Lord Josh Allen

Thank you, yes it is interesting. We have entirely different perspectives on what qualifies as an adept. Let us not forget that magick is an art (The Arcane Arts) Most forms of art require tools, a painter needs canvas and paint, a sketcher needs pencils and paper, a photographer needs a camera, a musician needs an instrument, a sculptor needs clay and chisels. A magician needs tools in order to execute his artistic intention into the universe. When creating Fu talismans, many materials are used, brushes, ink, paper, stamps, etc. When exorcisms are being performed, peachwood swords are commonly used by the most skilled of sorcerors. Herbs, incense, candles, rice, water all assist in the spiritual process and intensify the end result. Most beginners would not be able to use the tools properly nor would they be able to generate results from them. Weather Magick is no different. Technical rituals have fallen out of favour in the modern-day because people have forgotten that magick is a strict discipline. It is supposed to be a commitment, not a hobby for the weekends. Taking a minimalistic approach and having monumental outcomes sounds idyllic and wonderful but it does not fit in accordance with how magick is really performed. Is it possible that one may make internal changes to themselves by using little to no tools? Yes indeed, I get that but this does not apply to more complicated practices that affect large scale areas. A Weather Magick example, Zhuge Liang made clear orders to Zhou Yu that he needed an outdoor altar platform to be created that it must be nine spans high, with three steps, surrounded by a guard of one hundred and twenty men bearing flags. It was two hundred and forty spans in circuit, square in shape, and of three tiers, each of three spans, in all nine spans high. Each tier had different magical items placed on it. The altar overall was highly decorated with flags, banners, scrolls all aligning to the correct direction with the appropriate colour. Kongming robed himself as a Taoist, took a bath of purification and used a ceremonial sword for the working. The ritual was a success and the wind direction changed. My point is. For rudimentary practices, a simplistic approach makes sense because it's more efficient. For multifaceted high-risk workings like the one I've just mentioned, the type that requires a large degree of preparation, timing, diet, bathing, fasting, petitioning, calculating of risk, etc. There is no way around this. With Weather Magick, the two primary concerns of the leading magician are success and safety. Success in generating the outcome and safety in executing that outcome. If a mistake is made it could prove fatal for the magician and the people who live nearby, nature can be deadly. Taking a simple approach sounds great until it goes wrong. I'd rather be strategic, calculated, orderly and in control of the situation. This minimizes the chance of disaster. I've been accused of "playing with the weather" on this forum but in reality, I plan and anticipate every possible outcome. I say this to keep people safe.

Beliefs are crutches but you believe "costumes" are for amateurs and that religion is inferior. Using your hollow logic you must be a baby with a crutch. Go figure. You talk about wanting, what about not wanting? Not wanting is also a desire. If you don't want to do something, you desire not to do it. I don't think you are thinking before you type. Very strange indeed. Yes, I am unwilling and unable to turn a blind eye to poor argumentation.

Exactly.

I wouldn't say religions are a joke, I think that is quite a bigoted statement which encourages a tribalistic attitude of "my faith is superior to yours" type of argument. Occultism does not seek to override religion but to compliment it and incorporate it into the path of esoterism, why should they compete? Lao Tzu wasn't a ceremonial magacian so that really isn't an appropriate source nor is it related to the topic. I was talking about ritual magicians who practice elaborate workings, the kinds who use tools, incantations, hand seals, symbolism, etc. I wouldn't consider him a part of that group. You know a couple of people, I know a couple of hundred who would disagree with what you say.

The altar should face East? In regards to weather magick that is just not true. Look at Romance of The Three Kingdoms Chapter 49 "Kongming Borrows The Southeastern Winds" It says in the chapter that "The Altar of The Seven Stars" was built on the Southern Hills of Nanping Mountain and it was constructed out of red earth from the Southern quarter. Outdoor altars that are used for the practice of weather magick and nature manipulation usually face the South as this direction is considered to be the most divine.

That is simply not true. Look at the book "Magical Tools and The Daoist Altar" From pages 10-31, it details the ritual garments, shoes, crowns, and regalia used for ceremonial magick and why they are essential to the practice. What are your sources? I'd like to read more about why some reject ritual clothing. Is it a modern act of rebellion against the old? I think it is usually the New Age followers who don't dedicate themselves fully to the practice, they enjoy cutting corners and insist on modernizing everything. Watering down the traditional methods is a major mistake as it leads to lesser results. I follow the old ways. I doubt Kongming ever wore a cowboy hat or jeans.

You seem to be heavily biased towards believing that anyone who wears a traditional outfit is a "plastic shaman" I'd encourage you to spend a day on The Left-Hand Path forums, you would be surprised to see it is nothing like you think it is. Maybe you are only active in the Taoist community and you don't know much about other cultures. I myself am active in the wider Occult circles, Aztec, Mayan, Chaos, etc. In those groups, it is seen as being "proper" in the same way as it is proper and respectful to wear a tuxedo at certain events. It adds another layer of commitment and dedication to one's spiritual path and helps separate the mundane self from the magical self when practicing multifaceted ceremonies. I'd encourage you to read the words of Professor Johnson, he writes extensively about the importance of Taoist ritual attire.

Thank you!

Excellent taste I must say!

I've got a lot of silly hats.

I'm quite the Master with these silver shiny blazers, here is another one I have. I've worn this one a lot! Was very expensive.

I LOVE the hat.

Hi there. I'm used to hazing, it doesn't bother me. I'd be lost without it at this point!

I'm quite positive, I have looked into it in the past and nothing conclusive has turned up. As far as I am aware, none of my family have practiced any kind of magick.

Here is the look I'm going for. I'll be wearing a white shirt and white bow tie to match! It should be a fun night.

Hi, I'll be singing Red Roses For My Lady by Engelbert Humperdinck! I mentioned the song in my video. It is well made, the material is stunning. I wouldn't want it any other way, if it's good enough for Engelbert, its good enough for me! You can see Engelbert's blazer has a lot of ripples and creases, I like ripples and creases! My goal was to model the blazer on his. If you recall in the video I mention how I don't like "wetsuits" style blazers that look painted on the body, I can't stand tight formal clothing. I find that a rather displeasing style. I prefer to see lines and gatherings within the fabric with room to breathe, that is very much a conscious choice on my part. My wardrobe isn't to everyone's liking but it is to mine!

It's here! I'll be singing at a local karaoke club that has recently opened and I wanted to make a good first impression.

I'm here, just been very busy working on other things for my channel. I don't intend to use this forum on a daily basis. I'll have a read of the other posts I'll try to catch up with all of you later today.

I'm back, I haven't been on here much recently due to working on some creative projects. I've just finished another Weird and Wonderful Wardrobe episode.

A couple of dozen? I have around 1,600 subscribers and a Facebook friends list of almost 5 thousand. I assure you it is hundreds. It seems you are reluctant to believe others are sharing my experiences because you yourself haven't had any. Again, where did I say the words "I was chosen" I asked for a timestamp in a video but you still haven't been able to show it yet. That is only your interpretation of my words which is incorrect but you insist its true, I never actually said it so you are putting words in my mouth to push your point which is unfair and disingenuous. You have only watched one video and it certainly shows, it's like judging a book by reading one page, it isn't proper research. If you decide to make judgments this way then you obviously do not seek to understand my path. You can have an opinion but it's only that. Opinionating from a subjective perspective and analyzing from an objective perspective are two different things. You say things that I've never said and make premature conclusions before doing due diligence and then don't bother to correct yourself by looking into the subject more. I can tell you are allowing your own emotional state to cloud your judgments of me. You have a stake in the argument, heavily leaning to one belief and you are polarised in your opinions towards my work rather than approaching it from a neutral stance. You would rather believe that I am dangerous and misguided because it fits your paradigm to push that agenda. It reinforces your own bias towards those left-field practitioners, whom, you do not know yet happily criticize. This is a bigoted and prejudice mindset towards those who do not conform to standardized norms. This is not a balanced viewpoint. If you see something you don't agree with, deem it dangerous and harmful, this is an opinion based on reflex action, not reasonable thought. When you combine shallow research with an emotional researcher who has an unfair inclination, you get this. It is a shame you insist on spinning a negative narrative about me based on very limited research. When I talk about magick on YT, I give warnings telling people not to dive in the deep end, you would know that if you actually watched to begin with. I assure you nobody is confused or harmed by my videos, they are optional and free. I'm not the only source out there on weather magick. If you don't agree with my perspectives then there are other video makers who you may agree with. I've been on Youtube since 2010, I've never had a single incident where anyone was harmed and I've met so many different types over the years. People enjoy my content for the most part and understand that I'm one of the most trusted Weathermancers around today. Just look at my like to dislike ratio, my comment section and the feedback I get on my documentaries. I've had plenty of Taoists watching me and loving the work that I do. You are in the minority. Seems to me you feel threatened that there are people out there like me who have had legitimate experiences without the pomp and circumstance you so cling to. Are you judging me because your own ego feels threatened? That would make sense. If I am missing the "fruits" as you say, allow me the right to find them. I have a Taoist Master, you know who he is, it is Kongming. As I've stated many times, I'm not interested in mastering Qigong, Tai Chi, martial arts, I'm a weather magician and that's what I practice. Find me another weather magician who is also a Taoist, let me speak to him/her and let's see where it goes. Are you a Weathermancer yourself? If not, why are you interested in this work? You are yet to receive a basic education in weather magick. It seems you only want to find fault and drive a one-sided argument. I'd be curious to know what experiences you've had with the art. If you are saying I don't understand it, do you? As you say yourself "If you had, you would speak differently" Ditto. "Establishing communication with any disembodied voice in Daoism--including that of an actual immortal--neither qualifies as an awakening nor even evidence any change in the quality of your shen" Says who? According to Kongming, that is false. Should I trust you over him? If so, why? How do you compare to him and his life achievements? You don't. You don't even have any ambition, case closed. There's no such thing as a secret, it does not exist. For a secret to exist, someone has to keep it, if someone keeps it, someone knows it, therefore it is not a secret. We can fool our fellow man but the Gods, spirits, deities, immortals all read our hearts and minds, how can we keep secrets from them? They read us like open books. There are no secrets in the universe, only things yet to be understood. "There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known." I know it bothers you when I call myself a Taoist but that is your problem, not mine. I didn't realize I had to so careful of your sensitivities. It was not my intention to trigger and upset you. Seems to me you want a Taoist hierarchy, you want to think you are better than me because you've joined a lineage and gone through the traditional doors. Somehow that makes your spirituality more valid than mine because you have a register and an Earthly Master, you somehow have the right to call yourself a Taoist but people like me do not, sounds like ego to me. It sounds like classic human haughtiness at its best. I was going to ask why are you hiding your ego but you are not hiding it, it is plain for all to see. I don't hide my ego behind a facade of humility, even a renegade sect-less Taoist like me knows something isn't right about pretense and phony humbleness. Sorry to burst your bubble of self-importance but I'm as close to the Tao as you are and you can't stand it. In other news, I've just received my new blazer. A shiny metallic double-breasted blazer with dramatic peak lapels, it is quite the statement!

Hi, I hope you got my PM earlier about the Occult forums. Funny that you bring up Voodoo, one of my close friends is deep into the Voodoo system and would know a lot more about it than me but yes you are right. Some traditions are against possession, others embrace it fully. I like the idea of creating a sphere that goes through the ground. I may just try that for my own practice. I view invocation as calling a spirit to come forward without surrendering your own self-control. Its power inhabits you but its consciousness does it. Those who invoke tend to invite the spirit to enter their bodies but they have strict rules and limitations regarding the procedure. Only a "part" of the spirit is allowed to use your body as its temporary home. You retain full control over your physical body, thoughts, and behavior whereas with a full-blown possession, once it happens you have no control because the spirit overrides you completely. You aren't even aware of anything as the spirit has hijacked your entire state of being, this is why people speak in different voices and appear to go crazy. With possession, you get the spirits voice, personality, history and other baggage. With an invocation, you should never lose control of yourself. The downside to invocation is this: The practice is far more gentle than people think. Unless you are gifted and naturally attuned, most people agree that typical invocations don't accomplish much. It takes many workings to make a good difference whereas one experience of possession could be life-changing or life-destroying, depending on the outcome. Invocations are much safer but more drawn out. Thanks for the links, I'll check them out!

One thing that has surprised me with this forum wasn't people's reactions to me as a person but the lack of ritualistic Occultism. I half expected this site to be similar to BALG, a forum on ceremonial high magick which places great emphasis on tools, robes, technicalities, spoken incantations, making pacts with spirits, etc. This forum seems more a place for martial arts, philosophy, and meditation and less of a place for candle magick, altar setups, manifestations via ritual, sympathetic magick, etc. I'm not saying this as a negative, just an observation. I know proper Occult forums are niche and Taoist Occult forums are very niche. Deceptive entities and trickster spirits are commonplace for those who practice invocation and evocation. This is why the "ritual chamber" is created. A ritual chamber is a process of filtering out intrusive and unwelcome spirits, to prevent them from showing up during a working. Consider it an invisible forcefield of qi which completely covers the length and width of a room or in my case, an outdoor altar. In the same way, doctors and surgeons make sure all the tools are sterilized to prevent contamination in a theatre room, the chamber sterilizes the room/temple/altar for the magician and it purifies everything. This is essential because residual energy which is left by other spirits during past workings stays around. If you don't practice good "spiritual hygiene" this could lead to possession. I'm very careful about this. Concluding and closing communication is another important point. When you channel, evoke and invoke, you open up a gateway into another realm for entities to temporarily visit you and speak to you. If you don't properly close it during the conclusion of the ritual, it will cause problems. Sometimes, the aim of a ritual is not to avoid possession but to actually encourage it. This is a major aspect of Left-Hand Path magick and is reserved for the adept. This is NOT safe nor is it something I am recommending but I have tried it many times. There are many methods for this: I'll give you the one I've done before. Sandwriting: The magician is required to drink a cup of talismanic water which has been charged with the energies of the spirit he or she wants to reach, a Fu talisman is burnt and its ashes are collected into a jade cup. The aim is to contact a spirit, invoke it, let it possess you and allow the spirit to take control of your physical body to become a medium. The magician will usually go into a deep trance and lose track of time. The spirit will use the hands of the person to write messages in the sand. This sand should be fine, white and light in weight. It is common for the magician to sweat profusely whilst this is happening and the eyes are usually shut. When the magician awakens, they will then work to decipher the often cryptic and archaic messages which may be personal in nature. Usually, spirits will tell you things that nobody else, not even you could know. I've done this about a dozen times. The golden question, is it dangerous? It could be, it is a big risk but it depends on three factors. How competent are you as a magician and as a medium? Experience is key here. What spirit are you trying to contact? Build up a relationship with the spirit and don't rush into a ritual without establishing some groundwork first. Lastly, why are you making contact? Always go in with a reason. If you have no experience, don't do it, if you don't know the spirit, don't do it and if you don't have a concrete reason such as a question that you want answering, don't do it.

Hi. They usually contact me because my videos/blogs show up in a Google search. I have an extensive body of work on Zhuge Liang, his inventions, his battles, his Occultism, his ideas, etc so finding me as a result of researching him isn't hard. Once they find me they will privately email, leave a YouTube comment or message me on Facebook. Usually, they want to tell me their personal history with hearing the voices, having dreams or seeing strange coincidences because I'm in the same boat as they are. People tend to treat them like they are crazy but I never do. I respond back and tell them what I think and sometimes we become good friends, others just get what they need to know and that's it. It might be a small percentage but the stories are always the same, almost identical in many cases. The details I've heard from people are so accurate to my own experiences that it becomes uncanny. It confirms what I already know to be true. How do I verify them? As I just said to Walker, I can't really verify anything from strangers. I know my close friends such as Bless and some others who may or may not appreciate me naming them, I know they are being honest because they speak of similar stories and they are sincere people. I'm not in the business of disbelieving anyone's spiritual journey, I've had a lot of "strange" things happen to me so obviously "strange" things happen to others as well. I tend to believe people because they have no reason to lie to me about hearing voices. Unlike some, I'm quite vocal about it and I'm not embarrassed to admit it. Some of the people who I speak with have jobs that would be put at risk if they spoke publicly about their feelings. I'm quite accepting so they know I won't judge.

Yes. That's right, hundreds of people have contacted me over a period of about 10 years and shared personal stories and experiences with the voices, dreams, visions that they have had in relation to Kongming. I could (possibly) gather some of these people together and ask them to sign up on the forum so you could hear it straight from them. I could never talk about someone else's personal journey in detail. Some of them have YouTube channels, for example, one of my very closest friends Bless Parco is an Occultist, she's been in several of my video documentaries and has even made a video on Kongming. We had similar spiritual experiences and that's how we met. Here is Bless. Others don't have channels or websites and simply email me sharing their stories of Kongming. It is fascinating to know that Kongming seems to transcend the typical boundaries of Taoism. Pagan witches contact him, Druid warlocks channel him, Native American shamans work with him. I've had the honor of meeting all these people over the years. Are they all telling the truth? I know Bless is, I know my other close friends are but obviously I can't verify every single message I get from strangers. I believe them because they are so similar to my own experiences. How can we all hear the same voice?

Aint that the truth.