How can one be religious yet not believe in gods? Isn't belief in a god one of the necessary precursors to religion and religious worship? Can one practice rituals, ceremonies and magic without belief in such things as angels and demons? Is magic real? What is the difference between the power of the gods and the power of magic? The intent of this book was not originally to pose such questions or to answer them, however in the writing of this book the answers to those questions and many more ended up coming forth. Religion and magic have the same origin and the same purpose. They were created by humanity to explain the world and to give us an avenue by which we can affect change in our world. They are both there to give us some kind of sense of control over forces we cannot fully understand. Through religion, the religious implore the gods for help and guidance and direct the gods to act on their behalf thus affecting change in the world around them. Where does this power of the gods come from? It comes from deep within the person who implores the god for help. It starts deep inside as a need or a plea. The person shapes it in the form of a prayer and focuses their energy intensely on the outcome. They then emanate this energy in a wave or stream through a direct connection to their god. Mentally and spiritually they envision their god affecting the change they have requested in the world around them. Does it matter if the god exists or not? No, it does not matter. It works regardless of actuality of it because the person makes it work through sheer belief. The religious call this prayer. We call this magic. But it is truly the power of the manifestation of changes in reality through conscious will. Myth: Through magic, we implore unseen forces for help and guidance. Truth: Through ourselves, by tapping the wellspring of energy that is our spirit-consciousness, we affect change in the world around us for help and guidance. Because the method by which we do this cannot yet be fully explained scientifically we remain at liberty to call it "magic." We engage in either or both to affect our futures.

The Church of Not was founded in the year 2020 to provide a place where one may practice the religion of self-discovery without persecution or interference from the world at large. We share a common journey of spiritual pursuit and fulfillment in life. We are like-minded individuals who seek a path of spirituality and conscious nourishment. Our mission is to accelerate the civilization of the world through education and outreach to those in need while at the same time offering a welcoming place for people to pursue a life of combined rationality and spirituality without the need for faith or an attachment to offensive dogmas. We believe in complete diversity and welcome all people of any race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical ability, political belief or religious, philosophical or ideological belief. We believe that all human beings should be moral beings that uphold truth, justice, fairness, kindness and love and that every human being has a right and a mandate to celebrate living life and making the world a better place. We are strong proponents of reason, science and logic but we also believe there is something more to all of existence than just simple mechanical unthinking processes. We think that the spirit consciousness is a gift and that the soul has depths which science and religion cannot explain and that pursuing a spiritual path is an honor and a right bestowed by Life upon humanity. We are seekers of a spiritual path - which more specifically means we seek to find spiritual nourishment for the purpose of maximizing our potential as human beings. If we are to be Life we wish to be the best Life we can be. In that vein we seek to find nourishment in the other aspects of life as well, those being mental, emotional, physical and social.

What is Magic?,Black Magic,Gray Magic,White Magic,The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn,Other Magical Societies and Not,Not,Life,Rites,Rituals or Ceremonies?,Ceremony,Ritual,Rite,Why bother with Ceremonies?,Supplies,Ceremonial clothing,Ceremonial jewelry,Talisman,Heralds for the compass rose,Not Stones,Not Runes,Wing or sword,Incense, oil or cool mist diffuser,Wand or staff,Candle,Cup,Water,Pentacle,stone or salt,Tarot Cards,Blade or knife, Sage,The Book of Shadows,Ceremonial Altar and Sacred Space,Your Sacred Space,Sanctifying Your Space,Your Altar,The Linear Approach,The Quadrangular (Compass Rose) Approach,Ceremony Types,Structure of a Day,Birth/Renewal [Waking up],Childhood [Morning and breakfast],Teen years [Midmorning],Adulthood [High noon, lunchtime],Midlife [Afternoon and evening, dinnertime],Old age [Night],Transformation [Sleeping and dreaming],Ritual Shells,Alchemy 2.0,The Signs of Not and Life,The Use of the Not Stones,Not Runic Alphabet,Tracing the Runes,Manifesting your Reality,Wish for Positivity,Ritual Commonalities,How to make the signs and sigils,The Sign of Not,The Sign of Life,The Tilted Hourglass,Ceremonial Rites,The Rite Alignment,The Rite of life,The Rite of relationships,The Rite of personal code,The Rite of community,The Rite of sharpness,The Rite of Calm Spirit,The Rite of Blazing Spirit,The Rite of unshakeable foundation,The Rite of Protection,The Rites of Not,The Rites of Life,Honoring the North (earth),Honoring the West (water),Honoring the South (fire),Honoring the East (air),Church Ceremonies,Ritual of Authorization,Ceremony of Induction,Ceremony of The Making,The Not Ceremonial Calendar,Personal Ceremonies,Ritual of Sanctification,Ritual of Manifestation,The Ritual of Waking,The Meridiem Ceremony,Worldy Ceremonies,Ritual of Emanation,Ceremony of Healing,Ritual of Protection / Shielding Ritual,Ritual of Alignment,The Ritual Template,A Day in the Life