NorCal L.O.W.F.I

Archive for the ‘Religion’ Category

July 4^th weekend last found me once again in the southern reaches of the golden state, scouting some venues that will be hosting Gorightly book signings in early August to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of the Manson Family murders with the updated re-issue of The Shadow Over Santa Susana.

Along the way, myself and some friends paid a visit to the Museum of Death in Hollywood to check out their ghoulish exhibits, including a groovy Manson section, as well as a special area dead-icated to the Heaven’s Gate cult, including real memorabilia taken from Marshall Applewhite’s Suicidal Mothership.

Greg Bishop Live At The Museum Of Death! (Photo By Gorightly)

Real Live Mummy-Head At The Museum Of Death! (Photo By Gorightly)

The Museum also has a true Forteana connection of the form of this two-headed turtle which one of the proprietors showed us. However, I don’t think this critter is normally on display. (I forget the turtle’s name, but it’s a she, as I recall.)

Two Headed Turtle (Photo By Gorightly)

As satanic synchronicity would have it, none other than occult film director and Crowley protégé Kenneth Anger had dropped by and was talking business to one of the proprietors in the foyer upon my arrival.

Kenneth Anger As A Young Man

Anger, for those not in the know, weighs heavily in the Manson Family mythos, connected with convicted Manson Family murderer Bobby Beausoleil long before his association with the Mansonoids. In fact, Beausoleil, as well as Anton LaVey of the Church of Satan, appeared in one of Anger’s early films, Invocation of my Demon Brother, with Beausoleil playing the role of Lucifer himself.

Bobby Beausoleil kaleidoscope From "Invocation for my Demon Brother"

Oddly enough, LaVey was associated with Manson Family murderess Susan Atkins prior to her adoption by Charlie’s Family; when Atkins performed in LaVey’s Witches Sabbat Revue in a San Francisco GoGo club in 1966.

Susan Aktins In Anton LaVay's Witches' Sabbath Revue

After the Museum of Death, my posse and I stopped by the LaBianca house, where the second night of the Tate-LaBianca murders occurred in the late evening of August 9, 1969. Although the address has changed over the years, the house itself looks pretty much the same as it did that infamous night, aside from the gate in front, as well as the planter box in the driveway area.

LaBianca House (Photo By Gorightly)

The next photo below is what is known as the Harold True house, located next door to the LaBianca house, where Charlie and his girls attended acid parties and played music upon occasion. By the time the LaBiancas had moved in, Harold True had long moved out, but some researchers still suspect that Manson’s association with Harold True and the LaBianca murders were somehow related.

Harold True House (Photo By Gorightly)

On our return trip to NorCal, we stopped to gas up in Newhall, and I bought my buddy Pete a pack of smokes and some water. As fickle fate would have it, the total came out to $6.66. You just can’t make this stuff up!

This is similar to another 666 anomaly which happened in relation to my recent post on ConspiracyCon 9…number nine, number nine….

I usually get down L.A. way 2 or 3 times a year, and when I do I make it a point to visit some of the stranger locales gracing the city of angels and demons. In March of this year, I paid homage to Aleister Crowley disciple, Jack Parsons, with an outing to the fabled Devil’s Gate Dam, located in the town of La Canada.

Devil's Gate Dam (Photo by Gorightly)

Parsons – a rocket scientist and founding member of Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL), and one time head of the California branch of the Agape Lodge of the Ordo Templi Orientalis – practiced magic upon occasion at Devil’s Gate Dam, located a short distance from JPL, where during daylight hours he helped construct rockets that would later land men on the moon.

Parsons at Devil's Gate

JPL seen from Devil's Gate (Photo by Gorightly)

While some might see a dichotomy between Parsons daytime pursuits as contrasted against his nocturnal activities – ritual magic and the world science – there seems to be a common denominator between the two, that of tapping into the generative force of creation. In the realm of physical science, Parsons’ mode of expression was rockets, symbolic of the Freemasonic obelisk, the male member erecting itself toward the stars, reaching out and attempting to the conquer the heavens.

Concurrently, Parsons magical practices revolved around a ritual working, the intent of which was to create a “child” in the spiritual realms, who would be “called down” and directed into the womb of a female volunteer. When born — according to Crowleyean prophecy — this child would incarnate the forces of Babalon, and become the Scarlet Woman of Revelations, symbolizing the dawning of the Age of Horus. To this end, Parsons – in collaboration with L. Ron Hubbard and his soon-to-be-wife Marjorie Cameron – attempted to create (according to legend) what is called a homunculus; an inanimate being that is given life by way of this aforementioned magical ritual.

Marjorie Cameron

As history instructs, Parson’s life ended with a monumental bang when — on June 17, 1952 — he blew himself up while working with powerful explosives. Some have suggested that this explosion was no accident, and that foul play was involved. Other theories contend that Parsons’ was engaged in a homunculus experiment that went haywire and blew up in his face.