The Marquis Hellfire's blog: " vox populi vox dei"

Tonight at midnight (well, okay, more like around 1-2am.) I'll be turning 35. Now, Human-Living-In-United-States lifespans being what they are, I can reasonably expect to live to be 70. This makes me "officially" middle-aged. I say "officialy", because my family on both sides have incredibly long life-spans. Like scarily so. My grandparents on my father's side are still alive, and both are in their late 90's/ early hundreds. On my mom's side, my grandmother died because of a drunk driver, and my grandfather (who was in his late 70's even so) died shortly after from a broken heart. I have several relatives who are well into their late 80's and 90's, and are fully active, ie, they're not mushy-brained doddering old folks, they're capable of walking around and living, that sort of thing. Hell, i have an 85-year old aunt who still drives regularly, and is one of the few people I 8trust8 sitting in a car with. SO, by MY family's standards, I'm not even *really* a grown-up yet. But by normal meat-bag standards, I'm "middle-aged". I'm supposed to be flipping out right now, buying a new red sports car, looking for a hot blonde stripper to bang, something like that. But the truth is...I feel good. No, check that. I feel AWESOME. Like, seriously. I got more $$$ than I know what to do with, my health is better than it's ever been, I have an awesome place to live... ...Gasp... I'm....HAPPY. And 9/10 of my current state is due to my own efforts. Ha. Life is good. I can't believe I'm saying that, but...yeah. Life is good.

The Scorpion is a very interesting and solitary creature. They are fierce and lethal and have been known to live for as long as twenty-five years. They are nocturnal and do not hunt their prey, but rather wait until a suitable prospect crosses their path. They will then ambush their victim by giving them a lethal injection of poison which either kills or adequately stuns the unsuspecting creature. The Scorpion’s stinger sits at the top of their many segmented tail. The Scorpion is able to control how much venom will be released from their stinger when attacking their prey. They will, if very threatened, sting their victim several times. There are fifteen-hundred species of Scorpion throughout the world, of those, only twenty-five are lethal. These creatures molt frequently in their lifetimes, sometimes as many as five or six times. Scorpions can survive a year without food or water, making them one of the most enduring creatures on the planet. The mating ritual of Scorpions is very dangerous and unusual. They do a battle dance and often sting one another in the process. It can take as long as eighteen months for the birth of the young scorpions to occur. Female Scorpions are very fierce mothers and will ferociously protect her offspring from any harm or threat of harm. She carries her children on her back after they are born, and will feed and protect them until they drop off her back when ready to hunt on their own. Scorpions have the interesting characteristic of having six to twelve eyes. They have a central pair plus several which cluster around this set. Despite these extra eyes, or perhaps because of them, they do not see very well. They have sensory hairs on their under bellies which allow them to pick up vibrations and help them to find their way around in the dark. They are only able to distinguish light from dark and shadows. Another unusual characteristic of the Scorpion is that they have a natural florescence and they will all glow under ultra-violet light. This is how most scientists are able to find them during their normal time of activity in the dark. After many years of research scientists are still not exactly sure what causes the Scorpion’s body to do this. The sight of a glowing Scorpion is an amazing thing to behold it is fascinating and mysterious. Scorpions are respected by most people smart enough to understand their nature and wise enough to give them a wide berth. They are not discriminating about what or whom they sting, only about how much poison they will inject into you when they do. The Fierce Scorpion Totem possesses the following virtues: Metamorphosis, openness to change, mystery, independence, self-protection, endurance, ferocity, self-possession, fearlessness, power of passion, masterful presence, magnetic personality, determination, personal intensity, willpower, tenacity, forcefulness, tranquility and dignity. Scorpion Pearls are said to impart their particular magical virtues to their owner. Scorpion Pearls are characteristic of their host; they possess all the awesome characteristics that may be seen in the Scorpion itself; the endurance and strength of this creature is contained within the pearl waiting for its proper owner to bestow its inner magic to that unique and fortunate individual. For century’s shamans, priestesses, spiritualists and practitioners of the occult have used Scorpion pearls to transfer the powerful magical energy of the Scorpion to themselves and to others in need of this commanding magic. Scorpion pearls are highly sought after by any wishing to absorb Scorpion virtues into their lives and develop stronger mental abilities such as those embodied by the powerful Scorpion. The owner of a Scorpion pearl will see their lives, spiritual energy and mental clarity imbued with all of the virtues attributed to the Lion of the Desert, the Scorpion. The Scorpion animal totem is a strong spirit indeed and its magical properties are one of the most influential of all animal totems. Strength in leadership, long lasting endurance, the wisdom to wait, higher self-esteem and so much more can be integrated into the spirit of the possessor of this magical pearl and the Scorpion totem. Copyright © 2006: Zahir Karbani UK Registration Number 253932 This article was published on Friday 16 June, 2006.

I've seen a lot of things. I've never seen a child being born, but I've seen Death up close and personal. I've seen columns of fire 150 feet high spinning over the desert sands in nevada like tornadoes made of God's own wrath itself. I have engaged in nearly every human perversion you can imagine, give or take. Have I learned from any of these experiences? I don't know. I know I often ask myself "What's the point of it all?" ...and after 35 years...I still can't come up with an answer that makes sense. Maybe there is no point. But there is still so much more to do, to see, to feel. SO many things to experience. I feel old, and bitter, and jaded quite often...and I'm not even middle-aged yet. With science and my genetics being what they are, I can reasonably expect to live for at the very least 90 to a hundred years. More than likely, even longer, once we progress a little further. In that light, it is silly for me to feel so OLD. A good chunk of that, I suspect, is the American marketing culture's way of worshipping youth...and why shouldn't marketing worship the young? I mean, after all...us old and bitter folk are too wily and wise to be manipulated, and even when we are easily manipulated by our own fears and insecurities....it's not like we have nearly as much energy as those who are "fresh out of the box" so to speak. But that's a whole different story. I think that on my 35th birthday, which will be in June, I may make some fairly hefty life changes. 35 seems like a good time to do that.

Hello, children. It is I, your beloved Minister. It's good to see you all again. KNEEL BEFORE ZOD, SON OF JOR-EL! I have decided to open the Ministry to all who wish to join. There are a few simple rules. The first rule is this: NOTHING IS TRUE. EVERYTHING IS PERMITTED. The other rules are pretty much irrelevant after that one. CHAOS. ANARCHY. THE BLOOD OF THE INNOCENT AND THE DAMNED ALIKE SHALL POUR FORTH FREELY. Also, there will be cookies.

I am not here to entertain you. I am not here to make you happy. I am not here to be interesting, attractive, or charming. ICH MUSS ZERSTÖREN. ALLES, DAS SIE WISSEN, IST FALSCH. The world you live in is built on lies, and will soon come tumbling down like a house of cards. ICH BIN NICHT HIER, SIE ZU RETTEN. I'm not your Buddha, your Guru, your Jesus Christ. You cannot be saved by anyone but yourself. You can do this...IF you are strong. Avoid the choices of weakness, avoid the words of those who would tell you you are small, you are weak, you do not matter. You are the center of your Universe...stand proud and live as though you are a God. Live in YOUR world, in YOUR way, by YOUR decisions. There will be consequences. This will be be painful. ES GIBT KEINE GNADE UND KEIN VERZEIHEN.

Ask yourself that, my children. Because surely, the gas is running out. When the gas runs out...the planes will stop flying. When the planes stop flying...the third-world sweatshops will no longer be so cheap and easy. When the gas runs out...The trucks will stop running. When the trucks stop running...Wal-Mart will no longer be your favorite source of cheap consumer goods made in foreign sweat shops. When the gas runs out...the lights will go out. When the lights go out...Then...what will you do, my children? Ask yourself these questions, and think on them hard, because I promise you...the gas IS running out. The lights WILL go out. And then. THEN. Then it will be the time of the ones who have prepared, who have hardened their hearts, who are willing to do what must be done. Are you one of these? Have you chosen steel...or have you chosen butter? Choose wisely, my children. Choose wisely.

Do no tbe decieved, my children. This world is a whore, a scarlet-haired babylon who only loves you for your money. But is that such a bad thing? At least with a whore, you know where you stand. No pay, no play. Your Minister can respect that. After all, being a priest is the world's SECOND oldest profession, and we learned all of our tricks from the girls in the temple gardens. Rest easy, my children. The world is old, and the world is wise, and the world is wicked...but as long as you know exactly what you're paying for, it will always serve you.

Hello, children. I can see you all have questions. Well, I would like to answer those questions. WITH MY IRON FIST OF FEAR. And cookies. "What is the Ministry?" I hear you all asking in your confused, perplexed and lost voices. Do not fear, children. The Ministry is here to help you. BY DESTROYING YOUR WORLD. There's a lot of confusion and loss in this world, children. So many people, looking for answers, looking for love, looking for reason and purpose and a meaning to this world. Some people find it in religion, whether it be Christian or Jew or Hindu or Muslim or Buddhist. Others find it in good works, through charity, and compassion, and helping others. There are also people who find their meaning in work, in building things of and in this world to leave their names and legacies behind them with. Indeed, in these troubled times, there are even those who find meaning in simple hedonism. Drinking, eating, drugs, sex, all of the pleasures of the flesh, this is what holds meaning to these souls. The Ministry does not judge any of these as good, or bad. because the Ministry is founded on one simple truth. NOTHING IS TRUE. EVERYTHING IS PERMITTED. When you truly understand this, children, then...and only then...will you be freed from your loss, from your confusion. Then, and only then, will you be prepared to join THE MINISTRY OF PAIN (and cookies)in spreading the One True Message (which is false)(*tm). Until then, your Minister will work patiently and gently to help guide you through these dark and troubled times. Because even though YOU ARE ALL WORMS UNFIT TO LICK OUR BOOT-HEELS... ...One day, you will shed the illusions that trap you on Earth and spread your wings as beautiful butterflies. Or flies. Or some kind of wierd alien bat-wasp-lizard hybrid flying thing that frankly scares us a little. But hey, to each their own.

...but to destroy you. WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT? These two questions are the most important ones you will ever answer. "You are NOT a special and unique snowflake." I support nothing and no one that does not support me. No ideals, no honors, no illusions, no dreams, no safety net, no social contract, no flag, no border, no prince and no God. WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU WANT? Answer one of these questions with certainty and clarity, and you will be a Prince. Answer them both with lack of any doubt and the Will to achieve them...and you will be a GOD. RISE UP. DESTROY YOUR MASTERS. It's not the cop on the street I want to kill, but the cop inside your head. I am the Pin-Cushion Man, and I have come to Baloony Town from the Forest of Pins with a fistful of dirty needles. Tell me about your dreams. Do you want to be famous, rich, happy, beautiful, a rock-star, loved by all, drive the big car, live in the big house on the hill drinking fine wine on the side of your swimming pool? Do you want to be one of the great movie stars, write the great novel, fly the rocket ship to venus and mars, get the votes to win the race to sit at the desk in the White Man's Place? THESE ARE NOT YOUR DREAMS. They have been manufactured and processed and delivered by a thousand different methods to keep you passive, keep you asleep and dreaming. WAKE UP. WAKE UP. WAKE UP. TIME TO DIE.