john-st-john.el - An Emacs Magical Record Template

[A Former User]

93

One of the benefits to Magick I have seen from technology over the years has been rooted in the topic of accessibility. While I have worked within the software industry for many years, I do try to keep technology to a minimum when it comes to my personal life and practice. However, to the point of accessibility, I have a great respect for the Free and Open Source software movements and have seen many positive occult-oriented projects emerge from it, giving anyone the opportunity to read books and form communities. I put emphasis on tools but do enjoy toys, as well!

A tool I have been working on for my own benefit which I am now refining is a magical record keeper written for the multi-platform editor Emacs. While the editor itself has some aura of complexity to it, like Magick, a calm and intelligent approach to it reveals almost infinite possibility and great usefulness. The tool is john-st-john.el which is a small program for Emacs that offers the magician an electronic method of record keeping.

https://codeberg.org/christianbryant/john-st-john

There is much to do. The basic template currently works within Org Mode (a great publishing add-on to Emacs) but with a simplified format for testing. The next version I am working on today will look more like the below outline (Note: You may have to place your cursor in the code window and scroll through it from within that). When I have made the modifications and updated the Codeberg page with screenshots, I will post to this thread. I would love to hear from the community what you think and if there is anything you'd like to see implemented. I do plan to include a brief tutorial for those who have never used the free editor Emacs, from links to how to install on your particular Operating System (OS) and basic commands to get you started. Future versions of this will be focused on fully "clickable" options for users so they can focus on the Great Work.

#+title: Magical Record — %<%Y-%m-%d>
#+filetags: :magical_record:thelema:john_st_john:
#+startup: overview
#+property: CREATED %U
#+property: DATE %<%Y-%m-%d>
#+property: MOTTO
#+property: GRADE_OR_STATUS
#+property: OPERATION
#+property: HGA_NAME_OR_SYMBOL
#+property: MAIN_PRACTICES
#+property: LOCATION
#+property: TIMEZONE
#+property: SUN_SIGN_DEGREE
#+property: MOON_PHASE
#+property: WEATHER
#+property: HEALTH_NOTE
#+property: PRIVACY private

* Opening Formula
93.

** Law / Intention
- Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
- Current formulation of Will:
- Current Great Work aim:
- Particular aim of today:
- Principal danger today: distraction / vanity / dryness / overstrain / lust of result / other:
- Working attitude: scientific, sincere, careful, skeptical, devoted.

** Oath / Obligation Recollection
- Standing oath or commitment:
- Today’s specific obligation:
- What would count as success today?
- What would count as honest failure today?
- What must be avoided today?

** Baseline Conditions
- Woke:
- Sleep duration / quality:
- Dreams recalled on waking:
- Body: energy, pain, illness, digestion, sexual state, intoxication/substances, medication, hunger:
- Mind: clarity, mood, anxiety, concentration, enthusiasm, resistance:
- Environment: place, weather, temperature, noise, privacy:
- Practical constraints: work, family, travel, obligations:
- Magical atmosphere on waking:

* Resh / Solar Adorations
Crowley’s Liber Resh gives four solar adorations: dawn, noon, sunset, and midnight, followed by the sign of silence and meditation.

** Dawn — Ra
- Time:
- Direction:
- Performed? [ ]
- God-form assumed? [ ]
- Quality of adoration:
- Immediate effect:

** Noon — Ahathoor
- Time:
- Direction:
- Performed? [ ]
- God-form assumed? [ ]
- Quality of adoration:
- Immediate effect:

** Sunset — Tum
- Time:
- Direction:
- Performed? [ ]
- God-form assumed? [ ]
- Quality of adoration:
- Immediate effect:

** Midnight — Khephra
- Time:
- Direction:
- Performed? [ ]
- God-form assumed? [ ]
- Quality of adoration:
- Immediate effect:

* Chronological Record
Use one entry per meaningful event. Include the trivial if it may condition the work.

** %<%H:%M> —
- Event:
- Physical state:
- Mental/emotional state:
- Magical current / mantra / recollection:
- Food, drink, sleep, sex, exercise, conversation, media, work, errands:
- Coincidence, omen, resistance, temptation, intuition:
- Interpretation now:
- Alternative mundane explanation:
- Follow-up needed:

* Formal Practice Ledger
| Time | Practice | Duration | Aim | Conditions | Result | Score | Notes |
|------+----------+----------+-----+------------+--------+-------+-------|
|      |          |          |     |            |        |       |       |

Suggested scores:
0 = omitted
1 = attempted, poor
2 = completed mechanically
3 = steady
4 = strong
5 = exceptional, but verify later

* Ritual Record
Use immediately after any ceremony. Crowley says the magical record should be written up after the closing of the work; the record is more important than the glamour of the operation.

** Ritual / Ceremony
:PROPERTIES:
:TYPE: ritual
:START:
:END:
:DURATION:
:PLACE:
:OPERATION:
:OBJECT:
:FORCES:
:DEITIES:
:SEPHIRA_PATH:
:PLANET_SIGN_ELEMENT:
:TEXT_USED:
:WEAPONS:
:INCENSE:
:RESULT:
:END:

*** Before
- Exact aim:
- Why this operation?
- Banishing used:
- Invocation used:
- Temple arrangement:
- Correspondences from 777 / other source:
- Physical condition:
- Mental condition:
- Emotional condition:
- Doubts or distractions:

*** During
- Sequence actually performed:
- Deviations from plan:
- Words, signs, gestures, visualizations:
- God-form assumption:
- Vibrations:
- Sensory phenomena:
- Inner images / voices / impressions:
- Loss of concentration:
- Errors:
- Moments of force, silence, fear, awe, joy, dryness:

*** License to Depart / Closing
- License to Depart given? [ ]
- Banishing/closing complete? [ ]
- Atmosphere after closing:
- Any residue or obsessional pull:
- Grounding actions:

*** Result
- Immediate result:
- Emotional tone:
- Bodily aftermath:
- Objective effects, if any:
- What would confirm success?
- What would falsify or weaken the result?
- What should be repeated?

*** Analysis
- Cause/effect notes:
- Possible sources of error:
- Lust of result present? [ ]
- Inflated interpretation risk:
- Plainest explanation:
- Magical interpretation:
- Action for next time:

* Meditation / Yoga Record
Crowley’s Liber E wants duration, pain, rigidity, intrusive thoughts, breath counts, and other phenomena carefully recorded.

** Asana
:PROPERTIES:
:TYPE: asana
:POSTURE:
:START:
:END:
:DURATION:
:END:

- Posture:
- Garments / supports:
- Stillness:
- Pain: 0–10
- Rigidity:
- Tremor:
- Breath:
- Intrusive thoughts:
- Breaks:
- Cause of stopping:
- Result:
- Notes for next session:

** Pranayama
:PROPERTIES:
:TYPE: pranayama
:RATIO:
:CYCLES:
:START:
:END:
:END:

- Ratio:
- Nostril pattern:
- Number of cycles:
- Ease/difficulty:
- Heat/sweat:
- Dizziness/strain:
- Mental effect:
- Stopped because:
- Result:

** Dharana
:PROPERTIES:
:TYPE: dharana
:OBJECT:
:DURATION:
:END:

- Object of concentration:
- Duration:
- Number of breaks:
- Nature of intruding thoughts:
- Did the object change or move?
- Degree of one-pointedness:
- Overstrain? [ ]
- Result:

** Mantra
:PROPERTIES:
:TYPE: mantra
:MANTRA:
:END:

- Mantra:
- Spoken / whispered / mental:
- Duration:
- Rhythm:
- Did it continue automatically?
- Emotional tone:
- Effect on thought:
- Interruptions:

* Devotion / Astarté-Style Practice
For deity-work or HGA devotion.

** Devotional Operation
:PROPERTIES:
:TYPE: devotion
:DEITY_OR_FORM:
:PERIOD:
:END:

- Chosen deity / form / HGA symbol:
- Why suited to my highest nature?
- Shrine / image / symbol:
- Invocation used:
- Offering / incense / libation:
- Act of devotion:
- How ordinary acts were transmuted into devotion:
- Dryness encountered? [ ]
- Temptations to break method:
- Active love / passive waiting:
- Result:

* Liber III / Vigilance Record
Use safe counters only. No self-injury.

** Speech
- Rule for current period:
- Breaches:
- Triggers:
- Notes:

** Action
- Rule for current period:
- Breaches:
- Triggers:
- Notes:

** Thought
- Rule for current period:
- Breaches:
- Triggers:
- Notes:

* Divination / Oracle Record
Crowley uses Tarot/divination in John St. John but also criticizes reliance on it at exalted moments. Record it; do not let it govern you.

** Divination
:PROPERTIES:
:TYPE: divination
:METHOD:
:QUESTION:
:END:

- Question:
- Method:
- Conditions:
- Spread / figures / result:
- First interpretation:
- Emotional reaction:
- Skeptical check:
- Advice taken, if any:
- Later verification:

* Dreams, Visions, Astral Work
** Dream
:PROPERTIES:
:TYPE: dream
:TIME:
:END:

- Sleep interval:
- Dream narrative:
- Characters:
- Setting:
- Emotions:
- Obvious sources from previous day:
- Symbols:
- Possible magical significance:
- Verification or follow-up:

** Vision / Astral / Scrying
:PROPERTIES:
:TYPE: vision
:METHOD:
:END:

- Method:
- Opening / banishing:
- Plane, path, aethyr, tattva, symbol, or object:
- Narrative:
- Beings / voices / forms:
- Tests applied:
- Obedience to will:
- Result:
- Risk of glamour or obsession:
- Closing:
- Later analysis:

* Food, Drink, Body, and Physical Limitations
Record, do not moralize.

| Time | Food / Drink / Substance | Amount | Context | Effect on Work |
|------+--------------------------+--------+---------+----------------|
|      |                          |        |         |                |

- Exercise / walking:
- Sexual activity / continence / desire:
- Illness / pain:
- Medication:
- Sleep / naps:
- Notable body phenomena:
- Did bodily condition help or hinder the work?

* Coincidences, Omens, and “Particular Dealings”
Crowley links the diary with the question: why this person, this room, this time, this event? Treat coincidences as data, not proof.

** Coincidence / Omen
- Event:
- Exact time/place:
- Why noticed:
- Immediate association:
- Possible mundane causes:
- Possible magical meaning:
- Relation to current operation:
- Later confirmation needed:

* Reading / Study / Holy Books
** Reading
- Text:
- Passage:
- Summary:
- Comment:
- Relation to today’s work:
- Memorization / copying:
- Question for meditation:

* Errors, Failures, and Self-Deception
This is one of the most Crowleyan sections. The record should make it difficult to cheat oneself.

- Where did I exaggerate?
- Where did I omit?
- Where did I seek drama instead of truth?
- Where did I mistake fatigue, hunger, intoxication, fantasy, or emotion for attainment?
- Where did I resist the work?
- What did I learn from failure?
- What must change tomorrow?

* Results and Fruits
- Best result of the day:
- Worst failure of the day:
- Did any practice produce a repeatable effect?
- Did the day clarify True Will?
- Did the day strengthen or weaken Knowledge and Conversation?
- Did I work without attachment?
- Did I interpret phenomena intelligently, not sentimentally?
- What is the next experiment?

* Evening Review
** Reverse Review / Thisarb-style Memory
- Review the day backward in detail:
- Gaps in memory:
- Strong causal chains noticed:
- Recurrent patterns:
- What question does today answer about “To what purpose am I fitted?”

** Closing
- Final state of body:
- Final state of mind:
- Final prayer / silence / recollection:
- Love is the law, love under will.

93 93/93

[A Former User]

I updated the project with the extended template and it is ready for use. Here are some screenshots. It's just out of testing and there is only one record in the index, but hopefully you get the idea. I will add a screenshot to the project site of the HTML-exported entries at some point when there are a number of entries with content. You can export your whole magical record into an HTML package with an index.html in case you wish to read it in that format.

Main menu:

Entry categories:

Expanded categories:

Editor commands:

Magical record index: