From: radinsky@spot.Colorado.EDU (Wayne Radinsky)
Subject: Re: Oh so worried.
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 00:44:50 GMT

locklin@titan.ucc.umass.edu (Lupo the Butcher) writes:
> radinsky@spot.Colorado.EDU (Wayne Radinsky) writes:
> 
> [good advice about choice of belief system deleted]

heythanx.

>>> Is it "dangerous"?  Can the "satanic" affect someone who doesn't
>>> believe in it?
>>
>> If Satanism is for real, absolutely yes!!!
>>
>> You don't have to believe in quantum physics to get killed by a nuclear
>> bomb.  The same must hold true for Satanism, or it's nonsense.
>
> You forget psychological effects. To those who believe in Voudoun practices,
> a hex is as good as an AIDS diagnosis to a westerner (hidden message here). 
> If a Voudoun hexed me, I would probobly tweak hir nose. I'd like to see a 
> voodoo hex on, say, Carl Sagan take effect...
> What the thinker thinks, the proover prooves.

I once heard of this fortune-telling guy from India who came to the United
States.  While he was here, his power left him, and he didn't know it;
everything he said (he was supposed to be able to know things about people
without being able to) was flat wrong, but he didn't know it.  I don't know
if the story is true (and I don't remember where I heard it).

Carl Sagan can protect himself from AIDS, and he can protect himself from
Voodoo hexes.  Perhaps his disbelieving attitude is what protects him (has
anybody here tried to hex Carl Sagan?  Maybe we ought to try it!).

My point, however, is: IF Voodoo hexes are for real it's just as
possible for Sagan to get hexed as it is for him to die from AIDS.

I only recall reading one account of an alledged demonic posession, and it
involved a couple who were experimenting with a Ouija board.  So based on
that example, I'd say a person has to =do= something to make themselves
posessable, such as play with Ouija boards.

>>> The question I get asked most often is, "What does it mean?", does it
>>> HAVE to mean anything?
>>
>> What is more important, a symbol, or the meaning behind the symbol?
>>
>> Why do you wear it if it has no meaning to you?
> 
> Why do we wear neckties? Do they have any meaning to us? Why wear any clothes
> or jewelry at all?
>
> Aesthetic appeal is MORE than enough reason to wear an object. The fact that
> this guy gets compliments on his bit of jewelry is probobly reason enough (it
> would be for me). I have a cross I occasionally wear, as well as a st.
> Christopher medallion (my middle namesake). I wear 'em cause I like the way
> they look, not for any esoteric meanings.

In other words, it does mean something, but only on a subconsious level.

> It has been my experience that occult symbols are basically useless in
> identifying adepts. Most I have met are pretty ordinary looking. I have found
> that those who "ham it up" so to speak, are usually beginners, pagans or
> poseurs. (No 'fence to those in the crowd who do make extreme use of satanic
> "glamour")
>
>>> Can demonic "possesion" affect anyone, despite their beliefs in
>>> any or no religion?
>>
>> Oh ye of little faith! If deomic possession is for real, again,
>> absolutely YES.
>
> Again, get a demon to posess a dogmatic rationalist and you will have grounds
> to assert this.

Get a demon to posess a dogmatic rationalist and he won't be a dogmatic
rationalist any more, will he?

> Personally I hope LOTS of people hold the same beliefs as you. 

I didn't say what my beliefs were!  (I was saying, =if= posession exists,
then...)  And if you want to know, I believe posession is a possibility,
but I'm not convinced of its reality.

> I suspect that YOU would be eminently vulnerable to both the psychic
> effects of pentagrams & "demonic posession" as you seem to have some
> sort of opinion as to the efficacy of these things.

Hmmm... maybe I could get posessed if I wanted.  Maybe then I would
know for sure demonic posession =is= real.  Who knows, it might be fun to
be posessed!!!

> It enables assorted sneaky folks such as myself to use them as the
> Tuatha de Dannan used "glamour" to bewitch the common folk. The
> "occult" archetypes present in western culture have enabled me to pull
> off a few coups that would not be possible by conventional methods (I
> leave the details as an exercise of the imagination of the reader).
> Crowley was a great master of this...

Aw, come on... my imagination's not that good!!!

(Here's the best my imagination can come up with:  "If you don't cook me
breakfast and bring me a newspaper, I going to summon the demon [insert
evil-sounding name here] to posess you!")

> My "physicist" archetype has also served me well. To most people, the work
> of a physicist is as frightening and bewildering as that of the satanist...

Really?  When =I= talk about physics, people just think I'm a geek.

Wayne (the Anxious Puppy).
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