This is me, briefly.
My name is Brian McGuire.
I'm 33 years old, my birthdate is July 5th. I was born in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, but now live in Topeka, Kansas.
I've been studying occultism in one form or another for so many years I can't honestly state how long or even when I really started.
I've had an interest in spiritualism since I was a child and with that came an interest in magick and metaphysics.
I learned first from my mother and then began to search further on my own, looking in many different areas. Unlike alot of occultists and pagans (I don't really consider myself a pagan, I'm just me, I try not to label myself at all, because I don't fit well into demographics or categories) I never had any religious prejudices, always believing that enlightenment could be found on any serious path. As I'm often fond of saying "They are only different paths up the same mountain"
I avidly read books on Greek and Roman mythology as a child until a friend of my mother introduced me to Norse/Germanic mythology and I began very serious study of it which would last for years to come.
My first studies of occultism were very eclectic, things I learned from my mother and her friend such as Tarot and bits of witchcraft. I learned more on my own but I didn't have a wealth of books to choose from and wouldn't have known which ones if I had. I studied parapsychology and general occultism. The only books I had on actual practice was a book about Appalachian folk lore and a general book called "The Complete Book of Magic and Witchcraft" by Kathryn Paulsen.(I was surprised to see at Barnes & Noble that they still publish that book, I still have the original copy I studied). I studied this book non-stop, trying to memorize it, I didn't have any guidance and it was the closest thing to a practical grimiore I could find at that age at that time. My only problems came when I started trying to practice things within the book, particularly the section on the Goetia. The Goetia is nothing to mess with when you don't have a solid foundation or know how to protect yourself or even know what you're doing. I burned myself pretty good.
After the bad experiences I had playing with the Goetia I chose to study the Norse/Germanic traditions and stay away from grimiores for awhile.
I studied all of the Norse/Germanic myths again and again, I read the Eddas again and again and memorized the runes. I began working with the runes and developing my own system of using them. In time I began to find an underlying esoteric level to the runes on par with Kabbalah, meanings behind them and the myths and Eddas that seemed sorely overlooked by many authors, in time it even became frustrating that I could see so much into the runes and it seemed so many others were only looking at them one dimensionally.
I studied the runes and Norse myths for seven years and during that time I came in contact with several Norse-influenced groups, some good, some not good, I chose to remain solitary. After many years of actually wanting to discover that there were other occultists and pagans in the world, after some of the ones I met I felt I was better off solitary.
Eventually my Northern European studies led me to European shamanism which in turn led me to decide to finally study Wicca. I finally became part of a group and studied seriously, unfortunately the others in the group didn't study as seriously as I did and I chose to move on, considering being solitary again.
But then I became a member of a Golden Dawn/Wicca group. This offered me a good chance to learn because several of the other members did study seriously. I'd already looked at Kabbalah but had not yet began to seriously study it, this offered me the chance to begin study of the Kabbalah and also to learn about other aspects of occultism that I hadn't seen, since everyone in the group seemed to have their own personal system and belief system. I learned about the Golden Dawn system along with esoteric Celtic systems and shamanism. But then I moved, but when I moved I started another group, using the same principle of allowing everyone to choose their own personal path but showing them how all paths intersect and how a formula can be used for any system.
I stayed with this group for some time before it was time for me to move on and allow someone else to have it. The change was necessary for me personally to progress. At that time I joined a Golden Dawn/Thelema group and began to study Kabbalah even more seriously and the writings and theories of Aleister Crowley.
I remained with that group until I moved again and this is where I am now.
In 1999 I became initiated into the Ordo Templi Orientis after having been an associate member for several years and this past year I was ordained as a Deacon for the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica and the Rose of Babalon Sanctuary of Heru Behutet Oasis in Olathe, Kansas. All of this has afforded me greater opportunity to learn and progress as well as share whatever I've learned with others. But it has also given me responsibilities that I never had as a solitary including expectations for me to study and practice more.
In the course of my life I have seriously studied spiritualism, magick and occultism in many different facets which has given me a wide range of knowledge in different traditions and beliefs.
Concerning my personal life aside from occultism, I'm a musician. I spend most of my free-time either reading, studying, playing music or playing video games. That's the entirety of my life. When I can I try to help people who are trying to study the occult, because I know how much I wish I had had help years ago when I first started, it could have saved me from getting my fingers burned so many times. And it is part of my True Will to help others.
If someone has any questions they can feel free to e-mail me. My Yahoo! Messenger ID is RaHoor326 and my ICQ# is 15225986.
© 1997 rahoor326@yahoo.com
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