Have you ever heard of a person who reads signs or symbols without cards?

The cards themselves are just a tool. They are not magic. If you are wanting to do a reading or if you have a question on your mind... ask the question.

Then pay attention. The answer will show up.

Or you can pick any book out of the book shelf and open any page and read any line... this could be the answer.

It has happened to me that way. You can do readings without the deck.

I've read "Magick in Theory and Practice", his discussion of child sacrifice was actually him talking about how often he masturbated.

Aleister Crowley was incredibly intelligent and very convoluted in his thinking, most people will not understand his writings. He was a very strange man with an obsession with sex and a very obscure sense of humor.

Maybe, but I believe he meant actual child sacrifice.

If that's true, then it's just hilarious.

I can see where that could indeed be a humorous way of referring to masturbation. I can also see where if that 'joke' got out into the public people wouldn't catch onto it and the rumors that he actually supports child sacrifice would blossom and be fed by anyone who wants to put down "the occult" or give Aleister Crowley a bad name.

I confess that I haven't read much about either Crowley or The Golden Dawn. I've run into references about it in my studies of magick quite often. Some people speak of the Golden Dawn quite highly, whilst others suggest that it was riddled with internal disagreements and quarreling.

I've personally never heard about child sacrifice being associated with either Crowley or The Golden Dawn. This thread is the first time I've heard that accusation or rumor.

In fact, I never really heard any actual bad practices associated with the Golden Dawn. The only negative things I've heard is that they did seem to have a lot of internal disagreements and quarrels.

That alone kind of turned me off to them.

I mean, who wants to read the spiritual practices of people who can't even get along with each other. That doesn't sound like they were very spiritual to me.

I wonder where they would get the idea of child sacrificing from in the first place?

The whole idea of gods that are appeased by blood sacrifices seems to me to have more to do with God's like Zeus or Yahweh.

I wonder what "god" or "goddess" they would have been making this sacrifice to?

Like I say, I've never felt drawn to read about the Golden Dawn because the rumors of their internal troubles had already turned me off to them. I have no spiritual interest in learning the rituals and practices of people who weren't even in harmony with each other.

But now I'm thinking that maybe I should get some books on it just to see if I can find out what the real scoop was. Never mind any spiritual purpose, but rather just study it for the sake of learning their history.

I don't think there are any gods involved with child sacrifice. It is more like spirits or demons or fourth dimensional aliens who are appeased by blood sacrifice.

I don't think any Gods would be associated with blood sacrifices either.

That never seemed to be a very "godly" attribute to me.

I tend to agree that the whole notion of blood sacrifices sounds demonic or alien. I prefer to steer clear of any religion that even hints at a God being associated with blood sacrifices or sacrificial lambs of any kind.

But like I say those kinds of things are the basis of in many mainstream religions already. Gee whiz, Christianity, one of the most popular mainstream religions in the world has a Jesus as the sacrificial lamb of God as its central theme.