~ The Doctor

There are paradigm shifts and then there are paradigm shifts. If the latter are life-changing, then mine have been of that variety of late.

Easy game,

Venger As’Nas Satanis
Ipsissimus
Cult of Cthulhu
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What is reality? It always comes back to that, doesn’t it? Such a great question, and one for which we have no definitive answer.

The Cult of Cthulhu, being a serious religion and all, doesn’t seem to have much in common with roleplaying games. For those who truly call themselves Cultists, it’s not a joke, not pretend. Being part of the Left Hand Path, albeit a slimier part than most, is the foundation of our reality. We don’t feel alive unless we’re Awake, and Awakening doesn’t manifest until we’ve struggled against the enslavement. Nevertheless, playing a role in the collective imagination of like-minded friends is more rewarding than thousands of lesser activities I could name.

~~~

The Dungeon Crawl Classics Roleplaying Game [DCC RPG] makes me want to be a better Dungeon Master [DM]. If you’re looking for a one sentence review, then just take that right there and go off to have fun somewhere else on the internet. That statement alone should be enough, compelling me to give it the highest accolades possible. However, for the purposes of this review, I’m going to assign an arbitrary value of 9 out of 10.

So, if you’re looking for a roleplaying game in which elves and wizards must make pacts with infernal entities (Patrons) for their power, where clerics daily petition their God for his or her supernatural favor, where warriors and dwarves slash, carve, and behead their enemies, and thieves and halflings always have an eye for the nearest shadow from which to pounce, then look no further! DCC RPG isn’t just another D&D retro-clone such as Wizardry & Swords, Labyrinth Lord, etc. It has a distinct pulp fantasy flavor which stands upon its own two cloven hooves.

~~~

I also wholeheartedly recommend “Quick Primer for Old School Gaming”. It’s available as a free PDF here (my thoughts below):

http://www.lulu.com/shop/matthew-finch/quick-primer-for-old-school-gaming/ebook/product-3159558.html

This is definitely a piece of the puzzle, albeit a small piece. Old school gaming is something which I forgot, something I had lost because when I first started playing and running Dungeons & Dragons there wasn’t a name for what was going on… except fantasy roleplaying. Now, with the predictable degeneration of modernity, many of us have to be taught the old ways anew. If you’re tired of the same old lackluster D&D(esque) sessions which don’t come close to matching the nostalgic awesomeness of yesteryear, then read this PDF. Internalize it. And for Dread Cthulhu’s sake… use it!

By His loathsome tentacles,

Venger As’Nas Satanis
Ipsissimus
Cult of Cthulhu

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Today, I anointed our second child, Illyria Jade Satanis. May she be as powerful and mysterious as her name. The Great Old Ones will exert their influence so that she grows strong, watching over her and guiding her. Many devotees of Lovecraft confidently state that man has virtually nothing to do with the Old Ones. That we have no influence, no place at the table, that the Old Ones have absolutely no regard for humanity. I respectfully disagree. The Cthulhu Mythos is a part of our race. We have a connection to the Dark Gods.

When Danielle and I were first dating, we watched the TV show Angel on DVD, a spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. For me, it was the 4th or 5th viewing; for Danielle it was the first. Towards the end of the final season of Angel, a new character was introduced. Joss Whedon created an Old One named Illyria, a demon who once ruled the earth but, revived, finds that she has outlived her kingdom. Danielle and I loved the name and what it represented – ancient displaced divinity, resurrection, destiny, and a struggle to find one’s place in this world. Now, with the upcoming birth of another girl, we’ve chosen that for a name. As for her middle name Jade… well, we already used Emerald.

This is a happy time, yet there are still challenges. Of course, the father gets nervous. He has worries, concerns… not everything is in his control. Nature, at the end of the day, must take its course. Even if the result is something wholly unnatural. At least I have Dread Cthulhu, the guardian of slimy gateways Yog-Sothoth, and mad monstrosity Azathoth to comfort me. They are entities… meta-fictional reality nodes in which to place my hope – the cornerstone of belief. And it is belief which makes all this possible.

In the picture to the right, Danielle reminds me of Lucy from Dracula… weak, pale, nervous, confused, and at the center of wild cyclopean changes. Her vulnerability gives her beauty, as does her strength. Danielle has suffered through a lot of discomfort this pregnancy (just like her first). I’m grateful for her resilience, not to mention, love.

By His loathsome tentacles,

Venger As’Nas Satanis
Ipsissimus
Cult of Cthulhu

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A few of these passages might resemble material from the Seven Cryptical Books of Hsan. Ignore that. This is better. My prose has been squeegeed with the unapologetic yearning for generally accepted reality ruination… and fish cakes. May the Yellow Emperor never learn of thy profane dealings! Rather infrequently has the sign of signs been shown to so few – and yet so many! Wizard, prepare thyself for a wisdom feast.

Awake!

Venger As’Nas Satanis
Ipsissimus
Cult of Cthulhu

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The edge of time is swift and sweet
As succulent as medium rare steak
Flesh ripping to a specific heartbeat
Blood dribbling
Focus remains on the anointed
The birth out of time
Without illusion
Summoned in principle
Juicy proteins
He or she is crawling close to it
Inching forward alongside black galaxies full of empty pits
Wormholes
I’m coming closer, becoming closer
Drowning before its nigrescent ocean as statues desecrate the skies past, present, and future
I will reach back into those elder days
With elated tentacles agitated by the fear of innocent onlookers
The edge of time rises, falls
Incomparable and always overcoming

II. Nine Different Ways

If we can see the world in 9 different ways, that should be enough to determine its strengths, weaknesses, and possibilities for escape. Our mistake is only having one view, a singular narrative we’re inexorably drawn from because of outside pressures, until we become the pre-packaged story to be bought and sold wherever such products are needed. A dozen or more ‘I’s… all of them seeing this world from the same, limited perspective. This is the lack of freedom our Cult struggles against.

The vast majority of human beings have a hard time sticking to anything because they move in circles. Our many ‘I’s fluctuate according to octaves woven into reality. The point of our Work is to change the pattern by deliberately altering a few key tones here and there. Just one individual, unscripted sound or color or texture can divert the stream into a place beyond our prison walls, sacrosanct. Moments of consciousness not lost in the shuffle, rising above to conquer this world.

To see in different ways, we must take everything into consideration. All information – the sequence of numbers, key phrases, lines of behavior, and bits of code filtered into a singular ‘I’ with innumerable viewpoints called Master. Authority shall be invested in him and in him alone. Our Master is responsible for overcoming generally accepted reality. The manipulation of lies is essential to that endeavor. Prison walls are made from the momentum of convenient associations.

III. Esoteric Emeralds

“Emeralds are stones that don’t form often or perfectly in nature. Emeralds are a useless gemstone for all practical purposes – the only thing they are used for is jewelry. Considering how rarely emeralds form in nature, it’s clear that the value of the stone comes from how rarely good emeralds are found.” ~ from somewhere in cyberspace

I found this to be an apt description of emeralds and the process of Awakening known as crystallization. Like emeralds, highly evolved men who understand the value of esotericism are not a common occurrence. Nature produces them infrequently and only under special conditions.

Indeed, there is no practical purpose for emeralds. From an exoteric viewpoint, they need not exist. They don’t serve a function. That’s fine. The function which the majority of humans serve is not a pleasant one. Suffering is man’s reasons for being, practically speaking. Man is food for the lesser gods. Of course, man doesn’t have to accept this. Whatever meaning bestowed upon us is within our power to reject. We can create our own meaning, our own reason to exist.

The world operates according to overlapping and interfacing clusters of data; we’re living in the matrix. The origination code of suffering is lasered onto everyone and everything like a prison tattoo. Disturbing the familiar, comfortable waves of ordinary life is a Cultist’s purpose… the way to freedom, his and yours. Like the emerald, a Cultist must turn away from what is natural. Outside is where he’s at. The Great Old Ones glory in his alienage because a Cultist’s strength stems from consciousness – a faculty in direct opposition to nature. We’re self-developing organisms. That means any higher states of consciousness we attain are manifested by will. The gift of potential is wondrous, but little use if individuals fail to seize every opportunity available. Praise be to the Great Old Ones for their gift to mankind. Can mankind take it from here? That’s a good question. If we still need guidance, then how much and by what means shall their influence be received? I put my faith in the Cult of Cthulhu, forever may we evolve. Once the Ancient Gods have broken through, man shall transcribe his own dark coding onto the flesh of their lesser brethren. Then, as the next universe unfolds, he shall become divine.

IV. The Need for Failure

Why do we fail? The notion of failure comes from us, doesn’t it? It’s a a human concept based on our emotional reaction to life and the levels we successfully negotiate it. Nature is antagonistic. It creates predators, diseases, hurricanes, starvation, dehydration, gravity, ice ages, and some of the time we can’t even get along with our fellow man. The world, according to our desires, should go a certain way… but it doesn’t. When life doesn’t live up to our expectations, the idea of failure runs up to greet us like the frenemy we were desperately trying to avoid.

So, failure as a concept comes from our emotions. Specifically, a lack of understanding the emotional center. We routinely pitch our hopes and dreams against reality’s cruelty; when victory eludes us we feel defeated. There is no emotional control. If there were, then human beings would not pin their idea of success upon immediate, tangible results. Now that we’re talking about it… isn’t success just as arbitrarily man-made as failure? Who can say what success means for Mr. A or scenario B? Given the right amount of effort, time, and ease of task, we could try to quantify just how successful something is; but that wouldn’t be objective. It wouldn’t satisfy every subject equally. So, success is just as indefinable as failure. Yet, something is meant by those words. They are different points within a very specific process – the manifestation of will.

Want to try something new? Want to make progress? Experience triumph? Well, a certain amount of failure is inevitable… and usually a lot of failure. It comes with the territory. Failure is ok, and shouldn’t dispirit us. In fact, it’s a necessary component for success… just another part of the process. Varying degrees of success is also inevitable, it’s just that we expect it, so our good fortune usually goes unnoticed.

One of the keys to our unlimited potential is correct use of the emotional center. The emotional center houses all of our feelings and our responses to them. Think of the emotional center as a massive circuit board. Physically, mentally, and emotionally we behave according to certain programming. All programming needs to be examined since most of it was set up below the threshold of consciousness years ago, back when we were young and very different people than we are now. Our emotional circuitry won’t repair itself – familiar pathways will always be easier to follow than the uncharted regions of fresh associations and new behaviors. If you take a moment to look around at your fellow man, you’ll see a lot of bad wiring, wrong connections, inefficient design, blackened sections, and areas that badly need soldering. All those people, broken machines milling about – we are no different.

First things first, indentify our problem areas. We should locate what’s going on with us emotionally by writing things down – how we feel, what we’re doing, reactions, arguments, hostility, frustrations, fears, tendencies, etc. Start a journal, blog, diary, whatever. Not just for our emotions, but for everything – the emotional center should make up at least a third of the space. In time, you’ll start to see connections you never knew were there. It will eventually be obvious why fighting with a parent, disagreeing with a best friend, or getting angry with the boss drains us of vital energy.

Doing something about problem areas is the next step. Collecting knowledge without acting on it or applying what has been learned is fruitless. After a few weeks of journal entries, we might come to the conclusion that other people are the problem. It probably does seem that way to the uninitiated, but guess what… we can’t change other people! We can only change ourselves, and we do that by subtly modifying our own behavior. Behavior modification is achieved by layers of intellectual-emotional conditioning, reprogramming our machine via clear lines of communication. Look into Neuro-Linguistic Programming, if you haven’t already researched that topic. Metanoia (change of mind) is difficult because our current programming is already running, and interruptions are few and far between. However, those program interruptions allow us to stop sleeping for a moment and Awaken.

For example, back when I was a kid 25 – 30 years ago, there was usually a second or two of nothingness in between the previous TV show, commercial break, and the next program. That moment of nothingness unintentionally allowed a person to decide if they wanted to keep watching TV. Now, of course, everything seamlessly runs together without a break – without any dead space at all. That means it’s harder to break away. It’s so easy to just keep watching. Well, everyday life is very much like modern broadcasting practices. But, if we can find those seconds of interruption, those precious few black pearls of nothingness, then, in that moment, we have a choice – the power to do, to take action! We can turn off the TV in order to exist deliberately here and now. Awake! Not according to the matrix flow of patterns, but by our will.

V. Decentralization without Disintegration

If the Cult of Cthulhu can adapt to an ever-changing environment, then it can survive. Decentralization is necessary, albeit not without an inner reserve of strength, a core of concentrated authority. However, that authority is not constructed upon the low lands of violence but by the mountain tops of illumination. Managing a group from the bottom up – tarred in ignorance and feathered in negativity is axiomatically less conscious than an organization which develops from the top down.

Manifesting and maintaining power without the threat of punishment is difficult, but so is the high road. A balancing act between conscious leaders and those who strive to Awaken, who willingly follow. It’s another example of that third side I’m always going on about. Self-governance and self-control are keys to our Fourth Way teaching. A student of the Work will learn nothing from mindless obedience… just as he can virtually never be taught anything new when constantly, stubbornly challenging everything received. And by “new”, I mean knowledge which flies in the face of preconceived notions. The Work does not add to ordinary understanding, but destroys it.

So, how do we let individuals make their own decisions while, at the same time, providing guidelines for living more consciously? We lead by example as signposts for metanoia; our role-models come from above – they who have already broken free. Once the seed is planted, nature must take its course. Unfortunately, life has its way. Seeds are not guarantees, but opportunities… potential. It frequently makes Cultists fall by the wayside, failing to live up to their own expectations… and to ours. Many leave the Cult, dismayed at their lack of tangible results or the tremendous effort required to break free.

In a way, it’s very much like the turn of tide from the Democrats and President Barrack Obama’s election in 2008 to the Republican/Tea Party victory in 2010. Change wasn’t coming fast enough. High hopes of economic paradise were met with gradual, modest growth which went virtually unnoticed by the majority. Halted at every turn by those interests which craved Obama’s failure, our President did what he could to improve the lives of Americans. One must, of course, consider the world’s obstructionism when gauging progress. A hero’s will is measured by the will of his antagonists. Seeking a better way only to turn around once the journey gets difficult is no better than standing still. And to blame the leader for one’s own lack of patience, discipline, and understanding is a sad state of affairs.

Hierarchies are based upon control. But instead of relationships rooted in violence, ours has its roots in conscience. The Cthulhu Cult Priesthood doesn’t force its members to follow a certain protocol. Instead, we ask that Cultists observe the lessons given and demonstrations shown based on their own merits. Subservience might gratify the false self, but that has no value to us. In fact, we encourage our members to question, to ask themselves why such and such is true, or, indeed, why it is false.

There isn’t a penalty for doing as one sees fit. When it becomes clear that an individual no longer values the Cult of Cthulhu, then our organization reciprocates. Active members become passive members, forum users delete their accounts, people simply forget about the emerald school. As mentioned, hostility is not the answer. That’s not how to properly motivate students. Occasionally, Cultists feel the need to remove themselves, to one degree or another, from our organization. I’m not sure if it gives them a sense of freedom, an air of self-reliance, or something else. Thankfully, many come back with a renewed fire for the Work. I don’t criticize Cultists when they leave, and arguing them to stay solves nothing. If they come back, then the Cult of Cthulhu might still be for them. If they don’t, then it probably wasn’t a good fit from the start.

On the other hand, excommunication is a permanent parting of ways. The most disruptive influences and antagonistic individuals are severed from our emerald fold. That’s unfortunate since heretical ideas can have a positive impact, but there’s a certain way of going about things. We can learn from the bull in the china shop – at a distance – but why would we allow one in our own china shop, unless we wanted everything broken?

Let people make their own way in the world. They’ll make mistakes and if motivated enough – if the hunger and drive burns deep, then certain individuals will (re)approach. They won’t settle for living accidentally. Cultists seek higher truths. That’s what the Cult of Cthulhu provides, yet nothing is spoon-fed. Chiefly, this is because great knowledge cannot be understood unless it is internalized and applied.

VI. Understanding as Muscle

Esotericism is not practical knowledge. It is not common knowledge. It is not for accomplishing ordinary things. You cannot smoke it, snort it, shoot it, eat it, fuck it, wear it, or drive it. It cannot be monetized or weaponized. Esotericism belongs to the unseen dimensions within. It affects our being, determining how we live our life and to what degree we are Awake or asleep.

Understanding is the muscle we’re trying to gain. It is potential force ready to manifest according to our will. We feed the muscle with the knowledge of training and recovery. Nutrition is like our being. Proper nutrition allows our muscles to benefit from the work. It is not easy to do exactly as we are told. There is something inside which fights authority and rules – those who have come to the Cult of Cthulhu have that in common. We’re anti-authoritarian, for the most part. And yet each of us recognizes that there’s a better way of doing things, a cleaner, clearer, seemingly magical path to accomplishing our wildest dreams. To do so, we must come to terms with our innate lawlessness, mastering it so that consciousness prevails, inner obedience. The master must first become the servant before he can truly reign.

There is muscle that can easily be seen and there is muscle which is hidden because of fat. Fat is the baggage, the extraneous material… it is everything about us that is unessential. Encumbered by too much fat, no one can see the muscle. It’s as if our muscle did not exist at all. Just so, the external considering, self-awareness, and proper use of centers – all that understanding – can be obscured by a sudden wave of negative emotion.

VII. Begin at the Beginning

The most basic and useful Fourth Way technique is Self-Remembering. In its simplest form, a student divides his attention into two. The first part of his attention is employed upon something external – like the keyboard in front of you, for example. The second part of the student’s attention is employed upon himself. Attention must be divided because, at the present moment, an individual believes he is one and that he is always fully aware of everything. Neither of those are true, of course. Man is an ignorant multiplicity. Furthermore, his attention is poor and unfocused. Without correctly observing the self, we start with an error – making every course of action tainted.

After you have that down, attention must be divided into three. The last third should be employed upon everything, the big picture, the Work itself, as well as, the role is supposed to play within it. This is not an exercise in day dreaming, but a chance to behold the totality. Machines perform the tasks they’re programmed to do, human beings have the potential to wonder at the world beyond their programming. For the most part, we don’t experience life – we shuffle through it in the dark with one eye open, afraid to step over the dotted line. It shouldn’t be that way. It doesn’t have to go down like this. Self-Remembering is about finding out that we are all machines, and then doing something about it.

If you have trouble with any of that, then ask yourself the following questions. What is this? Who am I? Why is everything happening the way it is?

The proper utilization of attention requires vast amounts of premium energy. This is just one of the reasons why expressing negative emotions is detrimental to Awakening.

VIII. Empathy without Pity

Empathy is good, but let us not wallow in pity. We should not feel too sorry for those sleepers who have never spent any real time Awake – the closest they come is a handful of present but distracted moments when face to face with a crisis. The focus must remain on those who recognize the need to wake up and the urgency of being conscious. The sleepers living out their banal, pathetic lives do not make me feel better about myself. I do not feel superior… grateful, yes, but not superior; for I could be drifting among those unfortunates, save for the grace of Higher Forces. And I could find my way back to the state of waking sleep if I were to give up on the Great Work. Cultist should not fist pump the air upon seeing a drunk in some alleyway lethargically attempting to light a cigarette at the wrong end. Knowing that we have the capacity to exact our will while the vast majority cannot should instead motivate us to work even harder, to surpass our current stage of evolution. Such is the way of Awakened men.

The Cult of Cthulhu does not pity man because the seeds of evolution are right here in front of us. If an individual truly has the ambition to make progress, the world isn’t strong enough to constantly halt that progress. Nature does its part to thwart us, but eventually individual will proves stronger. Those who aren’t motivated enough to seek the truth, regardless of worldly obstacles, have only themselves to blame. We empathize with man’s suffering, but not enough to get sucked into the vortex of sleep. Many Satanists and Left Hand Path practitioners have hardened themselves against human weakness, but there’s a fine line between focusing energy on those with potential and wasting energy on those without.

IX. Subjective Esoteric Liquidity

Subjective Esoteric Liquidity. What does that mean? It means that each person must come to the Work and negotiate it in their own way. The path is narrow, treacherous, and not exactly the same for each traveler. There are many variations in the road.

Liquidity represents water, without precise dimensions, unfixed, adaptive. Each Cultist should evaluate his own fluid nature in order to see how he presently understands this system and his place within it. Posting on a public forum requires a different approach than leading a private study group or performing a ritual on one’s own. At the poker table, correct decisions are weighted against opponent tendencies, recent history, position, stack size, image, mathematical odds, etc. That means every moment contains new variables which must be calculated before the right action is taken.

At certain times, a Cultist won’t be malleable at all because either he lacks sufficient being or he falsely pays homage to absolutes. Absolutes are not subject to variation, they are exceedingly rare… to the point where most absolutes only exist in the imagination. Objective truth is similar in that one is more likely to experience a multitude of subjective truths rather than a “theory of everything” which can account for every facet of reality.

And what is esotericism, but work on oneself. The focus remains on us, and we are very small, insignificant creatures without any kind of influence or guidance. One does not denounce the Great Old Ones when obstacles arise. One does not disrespect the Teacher of a 4th Way school or Priest of the Cthulhu Cult. One does not sacrifice power, autonomy, and self-deification when these goals become exceedingly difficult to attain. Nevertheless, there will come a time when the stars and angles align. In such a night, things will be revealed… shattering our previous conception of reality. Revelation comes to each of us in its own time, in its own way, and according to the will of Higher Forces.

X. Multiple Perspectives

Multiple perspectives are a good thing to have. Let us take, for example, a glass of water. Obviously, there is a well known dichotomy – the glass is either half full or half empty. But that’s not enough for students of the Work. We must see the glass of water from other angles. Multiple perspectives requires more effort, focus, and attention to detail. It’s not easy to evaluate a hypothetical glass of water from the perspective of our emotional center. How does it make us feel? Was the glass of water poured by a person we like, dislike, love? Are we thirsty?

Similarly, we can see the glass of water from the perspective of our intellectual center, such as where it sits, how it came to be there, why it’s so tall? The intellectual center pieces together information which can help us know the totality of a person, thing, or concept. Used together, the emotional and intellectual centers have the synergistic capacity to understand that glass of water on its own and as it relates to us. Consciousness requires emotional depth, just like intellectual depth. Any kind of struggle has a psychological component. Defeat your enemy with your mind and heart, or he will eventually overtake you.

XI. Sublimiation

What is sublimation, why is it useful, and how can we effectively use it? One definition I found was, “the transformation of unwanted impulses into something less harmful.” But isn’t that rather limited? Instead of using sublimation as a way of not ending up incarcerated or dead, why don’t we view it as a strength, a gift, a path towards Left Hand Path goals!

In my own words, sublimation takes an ordinary desire and wills it to a higher result, consciously driving our base urges into something extraordinary – not just less harmful but more potent! True will is manifested instead of a lesser ‘I’ momentarily going after what it wants until an obstacle gets in the way, prompting a new ‘I’ to passively desire something else. Sublimation allows everyday reaction to become action – movement towards an achievable goal.

Sublimation is useful because of the word “transformation”. It’s different than ordinary change. Everything changes form eventually; however, transformation is intentional, conscious. Conscious transformation is always going to be superior to random or accidental change. For one thing, conscious transformation is more permanent and leads somewhere. Continual progression is the key to our evolution. There is no evolution without intentional growth and change. While not every human being has an interest in evolving, individuals within the Cult of Cthulhu are obsessed with it. Higher consciousness, in whatever form, should be the primary motivating factor. Why get out of bed if we’re just going to continue sleeping?

So where do these potentially harmful impulses come from? They come to us naturally, from the universe we live in (Universe A). Giving into those primitive instincts, which have always existed in life, is the most natural thing in the world. Mediocrity is our birthright, running around in circles our destiny… according to nature.

We can effectively use sublimation by fighting against the lower parts of ourselves. The ordinary self is a haphazard collection of compulsions. Let us go beyond! What is the extraordinary self but that which goes against the grain, defying nature, trampling upon the commonplace. Sublimation is necessary to raise our desires, lusts, and expectations above the limitations of nature. It allows for things such as self-actualization on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid. “To become everything that one is capable of becoming.”

In the Fourth Way, we call this making the Work our third force instead of allowing life to be our third force. That means our focus is on self-development… especially the darker, trickier, all too hidden areas of the self which cannot be seen with the untrained eye. A green flame shall produce all the illumination required to work on oneself, to struggle against the natural flow of universal chicanery. This chartreuse fire is the guiding light; it is righteous, cleansing all that is useless. Try to visualize a sickly yellowish green Kort’thalis silhouette of fire, the void majestically behind it. The Great Old Ones will their own liberation – the stark, hideous, and profound truths erupting like a thousand tentacles. Without their eldritch knowledge acting upon the outstretched being of Super-Men, there can be no understanding.

XII. Shadow Synchronicity

When everything works out perfectly to subvert your desires. That is shadow synchronicity. I believe there is a phenomenon where the highest suffering is occasionally paid to the least deserving. Elements of life will occasionally align so that progress is not only halted but thrown in reverse. During such a time, nothing will go right, insult is added to injury, pain is met with ruin… it’s as if one were being punished for attempting to evolve. Yes, it feels deliberate – whether it actually is or not, that depends on one’s perspective. If life is a prison and we are the prisoners, then it makes sense that there is a warden of some kind – an awareness with the power to exact its crippling abuse. But for what purpose?

Humanity suffers so that the lesser gods of the earth are fed. But why should the best and brightest – those with the most potential – have to struggle hardest? Not always, of course, but often enough. The few who Awakened from the illusion and have chosen to liberate themselves from the cave, they are being singled out by the universe… or it seems that way at times. I believe they are being toyed with because such individuals pose a threat to the lesser gods. And it stands to reason, if some men are potentially a threat, they (potentially, at least) have power over our terrestrial prison gods.

Shadow synchronicity is part of nature, a dark cycle which must be completed before one can ascend the octave. It’s what the strongest individuals have to go through in order to manifest their will. Unwittingly, the universe does humanity a favor – it makes the strong even stronger. The lesser gods sift and winnow, trying to break man down to his essential salts until we are nothing at all… or until only those with the greatest potential break free. Many are called but few are chosen. Heed the call. Join the Cult of Cthulhu. And, after joining, pay your fucking dues!

XIII. Main Lifts

Isn’t progression subjective? If so, then how do we measure progress? That’s an important question because without a reliable answer there is no real progress, only the proverbial spinning of our wheels. Especially since Cthulhu Cultists are all too aware that the self is an experienced deceiver. Progress needs to be measureable, it requires definition, as well as, intuition… ways of seeing beneath the surface.

In weight training, there are a few main lifts – compound movements which not only build maximum muscle but are also used to test the effective strength of an individual. The main lifts are squat, deadlift, and benchpress. A weight trainer’s primary focus is to be on those. Secondary focus should be given to movements such as chins, pull-ups, overhead press, bent-over rows, etc. Everything else is tertiary.

In our own development, we should be progressing with an eye towards our “main lifts” within the Work. It depends on what stage one is at. For instance, if you are a Man #4, then your main lifts would be observing your many ‘I’s, not expressing negative emotions, and Self-Remembering. If you are a Man #5, then your main lifts should be cultivating the right attitude, external consideration, and contributing to the school.

Progress can be measured, and indeed it must be! Otherwise, a Cultist will undoubtedly look back at the previous year and see no tangible evidence of evolution. This, in turn, leaves most Cultists discouraged and on the verge of giving up. Look to your main lifts, focus on that. Work along those lines to the exclusion of isolation movements and muscle toning exercises.

I’m all for creating a well-rounded individual who has some proficiency in every aspect of the Work. However, there comes a time when specialization is called for. Cultists must choose a direction and try to excel in that area. This is the way to greatness. When you have mastered an aspect of the Work, then move on to another. Meanwhile, use your mastery in life, in the real world. At that point, you will have become a force unto yourself.

XIV. What is Being?

“What truly differentitiates the Sith from the Jedi is our philosophy – and our way of understanding the Force.”
~ Darth Talon

Being is life.

Being is who we are. It is who we are made of, all the ‘I’s good, bad, and indifferent. Being is the gauge by which we can measure our consciousness… or lack of it.

Being is our capacity to apply knowledge. Without an ability to use information constructively – the way it was meant to be used, there is no understanding.

Being is a reflection of the Work – what it means to us, the esteem to which we hold it, and our faith in personal evolution. Without the right being, our entire view of the Work is skewed and our results suffer.

Being is the energy that fuels our efforts. It is energy of a special sort – one that strives for higher ground, the greater good. It is the will of power, demanding to be sought and experienced and kept from the light of day.

Being is very much like the force from Star Wars. “An energy field created by all living things, that surrounds and penetrates living beings and binds the galaxy together.” And, “a Jedi’s strength flows from the Force.”

XV. The Time has Come

In every LHP religion, there are various phases in its history; stages it must go through in order to evolve. The Cult of Cthulhu has already experienced the concept phase, the birth phase, the frivolity phase, the ridicule phase, the initial curiosity phase, the initial backlash phase, the acceptance phase, the reaching out phase, the split phase, the exodus phase, the re-birth phase, the work harder than ever phase, the 2nd curiosity phase, the 2nd backlash phase, and the stay-the-course phase. It’s been a long, winding road. Now, we’re finally at the point where it’s time to focus our limited/limiting self-change into world change!

A lot of cults and sects and orders decide to shut their doors at this stage. They see their members laser focused on cult and sect and order goals to the exclusion of greater objectives, outside the box. Enough with seeing the trees, time to see the forest and then do something about it. This particular phase – part the delusion of being awesome and part being comfortable with the status quo – causes the leadership to despair and, in their desperation, disband the entire organization.

Well, that’s one way to do it. Not necessarily the best way, and certainly not the only way of effectively dealing with delusion and comfortability. To those who have stood by me and the Cthulhu Cult, in whatever capacity, worry not. I have no intention of shutting the Cult down. In fact, just the opposite. I want to reach a new phase, a new octave. One that will have the masses turn their collective heads to see just what the fuck it is we’re doing.

Focus on Special Projects and Special Plans. Make a name for yourself in the real world. Go out there and mix it up with reality, pitting your own subjective version against the generally accepted variety. See who wins. Yeah, most of the time, generally accepted reality will hit harder, causing you to bleed and perhaps cry to your momma, Ipsissimus, or perhaps Yog-Sothoth. Shit happens. Get up. Fight back. Keep fighting after you get knocked down again. Eventually, you’ll win and the lesser gods will lose. One day, reality shall say, “Enough!” and submit before your indomitable will. But until that day comes, there’s no excuse to give up. Cthulhu Cultists don’t run back to the tentacled temple when things get too hot, too hairy, too real. They visit frequently, but it’s to recharge their batteries and continue training new initiates – not because they can’t handle life on the outside.

The point is that working on oneself year after year while cloistered away in a monastery, ivory tower, or online social network is not going to get the job done. It’s a good start, to be sure. Most individuals could do with a good six months away from the world in order to gain a better perspective on things. However, evolution – the tried and true, hardcore, blood and bones, iron and steel kind – can only be forged in the wild, the jungle, in the wretched midst of our enemy – generally accepted reality. Some call it consensual reality. Fine. But don’t give your consent. If the reality of the masses is going to rape you anyway, then make it pay the price for doing so. Kick and punch and scream and claw, get an elbow in there, bite, squeeze its balls – for God’s sake, rape that motherfucker back. Pretend you’re in prison, cause guess what? You are.

Before I’m misunderstood, let me clarify something. I’m not saying that our emerald paradigm amounts to mindless escapism nor ephemeral dream stuff. It has value, but that value must be carried over into the visceral matrix of savagery – it cannot bear fruit when confined to individual imagination. So, don’t forget about the Great Old Ones. Don’t stop practicing the 4th Way technique of Self-Remembering. Don’t leave your Left Hand Path values by the wayside. Keep these things, and make use of them in practical ways. How does one apply the summoning of Shoggoths to real life? Well, that’s up to you. The lessons of our Cult are meant to be instructive in and outside temple walls. If the real world demands we put aside blood, slime, darkness, sorcery, and tentacles… that doesn’t mean we must obey. It just means we have to find a more creative approach. Where are the reality loopholes? Find them and you’ll find the wellspring of jade ichor.

XVI. Special Projects, Special Plans

After an individual Ascends to the level of Man #5 in the Work, he may feel adrift until he puts himself to an important task. Man #5 must commence his Special Project when he is ready, when he knows what that project will be and how he should approach it.

A project of this magnitude doesn’t have to contain a monetary component, yet it must stretch your abilities and talents while being fueled by one’s burning essence. The Special Project is an act of creation. It should exhaust you – physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually – so that you become spent, unburdened by the cosmic debt each of us carries. This is not a one-off expenditure nor single day of work. No, this endeavor will take several months… at the very least!

Those who rise to the level of Man #6 need something similar… a Special Plan. This is an engagement as time consuming as the Special Project, but requires even more energy. While the Project is about changing some aspect of the world, the Plan is a change of self – so that oneself may change the world threefold. As one might guess, the Special Plan is more involved and complex. One’s plan should overhaul any false personality which still remains within Man #6 so that he is prepared for divinity. The Special Project of Man #5, like the Special Plan of Man #6, is part of our eldritch mandate, elevating the world, the Work, and especially oneself to new heights.

By His loathsome tentacles,

Venger As’Nas Satanis
Ipsissimus
Cult of Cthulhu

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Bubbling, cascading, excreting… many have come to our Father’s table with nothing. Not a thing in their hands but pride. Far too many have come and gone from our Father’s table looking at each rich and succulent dish without a thought to what they might offer. His table is long, narrow, and opulent in minimalism. All but empty, we feast upon illusions until bursting. He who offers most brings the least. Intermittently fasting until a current of strength flows from the spirit, not the fuel of swine.

Venger As’Nas Satanis
Ipsissimus
Cult of Cthulhu

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There are so many who fall by the wayside, so many who hear the call yet fail to respond, so many who lack the will to achieve their goals. I’m pleased when I see Cultists who stick to the Work because it’s far too easy to slack off. Their devotion is reciprocated with accolades. A commitment to the Cult of Cthulhu is a commitment to our emerald paradigm. The following individuals have sowed, and it’s about time to reap their reward. As founder and leader of this religion, I proudly declare the following Ascensions and Honor…

<<<>>>

Oola’Groag – Wizard of the Terrible Darkness

Kai’zen – Wizard of the Terrible Darkness

<<<>>>

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“That means no zoo, right?” I say.

“Guess so. We’ll have to think of something else to do.”

“How about that new horror movie?”

“Don’t you hate those kinds of movies, all Hollywood and CGI that’s been done so many times before?”

“Usually, but this time will be different.”

“How so?”

“The Onion gave it an ‘A’ minus.” I say.

“That means it’s good?”

“Oh yeah, and Joss Whedon is involved.”

“Remember when we were first dating, watching Angel, and I was pregnant?” The wife reminisces.

“Sure.”

“Well, I’m pregnant again and Joss Whedon created Angel. Synchronicity.”

“And the world will practically be over by the time its born. Good timing.”

“We should go to Red Lobster before their Lobster-fest promotion ends.”

“Mmmm… horror.”

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The promise of foul weather preventing a trip to the Milwaukee Zoo, our afternoon plans were replaced with dinner and a movie. Technically, movie and then dinner. I chose The Cabin in the Woods and my wife chose Red Lobster. How could we go wrong?

I really can’t tell you how much I enjoyed The Cabin in the Woods. Ineffable. That’s the level of my enjoyment. Unspeakable. That’s what my intellectual functions are suggesting. How can you accurately rate or star or even measure one of the best horror films of the 21st century? Compared to some random “scary” movie made in the last decade and a half, The Cabin in the Woods is as close to perfect as we’re going to get.

In a nutshell – I feel compelled to compartmentalize here – it’s like Season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Evil Dead. Sure, there are slight touches of Lost, Angel, and Friday the 13th, too. However, the initiative is closely monitoring and influencing events as dark forces align themselves against Ash and the other inhabitants of a woodsy log cabin – that’s how I would briefly describe the film. It’s almost tailor made for folks like me who love horror but hate how horror is done nowadays.

Caveat! I must warn you not to read any farther if you haven’t already seen the film. This is not so much a review as it is a post-viewing decompression blog for those who just want to bathe in that warm, red, Cabin-y, Buckner zombie clan blood for a spell… at least until one has to eventually shamble back to the “real world”.

Some reviewers claim that The Cabin in the Woods is not horrific, that it’s more funny than frightening. Well, I had something slithery crawling inside my skin when Dana was reading from Patience’s diary. It reminded me of something from a Call of Cthulhu RPG scenario like Masks of Nyarlathotep. There was a realism and depth of depravity which surprised and shocked me. In fact, that’s really the big surprise of the film – that it’s so good… so immersive. Horror films in the 2000’s sucked pretty bad, for the most part. There was The Descent, Hostel, Frailty, and a few more, but other than that? Not much to write home about. At every turn, I was amused, engaged, and left dangling above a yawning, black abyss.

Stockholm just went south. It’s like I’m back watching season 5 of Angel, Amy Acker in her white lab coat and clip board. Both dimensions of the story open well. Two middle-management guys talking about almost nothing; conversely, two college coeds talking about breakups, romance, and Russian economics. Soon, the usual chit chat becomes something more. It’s elevated by going deeper than cliché. That’s the strength of Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard’s script. The near-boredom of everyday, routine life creates a firmament of realism which is almost immediately juxtaposed with unearthly strangeness. The friction creates heat, energy, and vitality. Suddenly the characters have room to breathe.

The stoner character isn’t the usual clueless dumbass. Hooray! That’s one of my least favorite things about conventional “young people go off in the middle of nowhere to get killed” films. I can’t relate to someone whose only contribution to the group is providing weed. Marty is witty, thoughtful, and even stands up for Dana. He tells off that crusty old gas station attendant early on and later pieces the puppeteer puzzle together. Incidentally, that gas station guy was perfect for the role (both of them). But I wonder – did he have to give that colorful soliloquy on the phone to please the Ancient Ones?, He was obviously kind of embarrassed doing it on speaker phone, so why do it at all unless it was part of the ritual? Regardless of the reason, it was a cool, creepy, and funny moment.

There’s a painting of an animal being devoured by wolves and hillbillies. Probably a sacrificial lamb. It reminded me slightly of “The Picture in the House” written by H.P. Lovecraft. It’s a disturbing work of art, and, not surprisingly, taken down or obscured by the current tenants of the cabin. I would have watched that girl strip naked all weekend, but hey, that’s just me.

From almost the beginning, there is the outsider security guard who we can relate to. He’s sort of familiar with the set up, but continually surprised by the execution (no pun intended)… not to mention the callousness of those seemingly in charge. This is the audience’s conscience; the security guard allows the story to go as far as it does, the characters to be as wicked as they are. The outsider can quietly object with subtle questions and that look in his eyes, just as we would if we were there. Yeah right, we’d probably be putting all our money on werewolves! Meanwhile, the horror within the horror continues unabated.

Oh, the choices! Each item within that Evil Dead-esque cellar has a special significance, calling a particular type of fiend. I felt a palpable sense of anticipation as the Hellraiser-esque ball was toyed with, the antique necklace was almost put on, the ballerina music box activated, the porcelain doll masks serenely sitting on a table… my God, the possibilities! Half-way through the film, I whispered to my wife, “Let’s make a date for The Cabin in the Woods 2 next year.” She smiled in agreement. But it wasn’t until the end that I realized a sequel might not be in the cards, after all. More on that later.

The betting pool is hilarious and totally in keeping with humanity’s ill regard for its brethren. The characters care so much about winning some stupid bet, earning a few blood-soaked dollar bills that, for a few moments, it completely takes center stage – the lives of those kids hang in the balance, but they’re an afterthought. I actually got emotionally involved in who was betting on what as if I was part of that degenerate monster lottery. Another Buffy alumni has a decision to make. Go with maintenance or an alternative monstrous fate? Arrrgggghh! Such decisions are agony!

Back in the woods, the scene is set with beer, joints, truth or dare, and teenage hormones. Marty notices the discrepancies in Curt’s behavior just like he knew better than to mess around with anything in that basement. Good for him. Another piece of the conspiracy revealed. The tiny camera makes him jump to a different conclusion – that he’s on one of those staged tv shows like Punk’d or Scare Tactics. But it’s only when Marty discovers the elevator that he unveils enough of the mystery to bring him face to face with the unknown. That is another element of fear absent from conventional “horror movies”. And in that moment, the audience relives the finale of Lost’s first season. What is below? If the norm has been annihilated, then almost anything is possible! Oh God, what’s down there? More Lovecraftianism for our viewing pleasure.

How cool were the rivulets of blood flowing into the grooves of those archetypal carvings? I think something like that happened in the last season of Buffy. Nevertheless, it’s a design element I can watch over and over again with serial killer fascination. Those non-specific figures reminded me of the faceless characters in my 30 years old Christian bible. They represent types of people but not individuals. Potentialities. Vacancies. Vessels. Thankfully, those carvings aren’t fully explained until the end. We gruesomely guess at their purpose throughout the story.

But one of my favorite parts is when everything within the film’s intricate and dynamic world goes pear-shaped. The paradigm inverted, the polarity reversed, and suddenly we’re not in Kansas anymore. The good girl (or virgin, but not technically) is the last to die… or is she? The funny, pot-smoking, conspiracy theorist geek survived! That’s when the red phone rings. The celebration is interrupted. No more tequila. That’s when a different kind of horror begins. Entertaining for us, full of catastrophic doom for those who were keeping tabs on the cabin.

You’d be hard-pressed to come up with a monster (using the most generic form of the word) not shown in the film. At least there was a glimpse, if not a cameo, for those of us intrigued, creeped out, or downright scared of clowns, scarecrows, giant spiders, giant snakes, masked psychos, Hellraiser knock-offs, and unicorns. WTF? Why was there a unicorn in there? That brought me back to Buffy the Vampire Slayer character Anya who had a bunny rabbit phobia. Everyone’s different, everyone is quirky with a life extending just outside the script’s printed page, expectations are either not met or exceeded. This is the universe of Joss Whedon. Hazzah!

Towards the end, the female intercom voice shares a bit of revelation with Marty and Dana (and us, of course). The Ancient Ones are restless and require human sacrifice of a certain kind. Why exactly, we’re never told. Even after Sigourney Weaver walks out for a personal visit, giving us more detail and a choice – kill Marty to save the world from those rising Ancient Ones (henceforth abbreviated as A:O) or spare him and the entire human race will be punished.

After the movie, while we were waiting for the arrival of shrimp and lobster, my wife asked me about that decision… if I was Marty, what would I do? Would I sacrifice myself to save humanity? I told her, “It depends.” Then, I elaborated. In the situation of the film, no, I would not offer my life in order to prevent the A:O from crossing the threshold. There are too many unanswered questions, too much is unknown. What certainty do we have of man’s fate or the A:O’s antediluvian nature? Maybe it’s only partially correct… and maybe the human race no longer deserves a seat at the table. On the other hand, if there was nothing supernatural involved and it was an ordinary bomb about to go off and I could somehow throw myself on the “grenade” in order to save humanity, then yes… absolutely, I would.

But Marty has the right idea. Perhaps it’s time for a change. Let the A:O rise! Did the A:O orchestrate Marty’s survival… his resurrection?

The only possible gripe I could have about The Cabin in the Woods, aside from it not being an instantaneous trilogy, is that a giant arm comes up out of the earth instead of many tentacles. Why an arm? Seems a bit odd that the A:O should be anthropomorphized so, but whatever. It got the point across – the Dark Gods have awakened!

Now, how could there be a sequel? It would be tricky, but nothing is impossible – especially for the man who put Angel Investigation in charge of Wolfram and Hart. Unfortunately, it’s not likely that we can go back and revisit that cabin in order to see fresh horrors perpetrated upon unsuspecting young adults – unless there’s a prequel. It would’ve been cool to have the middle third of the film different and interchangeable, kind of like what Clue did with three alternate endings. Maybe that would be an option for the DVD; although, that means a full 30 minutes of new footage times how every many alternatives… so, not likely.

So much is left in the dark. Why were all those creatures collected? For that matter, why do they exist at all? How does man know about the A:O? How did the A:O come to be underneath our world? Why a regimen of very specifically engineered sacrifices? How long has this been going on? Should we go with the explanation given in Season 4 of Angel?

“In the beginning, before the time of man, great beings walked the earth. Untold power emanated from all quarters — the seeds of what would come to be known as good and evil. But the shadows stretched and became darkness, and the malevolent among us grew stronger. The earth became a demon realm. Those of us who had the will to resist left this place, but we remained ever-watchful.” ~ Jasmine

Or what about the first episode of Buffy?

“This world is older than any of you know. Contrary to popular mythology, it did not begin as a paradise. For untold eons demons walked the Earth. They made it their home, their…their Hell. But in time, they lost their purchase on this reality. The way was made for mortal animals, for, for man. All that remains of the Old Ones are vestiges, certain magicks, certain creatures…” ~ Giles

I’m not bothered by the lack of details. While I would certainly trust Whedon to nail the full-on exegesis, it’s kind of cool to have the foundation half hidden from view, immersed in the darkness of a fragmented mythology. That’s one of the reasons why the Cthulhu Mythos is so powerful – it invokes the imagination which is crucial for receiving impressions of higher impact… higher consciousness. Even for those who feel the need to know everything, don’t be too disappointed. At least it didn’t totally drop the ball like the last season of Lost.

Hey, we got to see the Mer-man in action, too. Not bad for 95 minutes.

By His loathsome tentacles,

Venger As’Nas Satanis
Ipsissimus
Cult of Cthulhu

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I love things that don’t belong. Perhaps because I often feel like I don’t belong, or perhaps it’s because such things are rare and their exclusivity gives them value. For whatever reason, there is stuff in this world that stands out. Weird stuff. Either unnatural or a perverse evolution of nature – it comes to us from outside the usual channels. And, of course, outsiders gravitate towards films like Things.

I must have read about Things before Cinema Sewer found its way into my eager, depraved tentacles. However, I don’t remember much about what was off-handedly mentioned about the film in those days before Cinema Sewer. In any case, there was a write-up of Things (with drawings) to end all write-ups. They panned it. Indeed, they panned the film like there was gold somewhere in that nearly forgotten stream of excrement. The reviewers – and this goes for practically every review I’ve seen – cried out to the heavens. “Why? Why, God, would you allow something like Things to exist? Furthermore, how come you didn’t let me know it existed a little earlier? I could have done with a good laugh.”

Obviously fascinated with all things outrageous and esoteric, I sought the abomination out. Sometimes, the future is easy to read. You know reality is going to bend a certain way. That a certain path will present itself and that is the way you must go. The more people ranted and raved about Things, the more I realized that it was something I would very probably really, really enjoy. Behold, my testament!

This is not a film review… nor is it a synopsis. You can easily find both of those pasted all over cyberspace. It should be clear from the outset that I love Things. Yes, I love it. I will not apologize for my blasphemy and neither should you! The words you now read will hopefully provide a structural platform for understanding this mold-breaking achievement of super 8 and 16mm sacrilege. My intent here is to persuade weird film aficionados to see Things (as Cinema Sewer was tasked before me)… so they, too, might recognize its greatness.

This is the testament which precious few could have excavated from the earth’s dark, liquidy center. Taste the ichor, brothers and sisters! Cult classics are born a certain way. I can only assume they evolved contrary to the flow of life… by way, perhaps, of an eldritch and infernal current. Awesomeness is in their DNA; cult classics simply can’t help it. They must be awesome. And even if they aren’t awesome, at least they are more or less unique. Though we won’t be able to replicate said awesomeness, at least we can probably discover something important about cultish triumphs of art. I am not ashamed of loving nihilistic gems which others would sooner throw away; nor am I brainwashed enough to dismiss the disembodied and disenfranchised voices of cultural outsiders. After all, that is why I venerate H.P. Lovecraft.

First things first. I know; we’re far too late for that, aren’t we? Let go of everything you know about filmmaking, cohesive narrative, and causality. Most reviewers describe Things as “how not to make a movie”. They see the epic failure, focusing on the failure rather than the epicness. Epic qualities which you will never see in big budgeted Hollywood films. This movie breaks down the walls which contain it, support it, and define it. Sure, cinematic analysis from a thousand different reviewers admit that Things transcends its own “awfulness” – as if a film could be so bad that it somehow becomes good again. But is that really the case? Or, is Things transcendent because it rules as Satan should – far down below… in the fire and darkness, beneath the pedestrian values of ignorant surface dwellers.

Are aspects of the viewer’s enjoyment based upon a cacophony of derisive laughter? Absolutely! The heightened shared experience is part of its charm. And yet, we laugh in a different way than if we were watching a regular old bad film. Certainly, there are bits of pop-cultural trash which deserve to be mocked and are fun to openly ridicule with our friends or painfully suffer through in silence (hello there, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps). Yet, the value of those awful films lies in the mocking alone – not in strange, subterranean depths hiding underneath the trashy surface. Seen through particular lenses, I realized the film is transcendent in a different way – not because it’s so awful, but because it’s so God damn unusual – and purposefully so!

There are moments of disillusionment where Things becomes glamorous (as Thomas Ligotti might point out), where the idiocy of ordinary life is ripped away to reveal a gaping hole in the reality of good taste… a swirling abyss amongst the dull normalcy which masks the nigrescent horrors gleaming so bright through the cracks… as luminous as Azathoth’s slimy throne!

The Players: 1) An older, shabbier, and more socially awkward version of Napoleon Dynamite. 2) Canada’s answer to some dude with a mullet and creepy mustache. 3) An average bearded guy who looks extremely average.

The Antagonists: The things themselves are better left to the imagination for now. Please, don’t ask me to explain how they look. Describing them would be almost as much of a letdown as actually seeing them on your television screen. Of course, in the right frame of mind, those things are unwholesomely grotesque beyond words. Unfortunately, as I’ve tried to elucidate in this essay homage, that frame of mind isn’t easily accessed. To fully appreciate Things in all its glory, one has to make peace with the fact that everything good and decent and normal is the lowest form of aesthetic slavery. Free yourselves, I say! Drink deeply of this film and be cleansed in the blood which flows like maple syrup!

Things is pure dream, and that’s exactly how our journey begins. Never mind the fact that we’re already in the middle of this essay. This much is abundantly clear, but the audience assumes that the dreaming character wakes up before the rest of the film gets underway. This is the audience’s initial and probably biggest mistake. The filmmaking, cohesive narrative, and causality emanate from dream logic. One’s first response might be to complain that it doesn’t make any sense. Hell yeah, Things doesn’t make any sense! But then, neither does a dream, or in this case, a nightmare. When our subconscious is active, when our neurons are randomly firing, the mind experiences all kinds of weird stuff. Consider your own nocturnal wanderings for a moment.

Our dream-self enters a room with the intention to do one thing and then our motivation changes on its own. The dream self focuses on unimportant details (like 4 minutes of shining a flashlight in a bathroom) where the periphery is more important than whatever is occurring center stage. When the Suspiria-like sapphire and magenta lighting switches mid-scene or saturates the viewer in unutterable madness. It is to be expected because that’s how dreams are. What a person is saying appears not to come directly out of their mouth. Pictures and sound don’t synch up perfectly. Dreams are not always exciting, there’s a lot of downtime. Some parts are so boring that it fools us into thinking that we’re not inside a dream at all – where making sandwiches, drinking beer, and watching TV perfectly replicate everyday life. Important plot points and gruesome deaths happen in the background (swallowed up by the 4th, 5th, and 6th dimensions!) and in the darkness when we aren’t looking, in the fissures of reality. Music starts up which feels inappropriate to what’s happening before our eyes (Stryk-9 and Familiar Strangers). Discordant sounds juxtapose against banality, horror, and then when the film climaxes, inexplicably there is no sound… or maybe there is? I’m going to have to see Things again very soon. The awesomeness is fading and can only be reactivated by watching it with new, unwitting victims.

Speaking of which, that’s another aspect I love about Things. The characters are just talking to each other like an episode of Seinfeld. For a little while, it feels like a movie about nothing. Jerry and George could be hanging out in Jerry’s apartment just talking about whatever comes to them while Kramer is tending to his pregnant-with-hellspawn wife. The “good stuff” doesn’t happen until the second half of the film, and at that point everything happens way too fast to comprehend.

Best of all, Things has a sense of humor. That’s why it’s not at all in the same realm of hard-to-watch films like Eraserhead. While Eraserhead is also excruciating in its own way, one never hears raucous laughter from the audience. No, that kind of nightmare is of a different sort. And, once the viewer settles in, the terrible vision of Eraserhead escalates in obvious ways. Things does not take itself seriously. The lines of dialog highlight the bizarre surrealism before us. Sentences such as, “I never thought… I’d have to live… with the dead.” And “They ate Susan, they ate her to the skull.” Punctuate the ridiculousness of Things while launching us into a dreamy void of magenta and sapphire surrealism.

What else? Various classic horror movies are referenced, such as Evil Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Last House on the Left. Every once in awhile, the broken narrative breaks even further to accommodate news updates read by 80’s porn star Amber Lynn. While she doesn’t get naked in the film, there is brief, albeit full frontal, nudity at the film’s beginning. How many times have I read a review of Things which started out by describing its off-kilter opening – a girl in a Devil mask starts taking off her clothes. While that scene is not what I saw in my degenerate imagination, it nevertheless had my full attention.

I have a couple friends with whom I can watch bizarre films, horror and science fiction, just about any kind of low budget craziness that might give us a few loathsome kicks. On the night I was initiated into the unnameable brotherhood of Things-ites, it was my wife and I along with another married couple. My friend and I loved it. Our wives… not so much. The women most certainly felt annoyed at the discordant structural integrity. However, they did laugh at the movie and our astounded commentary. So, I’m going to chalk it up as a ‘win’ for everyone involved. Hey, it could have been much, much worse. I might have re-rented Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps.

Andrew Jordan and Barry J. Gillis, the brave actors who gave it their all, as well as, those who choose to follow in their filmmaking footsteps should be applauded. Things is the kind of inspirational, once-in-a-generation film which should be both studied and emulated. They were pioneers embarking on a journey into a blind alley where no one followed. Ah well, Things will remain unique. That’s about it, eh. Fire up the DVD player! Get those demon resurrection passages out of the freezer! The artificial insemination is about to begin. There’s red/blue energy radiating from the places where time and space have no meaning… possibly that masked girl’s bush. Unleash the drill and chainsaw! Troma, eat your fucking heart out… cause this shit is real!

Satan laughing spreads his wings!

Venger As’Nas Satanis
Ipsissimus
Cult of Cthulhu

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Reality is the only word in the English language that should always be used in quotes.

~ Anonymous

I.

Self-Remembering

I can still recall my first encounters with Self-Remembering. By that I mean those initial attempts to practice it, as study alone yields precious little. Trying to be aware of myself as I spoke to people threw me off, as if my train of thought was derailed by even greater thoughts intruding upon my organic threshold. I would be looking at me, as well as, all my various ‘I’s from outside. That impression by itself was life altering! A feeling came over me like the world had suddenly been turned upside down. I remember thinking, ‘This can’t be right’. I should be able to focus better while remembering myself – not worse! Going a step further, I felt as though I should be more comfortable in my own skin rather than alienated by it.

However, my focus and sense of self were disrupted by those moments of Self-Remembering; good thing, too, because I was focusing on the wrong things, my attention was held captive by illusion more often than not. You see, I took this world as real and based my interpretation upon a foundation of errors – the greatest of which was that I had any degree of control over my own thoughts, feelings, and actions.

As time passed, Self-Remembering not only created a much needed disruption… it also extended my attention, which meant that I was able to go deeper. My strange new consciousness explored depths which ordinary people never dreamt nor dared to go. This allowed me the opportunity to see things from a perspective which was beyond my usual way of thinking and feeling. From then on, I sometimes held a cyclopean view or one that seemed like mirrors within a carnival funhouse. Such a distortion of reality was akin to an infernal acid trip kind of transformative shock.

Perhaps the Work was practicing its psychological sorcery on me. Was this the fragmentary lore given to us by the Great Old Ones or another near-forgotten, extraterrestrial race? The world, as I knew it, shriveled into nothingness before me. I realized that my entire life, save for a few rare moments of gnosis, had been made of shadow… mere shadows dancing upon a cave wall.

In these last days before the Emerald Apocalypse, my conception of the universe and what lurks outside is so far from what ordinary people believe that I have difficulty relating to generally accepted reality and its proponents. Be that as it may, I’d rather immerse myself in weird truths than a convenient, spoon-fed prison of easy answers.

II.

Positive Emotions

Positive emotions are something rarely talked about within the Cult of Cthulhu. Not because we enjoy reveling in man’s failures, but to ensure that man doesn’t fool himself into believing that he is already well on his way toward an Awakened state of being.

While negative emotions are easily expressed, positive emotions, from a Work standpoint, are difficult to come by. They are usually eclipsed by our overwhelming self-love. This love of self stains almost every thought, feeling, and action we have. When a man loves himself above all things, his ego replaces the Work. Positive emotions emanate from a higher place, above the morass of self-loving ‘I’s. Just as there are elevated states of consciousness, there are also elevated states of conscience. Together, they allow for a wider, deeper, richer awareness. From such a lofty place we have the capacity for transcendent love. Love as acceptance of the world as it is, the people who inhabit it, ourselves… love as a form of unspeakable bliss which stems from glimpses of absolute freedom!

Positive emotions cannot be felt without Self-Remembering. In the beginning of our struggles, when we are just becoming Men #4, Self-Remembering is a potent technique used to access a profound and hidden understanding. At this stage of development, this technique is mostly available during specific moments. Not whenever we wish, but as random, awful events in life shock us into a fresh perspective… or through the guidance of a conscious teacher.

Eventually, assuming the Ancient Ones are willing, we evolve into Man #5. The accumulation of these scattered moments hopefully create a residue which allows Man #5 to hear what Higher Intellectual Center and Higher Emotional Center are saying. These two higher centers vibrate at the same frequency as the Great Old Ones. We want to communicate with superior entities so that we may learn to become better individuals, no longer machines but New Men.

Those who achieve Man #5 status have an inkling of what it’s like to communicate with the Ancient Ones. I did not initiate the Cthulhu Cult’s birth until after reaching that luminous grade. All esoteric knowledge comes to us from the stars – it is not fabricated from personality. Human beings did not invent the Work, they received it.

III.

A Surge of Progress

We have discussed the idea of incremental progression many times in the Cult of Cthulhu; making progress a little at a time. However, there is another avenue of progress, its opposite or shadow side, if you will. Instead of consistently making beneficial changes in multiple areas by increments, there are times when circumstances are ripe for a progressional surge.

This is a concentrated effort so laser focused that it eclipses almost every other area of one’s life. The demands of a progress surge necessitate monomania! This is very much like the super-efforts we occasionally talk about and which are required to Awaken. But where super-efforts are moments of willed change, the surge puts the pressure on and leaves it there for weeks at a time (months, in rare cases) with the intent of improving a singular aspect of oneself. Usually, this is either an area that is sorely lacking or a strong suit. A surge should either provide balance or, if one already has equilibrium, play to one’s strength!

If one eats, drinks, and breathes a particular interest, whatever that may be, then development can take a quantum leap. Be warned that evolutionary jumps cannot be made over and over again; they must come at specific intervals… usually in close proximity to a crisis. No matter how quickly we might be approaching Godhood, men are still bound by certain laws of nature, even if such New Men are capable of transcending many of them.

The downside of the progress surge should be obvious – every other aspect is neglected. After a surge, one might look up to see that virtually no progress has been made in other areas. Fortunately, that’s not as disastrous as one might think. Certain skills and abilities require extended rest from time to time. Personally, I’ve had ideas and skill-sets which needed to quietly jostle and revolve in the background of my consciousness before they formed into something useful and applicable to my life. Nevertheless, some things (like familial responsibilities) should not be cast aside. A progress surge can be dangerous if one isn’t mindful of over-reaching. That is why I recommend Cultists focus the majority of their time and energy on incremental progress, with only occasional energy devoted to progress surging.

Progress, even by the glacial crawl of increments, cannot be charted infinitely. Let me give you an example: a man starts a weight training program where he can bench press 100 lbs. Each week, he adds another repetition or two or, better still, more resistance. The man makes good progress, yet he will never be able to bench press 1,000 lbs, no matter how many years he progressively trains. Cultists must be aware of their own limitations while still daring to believe in the impossible.

IV.

Three Examples from My Life

The Work does not activate by itself, just as man does not evolve accidentally or by the whims of nature. Nothing is acquired unless it is applied to our own situation, our own lives. I encourage those who are serious about the Fourth Way to find real world examples. Don’t just nod your head in agreement when reading that expressing negative emotions is a bad thing. Recall a point in time when you were negative and what happened. Then wait for a time when you are about to be negative once more, and stop yourself by remembering yourself.

The following are some examples from my own life. This is the kind of thing every Cultist or Fourth Way student should be able to construct.

1. A couple of men came into the office. They walked over to my desk, offered their hand. Seated, I raised my hand to shake theirs. After they left, my Father told me I should have stood up before shaking their hand, as that was more respectful. Instantly, an ‘I’ began to deny the fact that I had done anything remotely disrespectful. This ‘I’ was all set to become indignant with how he was being lectured. However, Master ‘I’ appeared a moment later. He objectively saw what was going on and agreed that yes, if a man whom I truly admired had walked into the office to shake my hand, I would have stood up from my chair before shaking his.

Upon reflection, I did not deem the men worthy of rising because I did not know them. Instead of creating an unnecessary argument, I simply agreed that next time I would stand before any handshaking commenced. Later that day, a few of my ‘I’s admitted that all men unknown to me should be given due respect before I get to know them.

2. I was holding our ten month old baby in my left arm while she sat upon my left leg. With my right hand, I navigated the mouse. My eyes went from the computer screen to her bright blue eyes and back again. For a few seconds, she was content to sit still and murmur something incoherent. Then came the squirming and the fussing.

Some time later, while the three of us were playing on the floor of her bedroom, my wife spoke her mind. She told me that I spent too much time doing other things while I was supposed to be watching the baby. She further explained how I was almost always inattentive, that my attention was divided. One eye on Briella, and the other usually wandering to a computer screen, book, meal, or something on TV. When I was spending time with the baby, sometimes I should place the entirety of my focus upon her and her alone. At first, a few minor ‘I’s were up in arms. How dare she! A gross exaggeration! My wife has said herself that I am an excellent father. Ha! Condemned by her own words!

But then, of course, I quickly realized that she was right. I was multi-tasking too much, frequently trying to serve several masters at once. The baby is my priority, and sometimes I allow myself to become preoccupied with other interests. At that point, I could only agree with her. Telling her that I would make a concerted effort to focus on Briella when I was with her.

Master ‘I’ saved the day again. He was also careful not to let any lesser ‘I’s ride the pendulum swing which was going in the opposite direction. Although, I did hear something internally whispered about my being the elephant man of fathers. I paid it no heed. It would not do any of us good to throw ourselves into one extreme or the other.

3. There are some things I know. Most of the time, when it comes to those things, I’m right. Others disagree from time to time. Upon being proved correct, I usually don’t belabor the point. I don’t say, “I told you so.” I don’t go off to tell a dozen other people that someone else was wrong while I was right. No matter how tempting, I steal myself before any sort of ridiculing or other petty behavior occurs – although, self-defense and clarification of my views are other matters. I’m a good gracious winner. Letting go of “wins” is just as important as releasing “losses”.

Don’t make accounts against others. ‘I’s that wish to partake in such practices are not here to help you Work.

V.

Student Teachers

No Fourth Way instructor should say, “Think for yourself”. Instead, he should say something to the effect of, “Think in a new way” – a distinction with all the difference in the world. So, what do we mean by a new way? How do we normally think? How do we usually conceptualize the world? Whatever is observed… reverse the polarity. That is, do it differently. If you interpret life as a series of numbers, then start interpreting it as a kaleidoscope of colors. If you interpret life as precise actions and reactions, cause and effect, then start interpreting life as a wave of probability. If you see yourself as a smart, important, and together person, then begin seeing yourself as ignorant, meaningless, and in disarray – that happens to be nearer the truth for 99% of us!

It is easy for a sleeping man to strut his wakefulness like a peacock to all who would see and hear him. “People should be more aware than they are.” A misaligned student teacher might say. “They should think for themselves. I know what’s really going on, why things aren’t as they should be. I’m a rebel, an outcast. I’ll show you by criticizing that guy over there. Those who are asleep should become more like me. I am always Awake!” Cue the Gods laughing and then shaking their heads. If it comes too easily, then it is not the Work; and if you’ve been struggling against yourself for more than a year, then progress should be apparent.

However, the sleeping preacher proclaiming that everyone has the ability to “do”, to stand up and start making things happen is a fool. He is trying to be more like himself while encouraging others to also be more like him. Did he unlearn everything before taking in new learning? Did he put his former impressions away before receiving impressions from a different kind of teaching? Probably not. More likely, the misaligned student teacher tried to add new knowledge atop of old knowledge. A recipe for disaster if ever there was one.

Awareness is a wonderful thing, but what is the would-be teacher trying to be more aware of? If he is full of self-love, then it’s over before it even begins. If he is not willing to change, then he is too comfortable being a machine. Sleepers always want to think in the same way they have always thought – except more, bigger, and louder! The Work does not add to ordinary understanding, but destroys it. You’d be surprised how many student teachers forget that.

A man on the verge of Awakening tries to think in an entirely new way – and keeps at it until he succeeds! He wishes to become a New Man. This sort of man realizes that life’s conventional path has led him to a dead end. Only grasping the Work by one of its many tentacles shall lead him out of his prison self.

New Men, those who have Awakened, are not like their former selves. Student teachers, as well as, experienced students should ask themselves: do I really want to change… to become a different person? If the answer is no, then leave the Work. Pursue something else; something that will help you in life – not something that is opposed to life.

Man himself is the problem. That is what most sleepers don’t understand, especially those who sleep walk through the Work – throwing Fourth Way ideas like identification into a casserole of other philosophical and self-help tidbits until the distinct taste of the Work is entirely undetectable. Sure, recognize similarities but do not compare and contrast a non-Euclidean system like the Fourth Way with teachings equivalent to 2 + 2 = 4. They do not mix well.

This flawed, primitive self is the very reason why we cannot Awake. It’s how our programming responds to nature. Our being is so weak that even when we accidentally come upon higher knowledge, we cannot incorporate it into our prison self. Quite a few Fourth Way students believe that action is the key. They would have sleepers be more “active”. This is the opposite of how things actually progress. Those who consciously struggle do so against everything they are, for the false self is thoroughly intertwined with the true. How can a student of the Work overcome himself without first becoming passive? There are false aspects of each man which must submit before Master ‘I’ will appear. As we have talked about in Cult of Cthulhu discussions, the Left Hand Path practitioner must learn self-submission before having any hope of domination and conquest.

Only the Fourth Way student who loves this viridescent teaching more than he loves himself can make the necessary changes. He knows that he must wait for the right moment to strike. Trying to do anything without willpower is ultimately a useless endeavor, and Man #4 has not acquired will. Prepare yourself so that when favorable circumstances prevail – when the stars are right – Higher Forces are capable of energizing individuals with right Crystallization. Be patient, then make the super-efforts required to overcome your obstacles. As I mentioned, there are people who always want to be doing, always trying to be active. Such hyper-activity runs counter to making progress. Evolution needs certain doors to be unlocked by particular keys in the proper order. It is not a mad dash every which way. In fact, I believe that conscious evolution has to be engineered by Higher Forces in concert with True Will – the will of a New Man.

If there are hidden forces propelling man forward, then it stands to reason that there exist forces which hold him back. Mankind, therefore, is in the middle… unable to comprehend his Higher Centers while perpetually seduced by the candy colored baubles handed out by instruments of control. In that case, we are the third side – the deciding factor.

What do 4th Way practitioners desire? Why do they put in the effort? If it’s to serve oneself and oneself alone (that selfish nature which is completely comfortable with life) then the right effort will never find its way to the right place. Material riches and worldly power may result as a byproduct of doing the Work, but it must not be one’s sole reason for pursuit. Those who merely wish to become more effective machines will not graduate beyond Man #4. They will live their same old pedestrian lives year in and year out, never changing, never growing, refusing to become New Men because they are too busy being “themselves”, “aware”, and “active”.

Awake!

Venger As’Nas Satanis
Ipsissimus
Cult of Cthulhu

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