could go with you I’d see things so clear.
Although you seem free you must follow a course pre-destined by ‘something’, a great hidden force,
the start of creation, thus mankind’s own source, the power and the glory, the effect and the cause.
So to solve life’s great puzzle, the enigma ‘to be’, I’d need but a glance at those wonders you see.
But you’ve planted a seed in this mind that is me on your fantastic voyage on Binah’s deep Sea.
And so as you leave us once more as decreed, I give thanks for performing that unselfish deed.
A Tree can now grow from that small fertile seed.  Hale Bopp I salute you, and bid you God speed!

©   Brian Northmore

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It's All in the Mind

There’s a place very near where it’s quite safe to go, it’s a place where you’ll learn you can find
all of the answers to all you need know.  That place is your subconscious mind!
It’s peaceful, relaxing, an off-road retreat.  Sit back, let your inner self wander
in a place not of earth, which death can’t defeat, a place for which you’ll grow fonder.
For this planet called earth upon which we all dwell is not really the place of our birth.
Exploring your mind helps you cast off your shell and learn of the things that have worth.
Of goodness, and kindness, of friendship and love, a few of the things you’ll find there.
The things you were given, much more than enough, so of all of those gifts you can share.
On opening your mind, go down straight and deep; you need have no cause for alarm.
You can even explore it while in a deep sleep, for you know you will come to no harm.
You might meet your Maker, or else see his light displaying the answers so clear.
To learn all the truths is your God-given right in your mind, a place not to fear.
The day that He shows you your reason for being your outlook will change very much.
At this stage you’ll not be all hearing, all seeing, but you will be on feeling His touch.
As part of the cosmos your mind can now grow; you’re no longer a part, you’re now whole.
You’ll learn all there is, then at last you will know that the mind’s but a word for the soul.

©   Brian Northmore

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Lost in Time

From our moment of birth, as we draw our first breath, through the whole of our lifetime to our moment of death,
we’re governed by something that man has called ‘time’, but is time a circle, a spiral, an arc or a line?
We can’t see it or touch it, it’s not three-dimensional; if it is, some events I find truly sensational.
Here are a couple of things, which I’m sure you’ll agree are happening to people much like you and me
who are going through life in their casual way thinking yesterday’s gone and today is today.
Historical battles are still often fought out and witnessed by some whose word we don’t doubt.
The whole scene unfurls as they stand there transfixed – did it happen just now or in ten sixty-six?
And déjà vu’s an occurrence that’s quite commonplace, where your memory is triggered by a word or a face.
You’ve been here before, you know all about it, but as more words are spoken you then start to doubt it.
You’ve been here before?  You know that’s a lie!  You’ve been to the future?  That’s not a bad try.
Okay, it’s the future, but the first time you saw it occurred in the past – you cannot ignore it.
So the future’s remembered as the past in your brain at some time in the present – let me try to explain.
You remembered the future, don’t you agree?  But that is not possible, it just cannot be!
Memory, surely, is of events that took place at some earlier moment in our time and space.
Or is the future the present, is the present long gone, is the past yet to happen as our time ticks on?
This event that occurred in the future just now, when did it happen, what caused it and how?
Were you thrown back in time to that future location, or will it take place on some previous occasion?
Consider these problems and you’ll reach the conclusion that we’re all lost in time, and that time’s an illusion.

©   Brian Northmore

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Michel de Notredame

A physician-come-astrologer, so the history books say, saw the future so well, he thought it might pay.
Sat alone after midnight, on a three-legged brass stool, at a bowl full of water he would stare like a fool.
In just a few minutes he’d be lost in a trance to witness the future in his beloved land, France.
He never wrote in records exactly where he’d been, but left us many verses recording what he’d seen.
Each rhyme contained four lines, known simply as a quatrain; it might refer to Germany, or England, France or Spain.
He disguised each meaning cleverly, we have to study well to interpret all his quatrains, to see what they foretell.
Ripas stands for Paris and Napoleon is the eagle, leopard’s England, bear is Prussia, while regal’s simply regal.
A ‘Century’ comprised one hundred great predictions, and after writing several he sold these works of fiction.
His ‘Centuries’ was published whilst he was still alive, the first edition in Lyons, in fifteen fifty-five.
Though many of his quatrains, when interpreted, alarm us, since he was making money this didn’t bother Nostradamus.
But interpreting those verses leads all a merry dance, so many hidden meanings relating just to France.
He foresaw the revolution of seventeen eighty-nine; the formation of the Republic was waiting next in line,
with the exploits of Napoleon, all coming up on cue, and the futility of the Maginot Line during World War Two.
The final one on France that we shall here recall was the coming of a President, Monsieur Charles de Gaulle.
He foretold many other things, a few I’ll now relate, though not in any order, by neither country nor by date.
The destruction at Pearl Harbour would annoy the USA but Nagasaki and Hiroshima would make the Japanese pay.
The influenza epidemic, which followed the First World War was something else to happen that Nostradamus saw.
The Kennedy’s he wrote about, Robert, John and Ted, Ted’s continuing problems and both his brothers dead.
The demise of Adolf Hitler at the end of World War Two was yet another world event about which this man knew.
In Britain too, a problem, concerning matters of state, a future king, no less, would be forced to abdicate.
There are so many others, with much to happen yet, but having read his quatrains I’m quite prepared to bet
a lot of his interpreters when relating what he knew are almost just as mercenary – they write rubbish too.

©   Brian Northmore

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Our Lord Jesus Christ

 “I’m a virgin,” said Mary while heavy with child, and Joseph believed her. I would have gone wild
if my wife had told me, to her indignation, “The Holy Spirit has caused my immaculate conception.”
Her baby was born two millennia ago, though at the time of His birth no one could know
that in His great name a religion would follow, and within its church there’d be such great sorrow.
In a stable in Bethlehem His birth was recorded but we know little of how His childhood was ordered,
but on reaching His manhood the story goes on, thanks to Matthew, to Mark, to Luke and to John.
John the Baptist, in Galilee, was stealing the scene when into his act strolled a bold Nazarene.
A mysterious man who could command great respect, He performed His ‘miracles’ with frightening effect.
He chose twelve disciples, a coven I declare, and performed His magick through dedication and prayer.
He raised the dead and turned water to wine, He healed lepers, it’s written, and gave sight to the blind.
He walked upon water, that’s another good tale!  With the art of hypnosis His tricks couldn’t fail.
With five loaves and two fishes five thousand He fed, and each one was satiated, or so it is said.
In the minds of the masses He created confusion; it was sorcery, magick, it was all an illusion.
Sacriligious this isn’t, though the church will decry it, but ask it this question, can its leaders deny it?
If Jesus had lived during its foul inquisition would He have died at the stake after torture in prison?
At Golgotha He died, so the scriptures do tell, to save our poor souls, not to roast us in hell.
But in His kingdom of heaven, just a heartbeat away, waits our Lord Jesus Christ for their Judgment Day.
Yes, He’s alive, another trick from His bag, so here’s something to ponder when time seems to drag.
Be you publican, poet, or great statistician, was He or not the world’s greatest magician?

©   Brian Northmore

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Prediction

Both the Shamans of old and their offspring today go into a trance searching for the true way.
The Navaho Indians – they read coloured sand, while others read tea leaves hoping they’ll understand.
For thousands of years now man’s had an addiction to every known form of futuristic prediction.
There’s scrying, dice throwing, card reading and hydromancy, dowsing, astrology, palm reading and catoptramancy
to name but a few of the strange methods he tries to see into the future to reveal what it hides.
The Chinese I Ching the great Book of Change is another example within this vast range.
Sixty-four mystic hexagrams that can tell us so clearly the future events we are seeking so dearly.
Tossing fifty yarrow stalks or three coins of a kind reveals that mystic hexagram to clear our clouded minds.
Crystal ball gazing, that’s the old art of scrying, and those who can do it say the ball isn’t lying
when a picture it shows in response to our query.  Is it for real or have their eyes just grown weary?
And the Tarot’s been used for quite a long while and from all known accounts it’s not gone out of style.
These seventy-eight cards, that’s four suits of fourteen, and twenty-two trumps, can foretell our next scene.
Our future can also be seen in the stars by using the planets like Saturn and Mars.
This predictive science is today called astrology; ancient Greeks linked it to their own great mythology.
Today we have horrorscopes in each national daily, and all local newspapers will tell us quite gaily
what they are most certain is bound to come true if Fate comes a-calling and selects me or you.
So you can’t blame the kids or the husband or wife for whatever may happen in your private life.
It’s our own silly faults if we’re knocked down by cars.  We should have known better – it was there in the stars!
But when it comes to prediction, to me it would seem we can forget all of this, we just need to dream.
What’s that you’re saying, have I gone mad?  Not at all, think of Joseph, he didn’t do bad!

©   Brian Northmore

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Seven

Seven’s the number he enshrouded in mystery soon after man became part of earth’s history.
It’s a magickal union, three plus four, giving birth; the numbers relating to heaven and earth.
It’s the number of Venus wearing her shroud, the planet of mystery enveloped in cloud.
Turning history’s pages, starting at one, the mystical seven was soon to catch on.
When we open the Bible, behold a sensation, God took seven days to complete the creation.
Again in the Bible, for the crew of the ark, soon after God let those folks disembark,
displayed in the heavens, the first laser show.  Seven colours of light in the form of a rainbow.
So seven’s established on the opening pages, then we find ancient Greece had seven old sages.
The Greeks also noticed strange wandering stars, the seven planets of old, of which one was Mars.
The seven daughters of Atlas, so mythology’s told us (no wonder this man had the world on his shoulders),
after passing away, so as not to ignore us, became seven sisters in the constellation of Taurus.
And the eternal city, where they once got their thrills throwing Christians to lions, spans seven small hills.
Then a bit further east, where we won’t find a toga, we find seven chakras in Kundalini style yoga.
We’ve seven ages of creation and seven old metals (which were probably used to make seven old kettles).
there are seven league boots in an old fairy tale, and when sailors of old used to hoist up a sail
they roamed seven seas, often taking their chances, and the great Tree of Life displays seven branches.
So seven’s the number that seems to hold sway, appearing time after time on day after day.
Some think it’s lucky, but not in my book.  Breaking a mirror brings seven years bad luck!
We’ve got seven wonders and seven great sins, and when we expire and our next life begins
we still can’t escape from that strange number seven, for we find after death seven stages of heaven.

©   Brian Northmore

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The Kabbalah's Story

Aeons ago, before time as we know it, No-thing existed with nothing to show it.
But enclosing the darkness, behind a thin veil, is an infinite wisdom, the cause of this tale.
It’s beyond comprehension by those such as man; many attempt to but nobody can.
It’s Ain-Soph, the unbeing, It’s something that’s not, and for some unknown reason It hatched out a plot.
The Ain-Soph contracted to give Itself space, to fashion existence, to show Its own ‘face’.
The divine Spark ignited, then came the ‘big-bang’ and the forming of planets and stars thus began.
Ain-Soph caused creation of things great and small, but Its first attempt failed – this is known as the Fall.
The reason for this has been hidden quite well, but the Edomite kings have a story to tell.
For this error of judgement It had to atone, a difficult task for Ain-Soph alone.
It was too perfect so out of Its 'ether' emanation began through the Point known as Kether.
This Sephirah, the Crown, ran this vast operation, the Hidden Intelligence behind all creation.
Revealing the secrets of science and maths Kether determined all planetary paths.
Then as the earth circled its life-giving sun, while its surface was cooling so creatures could run,
Kether prepared it for inhabitation, releasing a constant Divine emanation.
Chokmah came next, the Father of Knowledge, Jehovah, whose learning was not gained in college.
But knowledge, it’s true, is simply a facet, without understanding it’s not a great asset.
Thus Binah was ‘born’, Jehovah Elohim, our Mother Eternal who brought Understanding.
A triad Supernal spans Atziluth and Briah, the creator ‘God’ Kether, with Chokmah and Binah.
The God of Mercy was the next on the scene, an ‘offspring’ of Binah, our Bright Fertile Queen.
Chesed’s His name, He’s God’s Vision of love, a Majestical King in the heavens above.
But guaranteed mercy would turn man’s soul cold so Geburah, His ‘sister’ came into the fold.
Her Justice and Power proved just the solution to straighten the path of man’s evolution.
This ‘brother and sister’ were ready for duty then Tiphareth came displaying His Beauty.
As an Ethical Triad in the Formative Land’s how Chesed, Geburah and Tiphareth stand.
The end of creation was now within sight and everything this time appeared to be right.
Netzach, or Victory, or Nature’s great power was placed at the foot of the Merciful Tower.
Controlling the land, the air and the sea, God’s Vision of beauty Triumphant was She.
The eighth emanation, Her ‘twin brother’ Hod was a Vision of Splendour, the true Glory of God.
This structure created for mankind’s salvation required a rock, a good strong foundation.
The next emanation, The Sephirah Yesod, is the God of Foundation, the Almighty God.
As an Astral Triad in the Formative World are Netzach and Hod and Yesod unfurled.
Just a whisper away these three ‘Gods’ preside o’er the world of Assiah where life forms reside.
Now the Bible’s old books, translated from Hebrew, reveal some surprises when translated anew.
The Sephiroth Chesed down to Yesod explain the creation, in six days, by God.
The tenth emanation, the Sephirah Malkuth, is God’s Kingdom on earth, He had now done enough.
Kether could rest, He’d achieved His great goal, man had what was needed to save his own soul.
Through Knowledge, Understanding, Mercy and Power, through Beauty and Victory and Glory that hour
of the Foundation of God’s own Kingdom on earth, man has the tools to achieve his rebirth.
So the next time you visit your church or cathedral, and you say the Lord’s Prayer with the rest of the people,
“For thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory” may serve to remind you of the Kabbalah’s story.

©   Brian Northmore

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The Major Arcana

The Tarot’s been with us some six hundred years, predicting our future, our hopes and our fears,
and although its pictures may seem quite alarming when we understand them they really are charming.
None of them need be at all the least frightening for despite their appearance they’re truly enlightening.
Their integrity’s pure and they’re very reliable; they’re a prayer book, an almanac, and even a bible.
They’ve been linked to the Kabbalah as well as astrology, with good strong connections to ancient mythology.
But of the seventy eight cards in the Tarot today only the trumps are described here in play.
Zero’s The Fool, although he is no dope.  He sets off on his journey so full of great hope.
He’s nowadays shown stepping off from a cliff, but we need have no fear, it’s for sure he will live.
Number one, The Magician, is assured of eternity for the eight on his head is a guaranteed certainty.
He controls his own life, a life that’s not tragic, for he has earned access to the world’s hidden magick.
Number two, The High Priestess, represents mystery; she’s been wearing a veil throughout her long history.
The daughter of the moon, in her splendid virginity, stands for the feminine traits of mother and fertility.
Number three is The Empress whose womb is the earth, and it’s the fruits of the earth to which she gives birth.
She’s the mother goddess, alias Ishtar, with a Madonna lily in the shape of a star.
The Emperor comes next, he’s at number four; he’s the father of gods known as Zeus or Thor.
Zeus fathered Athene, a goddess, though wise, was warlike as daddy ruling over the skies.
Number five is The Hierophant, also known as The Pope, who initiates all of our spiritual hope.
He’s the bridge between us and the gods we appease whose most sacred mysteries he interprets with ease.
The Lovers at six don’t necessarily mean love; they’re the conscious and unconscious mind, while Cupid above's
the higher-self looking down, to provide the initiative for the blending of opposites - positive and negative.
Number seven’s The Chariot being ridden by a hero (The Fool has come far, he started at zero).
But the hero does not have his hands on the reins; he has much more to learn for control to be gained.
Number eight is for Strength with a female depicted, but don’t be misled, she is far from restricted.
Combining animal instincts with the deep conscious mind she’s honest and generous, reliable and kind.
The Hermit or religious recluse is at nine who needs to withdraw from the world for a time
to seek inner wisdom.  In each dark hidden nook of his own deep subconscious is the best place to look.
The Wheel of Fortune comes next, its number is ten; the Fool’s halfway there, but must move again.
The sphinx on The Wheel knows the secrets of time, and while The Wheel turns Lady Luck waits in line.
Eleven is Justice with her sword and her scales, who’s normally shown with a blindfold these days.
With her feather of truth she weighs souls of the dead; in the zodiac she’s Libra with an intellectual head.
Twelve’s The Hanged Man who’s strapped up by his foot.  A disturbing sight, maybe, but he cares not a hoot.
To gain the Runes’ wisdom, so mythology says, Odin, the Norse god, hung like this for nine days.
Death, the grim reaper, and thirteen’s the card, an unlucky number, but look deep and hard
and we’ll get the true meaning - we’re not almost dead.  It means something is over, a new beginning instead.
Temperance at fourteen is stood pouring water.  This angelic form is a son or a daughter.
It’s mixing, it’s blending, it’s just moderation, and quite soon we will see its interpretation.
The Devil, at fifteen, looks evil and sinister, but don’t be alarmed, he’s not come to minister
his evil at all – he represents money, so it may be the time when your outlook is sunny.
Sixteen's The House of God, it's often called The Tower, and depicts the Tower of Babel blasted by God’s power.
It’s telling you it’s time for change, time for something new, and even if it’s drastic this change is good for you.
The Star at number seventeen is a symbol of good hope, so don’t sit feeling morbid, don’t think that you can’t cope,
for when you wish upon a star your dreams can all come true, you know the song, now read the card, it’s telling it to you!
Eighteen shows two dogs, both howling at The Moon, with two pillars in the background and a crayfish in a pool.
We’re climbing from the darkness, we can almost see the light, The Fool’s been running blindly but now the end’s in sight.
Nineteen's The Sun, he's the old god Apollo, (his twin sister, Artemis, is The Moon in the Tarot).
The picture depicts two young children playing – “We’re now fully aware,” is what this card is saying.
Twenty is Judgement, we must answer the call, for the archangel Michael is blowing his horn.
Some decisions come easy, others are tough, we must make our minds up, we’ve had long enough.
Twenty-one is The World, The Wheel has gone round, and The Fool knows for certain he’s back on home ground.
He’s finished his travels, his journey’s complete, and now at long last he has The World at his feet.
But don’t be misled for The Wheel keeps rotating, we’ve accomplished our goal but others are waiting.
The cycle continues, never think that it’s over, we have to keep going - don’t lie back in clover.
The Wheel will be turning for ever and ever bringing sunshine and showers, or harsh stormy weather.
So keep plodding slowly, don’t get out of breath, you’ll be on that treadmill long after your death,
for even then it continues, like time it rolls on.  This life may be over but a new one’s begun
in God’s kingdom of heaven where we must learn the rules, where we start back at zero – just like The Fool.

©   Brian Northmore

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The Master

 Thirteen had gathered in a room in the city, then the Master announced, “You know, it’s a pity
I won’t be around in a very short while.”  He paused for a moment, then smiled a wry smile.
The Feast of the Passover had come round again, but this year the Master was under some strain.
His time had arrived; He now had to die, so He told His twelve pupils, “My hour is nigh,
for one of you here who follows Me daily made prior arrangements and soon will betray Me.”
He paused once again, and looked each in the eye.  Eleven responded, “Lord, is it I?”
“I’ll tell you,” He said, “if that is your wish, it’s whoever dips bread and uses My dish.
He is the one through whom I’ll be smitten, but the Son of man will go as is written,
though the traitor will rue it the following morn.  ’Twould be better for him if he hadn’t been born.”
Then Judas Iscariot, in a manner quite sly, asked of the Master, “Then Lord, is it I?”
His answer was terse, just, “Thou hast said,” then continued to break some unlevened bread,
which He blessed while saying, “Take this and eat, for this is My body which death can’t defeat.”
He then filled a cup and thanked God, so good, saying, “Drink ye it all, for this is my blood.
For the remission of sins of many it’s shed, but I shall not drink until after I’m dead
and we’re one unit again, though not on this earth, but My Father’s Kingdom, the place of My birth.”
They finished their meal in silence that day then went to the Mount of Olives to pray.
Though the rest of His story appears to be tragic, His pupils, by now, were proficient in magick.
He’d passed on to each the secret traditions to complete the Great Work, to become great magicians.
His time is over, but He begs us, “Don’t weep,” for that fateful appointment He did have to keep.
He could have averted all personal disasters, but reached for fulfilment like all the true Masters.


©   Brian Northmore

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The OBE

To most British people the plain OBE can be earned through good works by you or by me,
an award that’s presented by the queen, or the king, but in magickal terms it’s a quite different thing.
It’s astral projection of one’s body of light, but can it be done, and if so, is it right?
Despite all the cases recorded of such, scientifically these never counted for much.
But now quantum leaps cause our ‘experts’ to frown; Newton’s well-ordered world has been turned upside down.
Everything solid or classed as material, overnight has apparently become but ethereal.
If we can’t see a thing does it mean it’s not there?  We use electricity, and breathe in fresh air,
there are radio waves, and even black holes, and our own astral bodies containing our souls.
In his light astral body, though not often seen, a traveller in this form knows just where he’s been.
He’ll tell of people, or objects, or smells in the air, proof enough, surely, that he’s really been there?
Many people who ‘died’ and then later ‘recovered’, tell of leaving their bodies, a new dimension discovered.
Yes, others scoff, but they’re just frightened sceptics who say it’s but dreams under strong anaesthetics.
Most of us dream though we’re quite unaware ’til we wake from the dream or fiendish nightmare.
So let us consider, just what are our dreams?  The answer to this may be more than it seems!
Have we left earthly bodies, our home to revisit, ascending the astral, it’s not so unreal is it?
As you drop off to sleep just how many times have you jumped with a start and opened your eyes?
Your soul had just left but the time wasn’t right, and its rapid return was what caused such a fright.
Great tomes have been written on astral projection; have their authors been struck by some mental infection?
And if not, then how can a mortal achieve it?  The answer, they say, is keep trying, believe it.
When you know that you’re dreaming when you’re still asleep you’ll be out of your body, an appointment to keep.
Having learnt to perfect this no boundaries exist.  You can travel at will through the great swirling mist.
With no transport required and no maps to unravel, OBEs surely, are the best way to travel.

©   Brian Northmore

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The Zodiac

Man’s been using the zodiac since true ancient times when he looked in the skies and determined the signs
which govern the way we behave here on earth; the dominant signs at the time of our birth.
Aries, the Ram, is commanding and energetic, but the Ram can be violent and is often choleric.
He yearns independence and desires competition, but dislikes too much theory and dull repetition.
Taurus, the Bull, although slow, is so sure, he’s self-centred but generous, his intentions are pure.
Developing a taste for the good things in life the Taurean will make a good husband or wife.
Gemini, the Twins, has a dual personality, thus Gemini people act with irrationality.
These fickle folk, with minds that are changeable, are highly intellectual or mentally unstable.
Cancer, the Crab, gives us kind, gentle folk who seem hard on the surface, but that’s simply a cloak.
They’ve a vulnerable inside they hide under domes, and just like the crab they’re attached to their homes.
Leo, the Lion's an imperial leader, and even the female lets nothing impede her.
Leo’s are dominant, they don’t like defeat, but their impractical side they must learn to beat.
Virgo, the Virgin, sets standards quite high making order from chaos, which might explain why
they arrange everything and cleanliness is of essence; Virgos combine common sense with intelligence.
Libra, the Scales, with a good balanced mind is averse to extremism, he’s just not that kind.
Librans want to be liked, and want to like others, though easily swayed they’re good fathers and mothers.
Scorpio, the Scorpion, had a bad reputation and used to be held in great trepidation.
Hard to get on with and often prone to deceit they’re secretive people you cannot browbeat.
Sagittarius, the Archer, is the sign of success.  He tends to love animals, but nevertheless
he’s a hunter at heart who loves outdoor thrills, he’s happy-go-lucky with communication skills.
Capricorn, the Goat, is the opposite of Leo, he’s submissive and introvert, but even so,
he’s also ambitious, trying hard for success, but lacks imagination, his life’s full of stress.
Aquarius, the Water Carrier, likes personal freedom, with no respect for convention, but open to reason.
These humanitarians strive for all social causes, reform, the environment and the protection of horses.
Pisces, the Fishes, is the last of the signs; although vague and devious, Pisceans are kind.
With their attitude to life they’re easily led, they’ve lost their own egos, they’re followers instead.
We’ve now found a new sign, but astrologers don’t care and claim that they knew that it’s always been there.
But I’m not so sure and would give it a chance for mine has led me a right merry dance.

©   Brian Northmore

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