Thoughts on Being Self-Conscious.

It occurs to me that the very state of being self conscious is self-defeating in all areas in one’s life, particularly in Magic. I have a house guest for the weekend. It is time for sleep. She lays next to me, and I’m wondering who will fall asleep first. Because I have a slight cold and may snore. And I don’t want to snore and prevent her from falling asleep. So I’m hoping she will fall asleep before I do. So I delay, hoping she drifts off. In this instance I’m too self-conscious to sleep. I’m also one hell of a sweet guy to even worry about such things.

In Magic, it goes something like this: I want to perform the LBRP. Not for any specific ritual, but merely because I want to. But the windows are open and the neighbours may hear. Or the people in the next room. And the Great Voice doesn’t cut it; I want to bellow out the Archangel names damn it. But for self-conscious reasons (and for sound Magical ones too), I barely whisper the ritual so no one will hear. Or perhaps it is time for Resh and not wanting to make a spectacle of myself, I slip into a dark alley.

What is even worse is when you have a ritual you have written or borrowed, and you don’t believe in what you’re saying. Maybe the words sound silly, maybe they have you call upon Godnames that you simply don’t believe in. Whatever. But being self-conscious will kill the moment to be sure.

Being seen or heard during a critical moment of an Operation can have dire consequences, so it’s not just a matter of saying “screw it” and doing what you want, as loud as you want, and not giving a damn about what people think. But I do think that self-consciousness can really mess things up. So I’ve decided to really look into situations in my life where I can see it having a negative effect and possibly try to correct it.

Keeping it Real

In this day and age of new age instant “magic” I wonder how many people are actually tired of the endless mental masturbation regarding their workings? The conversation goes somewhere along these lines:

Peter: “So how did your working go last night?”

Friend: “Oh just wonderfully! I evoked a demon!”

Peter: “Really? So he showed up then?”

Friend: “Well, I think so. I mean, I didn’t actually see him. Now that you mention it, I didn’t actually hear anything either. But I’m sure he was there.”

Peter: “How are you sure?”

Friend: “Well, the room felt ‘different’. You know, I had heebie jeebies and really big goosebumps. Plus it seemed that the room got a little warmer when he arrived. Plus I think I heard a creaky sound in the room next door.”

This is really typical though, isn’t it? I mean we are prone to exaggerate our results, especially to ourselves. And if someone does a “prosperity working” and then buys a lottery ticket and wins $5, they are convinced it was their magic.

Well, I’m not convinced. Not at all. It’s easy to play games with yourself. Ego especially wants your magic to succeed. After all, if you admit failure (though deep down you may feel your magic doesn’t really work), where would you be then? And what would you be then? Best not to think about it.

So what do you do? Try this: Do you do divinations? Here’s a scenario: Suppose you are expecting a check in the mail. Why not do a divination first thing in the morning and simply ask if the check will arrive today? No bullshit, no mental masturbation. By the end of the day you will KNOW if your “magic” was successful. No chance of deluding yourself here. It’s quick, clear and verifiable. No bullshit. It either worked or it didn’t. Period.

.

©2009 Peter Vaughn

Why I’m Back

Well, sort of back. I’ve deleted much from this blog, for the exact reason I gave when I disappeared: I’m private. And the Great Work doesn’t require an audience. Just check out this guy: http://fratersilentium.wordpress.com/

But because I sometimes meet new people, it’s easier to answer their questions with a simple link to my blog. It’s no secret that some Occultists tend to be private and lead solitary lives.  I am no longer interested in sharing my magic with people I don’t know.

But when the inevitable questions arise: “What is the Occult?” or, “Do you really summon Demons?” or the always funny one, “Why are you the way you are?”, I can always point them here and tell them to read. And if someone isn’t interested in reading my words, they won’t get any answers from me.

People who aren’t Occultists just don’t get it. A week ago, through email, I told someone I was an Occultist and a brief summary of what I’m about. Their reply was a short, and sad, “Oh, you’re wiccan then”.

Ah, not exactly. Or better yet, not remotely. Just read the blog.

Paganism is the New Christianity

There is a strange phenomenon occurring on YouTube (and therefore in real life). Pagans, which is to say mostly Wiccans (American “Wiccans”), are up in arms over some people who want to “mix Pantheons”; in particular, adding mystical Christianity into the mix.

Most of the people who are pissed off at the idea of “the Goddess” having to break bread with Jesus are naturally Wiccans, most of whom are women, most of whom are feminists, most of whom know nothing of their Wiccan roots, most of whom only picked Wicca because it was easier than Ceremonial Magick and because it gave them a sense of power.

As far as my own personal beliefs, I think “the Goddess” is merely a representation of the forces of Nature, as are most of the various beings in various pantheons. I do not believe she is a living, thinking being who gets pissed off at humans. See, we tend to create our Gods in our own image. We even give them our own weaknesses and shortcomings, such as envy and jealousy. Angry & vengeful Gods? Doesn’t THAT sound familiar?

They don’t realise that you need look no further than the Inner Order of the Golden Dawn to see mystical Christianity. The people battling out on YouTube feel that the various Gods and Goddesses in their Pantheons are real, living and breathing beings (not archetypes). They feel that their Gods reject the notion that a person can work with more than one pantheon and that you are somehow less of a “real” Pagan if you choose to draw from more than one ideology.

The various Pagan groups are now divided. Instead of being tolerant of one another, there is hatred, fear, loathing, bigotry and intolerance. Just like the Christians. After all, the Catholics dislike the Protestants, who dislike the Pentecostals, who think everyone else is going to Hell.

Paganism is becoming the new Christianity. And it’s not for this Magician.

Update: Apparently this article ruffled a few feathers.  I’m not talking about dedicated Pagans, whether they are Wiccan or not. But to be fair, you see FAR more fluffy Wiccans than you see fluffy Goetic Magicians. And if a beginner (and not entirely serious) walks into a New Age shop, he is more likely to leave with a book on Wicca than a copy of the Goetia. Also, and we all have our definitions of what “fluff” is, the fluff is more likely to play with some crystals than to construct a Goetic circle and try to summon Demons.

As far as giving our Gods human characteristics: isn’t that exactly what you do? Gods who are angry, envious, jealous? Gods who get angry if you “mix pantheons”? Aren’t those our own human shortcomings? I thought the Gods were above such pettiness.

Nazi Occultism & Blind Faith

I was recently re-reading a book on Nazi Occultism. I won’t go into all the details, but I have to admit it was a fascinating read. Such powerful emotions are still evoked by the sight of the Swastika. And yet this symbol is very, very old. Artifacts such as pottery and coins from ancient Troy show that the Swastika was a commonly used symbol as far back as 1000 BCE. It never represented anything negative until a certain political party adopted its use.

I was watching a film on the Hitler youth. Someone in the room remarked how awful it was that such young children were obviously brainwashed into raising their arm in the familiar Hitler salute, or German Greeting. (Deutscher Gruß).

And yet, here in America, we have children in Kindergarten “pledging allegiance” to the flag. How is this any different than the “National Pride” exhibited by the youth during Nazi Germany? I find it difficult to believe that a five year old kindergarten student has ANY idea what he or she is pledging. Just like the children during Hitler’s reign. They were shown what to do. They were told what to say. To swear allegiance to their Fatherland and to their country. And they did what they were told, whether they understood or not.

Just like our kids.

Outcasts

Oscar Wilde. Aleister Crowley. Poe. Brian Jones. Quentin Crisp. Even Jesus. Outcasts, all.

The most interesting and refreshing people I have met and have read about were always outcasts. People who were themselves, despite the wagging finger of society and “acceptable behaviour”. In a world where the masses are asses, I’m proud to say that I have never fit in. Thankfully.

And alien tears will fill for him
Pity’s long-broken urn,
For his mourners will be outcast men,
And outcasts always mourn.

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram

I see many websites, particularly Wiccan sites, that claim the LBRP as their own, and I also see all sorts of interesting theories about how it “banishes” the elements. The LBRP was introduced by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (DEEP bow of respect). And the ritual isn’t really banishing the four Elements.

In reading Poke Runyon’s excellent work, “The Book of Solomon’s Magick”, I saw where he recommends students to envision the Pentagrams green, rather than the usual electric blue. He says that, because we are creating “Earth Pentagrams”, they must be imagined as green. However…

There are NO Earth Pentagrams anywhere in the LBRP. Nor are there any Air, Water or Fire “Lesser Pentagrams”.

Nor is the practitioner banishing the four Elements (Water in the West, Air in the East, etc).  The four Pentagrams in the LBRP are not Elemental, they are directional. All four Pentagrams in all four directions are drawn from the Earth point ONLY because Earth is a correspondence of Assiah (the fourth and the lowest of the four worlds in Qabalistic theory). In the Golden Dawn, for example, all of the Elemental Invocations, which are given throughout the Elemental Grades, use the same Lesser Pentagram. This is because the entire Outer Order is contained in Assiah.

And the four names that are used to charge the four Pentagrams are not Elemental, but directional as well (the four quarters of Malkuth).

Back Vile Creature!

Back! I say back! Thou vile creature of the pits of despair! I stand correct & firm within my Grand Circle of Protection. I face the Evil. I hold my Magick Ring in defense against the Demons noisome breath! And then… and then… I press the “send” button and let the Magick email fly into the ether.

What’s this??

As I’ve hinted around lately on my blog, I’ve sent out the first round of  “see you later” letters to some people. Five thus far. They weren’t necessarily mean spirited letters. On the contrary, the ones that have gone out were polite. I saw no need to be rude.

The letters were written with one thought in mind: cutting loose of negativity, letting go of people who really never did deserve me, saying goodbye to old news, wishing them well (even if I don’t mean it) and an overall dropping of the bricks. Goodbye to people and their incredibly heavy baggage. So long to people who are damaged, broken and just plain nasty. They reek of it because they wear it like a badge of honour. Some even brag about it.

If you’re the type who wants to see how far you can push me: fuck you. If you’re the type who pretends friendship while sharpening your claws: fuck you. If you’re one of the people I’m talking about: fuck you. And if you’re the guy who sent me that threatening email 2 weeks ago: fuck you. And I’ll meet you anytime, anywhere. Prepare to have your ASS handed to you.

It feels GOOD! I have to say, it feels marvelous to send them the big kiss off. Not everyone who received an email was nasty. Some are merely confused people. But that’s no longer my problem. But it will always be theirs.

I think, for example, of the people who have received nothing but “love & light” (puke) from me, and didn’t return an ounce. I think of people who are incapable of the slightest trickle of human feeling. I think of people who are so DEAD inside that they get confused when other people aren’t. I think of someone that Naufragio knows, someone who has taken everything she has to give, and gave NOTHING back. Vileness at its worst. Do they really think that such vileness directed at another will go unanswered? I have the biggest mouth on the planet and a healthy appetite for revenge.

So the first round of my heartfelt “fuck you” letters have gone out. If you received one, then all I can say is I’m sorry. Actually, I’m not. Live with it.

Thus Far…

Happy V.D.

I sincerely hope all the lovers out there are, well, loving.

I’m still pretty lame (in a physical sense, mind you) so I won’t be doing any dancing this evening. I think I’ll sit with a glass of port and listen to Sinatra. I think it will make for a perfect evening. When you’ve loved and lost, like Frank has, you know what life’s about. And now…

You’re driving down the road and suddenly 3 of your car wheels fall off. Bummer right? So you reach into the glove box for the cell phone, only to find your girlfriend’s vibrator instead (and why does she need one, slacker?). Now what?

I’ll tell you what. This is one of those wonderfully defining moments, custom fitted to your own personal needs. Your own private lesson, hand delivered on a silver platter. It was scripted this way. So enjoy it. All bad experiences, piled one upon another, are a kind of initiation. It’s the forging of the steel that is you.

So, get moving and fix that car. It’s your initiation after all; you don’t wanna be late.

I Ching Sticks

Once again, I question the value of blogging. For what? To maintain a “following”? I’ve no need, thank you very much. Although I do value highly the people I’ve met through this blog. I keep my own private journals, so there’s no need to post it on the internet. So why?

I cannot answer with any clarity or conviction. And to be honest, I’m tired of the pompous, know-it-all types that hang around various blogs & forums. Magick is FULL of these types, more than any other field it seems. Most are trolls. All are annoying. Maybe it’s simply time to withdraw and do my thing. And do it privately. My thoughts on leaving New England will have to wait.

Now then. I’m making my own I Ching sticks. I went into Salem, MA. recently and asked for some I Ching yarrow sticks. The pretty (and pretty empty headed) girl behind the counter needed to be reminded what the I Ching was. Then, in a moment of clarity, she said, “Oh, I’ve never heard of sticks being used. The real method is with coins.” After which I walked out of the shop, totally disgusted and disheartened.  Clearly she had no idea what she was talking about. Typical really. So I’m making my own set. Here is a pic of some raw material that I will cut, sand and paint.

The Magick of Friends

A video that reminds me of the value of real friends.

Magick in its perfect simplicity. Thank you Naufragio.

And just as an afterthought: I am against zoos of any type. To take a beautiful animal from its natural habitat and put it behind bars for the viewing pleasure of people is slavery in its most vile form.

Goetic Cursing

Someone said that evoking a Goetic Demon against your enemy was the same thing as standing in a phone booth with a bomb strapped to your chest, then phoning up your enemy and exploding the bomb. This viewpoint clearly comes from the presumption that Goetic entities are really and truly (and only) a part of your brain, and do not exist outside your own Brass Vessel (your head).

This Occultist is not entirely convinced. I’ve witnessed, and also have been a part of, many working in which the Jinn were unleashed against a deserving insignificant, and the results were impressive.

Witness a working done quite some time ago, in England. I won’t mention the Magician’s name (it’s unimportant to the discussion) but he is a well known Occultist and Chaos Magician. The entity evoked was Haures. The working went exceedingly well.

(withheld) then gave the intent, ordering Haures to go forth and bedevil the target, ad-libbing the curse and adding take your thirty six legions, whereupon (withheld) suddenly saw a horde of small black spindly-limbed beings flitting around the circle, whilst (withheld) later reported a host of black demons gleefully dancing around the circle.

The result was that the intended target of the working ceased his destructive behaviour and had a tendency to babble and was referred to a shrink. In other words, the working affected the victim psychologically.

Becoming unbalanced is the primary danger in Magick. And it’s usually self inflicted. It isn’t really a case of leaning outside the circle and being instantly seized. At least I’ve never seen that.

I know some people who insist on invoking the same Deity from the same Pantheon, over and over. This, to me, is a mistake. If you invoke the same entity consistently, you run the danger of obsession. I’ve heard of necromantic workings where the Occultists (?) sought to summon the shade of Aleister Crowley. This went on for months. Last I heard of these guys, one of them is claiming that he is, in fact, The Beast. And is obsessed with screwing as many women as possible while reciting lewd poetry.

It is my opinion that entities of the Goetia can be used for all sorts of purposes, and not all of them good. Then again, a punch in the nose is powerful Magick too. And much quicker.

Copyright © 2009 ~ Peter Vaughn. Feel free to copy & distribute freely. Please include this notice.  http://boleskine93.wordpress.com/

Friends

I occasionally get all warm & fuzzy and publicly thank people that mean a lot to me. Naufragio you all know. Lisa you’ve met.  I’m privileged to even know these people.

I want to show you a gift that Angela gave to me last night. It’s a small basket shaped like an acorn, supported by a brass leaf. It’s very beautiful, and very Pagan. She knows autumn is my favourite season, and she knew I’d love this.

Here is the acorn. And here is Angela. Both are beautiful.

New York City & The Bohemia Beat

I’ve never been to London although I’d like to go one day.  I’ve spent time in L.A. and I could have recorded with Neil Young, and was invited to, but I never did. Since I didn’t, it’s not braggadocio to mention. But L.A. is too laid back and half asleep. And the people were weird – even for me.

I’ve spent a LOT of time in New York City. I’ve seen Blondie at the original CBGB’s in the Bowery. I’ve been around Warhol’s Factory. Not the first midtown one, but the second one (the 4th some might say). I’m lucky to have a cousin who knows and hangs with all of these famous people; you can open up her address book and get Jackson Browne’s phone number, along with just about every other musician who matters.

I remember when I was a young guy (20) I used to drive into NYC all the time – mostly alone. My friends, you see, were far too interested in sleeping the weekends away. But I wasn’t. I didn’t sleep much then. I hardly sleep now.

I would shop in SoHo & hang in the Village. I even had the same bench in Central Park where I would eat my cheap bagged lunch from home (I was poor) and maybe sip coffee. Always alone, notebook and pen in hand.

I’m reading Kerouac’s  “On the Road” again. I’m reading a lot of the stuff written by American “Beat” writers. All of them had one common thread: New York City. John Lennon said that in the past Rome was the centre of civilisation, but now it’s NYC. I would agree. It’s the only place I know of where you can do anything at 3 a.m. The creative vibe, the pure raw energy of the place is unequaled.

Magickally speaking, NYC is a vortex of energy. Think of how many practicing Magicians there are on that island. Central Park is host to many a midnight ritual. I personally know of a group of Black Magicians who, having started out in Brooklyn (!), have now re-located to Manhattan.

I’m not a city person at all, preferring the country. But NYC is the greatest city in the world; there is absolutely no comparison.

Public Servitor is Here

As promised, the servitor I created is ready for action. He’s been active for a short time, but I’m feeling pretty good about him. I would hope that you use him and thus, feed him energy. He grows in power and ability the more often he is fed.

Trocowlme (Tro-cowlh-me, with accent on middle syllable, COWL, H is silent) was initially created to attract wealth. In fact, his name came from this statement of intent, “Attract wealth to me.” After deleting vowels, and repeated letters, I got TRCWLHM. Then adding a vowel or two for pronunciation, he was named.

Rather than use the Rose Cross for his sigil, I used a more free form approach, yet the main letters are all in there. Really, there are lots of ways to create a sigil, and I’m not one to believe that there is only one right way.

Creating and using a new copy of Trocowlme:

1. Draw his sigil using any physical medium. If you prefer creating sacred space, feel free. Burning incense helps, such as patchouli. Then trace his sigil in the air, imagining you’re tracing in a blue-purple colour. You may use your forefinger of your strong hand, or your wand.
2. It’s best to create a hard copy of his sigil, and maybe give him a place of honour in your home. His sigil is below.
3. You may then send Trocowlme the energy he needs. Remember, the more energy you invest, the better the results will be. Imagine what you would like him to accomplish.
4. Instruct Trocowlme as to what you would require. Remember, also, that true wealth is more than money. This was actually my intention.
5. After instruction him, send him on his way, simply by telling him he may leave. Then FORGET what you just did. Dismiss it from your mind. Go distract yourself. Whatever it takes. Have fun with this. And please let me know what you’ve accomplished. Add this post to your blog if you wish. No need to ask. He’s public domain. Just please credit me – what the hell! The more people who use him, the better.

You can also scroll down to my other posts on servitors and servitor creation. Happy creating!

Copyright © 2008 ~ Peter Vaughn. Feel free to copy & distribute freely. Please include this notice.  http://boleskine93.wordpress.com/

Be Here Now

A strange feeling washed over me this past hour. I just wanted to capture what I’m feeling, more so as a diary entry than anything else. Here’s the scenario:

I’m sitting in my library playing the piano. I’m playing Elton John’s “Captain Fantastic …” album. Each song. From memory. And it just struck me that I’ve done this before. I was a young man. A different time. But not a different guy. Maybe I’ve grown and all that, but the essence of who I was/am is the same. And I absolutely LOVE right now!

Perhaps a little nostalgia crept in. It was, after all, fun being 20 and being in a band. But here’s what I realised: if you think back to the happiest times in your life, were you reminiscing about earlier days? Or were you just living in the moment? I’ll bet the happiest times you’ve ever had were spent living in the moment.

All of which reminded me to Be Here Now. In 20 years, you will look back to these days. Enjoy them now. Not in 20 years from now.

Peter Where Are You?

I’ve been asked a lot lately, “Where are you?” Here’s where I am: I’ve made a few videos – really silly off the cuff things, just to play. I’ve been writing songs. I’ve been writing poems. I’ve been working on chess. I’ve been working on Magick. I’ve been working.

I don’t see some old friends whom I would like to see more often. Angela is certainly one. A few have sent me emails. More have simply tried calling me. They all want to know where I am, how I’m doing, did I get through the ice storm ok? I appreciate these people. They read this blog, they know who they are.

I think that I’m in a place that is very, very cool, if somewhat hidden from view. I’ve always been the type that lived very much within himself. My getting quiet isn’t anything new. I was a househusband once, and I was also a single Dad, raising my son very much alone. Disappearing sometimes is my way of taking a vacation from it all. Even Naufragio often has to look hard to see me, even when I’m standing in front of her. But it’s OK. I always come out the other side of the maze. But I’ll still be blogging. And writing songs. And singing.

Allow me to end with a quote from John Lennon, another proud househusband. He, as well as I, was on the forefront of THAT movement too…

“If you think of us next time, remember, our silence is a silence of love and not of indifference. Remember, we are writing in the sky instead of on paper — that’s our song. Lift your eyes and look up in the sky. There’s our message. Life your eyes again and look around you, and you will see that you are walking in the sky, which extends to the ground. We are all part of the sky, more so than of the ground. Remember, we love you.”

Liber 49 – Babalon

Why am I including part of Liber 49? Why indeed.

Liber 49, received by Jack Parsons, was said to be the fourth chapter of the Book of the Law. My own very recent studies, workings and a string of very odd events have led me here.

I wrote about this earlier in my “Musings” page. I’ll simply reproduce my earlier post here:

“I was reading last night about Jack Parsons and The Babalon Working of 2 March 1946. This series of workings was originally designed to manifest the incarnation of Babalon. It was patterned after the Amalantrah Working. Basically, the idea was that Parsons would take the spirit of Babalon, the “Whore of Babalon” and impregnate it into a human being. Thusly: a child would be created in the spiritual world, and then they would call down the spiritual baby and direct it into a human womb. When the child was born it would incarnate the forces of Babalon.

What I found interesting (or amusing) was that L. Ron Hubbard (of Scientology fame) acted as a scribe during the ceremony. Who knew?

The Operation they performed was largely Enochian in nature and also utilised Sex Magick. Later Parsons wrote Liber 49 or The Book Of Babalon, which was claimed to be the fourth chapter of The Book of the Law.”

LIBER 49

1. Yea, it is I, BABALON.

2. And this is my book, that is the fourth chapter of the Book of the Law, He completing the Name, for I am out of NUIT by HORUS, the incestuous sister of RA-HOOR-KHUIT.

3. It is BABALON. TIME IS. Ye fools.

4. Thou hast called me, oh accursed and beloved fool.

5-8. (Missing and presumed lost. Ed.)

9. Now know that I, BABALON, would take flesh and come among men.

10. I will come as a penelous (sic) flame, as a devious song, a trumpet in judgement halls, a banner before armies.

11. And gather my children unto me, for THE TIME is at hand.

12. And this is the way of my incarnation. Heed!

13. Thou shalt offer all thou art and all thou hast at my altar, witholding nothing. And thou shalt be smitten full sore and thereafter thou shalt be outcast and accursed, a lonely wanderer in abominable places.

14. Ye Dare. I have asked of none other, nor have they asked. Else is vain. But thou hast willed it.

15. Know then that thus I came to thee before, thou a great Lord, and I a maid enrapt. Ah blind folly.

16. And thereafter madness, all in vain. Thus it has been, multi- form. How thou hast burned beyond.

17. I shall come again, in the form thou knowest. Now it shall be thy blood.

18. The altar is aright, and the robe.

19. The perfume is sandal, and the cloth green and gold. There is my cup, our book, and thy dagger.

20. There is a flame.

21. The sigil of devotion. Be it consecrated, be it true, be it daily affirmed. I am not scorned. Thy love is to me. Procure a disk of copper, in diameter three inches paint thereon the field blue the star gold of me, BABALON.

22. It shall be my talisman. Consecrate with the supreme rituals of the word and the cup.

23. My calls as thou knowest. All love songs are of me. Also seek me in the Seventh Aire.

24. This for a time appointed. Seek not the end, I shall instruct thee in my way. But be true. Would it be hard if I were thy lover, and before thee? But I am thy lover and I am with thee.

25. I shall provide a vessel, when or whence I say not. Seek her not, call her not. Let her declare. Ask nothing. Keep silence. There shall be ordeals.

26. My vessel must be perfect. This is the way of her perfection.

27. The working is of nine moons.

28. The Astarte working, with music and feasting, with wine and all arts of love.

29. Let her be dedicated, consecrated, blood to blood, heart to heart, mind to mind, single in will, none without the circle, all to me.

30. And she shall wander in the witchwood under the Night of Pan, and know the mysteries of the Goat and the Serpent, and of the children that are hidden away.

31. I will provide the place and the material basis, thou the tears and blood.

32. Is it difficult, between matter and spirit? For me it is ecstacy and agony untellable. But I am with thee. I have large strength, have thou likewise.

33. Thou shalt prepare my book for her instruction, also thou shalt teach that she may have captains and adepts in her service. Yea, thou shalt take the black pilgrimage, but it will not be thou that returnest.

34. Let her prepare her work according to my voice in her heart, with thy book as guide, and none other instructing.

35. And let her be in all things wise, and sure, and excellent.

36. But let her think on this: my way is not in the solemn ways, or in the reasoned ways, but in the wild free way of the eagle, and the devious way of the serpent, and the oblique way of the factor unknown and unnumbered.

37. For I am BABALON, and she my daughter, unique, and there shall be no other women like her.

38. In My Name shall she have all power, and all men and excel- lent things, and kings and captains and the secret ones at her command.

39. The first servants are chosen in secret, by my force in her–a captain, a lawyer, an agitator, a rebel–I shall provide.

40. Call me, my daughter, and I shall come to thee. Thou shalt be full of my force and fire, my passion and power shall surround and inspire thee; my voice in thee shall judge nations.  *

Liber Oz

“Liber Oz provides no assurance that the exercise of any natural right will result in success, happiness, fulfillment, satisfaction, or any other “positive” outcome.”

Liber Oz

Liber LXXVII

“the law of the strong:
this is our law and the joy of the world.” AL. II. 2

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.” –AL. I. 40

“thou hast no right but to do thy will. Do that, and no other shall say nay.” –AL. I. 42-3

“Every man and every woman is a star.” –AL. I. 3

There is no god but man.

1. Man has the right to live by his own law–

to live in the way that he wills to do:
to work as he will:
to play as he will:
to rest as he will:
to die when and how he will.

2. Man has the right to eat what he will:

to drink what he will:
to dwell where he will:
to move as he will on the face of the earth.

3. Man has the right to think what he will:

to speak what he will:
to write what he will:
to draw, paint, carve, etch, mould, build as he will:
to dress as he will.

4. Man has the right to love as he will:–

“take your fill and will of love as ye will,
when, where, and with whom ye will.” –AL. I. 51

5. Man has the right to kill those who would thwart these rights.

“the slaves shall serve.” –AL. II. 58

“Love is the law, love under will.” –AL. I. 57

The Book of the Law – An Introduction

What follows is a brief introduction to the Book of the Law, the Holy book of Thelema. Even if you are not a strict Thelemite, there is much to be gained from the Book. I won’t include the entire Book, just this brief introduction.

A∴A∴ Publication in Class A

Introduction

I
The Book

1. This book was dictated in Cairo between noon and 1 p.m. on three successive days, April 8th, 9th and 10th in the year 1904.

The Author called himself Aiwass, and claimed to be “the minister of Hoor-Paar-Kraat”; that is, a messenger from the forces ruling this earth at present, as will be explained later on.

How could he prove that he was in fact a being of a kind superior to any of the human race, and so entitled to speak with authority? Evidently he must show KNOWLEDGE and POWER such as no man has ever been known to possess.

2. He showed his KNOWLEDGE chiefly by the use of cipher or cryptogram in certain passages to set forth recondite facts, including some events which had yet to take place, such that no human being could possibly be aware of them; thus, the proof of his claim exists in the manuscript itself. It is independent of any human witness.

The study of these passages necessarily demands supreme human scholarship to interpret— it needs years of intense application. A great deal has still to be worked out. But enough has been discovered to justify his claim; the most skeptical intelligence is compelled to admit its truth.

This matter is best studied under the Master Therion, whose years of arduous research have led him to enlightenment.

On the other hand, the language of most of the Book is admirably simple, clear and vigorous. No one can read it without being stricken in the very core of his being.

3. The more than human POWER of Aiwass is shewn by the influence of his Master, and of the Book, upon actual events: and history fully supports the claim made by him. These facts are appreciable by everyone; but are better understood with the help of the Master Therion.

4. The full detailed account of the events leading up to the dictation of this Book, with facsimile reproduction of the Manuscript and an essay by the Master Therion, is published in The Equinox of the Gods.

II
The Universe

This Book explains the Universe.

The elements are Nuit— Space— that is, the total of possibilities of every kind— and Hadit, any point which has experience of these possibilities. (This idea is for literary convenience symbolized by the Egyptian Goddess Nuit, a woman bending over like the Arch of the Night Sky. Hadit is symbolized as a Winged Globe at the heart of Nuit.)

Every event is a uniting of some one monad with one of the experiences possible to it.

“Every man and every woman is a star,” that is, an aggregate of such experiences, constantly changing with each fresh event, which affects him or her either consciously or subconsciously.

Each one of us has thus an universe of his own, but it is the same universe for each one as soon as it includes all possible experience. This implies the extension of consciousness to include all other consciousness.

In our present stage, the object that you see is never the same as the one that I see; we infer that it is the same because your experience tallies with mine on so many points that the actual differences of our observation are negligible. For instance, if a friend is walking between us, you see only his left side, I his right; but we agree that it is the same man, although we may differ not only as to what we may see of his body but as to what we know of his qualities. This conviction of identity grows stronger as we see him more often and get to know him better. Yet all the time neither of us can know anything of him at all beyond the total impression made on our respective minds.

The above is an extremely crude attempt to explain a system which reconciles all existing schools of philosophy.

III
The Law of Thelema*

This Book lays down a simple Code of Conduct.

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

“Love is the law, love under will.”

“There is no law beyond Do what thou wilt.”

This means that each of us stars is to move on our true orbit, as marked out by the nature of our position, the law of our growth, the impulse of our past experiences. All events are equally lawful— and every one necessary, in the long run— for all of us, in theory; but in practice, only one act is lawful for each one of us at any given moment. Therefore Duty consists in determining to experience the right event from one moment of consciousness to another.

Each action or motion is an act of love, the uniting with one or another part of “Nuit”; each such act must be “under will,” chosen so as to fulfil and not to thwart the true nature of the being concerned.

The technical methods of achieving this are to be studied in Magick, or acquired by personal instruction from the Master Therion and his appointed assistants.

* Thelema is the Greek for Will, and has the same numerical value as Agape, the Greek for Love.

IV
The New Aeon

The third chapter of the Book is difficult to understand, and may be very repugnant to many people born before the date of the book (April, 1904).

It tells us the characteristics of the Period on which we are now entered. Superficially, they appear appalling. We see some of them already with terrifying clarity. But fear not!

It explains that certain vast “stars” (or aggregates of experience) may be described as Gods. One of these is in charge of the destinies of this planet for periods of 2,000 years.* In the history of the world, as far as we know accurately, are three such Gods: Isis, the mother, when the Universe was conceived as simple nourishment drawn directly from her; this period is marked by matriarchal government.

Next, beginning 500 B.C., Osiris, the father, when the Universe was imagined as catastrophic, love, death, resurrection, as the method by which experience was built up; this corresponds to patriarchal systems.

Now, Horus, the child, in which we come to perceive events as a continual growth partaking in its elements of both these methods, and not to be overcome by circumstance. This present period involves the recognition of the individual as the unit of society.

We realize ourselves as explained in the first paragraphs of this essay. Every event, including death, is only one more accretion to our experience, freely willed by ourselves from the beginning and therefore also predestined.

This “God,” Horus, has a technical title: Heru-Ra-Ha, a combination of twin gods, Ra-Hoor-Khuit and Hoor-Paar-Kraat. The meaning of this doctrine must be studied in Magick. (He is symbolized as a Hawk-Headed God enthroned.)

He rules the present period of 2,000 years, beginning in 1904. Everywhere his government is taking root. Observe for yourselves the decay of the sense of sin, the growth of innocence and irresponsibility, the strange modifications of the reproductive instinct with a tendency to become bisexual or epicene, the childlike confidence in progress combined with nightmare fear of catastrophe, against which we are yet half unwilling to take precautions.

Consider the outcrop of dictatorships, only possible when moral growth is in its earliest stages, and the prevalence of infantile cults like Communism, Fascism, Pacifism, Health Crazes, Occultism in nearly all its forms, religions sentimentalised to the point of practical extinction.

Consider the popularity of the cinema, the wireless, the football pools and guessing competitions, all devices for soothing fractious infants, no seed of purpose in them.

Consider sport, the babyish enthusiasms and rages which it excites, whole nations disturbed by disputes between boys.

Consider war, the atrocities which occur daily and leave us unmoved and hardly worried.

We are children.

How this new Aeon of Horus will develop, how the Child will grow up, these are for us to determine, growing up ourselves in the way of the Law of Thelema under the enlightened guidance of the Master Therion.

* The moment of change from one period to another is technically called The Equinox of the Gods.

V
The Next Step

Democracy dodders.

Ferocious Fascism, cackling Communism, equally frauds, cavort crazily all over the globe.

The are hemming us in.

They are abortive births of the Child, the New Aeon of Horus.

Liberty stirs once more in the womb of Time.

Evolution makes its changes by anti-Socialistic ways. The “abnormal” man who foresees the trend of the times and adapts circumstance intelligently, is laughed at, persecuted, often destroyed by the herd; but he and his heirs, when the crisis comes, are survivors.

Above us today hangs a danger never yet paralleled in history. We suppress the individual in more and more ways. We think in terms of the herd. War no longer kills soldiers; it kills all indiscriminately. Every new measure of the most democratic and autocratic govenments is Communistic in essence. It is always restriction. We are all treated as imbecile children. Dora, the Shops Act, the Motoring Laws, Sunday suffocation, the Censorship— they won’t trust us to cross the roads at will.

Fascism is like Communism, and dishonest into the bargain. The dictators suppress all art, literature, theatre, music, news, that does not meet their requirements; yet the world only moves by the light of genius. The herd will be destroyed in mass.

The establishment of the Law of Thelema is the only way to preserve individual liberty and to assure the future of the race.

In the words of the famous paradox of the Comte de Fénix— The absolute rule of the state shall be a function of the absolute liberty of each individual will.

All men and women are invited to cooperate with the Master Therion in this, the Great Work.

O. M.

Liber Ouch – An Ongoing Magickal Diary

If you noticed my previous post no doubt you’ll see that I am battling with an injury. I thought it might prove worthwhile, from a Magickal standpoint, to document the effect it has on my ritual work and to document the healing process in general. I don’t often get badly injured so this injury presents me with a learning experience as to the effects that pain and discomfort have on my Magick. This post will grow and be added to as the days pass.

21 November 2008 e.v.  11.30 p.m. Hail unto Kheph-Ra. Midnight adoration.

22 November 2008 e.v. 7.30 a.m. Hail unto Ra. Morning adoration. Slept badly last night, the weight of the blanket upon my foot causing considerable pain, yet if I slept with my foot outside of the blanket the chills I suffered seemed to get much worse. I had trouble thinking clearly as the night progressed, my body had a bad case of chills, and I was very lethargic.

I thought the whole series of events yesterday was very odd. We popped in on Eric Fraize (a well known Satanist in Salem), at his home, unannounced. He was courteous and welcoming. But the day was strange. In a good way. We had a nice day, but the whole ghastly affair up on Gallows Hill, and with the normally loving dogs running from me like I was Satan himself (ever see The Omen?) seemed too much. And, of course, I blame Naufragio. It was for her wand, after all, that I snapped a living branch off a tree. Probably in the exact spot of the old hanging tree.

Attempted my LBRP this morning. Found I could not walk to and greet the four corners, yet I could do a decent job by simply pivoting in one place. Better than nothing, though the Sign of the Enterer presents a problem.

9.45 a.m. Thinking that some Absinthe couldn’t hurt, and might actually help the pain, and possibly the creative process. I have a bottle of the real stuff, not the fake American crap.  I wonder if it is bad form to drink the stuff before noon…

I’m also noticing that because I’m forced to sit still and not move around the house too much that my discipline is improving. I’m writing far more today, if only because the pain is forcing me to sit.

Noon: Hail unto Thee who art Ahathoor. Noon adoration. I’m feeling absolutely wretched. Pain doesn’t seem to do anything so far other than distract. Made lunch and tried to rest, but my body is rejecting sleep. I want to work on banishing but my leg is too sore. Instead I will work on my Astral Temple, one I’ve constructed over time.

This record, written with pain, may be just the thing I need to kick start my writing. Perhaps self-inflicted pain, at those times when I am lazy, will help? Anyone with an opinion?

6.00 p.m. Hail unto Thee who art Tum in Thy setting. Sunset Adoration. No good news to report. Ankle still swollen, still hurts, and I’m still cranky (probably) because of it. Magickally nothing much to report. I don’t think pain is very inspiring. I thought I’d find some unforeseen gem in all this; actually it just plain hurts. But it did force me to write. Maybe that is the gem after all.

7.30 p.m. Miserable bastard that I am, I’m going to bed. With ice on my ankle, and the foot elevated, and compression, and lots of rest. See? I listen! Thank you to my friends who care. I do love you.

Midnight Adoration will have to wait; if I awake during the night I’ll do it then. If not, the Sacred Beetle will understand.

23 November 2008 e.v. 7:45 a.m. Morning Liber Resh completed. Yesterday the ankle changed. The swelling is now on the right side mostly, as opposed to on the left as it was originally, and now it’s all over the top, and the skin is a whitish/grayish colour, and very cold. Speaking of cold, I was freeezing again last night; I had a very bad case of the chills.

10.30 a.m. This will probably be the last entry in this Pain Journal. I wanted to document the effects of pain, which I partly did. But now all this talk of pain is becoming painful. And boring.

I limp, so I know I survived the fall.

I am in PAIN

I sit here, briefly, barely able to contain my PAIN. The throbbing monstrosity that was once my ankle is barely recognizable. I was prancing up on Gallows Hill, in Salem. THE Gallows Hill, where 20 decidedly NON Witches were hung. I look to my left, I look to my right. I should have looked DOWN, because there was this huge hole, and, well, I found it. This is what a broken ankle looks like. I haven’t gone to the hospital.

Notice the lovely swelling at the ankle, the deep blues and purples near the toes, the slight bend in the bone that screams “broken”.

Yup, it’s GOOD to be the king. I feel so proud, I even took a picture. This is my foot (on a fake magazine cover).

Enjoy. No, really. I insist.

Thanksgiving – What Really Happened

Remember that sweet story that we Americans were spoon fed as children about the first Thanksgiving? Not to burst your bubble, but it wasn’t exactly the truth. In fact, they lied to us. I myself don’t even celebrate Thanksgiving, though I do celebrate Mabon, which, for me, has more significance. Guest author Mitchel Cohen explains:

First Genocide, Then Lie About It

By MITCHEL COHEN

With much material contributed by Peter Linebaugh and others whose names have over the years been lost.–MC

The year was 1492. The Taino-Arawak people of the Bahamas discovered Christopher Columbus on their beach.

Historian Howard Zinn tells us how Arawak men and women, naked, tawny, and full of wonder, emerged from their villages onto the island’s beaches and swam out to get a closer look at the strange big boat. When Columbus and his sailors came ashore, carrying swords, speaking oddly, the Arawaks ran to greet them, brought them food, water, gifts. Columbus later wrote of this in his log. Here is what he wrote:

“They brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks’ bells. They willingly traded everything they owned. They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features. They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of sugar cane. They would make fine servants. With 50 men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want.”

And so the conquest began, and the Thanotocracy — the regime of death — was inaugurated on the continent the Indians called “Turtle Island.”

You probably already know a good piece of the story: How Columbus’s Army took Arawak and Taino people prisoners and insisted that they take him to the source of their gold, which they used in tiny ornaments in their ears. And how, with utter contempt and cruelty, Columbus took many more Indians prisoners and put them aboard the Nina and the Pinta — the Santa Maria having run aground on the island of Hispañola (today, the Dominican Republic and Haiti). When some refused to be taken prisoner, they were run through with swords and bled to death. Then the Nina and the Pinta set sail for the Azores and Spain. During the long voyage, many of the Indian prisoners died. Here’s part of Columbus’s report to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain:

“The Indians are so naive and so free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed them would believe it. When you ask for something they have, they never say no. To the contrary, they offer to share with anyone.” Columbus concluded his report by asking for a little help from the King and Queen, and in return he would bring them “as much gold as they need, and as many slaves as they ask.”

Columbus returned to the New World — “new” for Europeans, that is — with 17 ships and more than 1,200 men. Their aim was clear: Slaves, and gold. They went from island to island in the Caribbean, taking Indians as captives. But word spread ahead of them. By the time they got to Fort Navidad on Haiti, the Taino had risen up and killed all the sailors left behind on the last voyage, after they had roamed the island in gangs raping women and taking children and women as slaves. Columbus later wrote: “Let us in the name of the Holy Trinity go on sending all the slaves that can be sold.” The Indians began fighting back, but were no match for the Spaniard conquerors, even though they greatly outnumbered them. In eight years, Columbus’s men murdered more than 100,000 Indians on Haiti alone. Overall, dying as slaves in the mines, or directly murdered, or from diseases brought to the Caribbean by the Spaniards, over 3 million Indian people were murdered between 1494 and 1508.

What Columbus did to the Arawaks of the Bahamas and the Taino of the Caribbean, Cortez did to the Aztecs of Mexico, Pizarro to the Incas of Peru, and the English settlers of Virginia and Massachusetts to the Powhatans and the Pequots. Literally millions of native peoples were slaughtered. And the gold, slaves and other resources were used, in Europe, to spur the growth of the new money economy rising out of feudalism. Karl Marx would later call this “the primitive accumulation of capital.” These were the violent beginnings of an intricate system of technology, business, politics and culture that would dominate the world for the next five centuries.

All of this were the preconditions for the first Thanksgiving. In the North American English colonies, the pattern was set early, as Columbus had set it in the islands of the Bahamas. In 1585, before there was any permanent English settlement in Virginia, Richard Grenville landed there with seven ships. The Indians he met were hospitable, but when one of them stole a small silver cup, Grenville sacked and burned the whole Indian village.

The Jamestown colony was established in Virginia in 1607, inside the territory of an Indian confederacy, led by the chief, Powhatan. Powhatan watched the English settle on his people’s land, but did not attack. And the English began starving. Some of them ran away and joined the Indians, where they would at least be fed. Indeed, throughout colonial times tens of thousands of indentured servants, prisoners and slaves — from Wales and Scotland as well as from Africa — ran away to live in Indian communities, intermarry, and raise their children there.

In the summer of 1610 the governor of Jamestown colony asked Powhatan to return the runaways, who were living fully among the Indians. Powhatan left the choice to those who ran away, and none wanted to go back. The governor of Jamestown then sent soldiers to take revenge. They descended on an Indian community, killed 15 or 16 Indians, burned the houses, cut down the corn growing around the village, took the female leader of the tribe and her children into boats, then ended up throwing the children overboard and shooting out their brains in the water. The female leader was later taken off the boat and stabbed to death.

By 1621, the atrocities committed by the English had grown, and word spread throughout the Indian villages. The Indians fought back, and killed 347 colonists. From then on it was total war. Not able to enslave the Indians the English aristocracy decided to exterminate them.

And then the Pilgrims arrived.

When the Pilgrims came to New England they too were coming not to vacant land but to territory inhabited by tribes of Indians. The story goes that the Pilgrims, who were Christians of the Puritan sect, were fleeing religious persecution in Europe. They had fled England and went to Holland, and from there sailed aboard the Mayflower, where they landed at Plymouth Rock in what is now Massachusetts.

Religious persecution or not, they immediately turned to their religion to rationalize their persecution of others. They appealed to the Bible, Psalms 2:8: “Ask of me, and I shall give thee, the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” To justify their use of force to take the land, they cited Romans 13:2: “Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”

The Puritans lived in uneasy truce with the Pequot Indians, who occupied what is now southern Connecticut and Rhode Island. But they wanted them out of the way; they wanted their land. And they seemed to want to establish their rule firmly over Connecticut settlers in that area.

In 1636 an armed expedition left Boston to attack the Narragansett Indians on Block Island. The English landed and killed some Indians, but the rest hid in the thick forests of the island and the English went from one deserted village to the next, destroying crops. Then they sailed back to the mainland and raided Pequot villages along the coast, destroying crops again.

The English went on setting fire to wigwams of the village. They burned village after village to the ground. As one of the leading theologians of his day, Dr. Cotton Mather put it: “It was supposed that no less than 600 Pequot souls were brought down to hell that day.” And Cotton Mather, clutching his bible, spurred the English to slaughter more Indians in the name of Christianity.

Three hundred thousand Indians were murdered in New England over the next few years. It is important to note: The ordinary Englishmen did not want this war and often, very often, refused to fight. Some European intellectuals like Roger Williams spoke out against it. And some erstwhile colonists joined the Indians and even took up arms against the invaders from England. It was the Puritan elite who wanted the war, a war for land, for gold, for power. And, in the end, the Indian population of 10 million that was in North America when Columbus came was reduced to less than one million.

The way the different Indian peoples lived — communally, consensually, making decisions through tribal councils, each tribe having different sexual/marriage relationships, where many different sexualities were practiced as the norm — contrasted dramatically with the Puritan’s Christian fundamentalist values. For the Puritans, men decided everything, whereas in the Iroquois federation of what is now New York state women chose the men who represented the clans at village and tribal councils; it was the women who were responsible for deciding on whether or not to go to war. The Christian idea of male dominance and female subordination was conspicuously absent in Iroquois society.

There were many other cultural differences: The Iroquois did not use harsh punishment on children. They did not insist on early weaning or early toilet training, but gradually allowed the child to learn to care for themselves. And, they did not believe in ownership of land; they utilized the land, lived on it. The idea of ownership was ridiculous, absurd. The European Christians, on the other hand, in the spirit of the emerging capitalism, wanted to own and control everything — even children and other human beings. The pastor of the Pilgrim colony, John Robinson, thus advised his parishioners: “And surely there is in all children a stubbornness, and stoutness of mind arising from natural pride, which must, in the first place, be broken and beaten down; that so the foundation of their education being laid in humility and tractableness, other virtues may, in their time, be built thereon.” That idea sunk in.

One colonist said that the plague that had destroyed the Patuxet people — a combination of slavery, murder by the colonists and disease — was “the Wonderful Preparation of the Lord Jesus Christ by His Providence for His People’s Abode in the Western World.” The Pilgrims robbed Wampanoag graves for the food that had been buried with the dead for religious reasons. Whenever the Pilgrims realized they were being watched, they shot at the Wampanoags, and scalped them. Scalping had been unknown among Native Americans in New England prior to its introduction by the English, who began the practice by offering the heads of their enemies and later accepted scalps.

“What do you think of Western Civilization?” Mahatma Gandhi was asked in the 1940s. To which Gandhi replied: “Western Civilization? I think it would be a good idea.” And so enters “Civilization,” the civilization of Christian Europe, a “civilizing force” that couldn’t have been more threatened by the beautiful anarchy of the Indians they encountered, and so slaughtered them.

Zazas Zazas Nasatanada Zasas

Crossing the Abyss…

There is no being in the outermost Abyss, but constant forms come forth from the nothingness of it.

Then the Devil of the Aethyr, that mighty devil Choronzon, crieth aloud, Zazas, Zazas, Nasatanada Zasas.

I am the Master of Form, and from me all forms proceed.

I am I. I have shut myself up from the spendthrifts, my gold is safe in my treasure-chamber, and I have made every living thing my concubine, and none shall touch them, save only I. And yet I am scorched, even while I shiver in the wind. He hateth me and tormenteth me. He would have stolen me from myself, but I shut myself up and mock at him, even while he plagueth me. From me come leprosy and pox and plague and cancer and cholera and the falling sickness. Ah! I will reach up to the knees of the Most High, and tear his phallus with my teeth, and I will bray his testicles in a mortar, and make poison thereof, to slay the sons of men.

They have called me the God of laughter, and I laugh when I will slay.

Choronzon hath no form, because he is the maker of all form; and so rapidly he changeth from one to the other as he may best think fit to seduce those whom he hateth, the servants of the Most High.

Thus taketh he the form of a beautiful woman, or of a wise and holy man, or of a serpent that writheth upon the earth ready to sting.

And, because he is himself, therefore he is no self; the terror of darkness, and the blindness of night, and the deafness of the adder, and the tastelessness of stale and stagnant water, and the black fire of hatred, and the udders of the Cat of slime; not one thing, but many things…

From The Vision & The Voice.

Are You Experienced

I find myself blogging less lately. It isn’t because I have nothing to say. I do. But I have even more to DO. And more to experience. I rather DO and shut up about it than pretend. And when I’m working Magick, which is often, I don’t discuss it. The past few days (hell, the past YEAR) has thrown some very profound changes my way. Some I embraced, some I didn’t. But I think I see clearer than I ever have.

The internet is a great means of expression. It also allows people of like minds to gather in one place. On the down side, it allows – no, it encourages – posers, fakes and charlatans to hang their shingle. As an example, there are many groups claiming to have affiliation with the original Golden Dawn, and for a small price, you TOO can become an adept. The GD is near & dear to my heart, and I fear the original message is getting lost. I also see Thelemic Golden Dawn groups out there, which I can’t figure out. Thelema & GD are two entirely different currents. Combining them can be as messy as mixing jam with mustard.

So, getting back to my blog: what IS the purpose of my blog? Damned if I can figure it out. Is it to share information? Kind of, but that’s not entirely it. Is it to share my most secret innermost thoughts? No way. Is it to meet new and wonderful people? Yeah, but that’s not really it either. I just don’t know. Because I don’t see myself as a teacher, and I don’t see myself as having a vast wealth of knowledge that inspires people. Nor do I see myself as some sort of social networking groupie who has a facebook, a myspace page, a pagan singles affiliation, and everything else that’s out there. In fact, for a guy who likes to be alone, it’s surprising I’m even blogging at all. Is it because I sometimes feel the need to create? I think maybe that’s as close as I’ll get. I like when I write something that gets noticed. And that’s probably my ego, the one I thought I had left behind on the other side of the Abyss. But I think I’d rather just get on with the business of living.

Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach. And those who REALLY can’t, well, they just talk.

As for me, I want to experience it all, and there’s barely enough time to do it, let alone blog about it.

So? Are you experienced? Have you ever been experienced?

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Servitor Creation

I would like all of you to welcome a guest author, my friend llona J. Passino. She is an extremely talented artist. Actually, more like Renaissance Woman. Just check out her website here. I hope those of you reading this will comment on her work, and visit her website. I am totally impressed with her latest Magickal working, and I think you will be too. So without further ado…

First I want to thank you for wanting to post this! I am honored to be a contributor to your blog.
I Hope it will help inspire others to try this. I found the experience to be very empowering for the sheer focus of intention on my desire for prosperity, and taking ownership for my prosperity. I think its so easy to take it for granted that its just “supposed to be there”…. through no extra effort of our own, but that’s not how it works…money is energy! Pure and simple.

Well I’m not sure how exactly to go about describing the whole process but it all started with your post about creating a Servitor. I was so intrigued by it that I started reading the information on the links you forwarded to me and the great post by Naufragio and a few other things I found on the internet. The information really connected with me from other things I have studied in my life too, such as the practices of Shamans in Africa and in South America and in Hawaii, who use figurines they craft out of wood, straw and other materials that they can find, to create an entity for different purposes; i.e. healing, prosperity, marriage, fertility, and many others.

In many ways I see the performance of Magic as much the same thing…the intent is there, and you are using the aid of the spirit world to assist you in your endeavors and ceremony. The ability to focus our intent is aided by the creation of a sacred space, cleansing that space and putting into the space items that have special significance to the purpose you intend to have the entity assist you with. And then creating the conditions within your self to help manifest these intentions is also critical, i.e. cleansing, peace of mind, focus of intention, and the ability to finally let go and allow it to happen!

Actually creating an entity with your own hands is a powerful focus of intention in and of itself. As a sculptor I know that to be particularly true.

So once I had these things clear in my mind, and the process pretty much understood, I proceeded to create my version of the drawing that you provided in your post. I constructed my Servitor out of wire as I would a small wire sculpture. For her “face” I used a round glass disc and for implication of “wings” I used contrasting wire.
It ended up a free standing little entity waiting to be brought to “life”. She (I use the feminine term) looks
like a miniature angel.

The perfect conditions, of the New Moon and times to avoid set, I chose Sunday, September 28th at 6:59 am PST. You had mentioned Sunday was the best time during the New Moon.

On my prepared altar of prosperity (which is a window ledge facing the East side of the house) I placed several items which have significance to me as being either related to prosperity and abundance or related to things which I want to benefit when this prosperity comes into my life. Items such as a figurine which belonged to my Mother, of a child placing coins into a bank; five coins placed in front of the Sigil in the shape of a star. I wanted to have the five elements represented: metal, earth, water, air and fire, so, for metal I used a brass angel from a former client; earth-a dried flower from my youngest son’s wedding; water-an abalone shell from the ocean given to me by a neighbor/friend; fire-a candle; and air-a feather from a raven’s wing that I found on my walk that morning.

I also wanted to have protection from unknown and unwanted entities who may or may not be present or called into being while bringing my entity to life so I added a metal cross which was my Fathers and a photo of Jesus which was given to me by my grandmother years ago. Two years ago a Catholic friend of mine sent me a prayer card of St. Joseph for abundance so I included it as well.
I also placed an amethyst and large quartz crystal on the alter. The alter is a place for the entity to stay while she is working on her mission and surrounding it are the items which I intend are assisting in fulfilling her mission. Also they are there to remind me when I meditate to allow prosperity in my life, for an entity can only bring us what we “allow”–the items on my alter of prosperity help remind me of that.

So now that the powers that be are totally confused I started my ceremony by cleansing the entire area and room with white sage. Asking for protection and support from my higher power to assist in creating an environment for peace and prosperity in which to allow abundance into my life and asking all who are present here, angels and spirits, to be here with the intention of bringing peace, love and prosperity to my life and the life of all whom I intend to benefit with this prosperity. I affirmed to my angels that the purpose
of this ceremony was to bring into being this servitor who we are naming pabaslewel bufomes.

As I affirmed this I cleansed the entire room by burning sage and returned the shell to the altar. I then placed Dittany of Crete in the shell to burn and smudged the altar with this, asking the servitor to know that her sole purpose is to assist me in producing a substantial and large lottery win and to find buyers for my artwork; that her purpose is to bring this prosperity into my life through the efforts of my life as an artist, to further assist me so that I can continue my work as an artist.

I mentioned that the servitor understand that she will exist for as long as it takes to complete her mission, or until I decide to end the agreement.
I asked that she come to me in assistance when I ask, and that she be continuously fed by the energy of the sun and the moon. I also specified in my meditation that her work is intended to assist in providing prosperity from the efforts of my art and my healing work and is not to take away from anyone else. That the prosperity is to provide an outcome of peace and goodness for all whom it affects and will not be used in any way for harm or control.

Lastly, I anoint the Servitor with three drops of Lavender oil as a token of my blood in closure of the ceremony,and for each statement I placed a pinch of Dittany of Crete in the shell to burn on the charcoal. I then meditated for ten to fifteen minutes, visualizing prosperity and feeling how it would feel to be
fantastically prosperous!

Later in the day, I was overcome with the desire to dump out my purse and re-organize the contents, throwing away all of the non-descript junk that manages to find its way into the bottom of my bag, everything of course except what I expect to find there. And lo and behold! I found two checks that I had been given over two weeks ago for some items that I had sold recently, and for some work I had done for a friend. I had them ready to go to the bank and had totally forgotten them, so it was a windfall in a way….not the lottery, but we still have this week. I chose to view it as the Servitor’s way of affirming to me that she got the hint!!! She has a sense of humor too! I purchased two lottery tickets this week and placed them on the altar.
I’ll let you know what she does with them!

llona J. Passino

Visit my website at: http://www.passinogallery.com
Visit my blog at: http://thetaoofstone.blogspot.com

Gargoyles In Our Midst

Ok, fine. I admit I have a slight Gargoyle fetish. But come on! Look at these guys. I bought 3 new ones today. In the photo behind them are Allan Bennett on the left. Aleister Crowley on the right. And me in my Golden Dawn regalia in the middle.

Oil of Abramelin

Greetings. It’s been a while hasn’t it? I admit that the past few days have been a whirlwind of… I don’t even know what. I’ve been someplace else, and I’m not even sure that I like where I’ve been. Having said that, onward.

I want to write this post partly because I am using three different recipes for Abramelin Oil, and I’d like to compare them, and maybe get some feedback from other Magicians who make the stuff too. Naufragio has made a good blend that really smells perfect but doesn’t burn. However, it “should burn and thrill through the body with an intensity as of fire.”

The reason it burns is because it is TRUE cinnamon oil. Almost ALL ground cinnamon, cinnamon oil and cinnamon sticks sold in the US are NOT true cinnamon, but are instead Cassia. True cinnamon is Cinnamomum zeylanicum, and Cassia is Cinnamomum cassia. I sprinkled cinnamon on my french toast this morning. Guaranteed it wasn’t really cinnamon. So the next time you’re in a shop and you think you’re buying Cinnamon oil, I’ll bet you’re not!

I have been endlessly fascinated by the Operation of Abramelin. I own both the French translation as well as the German. I have used the Talismans in the book with varying degrees of success, and have seen firsthand the consequences of the Operation gone wrong. I have also seen the superstitions regarding owning the book, and using the squares without having completed the Operation. Everything from insanity, death and raging whirlwinds have been blamed on the Abramelin Demons; merely owning the book can be deadly mistake. I’m not entirely convinced.

Abramelin Oil is a Ceremonial Magick oil that is blended from various aromatic plants. It is referenced in the Medieval grimoire, “The Book of Abramelin” which was translated into The Sacred Magic of Abramelin by S. L. Mathers in 1899. Aleister Crowley then attempted the operation. Twice (sly joke). The Operation has as it’s goal the Knowledge and Conversation of one’s Holy Guardian Angel. The specifics of the grueling Operation are beyond the scope of this post.

For the most part, anyone attempting the Operation had to rely on the Mathers translation, which he translated into English from the French manuscript. But Mathers used the least-reliable manuscript copy as the basis for his translation, so there are many errors and omissions. But a newer translation from the original German manuscripts is now available. There are many differences between the two.

In the French manuscript, the operation takes six months to complete. In the German translation, the Operation takes eighteen months to complete. There are many other differences, such as the Abramelin squares, etc. But a key difference is the recipe for the Oil of Abramelin, which is what I want to concentrate on here.

I’ll include some recipes for the oil, and maybe you can provide feedback as to which blend you prefer. If you buy the oil in a shop, all bets are off. You must make it yourself.

A recipe for Abramelin oil using essential oils is as follows:

• half part Cinnamon essential oil
• 1 parts Myrrh essential oil
• 1 part Calamus essential oil
• 1 part Cassia essential oil
• one-quarter of the foregoing total weight Olive oil

German Oil of Abramelin:

• 1 part Myrrh
• 1 part Calamus
• 1 part Cassia
• 1/2 part Cinnamon
• 1/4 total weight of the above in Olive Oil.

French Oil of Abramelin:

• 2 part Cinnamon
• 1 part Myrrh
• 1/2 part Calamus
• 1/2 total weight of the above in Olive Oil.

Mathers’ Macerated Oil of Abramelin:

Making Abramelin oil according to Mathers’ translation of the French manuscript requires compounding the oil from raw ingredients. The ratio given in the book is as follows:

• 4 parts Cinnamon bark quills, reduced to powder
• 2 parts Myrrh resin tears, finely ground
• 1 part Galangal sliced root, reduced to powder
• half of the foregoing total weight Olive oil

This mixture is macerated for one month, and then using an apothecary’s perfume press the oil would then be separated and bottled for use.

Aleister Crowley’s Holy Oil of Aspiration:

Crowley also made his own oil, and he substituted Galangal for Calamus, as Mathers had done in his version of the oil.

• 8 parts Cinnamon essential oil
• 4 parts Myrrh essential oil
• 2 parts Galangal essential oil
• 7 parts Olive oil

There you have it: a brief description of the Operation itself, and different oils. Which begs the question: anyone who performed the Operation before the German translation was released was using a different version altogether, with different timetables, squares and recipes. Which is the “correct” Operation? Are they both correct (my position is that they are both valid).

What say you?

Time in a Bottle

I don’t often include guest authors. Other than Naufragio, I have none other. This next post (a long one) is from Fenwick Rysen. He doesn’t even KNOW he’s making a guest appearance on my blog. Won’t HE be surprised. Since we’ve written a few times on servitors, and Naufragio was good enough to write an awesome post on the subject, I thought I’d post this. It’s on a time servitor named Fotamecus. Read on; it’s quite interesting. And very workable, as I found out a week ago. Here is his original article; I have not edited it.

Fotamecus — Viral Time Expansion/Compression Servitor
Fotamecus: Viral Time Compression/Expansion Servitor
by Fenwick Rysen
27 June 1997

“What is time, but a variety of one thing?”
—Austin Osman Spare

History:

Fotamecus was originally a sigil created in spring of 1996 when I was showing
the Mad Prophet some sigilization techniques. The Mad Prophet kept the paper
used for the demonstration and began using it when he was driving, the sigil’s
intent being to “Force Time Into Compression.” Ruben, a friend of both me and
the the Mad Prophet, was brought in on this, and two people began directing
energy at it.

Fotamecus crossed the Sigil/Servitor line after both Ruben and the Mad Prophet
attended a Metallica concert in Sacramento at which Quinn is said to have smiled
evilly when looking at the crowd and muttered “Free gnosis…” before opening
himself to channel and becoming a one-man-mosh. On the drive back, both Ruben
and the Mad Prophet dumped the excess energy into Fotamecus and made it home in
half the time it should have taken.

I was informed and intrigued, and on the Death Valley Pilgrimage (three days in
a van with seven chaos Mages) Fotamecus was put to the test: The group directed
a great amount of energy at him to help shorten the time to drive from Santa
Rosa (north of San Francisco) to Death Valley.

On the first leg of the trip everyone looked at the clock before entering
Vallejo. Fifteen minutes later we had traveled almost fifty miles, through the
MacArthur Maze (the most dizzying interchange of highways known to man), in the
Thanksgiving traffic. The second car with us, which we lost immediately
preceding this, had continued to drive undaunted behind us. They never stopped.
We wasted 45 minutes in Livermore before getting back on the road and
coincidentally running into them again.

There was only one side effect.
The last three exits on I-5 before Bakersfield, which should have taken us 15
minutes to pass, took closer to an hour. For time compressed, time was expanded.
For us, expanded on perhaps one of the most boring stretches of highway in
California.

At this point, several of my friends and I sat down and did some work on
Fotamecus, making him a viral servitor: He could spawn copies of himself. We
wired these together into a network so that if one compresses time but doesn’t
want to expand it, it passes off the duty for expansion to another Fotamecus
servitor in the network. They all work together, and the more copies out there,
the better it works.

Sigils
Fotamecus was originally a sigil which then became conscious and turned
into a servitor. Modifications were made to the original sigil to make it
a viral servitor. The Fotamecus viral servitor sigil appears at right.
The word “Fotamecus” itself is the original mantric sigil from which the
above graphical sigil was created. In addition to focusing visually on the
graphical sigil, one can focus auditorilly by chanting the mantric sigil
“fo-tuh-meh-kus”.

Sigil of Fotamecus

Instructions for Use:

Spawning and using a new copy:
Extend thine forefinger
Either drawing with a physical medium or by tracing in the air in front of you, trace the sigil of Fotamecus. At the same time you draw the sigil, visualize a beam of octarine light shooting from your third eye to trace the sigil with your finger. It should leave an octarine copy of the sigil glowing where your finger inscribed it.
Use Fotamecus by focusing on the sigil before you, sending it as much or as little energy as you like, along with intent to compress or expand time. And, as always, the “Garbage in, garbage out” principle applies, so give him the energy that he needs.

Instruct Fotamecus as to what he should to reciprocally with
stretching/expanding time. For example, if he expands time for you, ask him to
contract it the next time you drive somewhere. If you contracted time, ask him
to expand it the next time you wake up, giving you more time to rise. Or the
easiest thing to do is ask him to pass off the expansion/compression to
another servitor in the viral chain, letting someone else who needs it use it.

Sit back and see what happens!
Petitioning help from a distant Fotamecus servitor:
Calm the mind for a moment.
Send out a call in your mind, asking for Fotamecus to come and help you,
telling him briefly whether you need time expanded or compressed.
Continue doing what you were doing, and see if it works.

Notes
When using Fotamecus, it is easiest just to send energy along with intent to
either compress or expand time. Fotamecus is fairly intelligent and takes care
of the rest.

After charging, don’t worry about it. Fotamecus seems to work best when you
forget he’s even there working away. Most effects are noticed afterwards:
“Hey, it’s only been fifteen minutes and my CD just played through twice…”
There have been people who after working with Fotamecus have had some success
in visualizations involving pulling the time stream through themselves and
controlling it even better than Fotamecus. But Fotamecus seems to get a little
bit pissy if you do his job better than he does, so don’t expect him to work
well for you if you start doing this on your own. Not that you need him any
more at that point.

Perhaps the best image to represent Fotamecus is a clock being crushed by a
sledgehammer. Clocks work on the premise that time is stable and measureable.
Fotamecus works on the premise that time is unstable and malleable.
Fotamecus has a very casual, easy-going personality. His easygoing and
considerate personality is probably due in great part to his parents: Seven
friendly college-aged chaotes stuffed in a van for a long-haul trip from the
Bay Area to Death Valley over Thanksgiving vacation in 1996. Looking at who he
had to learn from while he was “growing up” (developing the early parts of his
personality that were as yet unformed and left to spontenaeity), it’s hard to
imagine he would have come out anything but easy-going.
Please e-mail me any questions, comments, or interesting stories.

This document Copywronged (x) 1997 by Fenwick Rysen
All  rights  reversed.   Feel free to  copy,  hack,
splice, mangle, mutilate,  spindle, twist, tear, or
re-print, as  long as this copywrong notice remains
intact. Questions to fenwick @ chaosmatrix . com or
to Chaos Matrix: http://www.chaosmatrix.com

Magickal Diary II: Creating a Servitor.

In my previous post, I shared my thoughts on the Magickal journal, and its importance. Lets work together here and create a servitor, and we’ll go through the various steps and I’ll share how I would record the process. It’s important to note that this particular servitor is NOT my own creation; she was created by a Magician on the Earthsong Forums; I’m merely using her as an example. She’s already been created and I presume hard at work. Feel free to use her sigil in your own workings.

Let’s create a servitor to make a person lucky in lotteries and in gambling. Here is a Magickal Entry as I would make it (with some basic explanations added for clarity):

Magickal Record of the Creation of Pabaslewel:

Date: Sunday (good for success & wealth)
Hour: Hour of Sun (good for speculations, prosperity, success) 
Weather: Clear & Warm.
Emotions: Hopeful, powerful.
Moon phase: Waxing Moon.
Performance: (include general notes on how well I performed the ritual).
Results: (to be determined).

Statement of Intent: Produce a big and substantial lottery win.
Name of Entity: After re-arranging the first letter of each word in our statement of intent into a more pleasing order, adding a vowel or two, and adding the letters “el” at the end to aid in pronunciation (in great Qabbalistic tradition), we get the name of our servitor: PABASLEWEL.

Rose Cross

Using the Golden Dawn Rose Cross, I will trace the letters of the servitors name into a sigil. This sigil will not only represent our servitor, but it will be a way to contact our deep mind, and also to actually evoke the servitor whenever we have need to contact her. After tracing the letters on the Rose Cross, we get our sigil, as shown here.

Sigil of Pabaslewel

Appearance:
Now that we have her name and sigil created, we will want to flesh out her appearance, which can be anything you choose, but she should have some of her basic purpose incorporated into her looks. She appears as a feminine angel, winged. Her flesh is gold. On her forehead is a ruby stone, much like a third eye. Through this eye she has all knowledge of things related to lottery games, be it calculating statistics and chances or knowing the lottery numbers, and even manipulating the outcome in our favour. She has the ability to telekenetically influence which numbers are drawn in lotteries.

Sources of Energy & Feeding: She draws her power from the actual lottery and from all of the energy people invest within it. All of the hopes & dreams of the people buying the tickets and the energy of people anxiously waiting for the outcome. Primarily she draws from the element of Earth, although there are Mercury and Jupiter influences as well.

Summoning & Housing:

Pabaslewel can be easily summoned using her sigil. If your Magick leans toward traditional evocation, you can place her sigil directly into the Triangle and call upon her. She will be housed inside a Spirit Pot (see my earlier posts) and her sigil placed within it. Inside the pot we will place objects related to Earth (remember, she is primarily Earth based) such as Earth itself, stones, gems, etc. Incense such as Dittany of Crete would be appropriate. Liber 777 would help greatly here.We now have all we need to create her and to give her life; which will be done in Ceremonial Ritual fashion.

Ritual to Give Life to Pabaslewel:

1: Create sacred space, as per usual method. LBRP. Opening by Watchtower. Invoking proper element into my working, using Invoking Pentagram.

2: Statement of Magickal Intent. To produce a big and substantial lottery win.

3: Alignment of my Desire & Charge Entity. For this step, I envision Pabaslewel hard at work for me, providing me with luck in the lotteries and the riches that will surely be mine. I see myself with all of the money I need, and I know it is because of my servitor. When I have worked myself up to a feverish pitch, I “feed” the sigil with a few drops of my blood. My whole body has been charged with my intent, thus making my blood a direct link to my desires and charges the sigil and its housing (the Spirit Pot). I also use breath to breathe life into the sigil. Again, my breath has been charged with my intent. More linking.

4: Statement that the entity has been created. Give Pabaslewel her instructions, how she will be fed energy, where she will live when she is not working my Will, her lifespan, how she will be summoned, and any particulars I deem important.5: Release the entity with instructions to begin immediately.6: WRITE my Magickal Record! Keep careful watch on my winnings and record these also.
Thus ends my Magickal Record.

That’s about it. Obviously all of the nitty gritty details have been omitted, such as exact wordings, what I was wearing, etc. Ok, I was nakey.

The sigil is yours to use. Feel free to print it out, and give Pabaslewel your energy and see if she doesn’t work for you as well. Let me know of your results. But more importantly, tell your Magickal diary your results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On The Magickal Diary

The practice of keeping a Magickal Diary is as old as dirt. We can see the old Grimoires in just about any book shoppe, and also online. The fascinating diaries of John Dee and Edward Kelly are being re-constructed and the originals are in the British Museum.

Aleister Crowley said that it was far better to fail at a Magickal ceremony than to fail to record it. The Magician’s diary is his chief asset. Recording what worked, and what didn’t, aids the Magician in all future workings. Imagine writing a ritual, and having spectacular results, and then failing to record it. In a year’s time you decide to repeat the Operation. But you never bothered to record the particulars: moon phase, weather, your mood, the day and hour of your working, etc. What then? This is the folly of Magick without method. And it lowers your Magick to the realm of guesswork. Your Magickal progress can be best analyzed through your own Magickal record. How else would you see your progress?

Many beginners are overwhelmed at the thought of keeping such a diary. They often ask what is proper to put into it. I always suggest that anything relevant to your Work and progress. I’ve seen Magickal diaries online that seem to have taken this concept to the extreme, practically recording each and every bowel movement or else they include any silly, stray thought that enters their minds.

Some have suggested keeping the diary on the computer. I once scoffed at the idea because if you ever find yourself w/out a computer for a time, it may present a problem. And yet, in looking at it again, there are some advantages. For one thing, it is probably more aesthetically pleasing. You can use coloured fonts, and more importantly, include pictures, which add greatly to it’s look and usefulness. I’ve always been old-fashioned and merely laughed at the thought of keeping my Magickal journal on the computer; but now I’m not so sure. But the main thing is to always keep a record of your Magick. I can go back years and see exactly what I was up to, and with the wisdom of a little more age, see where I went wrong, and where I went right.

In my next post, I will take this subject a step further by actually creating a servitor, going through all of the steps that I would use, and showing exactly how I would add the entry into my Magickal journal.

Magicians Have Magick Wands

This morning I was re-arranging the Temple area a little, and moving the consecrated working tools from the house altar to my private altar in my bedroom. Just so anyone visiting wouldn’t have the chance to pick up my consecrated tools and exclaim, “What a pretty knife!”. In doing so, I looked at my Magickal Wands that I have created over the years. One in particular is especially dear to me. I’ve been carving it for nearly 3 years now, if you can believe it. I just do a little, and put it away until I feel like doing more. There’s no rush.

This particular wand has a carved scroll spiraling around it, in which I’ll eventually carve words of power and runes. Then I’ll stain it, and oil it (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and at long last, it’ll be done.

I also want to make a traditional Ceremonial Wand made of almond wood. Almond wood, we are told, is the ultimate rod of power. The Hebrew words for “A Rod of Almond” enumerate to the prime number 463. The three letters of the three paths on the middle pillar of the Tree of Life also enumerate to 463. Aside from all this, I just think an almond rod would be awesome, especially since almond growing wild is a rare thing in my neighbourhood.

Below are two pics of a walking stick and more pics of staffs created by a friend of mine in Australia. If you’d like to contact him, you can reach him here: shaman_wolf@hotmail.com

Magicians have Magick Wands. Sounds like it belongs on a bumper sticker.

Belial & the Asthma Attack

Many years ago, in true adventurer spirit, I did some concentrated work with Belial. I was inspired by Aleister Crowley’s work from 1924, and his claim of increasing Belial’s subordinate spirits. I know there are a few folks who read my blog that aren’t Magicians, so I’ll provide a link to help explain who Belial is. Belial is the 68th Spirit of the Goeta, and quite possibly the most dangerous, along with Ose. It is said that in the Dead Sea Scrolls, he is synonymous with Satan. Sacrifices & a “flaming libation” are necessary.

A Golden Dawn Templemate thought that it would be an interesting experiment to evoke Belial with more than one person in the Magick Circle. I don’t mean the technique of using a black mirror with a receiver and Magus. I mean just 2 people in the Circle, and the Triangle on the floor.

In this case, it was me and my Templemate’s sister, Soror X; a girl who was highly clairvoyant, and also a member of the OTO. It seemed like a good idea at the time. I was young, and foolish, and I thought that we would be perfectly protected. I was wrong.

The Operation went fairly smoothly at first. It seemed that Belial had arrived (though I did not see him), and it was clearly a case of a weakened link in the Circle. meaning that the Circle is only as strong as those within. Clearly we were in trouble, as Soror X was not as experienced as I thought. What started out as a strong connection with Belial turned into a nightmare. She began to act incredibly frightened (remember, I did not see Belial at all) and told me she wanted to stop. I asked her what was going on, and she began to panic, and at one point, she tried to run out of the Circle, which is the LAST thing you want to do.

She began to suffer from difficulty in breathing, and I spoke the License to Depart. A few times, just to be sure. I also lit banishing incense that we created. In the adjoining hall, her brother was waiting to hear the exciting news. Instead, he was greeted with the sight of sister having a full blown asthma attack. We all took her to emergency room, and she was promptly treated.

The following day, I asked her what had happened. She told me a strange and frightening tale. Apparently, she didn’t see Belial either, though she more than made up for that by hearing him. As I mentioned, she is a gifted clairvoyant. Belial apparently had a few choice words for her, about her past, her loss as a child of a parent, and some very personal things that she wouldn’t share. But it was enough to send her to the hospital. Was she the weak link, or was I? Clearly, she is a far better clairvoyant than I.

But I learned a valuable lesson: multiple people in the circle isn’t a good idea. I suspect that if she had evoked Belial on her own, she still would freaked. Maybe it would have been far worse; at least I was there to prevent her from running out of the circle. But I think that I had - and have - a responsibility to keep my Demons to myself, and I’d rather be responsible for just me.

In writing this, and peeking at my old Magickal Journal, I’m inspired to further my work with Belial. Now, where’s my brandy…

The Silence of the Sphinx

The fourth power of the Sphinx is Silence. I wonder how many people actually adhere to this Law.  I’m reminded of Elbert Hubbard’s famous essay on Silence, which was written in 1905. It was essentially a book of blank pages. I think this essay teaches a valuable lesson: Silentium est Aureum. Silence is Golden.

Who among us doesn’t thrill at the very thought of having our Magickal workings succeed? And who among us is without ego, pride and vanity? It’s a common error. Those who have yet to meet (and conquer) Choronzon, that great Demon of the Abyss, cannot keep silent. Choronzon is dispersion, and his main trait is that he (and you) simply cannot keep still and quiet. But if he is met with the proper preparation, then his function is to destroy the ego of the Magician, thus allowing her to safely cross the Abyss.

I see, far too often, people - on their blogs and message boards – discussing not only past Operations (which I often do) but also works in progress. I cannot IMAGINE sharing with the Internet (and thus, the whole world) the specifics of Operations I am currently working. It is this Magician’s humble opinion that power shared is power lost.

Also, Silence refers to the act of keeping silent to yourself. When working with sigils, for instance, it is important, after you have charged your sigil, to forget about your working. Which sometimes is difficult if you keep a Magickal Journal. But the faster you can forget about it, the quicker your Operation can begin to work and the more effective it will be. It’s the same for Goetic Operations: the faster you can put the Operation out of your mind, the quicker the Spirit can work your Will.

I know many will disagree with me, and many more who simply will not care. They will happily continue to tell everyone about their workings, good, bad or disasterous. I judge no one; I simply state that, for me, I try to keep silent.

“The Sphinx spoke only once, and the Sphinx said, “A grain of sand is a desert, and a desert is a grain of sand; and now let us all be Silent again.”

 

 

Everybody I Ching Tonight

In matters of divination, I use, for the most part, the Tarot and I Ching. The I Ching being a favourite of mine. This venerable work never fails to enlighten me and I have spent countless hours working out the meanings of the various hexagrams for my particular needs. I should mention that I use many methods (2 coin, 3 coin, 6 coin) and I don’t always create the second hexagram. I also cast a daily hexagram in the morning to get a feel for what the day has in store.

I have had a situation in my life that has mystified me since last winter. A painful situation that really has had no easy answers. Once again this matter has reared its ugly head and I think it’s time to put it to bed. I consulted the I Ching recently, and it also agreed with my initial thoughts.

Magickal Journal Entry:

Date:

5 August 2008 e.v.

Purpose of Divination:

 

To gather information and insight regarding a situation and person who was once in my life.  She has been back in touch recently.

 

Method of Working:

 

Three coin method. Using Chinese coins purchased especially for the I Ching.

After quietly meditating on my question and concerns, I cast the coins. I won’t bother to describe each toss, I’ll merely show you the final resulting hexagram. After the coin tosses, I created the following hexagram:   

Hexagram 33: Tun/Retreat

 

The Tun Hexagram. Retreat.
Lingam of Earth.

Tri Gram meanings:
Above – The Creative – Heaven.
Below – Keeping Still – Mountain.   

 

Power of darkness ascending. The light retreats to security so the dark cannot encroach upon it. Linked to the months July & August. Conditions are such that the hostile forces favored by the time are advancing. In this case retreat is the right course. Retreat, not flight, is a sign of strength:

A retirement. Though thy force be spent.
Adroit withdrawl masters the event!

Changing Lines:

Nine in the fourth place means: Voluntary retreat brings good fortune to the superior man. And downfall to the inferior man. In retreating, the superior man takes his departure willingly and in all friendliness.  

          

Peril! Withdraw! Keep still-though tail not show.
Hold fast thy purpose subtly, even so.
Gracious to them that bind thee; hate their ire;
Maugre their will; the great have wit to retire.
Retreat in order – even the Gods admire.
Retreat with dignity – rekindle fire.    

        

This particular consultation with the I Ching didn’t tell me anything that I didn’t already know and feel in my heart. But sometimes having a wise old friend confirm what you already know is all you need.

 

Beings I Have Seen

It’s true: my title is a slight nod to a letter included in Magick Without Tears. But aside from the title, the experiences herein are all mine. After all, haven’t some of us seen beings with our physical eyes? Beings, for our purposes, not completely of this realm?

I am reminded of some of my earlier Goetic evocations, when I knew maybe one tenth of what I know now. I didn’t own a black mirror, nor did I know much about the technique anyway. So I worked in a pretty straightforward manner. My Triangle of Art flat on the floor, with LOTS of incense in the room. Abramelin usually. Though I knew someone who gave me some Dittany of Crete. She made it herself, and I know it was well formulated. Back then it wasn’t as easy to buy as it is today.

Maybe I had the conviction of the ignorant. When you don’t expect failure, oftentimes you don’t fail. I began my working with the Bornless Invocation, straight out of the book. I also had written my own invocations (partly) because, frankly, I didn’t understand the words in the book, and if I didn’t understand them, how could I possibly rely on them? I was a teenager, after all.

And off I went, summoning a spirit from the Goetia. Well protected  in my paper Circle (I thought). A little nervous (possibly scared). And eager to get on with it.

And then it happened. Absolutely and without a doubt it happened. The room changed. It was a CLEAR change in the way the room felt. The incense began to accumulate in a thick cloud in the Triangle. I cannot be certain if it was my “minds eye” or my physical eyes, but there he was. Vassago! I have only seen one artist’s rendition of what he is supposed to look like, and that was very recently. To my eyes, he looked more alien than demon. There wasn’t any of the snarling, drooling, “Back, spawn of Hell!” theatrics I expected to experience. It was actually a quiet, spiritual feeling. Not at ALL like the movies.

Did I evoke Vassago on the astral? Did I physically evoke him? If he was in the room, could I have taken a photograph, like Aaron Donahue supposedly did? I don’t know. I don’t even really care. Did I see him? YES! That’s all I care about. I called. He came. I saw. And I learned a lot about myself that day.

What else have I seen besides Goetic Demons? Will I tell you I’ve seen Gnomes, playfully skipping in the forest? Not yet.

Excerpt from my Magickal Diary ca 1977

Solomonic Magick Circle

Naufragio (my all time best friend) and I have begun a most satisfying project. We are creating our Solomonic Magick Circle. Over the years I have had many. When I was around 14 or 15, I crafted one out of shelf lining paper, and taped the long strips together to fashion a nine foot circle. That circle, my first, was an exact replica from Aleister Crowley’s Goetia, complete with the coiled circle and the Hebrew lettering. It was beautiful, but, predictably, I was teased and made fun of by less than understanding family members who, with a smug smirk, referred to it as my “inner sanctum”. They didn’t know how correct they really were.

Then when I was a little older, I created a more simpler working circle on the floor using coloured electrical tape. This circle, though not as elaborate, was also beautiful, and I used it for many years. I’ve also created a few more, here and there, more specifically one based on the Sloane 2731.

But now we are creating a new, updated circle. We purchased a 12×15 square of heavy canvas. And we are using artist quality paints. I have to give most of the credit to Naufragio, because she printed the script lettering using the computer and then used these letters as a template. Thus ensuring that each letter is perfectly formed and identical to each other, and also perfectly spaced.  And she drew the Phoenician free hand. Beautiful!

The circle is nearly complete. It is a 9 foot circle, with an 8 foot inner circle. Within these 2 circles are written, in English and also in Phoenician, various holy names.

Our methods of working The Goetia are a combination of several sources. I am trained in traditional Golden Dawn, and the way that I learned to arrange the 72 Angels is to anchor them at 0 degrees Leo (Sidereal system). Students might notice that Poke Runyon begins his Angels of the Shemhamephorash at 0 degrees Aries, each being linked directly to the Goetic Spirits. A spiritually well balanced system. There are other methods as well. I feel that Magicians owe a debt of gratitude to Poke Runyon and Lon Milo DuQuette for the inroads they have made.

The circle, as I mentioned, is nearly complete. What’s great about our new circle is that we can also use it for much more than Goetic evocations. The quarters are clearly marked out, in the appropriate colours, and also include elemental symbolism. This circle will serve as a basis for all of our workings.

My Triangle of Art

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I’ve been pricing wood with Naufragio. Instead of using my posterboard Solomonic triangle yet another year, I’ve decided to craft a more sturdy one. So I went to the lumber store, and the choices were slightly overwhelming. The main thing, other than not going broke, is that I absolutely do not want it to warp in a years time. I can’t imagine pouring all of my efforts into it, only to have it look like a BOWL sitting on the floor.

I looked at 3/4 inch plywood, which was finished on one side. But the stack of them were ALL slightly warped. This is becoming very discouraging. But I’ll continue to search. UPDATE: I am using 3/4 inch finished plywood.

I think I will make a more Thelema inspired one, using a different set of words around the triangle. Just as is the case with the Magick Circle, the names in the triangle are entirely the prerogative of the individual Magician. The names shown in the classic manuscripts of the Goetia (Tetragrammaton, etc.) need not be used.

I’ll probably photograph it and upload a pic or two. Either way, when it’s finished I’ll let you know.

Update: I decided to conform to a more traditional design after all. The words around the Triangle have a powerful effect on me anyway, so I didn’t see the need in changing them. But the reverse side of the wooden Triangle will have a different design.

Update: 16 August 2008 e.v. The Triangle of Art is completely finished. And just in time. What a project! It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL experience crafting the Triangle and Magick Circle. The Temple is PULSING with power! I have also written a consecration ritual for both the Circle & Triangle.

Thank you to Naufragio for all of her hard work & dedication. It wouldn’t have happened without you.

Beginning stages of Triangle of Art.

 

 

                     Completed Triangle of Art.

The Magickal Retirement

Each year, and sometimes twice, I head to the mountains on a Magickal Retirement in my pursuit of the Mysteries. I choose the mountains (although I have also gone to Newfound Lake) because it’s a place that allows me to escape. If you have any desire to be alone, you’re more than welcome to be alone in the White Mountains.

Because Magick is so central to my life, and is something that I have dedicated my life to, I find that it’s becoming increasingly necessary to leave the things of man behind, and get back to Nature.

So I go, with my journals, and Magickal Tools, and withdraw into myself. The purpose of a Magickal Retirement is not a vacation. It’s a time to do some work, to re-focus, and very often, to re-dedicate yourself to the things that are most important to you. It’s a time for me to work on my Magick and note my progress.

I don’t very often have those “AHA!” moments. But I always come back refreshed and more aware of myself, my abilities and my many limitations. “Know Thyself” is an ancient aphorism. I can think of no better way than through the Magickal Retirement.

Our Traditional Greeting

Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.“I am often asked why I begin my letters in this way. No matter whether I am writing to my lady or to my butcher, always I begin with these eleven words. Why, how else should I begin? What other greeting could be so glad? Look, brother, we are free! Rejoice with me, sister, there is no law beyond Do What Thou Wilt!

Lift yourselves up, my brothers and sisters of the Earth! Put beneath your feet all fears, all qualms, all hesitancies! Lift yourselves up! Come forth, free and joyous, by night and day, to do your will; for  ”There is no law beyond Do What Thou Wilt.”  Lift yourselves up! Walk forth with us in Light and Life and Love and Liberty, taking our pleasure as Kings and Queens in Heaven and on Earth.

I write this for those who have not read our Sacred book, The Book of the Law, or for those who, reading it, have somehow failed to understand its perfection. For there are many matters in this Book, and the Glad Tidings are now here, now there, scattered throughout the Book as the Stars are scattered through the field of Night. Rejoice with me, all ye people! At the very head of the Book stands the great charter of our Godhead:  “Every man and every woman is a star.” We are all free, all independent, all shining gloriously, each one a radiant world. Is not that good tidings?”

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Aleister Crowley
Liber DCCCXXXVII

Hello, Hello, Its Good To Be Back…

Today I visited a small Pagan shop downtown with Soror N.  I wasn’t really expecting much, as most of these shops really cater to a mostly Wiccan clientele. Which is fine, but it’s a rare day that I will find something useful for my workings. Until today.

I actually spotted the Centennial Edition of Liber AL vel Legis. I even managed to get a discount because the Book was sitting on the shelf for so long, and no one knew what to do with it. I’m quite pleased with this edition, and it even credits Rose Edith Crowley as well. Rightfully so.