Category Archives: Magick

The God posture and the sound of music

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The most important tool in the magician’s toolbox is his/her ability to create stillness within and without, listening and observation skills. One of the ways to achieve these skills is through a series of exercises and meditations. My favourite exercise was and still, is a meditation I learned at The Apophis Club as part of the First Head of The Dragon curriculum – The God Posture.

I love the God posture.

It seems to come naturally to me, I can sit in this posture and breath for ages. Maybe it’s because of my affinity to the Egyptian pantheon, trying Unveiling Isis all those years…   Or maybe it’s just that I like sitting on a chair and imagining I’m a goddess on a throne.  

Meditating in the god posture, made me think of sounds and music.

I think that a lot of people on this path (LHP), love to listen to metal (heavy, death, black etc) music, and I understand the psychology behind that; Metal music vibrates on an earthly frequency which is low and magnetic which affects us in the “here and now” and also have a strong effect on the Blood. Its vibration makes you excited and gives you an adrenalin and blood rush, the feeling of your heart pumping blood in your veins — a good and satisfying feeling… 

But can you meditate with this kind of sound in the background? And how will it affect our breathing rhythm?

It is always amazed me how the “high clerks” of all religions found out in very early stages of history the use of fine sounds, harmonics and higher notes to reach “the light” or God. Think of the beautiful sounds of Medieval chants and the angelic chants of Hildegard von Bingen, Gregorian chants, or the repetitive rhythm of the Hindu mantras.

The Shamans use in their rituals very specific sounds that vibrate with the higher frequencies, the sounds of overtones, feathers, leaves, and hypnotic drum beats, to awaken the higher consciousness/gods.

I’ve been very fortunate to be part of a community with some very gifted musicians.

We use lots of music and sounds in our rituals to guide us into the darkness and through it.

Can you imagine what darkness sounds like?

For me, it sounds like a big deep forest at night. Imagine the creepy crawlies, the night birds, the sounds of the trees and the wind and all the creatures of the night. These sounds will guide us through the darkness of the forest till we get to the darkest shores of the void. Where there are no sounds, and everything is quiet and still.

In the void, it feels like you are floating in the cool dark nothing of blackness. There is no day/night, and you don’t know if you are dead/alive. A feeling of being consumed by a big giant serpent. Only then do you start hearing again, the most beautiful sounds and it feels like it is the first time you ever used your ears. 

The inner knowing and understanding, that those harmonics vibrations you are hearing are the very first sounds of creation, leads to the realisation that to be able to create you need to listen…

Once you learn how to listen and you can really hear, you start to SEE beyond the illusions.

Imagine that.  

Invocation of The 7th Head of the Dragon

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The Seven Heads of the Dragon are the foundational system of philosophy and practice of Apophis Club Initiates. Each head symbolises and embodies a layer of the primordial power of the Serpent.

The 7th head invocation was inspired by the book Apophis by Michael Kelly and the work curriculum of The Apophis club which was and still is a big influence on my way of thinking and being. 

Xepher!

APOPHIS By Michael Kelly

A practical handbook of Draconian Left-Hand Path Initiation. The Primordial Serpent lurks in the deepest, darkest roots of human consciousness. Each of its seven heads embodies a power which may be awakened within the psyche. ‘Apophis’ outlines the transformative process whereby the human Initiate becomes something much more than human. It provides the weapons necessary to win the war of consciousness against conformity. It openly teaches the means of immortalising the Self.

Invocation of the Typhon (2018)

The head of the Typhon or the ‘7th head’ represents the future self, the guardian angel, or the demon, your personal demon if you like.  

The head of Typhon was something I thought nobody would ever go through with, that is to say, I never imagine that anyone I know, let alone me, will ever go through with the invocation of all of the 7 heads. 

A few days before I set for the invocation I prepared my space by cleaning and sorting out everything I might need for the ritual. Music always helped me to focus when I need to plan a ceremony or an invocation, something about the rhythms of the tune I chose that afternoon is that before invoking one of the heads it is recommended to do the ritual of ‘opening the eye’ and then invoke myfutureself… 

Just to make it clear, by the time I felt ready to approach Typhon in a ritualistic way and invoke the 7th head, a few years have passed by, and the intense days of study and practice of the Apophis Club curriculum, were long behind me, and I was no more an active member of the club.

 Once you ‘open the eye’ and invoked your futureself it is the time to call upon one of the heads. There is no point leaving the eye open with no one to guide you through it – and by having your futureself about, the sense of security and reassurance to cross the abyss and reach out to the final head. I was a little nervous I must admit.

Am I really going to invoke the 7th head? 

It’s a myth, isn’t it? 

Deep breath, and here I am, getting ready to call upon Seth, the lord of darkness, the principle of ​Isolated intelligence, god of the Unknown future. 

Before midnight I started with banishing and soon realised I needed to repeat it a couple of times. Before I noticed I got carried away, and end up doing three different kinds of banishing — just to be on the safe side…  

You can take the girl out of the chaos, but you can’t take the chaos out of the girl… 

I went out to the garden altar and lit a candle and burned some incense and made a small offering of beer and bread. I put a little ​cake of light on the incense burner and looked up to the sky for the Ursa Major constellation. As soon as I saw Him, I stood in the Apophis and Typhon posture and chanted IAO for a little while. Satisfied, I went back inside and started singing and dancing, Open Up by P.I.L. Leftfield’s remix is always a favourite in raising the energies.  

 Earlier in the day I drew the sigil of the 7th head and mixed Dragon’s Blood powder into some red wine, I never tried it before, but what can be more symbolic than drinking actual dragon’s blood, especially when part of the invocation reads:  

‘Here I stand, initiate of the Dragon Mysteries…  And I am as you are, a void dweller.  The blood of the Dragon pulses through my veins;  My bones and flesh are of your substance’   

So I call upon my futureself, charge the dragon blood wine and drank it. 

It is stronger than I thought, the tingling sensation rushing through my veins. It’s time to invoke the Typhon.

I stare at the sigil and start chanting the words of the invocation. 

Everything becomes quiet for a few seconds, minutes, dead quiet. I’m not sure for how long I stood there until I felt something behind me.  It didn’t spook me, which is surprising.  

Seth is present in the room, I felt Him immediately, strong, stable and daring. Everything I say, he’s daring me to question and think it over. I find myself saying laud what needs to be done, speaking in such a confident way, using some hands and arms mudras like I was casting a spell. This led to a very bizarre conversation, between me, myfutureself and the Typhon. I started by saying all I needed to say to the Mighty Seth, and for one second, a thought crossed my mind — what are you doing woman? 

It was like staring into a mirror, into the void. I was staring into the eye, and I knew that now is the best time to say things as they are, that there is no god, apart from that I am a god/ess. We are partners in this journey, I do my bit, and you do yours. 

 I was trying to think about how I’m going to end this conversation when He just says; ‘Drink, Partner!’ and I’m thinking to myself, yes, ‘Partner’ sounds so much better than ‘My Lord’ or ‘Prince of Darkness’!  

 This might sound weird to you, but I’ve let you into my head now, and that’s the way things are in there.  

 Everything around me is slowing and quietening down, like I’m watching it all in slow motion, at times the sound of silence is quite alarming, my heart racing and then Typhon says, ‘I need some beer, so drink!’ 

​I knew I just did something incredible, but not sure what it was. We had some beer by the altar, then He said go, go and feel what it is like… 

 My blood is tingling and the music sends me far, far away. I lie on the sofa, I’m flying high with the music. The room is pretty dark but new thoughts and ideas keep bubbling up in my mind. I write them in my journal, like little messages, some private, some to share later.

I wait for the playlist to finish, before getting up and consigning the 7th head back to whence it came from. The circle is closed with as many banishings as I could remember and do. It is 4 am, and the sun is just coming up. I wind my whistle to the four corners, welcoming the new dawn. 

It is done!

***

That was a year ago, and what a year it was!

Soon after the invocation, I decided to leave my old job and at the same time, I got an offer for a much better one ( a dream job in a way at the time ). Before starting the new job I took a little holiday and went to Stonehenge for the Summer solstice, and what an amazing experience that was! A beautiful golden dawn, a good omen I would say. I found love, a soulmate and a magical partner and all in the same person! 

I went on the most fantastic holiday to Cairo, where we were very lucky to have the Red Pyramid at Dahshur to ourselves. We were the only people inside, so we took our chances and did a little ritual (our version of the open-the-mouth ritual) in the King’s chamber, at the heart of the pyramid!

We have been experimenting with crazy dream work, which gave us some very interesting results. And oh yes, there’s a book nearly finished,  in which you will find much more of my magical adventures in hyperspace reality…

So, it Is Done!

Xepher!

About Altars

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Babalon the Scarlet woman

The altar is raised structure or place that is used for sacrifice, worship, or prayer. 

A working altar could be a table or anything similar to it. 

The height of the Altar is equal to the height above the ground of the navel of the Magician. (Liber ABA, chapter III).

The altar is the place in which we focus our magical work and consecrate and keep our ritual tools. There are all sorts of altars, which usually correspond to different types of magical work and deities. 

When we start working with a new deity, or one that we never worked with before, it is advisable to dedicate an altar just for it. In this way, we can fine-tune ourselves into the subtle energies of the deity. Only when we learn enough and get familiar with the deity, we might want to try and add another deity to the same altar. 

Some deities even though belong to the same pantheons, would not approve of sharing the same space with one another. I realize that this might sound a bit nonsensical to the neophyte, but it is easy to detect, as soon enough you will notice the disharmony flowing around your house and affecting everything you do. Some traditionalists would even go as far as separating certain deities completely from the rest and dedicating a whole room to them.

But we are Chaos Magicians, I hear you say, how does this apply to us?

To master the art of Chaos magic, we need to learn first the order of things and how they work, only then we will know how to turn chaos into magic. To live in chaos does not make you a chaos magician…

I have many altars around the house, each one of them is like a PowerPoint of certain energy and information that I can stop by whenever I need or want to, and charge myself with. The main altar in the house is like an ongoing creation of itself, always changing according to the seasons and the sabbats or the main magical work of a specific time. 

***

The Altar should delight

A personal magical altar should be a delight to behold. Keep things simple and aesthetically pleasing. For starting out, you need only a very few things. A basic altar usually has on it symbols of the five elements. Candles or lamps for fire, a cup for water, incense and burner for smell, a plate or pentacle for earth, a bell for spirit. Try to put aside any doubts you have about the need to have these things actually there. You will come to see these doubts as just another kind of conditioning that you need to work through. 

Optional things for your altar are perhaps a special knife or wand to point with when doing an invocation. At this stage a finger does just as well. A wand you make now may not please you in a years time but you will nevertheless have great difficulty abandoning it. To avoid this problem, why not do without a wand until you really feel the need for one – perhaps you never will. Other useful things include a robe or cloak (black cotton is the most widely used variety). Robes and cloaks work well for standing up rituals, but for sitting down, of which there is a fair amount in Magick, they can be a bit restrictive. If your room is well heated then going naked might be an option, otherwise comfortable leggings, sarong or yoga trousers might be better. 

One last recommendation, try using real incense, which is burnt on self lighting charcoal. Clouds of incense have long been used by magicians as an alternative to the ancient animal sacrifice. Real incense is more expensive, but can be more potent than joss sticks. But even the later vary a lot in quality, so investigate the best. Ask about reputable magical incense suppliers or details about how you can make your own – as with anything there are good and bad suppliers of such things. 

(From Thelemic Magick: Mogg Morgan 2022)

***

From Liber ABA

CHAPTER III

THE ALTAR

THE Altar represents the solid basis of the work, the fixed Will

footnote: It represents the extension of Will. Will is the Dyad (see section on the Wand); 2 x 2 = 4. So the altar is foursquare, and also its ten squares show 4. 10 = 1 + 2 + 3 + 4.

of the Magician; and the law under which he works. Within this altar everything is kept, since everything is subject to law. Except the lamp.

According to some authorities the Altar should be made of oak to represent the stubbornness and rigidity of law; others would make it of Acacia, for Acacia is the symbol of resurrection.

The Altar is a double cube, which is a rough way of symbolizing the Great Work; for the doubling of the cube, like the squaring of the circle, was one of the great problems of antiquity. The surface of this Altar is composed of ten squares. The top is Kether, and the bottom Malkuth. The height of the Altar is equal to the height above the ground of the navel of the Magician. The Altar is connected with the Ark of the Covenant, Noah’s Ark, the nave (“navis,” a ship) of the Church, and many other symbols of antiquity, whose symbolism has been well worked out in an anonymous book called “The Cannon,”

WEH footnote: written by William Stirling

(Elkin Mathews), which should be studied carefully before constructing the Altar.

For this Altar must embody the Magician’s knowledge of the laws of Nature, which are the laws through which he works.

He should endeavour to make geometrical constructions to symbolize cosmic measurements. For example, he may take the two diagonals as (say) the diameter of the sun. Then the side of the altar will be found to have a length equal to some other cosmic measure, a vesica drawn on the side some other, a “rood cross” within the vesica yet another. Each Magician should work out his own system of symbolism — and he need not confine himself to cosmic measurements. He might, for example, find some relation to express the law of inverse squares.

The top of the Altar shall be covered with gold, and on this gold should be engraved some such figure as the Holy Oblation, or the New Jerusalem, or, if he have the skill, the Microcosm of Vitruvius, of which we give illustrations.

On the sides of the Altar are also sometimes drawn the great tablets of the elements, and the sigils of the holy elemental kings, as shown in The Equinox, No. VII; for these are syntheses of the forces of Nature. Yet these are rather special than general symbols, and this book purports to treat only of the grand principles of working.

{diagrams on this page, at top the microcosm of Vitruvius from the title page decoration (not frontispiece as is sometimes said) to Robert Fludd’s “Utriusque Cosmi Maioris scilicet et Minoris Metaphysica, Physica, Atque Technica Historia”, based on a Renaissance copy of Vitruvius’ 1st century “De Architectura” as interpreted by Cesariano in 1521, minus Fludd’s rope, clouds and winged fawn+hourglass, with the caption beneath “DESIGN SUITABLE FOR TOP OF ALTAR”, and below that a geometrical figure of the planets and stars from “The Cannon” fig. 3, p. 30, chap. II. with the under caption “THE HOLY OBLATION”}

{diagram on this page: Inside a dashed equilateral triangle are a scourge, chain, dagger and a wide, low perfume bottle shaped like a woman’s breast with nipple, below this is a scale in inches and below that the caption “THE SCOURGE, THE DAGGER, AND THE CHAIN; ENCLOSING THE PHIAL FOR THE HOLY OIL.”}

 

The Hierophant – Love and do what you will

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Chapter 3, verse xi: “Let the woman be girt with a sword before me”.

The symbolism of Crowley’s Thoth tarot is much more profound than the usual tarot meanings and symbolism. Crowley had a wonderful underlined subtext and messages communicating his ideas and beliefs through the Thoth tarot deck. I find his ‘secret’ symbolism and messages fascinating. 

Before we start to explore the symbolism of this card, remember we are only approaching it from the Crowlian point of view and a very specific one – which is mine. 

Let us understand first who is the Hierophant and what it represents.

The Hierophant is a person, especially a priest, who interprets sacred mysteries or esoteric principles. 

According to Wikipedia, a hierophant (Ancient Greek: ἱεροφάντης) is a person who brings religious congregants into the presence of that which is deemed holy.  As such, a hierophant interprets sacred mysteries and arcane principles. In Attica, Hierophant was the title of the chief priest at the Eleusinian Mysteries. It was an office inherited within the Philaidae or Eumolpidae families. The office of Hierophant, High Priestess and Dadouchousa Priestess were all inherited within the Philaidae or Eumolpidae families, and the Hierophant and the High Priestess were of equal rank. It was the task of the High Priestess to impersonate the roles of the goddesses Demeter and Persephone in the enactment during the Mysteries.

The Hierophant is associated with the element of earth.

From the above, we can understand that the hierophant is a top religious figure like the Pope, or the chief Rabbi if you like, whose job was to be a conductor, a channel, funnel or mediator between the gods and the people. In this particular card, focusing only on the hidden symbolism, the hierophant is the representation of the goddess Nuit.

Nuit represents the element of infinite space. The mother of all stars – after all – “Every man and every woman is a star” (chapter 1, verse 3). Nuit is also the place each star is return to when his or her light diminishes. She is also the divine law. The law that the hierophant needs to transmit to her followers. 

 “Let the woman be girt with a sword before me” 

At the front of the card, before the hierophant, we can see the woman girt with a sword. 

According to The Book of Thoth, “she represents the Scarlet Woman in the hierarchy of the new Aeon” or in other words, representative of the ‘new woman’, ie, no more just a housewife or a pretty decor on the arm of her husband or boyfriend, but armed and militant, seeking her truth and equal rights. 

We can see how all of this manifests in the feminist movement of the 70s and the Me Too movement of our days. 

The woman girt with a sword , “The woman is the priestess; in her reposes the mystery. She is the mother, brooding yet tender; the lover, at once passionate and aloof; the wife, revered and cherished. She is the witch woman.” (Freedom is a two-edged Sword, Jack Parsons)

The deeper you look into the hidden symbolism and meaning of this mysterious woman, the clear it gets, that she can be Nuit herself, guarding the divine law.  

The law is simple and clear and it’s the hierophant’s job to pass it to his congregation:

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

“Love is the law, love under will”

Or in our words 

Love and do what you will

***

“The symbolism of the Wand is peculiar” – Solve et Coagula

Crowley describes the three interlaced rings of the wand, as a “representative of the three Aeons of Isis, Osiris and Horus”. However, on a closer look, we see that the hierophant holding the wand with its three rings aspiring upward, in his right hand (solve).  

As a Setian/Typhonian, I couldn’t help the thought that the three interlaced rings, would be much more comfortable in the right hand of destruction (solve) as a representative of Set, Osiris & Ra. 

Set and Osiris are both Ra’s grandsons and make a sacred triad. Both brothers have to sacrifice themselves for the continuation of Ra — of life — Osiris by getting killed by his brother Set, and Set killing his brother and becoming the ‘outcast’ God. (Aromagick)

The demonstration cycle of life through destruction and creation is continued with the symbolism of the hierophant’s left hand.

His left hand (coagula) is pointing downward in the Shamak mudra hand position. I must admit that this never occurred to me before, but once I become aware of it, I could not un-see it. 

The Shamak mudra also calls the kidney mudra, is the perfect hand position to deliver the message of Solve et Coagula (destruction and creation). In the beginning, I couldn’t see the connection between the kidney mudra to the word coagula and what it represents in the occult symbolism, especially here, to the hierophant and his wand. 

Coagulation means The action or process of a liquid, especially blood, changing to a solid or semi-solid state.
“a supplement that inhibits blood coagulation”

The main function of the kidneys is to cleanse the blood of toxins and transform the waste into urine.

The hierophant’s right hand in the Shamak mudra, suggests that before we can coagulate, we must be cleansed and purified of all toxins. Only then can we coagulate into our new and transformed selves. 

“The Throne of the Hierophant is surrounded by elephants, which are of the nature of Taurus; and he is actually seated upon a bull.”

At first look, the card seems to resonate with the symbolism of the zodiac sign Taurus, which is an earth sign. The element of earth is represented in this card as the Bull Kerub and symbolises the earth element at its most balanced and strongest. If we look at the symbolism of the bull from the Setian perspective, it takes us back to the cattle cult which is probably the oldest cult in the world. 

Cave painting from the Tassili n’Ajjer mountains

All Egyptian male deities have bull avatars. The Bull of Ombos is the avatar of Set. The Bull Cult probably sprang out of the Cattle cult linking deities like the Heavenly Cow/Hathor which represents the female aspect of the cult. 

The bull symbolises male fertility and potency and is connected with energy, stamina, endurance, protection, and aggression. As a symbol of strength, the bull was worshipped throughout the ancient world. From the astrological point of view, the zodiac sign of Taurus is linked to Spring in the agriculture calendar. Symbolising the season of rebirth, wealth and abundance. The bull also stands as a symbol of stubbornness, ferocity, tyranny and brutality, all the characteristics of a powerful God/s, and will make an honourable sacrifice for the almighty.

We might think, that we have moved on from the religious practices and worship of the bull’s cult, but today, the cattle cult assumed a different structure — the dairy and meat industry, that most of us are pretty much worshipping still.

Just to remind you, a hierophant is a person who brings religious congregants into the presence of that which is deemed holy.  As such, a hierophant interprets sacred mysteries and arcane principles.

In this card, the hierophant symbolises the link to the secret of the rhythm of time and the ancient practice of the worship of the bull. 

The secrets of the time lords are encoded in the divine law which is guarded by Nuit/NWT and delivered by the hierophant.

Timelord (?)

Fire & Water, Oshun & Babalon

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“Babalon, let me tell you about Babalon, I was just looking at my diary from a while back, fire and water, that’s her, like Oshun, Orisha of the rivers and sweet waters. Here’s how she found me. I’ve been invited to take part in a ceremony of a different tribe, they share the same path of the Serpent and the Panther, but the practice is different. My tribe like to dive into the pool of the void, through its darkest tunnels and halls until it turns into light.

The other tribe practice the way in great light and celebration, even at the darkest moments somehow they find a way to celebrate with a beautiful practice. I thought that it is the perfect space to evoke Babalon. I needed to get some answers from her, so I put on my red dress and made a little tobacco offering to the fire. Then I waited for her to give me a sign; when it comes it is like the rhythm of the ayahuasca dream state of mind:

The serpent is awake,

Is coiling in my tummy and heart,

It is moving and winding, its scales are bright red,

It is getting ready to move up toward my neck,

I’m terrified it is going to swallow me,

It changes into a serpent-like flower,

Changing its colour from red to yellow,

More and more serpent-like flowers are popping around me.

I can hear the Oshun song from the distance,

I am singing it,

I can hear Babalon whispering in my ears,

To understand me, go with Oshun.

I get it…

At first, the Scarlet Lady and Oshun look like they have nothing in common. Oshun is the Yellow Lady of the rivers … but to embody the will and the passion to create magic and change, you need to move in a wavelike motion, to be fluid like water.

Babalon rides the flames of the ever-burning fire. If you look closely at the flames, you can see that they have a strange fluidity. Fire, like water, always has to move, expand and never standstill. So both ladies share the same qualities. Oshun is the watery aspect of Babalon, and Babalon is the fiery aspect of Oshun. You cannot create magic from still water that lacks fluidity.

You cannot create magic from still and tamed fire, which will soon burn out and die.

In the morning after the ceremony closed, I stood by the fire talking to the shaman, when something caught my eye. At the side of the fire was a statue of Shiva holding the Trishula 1 trident, and next to it two further Trishula, made from iron. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I’d dreamt of that very Trishula the month before!

 

When I asked the shaman what he uses them for, he said what I have always known: at the ceremony the Trishula helps destroy the three worlds that we find so hard to let go of. After the ceremony, we arrived at the here and now, with joy, beauty and bliss in our hearts. Who said that dreams can’t come true??

Om Namaha Shivaya

Viva Oshun

Hail Babalon.”

  • From NakedTantra by Miryamdevi & Minanath

Serpents everywhere

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The snake charmer/Emil Otto Hoppe

A couple of weeks before Samhain/Day of the Dead, I had an insight.

This year, on our pilgrimage, to visit the ancestors, we going to perform The  Headless ritual in the graveyard. I’m not sure where this insight came from,  perhaps I was reading again too much Crowley’s stuff again.

When I asked M what does he think about performing The Headless ritual for our day of the dead extravaganza, he said it was a good idea and we should give it a go.

Later on that week, I had another insight – we must sing the headless ritual. When I say sing, I meant singing the power words.

The tune that was stuck in my head was – Schuberts’ Ave Maria…

Now, I can sing, not too bad actually, and when I’m really going for it, I can make some very cool shamanic howling, but I’m certainly not Maria Callas.

We arrived at the old farmhouse on Samhain eve, exhausted from the long drive, neither of us feel like performing any ritual, instead, we end up snoozing in front of the TV.

We agreed to do try the next day on our visit to the cemetery.

After a week or so of practising singing the power words, I felt more than ready. 

The next morning, we drove to the cemetery armed with a candle, joss sticks, and a printed version of the Bornless ritual. As soon as we start driving the weather changed from a nice sunny morning into a grey and wet one. As we turned a corner, the most beautiful rainbow appeared and a thought crossed my mind: 

The Serpent and the Rainbow

The Serpent and the Rainbow, our two ancient Haitian serpent deities that probably stand at the top of the Haitian Vodou system.

The serpent – Dambala Wedo is the ancient sky father, he is the origin of life and the ancient source of wisdom. His wife, Ayida Wedo is a water serpent with rainbow-coloured scales and her symbol is the rainbow.

The story goes like that – Dambala Wedo gave rain to the world, as the raindrops fell from the sky they formed a rainbow colour. Danbala fell in love with Ayida the rainbow serpent. They married and joined as a double helix of snakes, giving birth to the human race. (from Vodou Visions by Sallie Ann Glassman).

The rainbow reminded me why the Headless ritual would be good for this particular work (part from the urge to sing it). In the second part of the ritual that sometimes comes under the title ‘Assuming of the God form’, you can find a line that says: My name is a heart encircled by a serpent.  So the headless ritual has a serpent in it and somehow also felt connected to the energies of this time of the year.

The Orphic egg, not exactly a heart, but you get the idea.

By the time we got to the cemetery, it was very wet and we could sense a tempest was coming which reminded us that Set is a storm deity after all, aka the voice of the storm. So we lit the candle and the incense but again, something about the timing of the ritual didn’t feel right, the weather so bad we got back in the car and raced for home.

I was looking for a picture that will capture the essence of the Headless ritual, and my research led me to a very familiar one that can represent the line – My name is a heart encircled by a serpent, but also connected to the double helix formed by the serpent and the rainbow I mentioned earlier.

The more I think and study the picture and my relationship with the deity in it, the realization of why we didn’t get to perform the headless ritual as planned, was sinking in. In my opinion, preparing for a ritual sometimes is just as good and powerful as the performance itself and by the time of the ritual, sometimes you feel that things are already in motion.

For the best part of about 3 weeks, all I did was explore the ritual in so many ways so I would find the best way to sing it. In that period of time, I read it over and over again and sang the words of power numerous times. By the time we arrived at the specific date planned for it, I felt saturated and full. I didn’t want nor feel the need to do it. This resulted in a very quiet and peaceful space in my head, something like the feeling of when a ritual is completed and we say the famous words 

IT IS DONE!

XEPHER!

2 serpents circling up and around the heart

So our friend Baphomet here, got a double helix sort of serpents, possibly symbolizing the rising of the kundalini through the lingam wisdom. Both of the serpents heads point in the direction of the sternum, which is the protector of the heart. 

When we prepare for a ritual, to make it successful, we need to put ‘our heart’ into it, some will say we need to put ‘our heart and soul’, but this can be open for discussion. However, by putting ‘our heart’ into the preparations, we are consumed by the ritual, the more we study we become one with it, and we start to initiate certain elements’ energies and powers into motion, while at the time doing so we are probably not aware of it at all. By the time the day arrives, there is nothing more to do. 

The Bornless One Ritual

“I summon you, Headless One,
Who created earth and heaven,
Who created night and day,
You who created light and darkness;
You are Unas, the beautiful whom none has ever seen;
You are Iabas;
You are Iapos;
You have distinguished the just from the unjust;
You have made female and male;
You have revealed seed and fruits;
You have made men love each other
And hate each other.”
“I am Moses your prophet to whom you have transmitted your mysteries celebrated by Israel; you have revealed the moist and the dry and all nourishment; hear me.”

“I am the messenger of the beautiful Pharaoh Unas
This is your true name,
which has been transmitted to the prophets of Israel.
Hear me, Hear me,
arbathiaô reibet athelebersêth [ara]
blatha albeu ebenphchi chitasgoê ibaôth iaô
Listen to me and turn away this daimon”

“I call upon you, awesome and invisible god with an empty spirit,
arogogo-robraô
sekhmet
modoriô phalarchaô ooo

Holy Headless One. Deliver us
From the daimon which restrains us,
roubriaô mari ôdam baabnabaôth
ass adônai aphniaô
ithôlêth abrasas
aêôôy;
Mighty Headless One,
Deliver us
From the daimons that restrain.
mararraiô ioêl kotha athorêbalo abraôth,

Deliver us:
aôth abraôth basym isak sabaôth iaô”
“He is lord of the gods;
He is the lord of the inhabited world;
He is the one whom the winds fear;
He is the one who made all things
By the commands of his voice.”

“Lord, King, Master, Helper, save the Soul-Ba (Psyche)
ieou pyr
iou pyr
iaôt
iaêô
ioou
abrasax sabriam
oo yy ey oo yy
adônaie,

Immediately, immediately
Good messenger of the God
anlala lai gaia
apa diachanna choryn”

Assumption of the God form

“I am the headless daimon with my sight in my feet;
[I am] the mighty one [who possesses] the immortal fire;
I am the truth who hates the fact that unjust deeds
are done in the world;
I am the one who makes the lightning flash and the thunder roll;
I am the one whose sweat is the heavy rain, which falls upon the earth that it might be inseminated;
I am the one whose mouth burns completely;
I am the one who begets and destroys;
I am the Favour of the Aion;
My name is a heart encircled by a serpent;
Come forth and follow.”

“Subject to me all daimons,
So that every daimon,
Whether of the heavens
Or the air
Or earthly
Or under the earth
Terrestrial or aquatic,
Might be obedient to me
And every enchantment and scourge
Which is from God.”

Closure:

When you want to finish do so by for example repeating the first part of Tankhem opening and then a “license to depart”:
“I release any spirits entrapped by this working,
May you go in peace to your lovely abodes.
Farewell Headless One,
Lord of the inhabited world,
Farewell Akephalos,
The son of Nuit
Leader of the company of heaven in their diurnal motion,
Senebty, great Bull of Ombos.”

After which pour any remaining offerings such as those of the chalice on earth and clear equipment, extinguish lamps etc .

This version of the Bornless ritual was taken from Egyptian magick by Mogg Morgan

***

Inspired by the work of the 4th head, The Serpent, from Apophis by Michael Kelly.

***

Another interesting view on the serpent, you will find in the YouTube link below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72T2bW8bkfA

MMM

 

 

Rap to Pan

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Thrill with lovely lust of the light,

O man! My man!

Come charging out of the night Of Pan!

Io Pan! Io Pan!

Io Pan! Come over the sea

From Shambala and paradise!

Roaming like Bacchus, with his guards

Companion females and males all hard

On a milk-white ass, come over the sea

To me, to me! Come with priestess in bridal dress

(Shepherdess and pythoness)

Come with Artemis, who in wildwood trod,

And wash your white thigh, beautiful god,

In the moon of the woods, on the lotus press,

The golden tongue my jewel to bless!

Dip the purple of passionate prayer

In the crimson shrine, lusty & bare,

Your soul that startles with eyes of blue

As we watch your ecstasy seeping through

The tangled thicket, the ancient grove

Of the living tree that is spirit and soul

And body and brain — come over the sea,

Io Pan! Io Pan!

Devil or god, to me, to me,

My man! my man!

Come with trumpets sounding shrill

Over the hill!

Come with drums low thundering

From the spring!

Come with flute and come with pipe!

Am I not ripe?

I, who wait and tremble and wrestle

With breathe that has no way to settle

My body, weary of empty embrace,

Strong as a lion and smooth as a snake —

Come, O come!

I am numb

With the lonely lust of devildom.

Thrust the sword through iron fetters,

All-devourer, all-begetter;

Give me the sign of the Open Eye,

And the token aroused of horny thigh,

And the word of madness and mystery,

O Pan! Io Pan!

Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! Pan Pan! Pan,

I am one love

Do as you will, as a great god can,

O Pan! Io Pan!

Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! I am awake

In the grip of the snake.

The eagle slashes with beak and claw;

The gods withdraw:

The great beasts come.

Io Pan! I am borne

To come on the horn

Of the Unicorn.

I am Pan! Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! Pan!

I am your mate, I am your one,

Goat of your flock, I am gold, I am god,

Flesh to your bone, flower to your rod.

With hoofs of steel, I race on the rocks

Through solstice sunrise to equinox.

And I rave, and I howl and I rip and I rend

Everlasting, world without end,

Maenad, Mystoi, Woman, Man,

In the might of Pan.

Io Pan! Io Pan Pan! Pan! Io Pan!

 

(found after AC)

New moon Bath ritual

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The New Moon brings with it another cycle of new beginnings and rebirth. A fresh start and time to focus our intentions, ideas and dreams into creative manifestation. 

The Amrita kala and Kameswari correspond with the essence of the Clary Sage.  As its name suggests, Clary is the oil of clarity, clear thinking and clear visions.  Using Clary sage on the new moon will direct the Amrita kala and Kameswari’s essence our way. Few drops in the ritual bath will help us to become open to changes, new ideas and new perceptions, clear our mind and make space for new visions and dreams.

Clary Sage 

Clary Sage essential oil, is mainly used for menstrual complaints, childbirth and can help in releasing female sexual dysfunction (frigidity). Clary sage is a general nerve tonic and like the garden sage, it cools inflammation and is especially useful for throat and respiratory infections.

It has a calming effect on the mind and it is known to induce euphoria.

Clary sage has a relaxing effect on the body and mind, encouraging sleep and vivid dreams.

Salvia Sclarea

Salvia Sclarea

The ritual

Prepare your oil blend in a small bowl, 1 tablespoon of sea salt and about 6-10 drops of Clary Sage oil.

When your bath is full, add the blend into the bath and make the figure 8 with your hand in the water while focusing on your intentions and prayers, offer yourself (by getting into the water) to the spirit of the oil. Once you’re in the bath, let your body relax into the water. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths inhaling the scent of the oil and listen to your guided meditation: 

Chandra (Moon) gayatri mantra:

om kshira-putraya vidmahe

amrita-tattvaya dhimahi

tanno chandra prachodayat

 

I bow down to Lord Chandra holder of the lotus. 

Who shines in the brilliant color of gold. 

May Lord Chandra illuminate my intellect

and shed light on my path. 

*I recommend recording the meditation beforehand, so you can listen to it while you are bathing. I make a playlist that lasts about 25-30 minutes, starting with about 7-10 minutes of some relaxing music, then guided meditation for about 10 minutes, followed with 10 minutes of more relaxing music. When the music stops, it’s your queue to get out of the ritual bath.

  • When a bath is not an option, you can inhale the oil while listening to the mantra/meditation. Once the mantra is over, utter license to depart (say thanks and put the Clary sage bottle away).                                   ***Excessive inhalation of the Clary sage oil might cause headaches!

 

The Witch of King’s Cross – Rosaleen Norton

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A story that needs to be told, this ground breaking documentary does the trick. Although at 1 hour 15minutes maybe a little overlong for the format and could be a bit faster. Even so it was great to see and hear her biographer, the late Nevill Drury contributing to the story he did so much to research over several editions of his book Pan’s Daughter : the magical world of Rosaleen Norton. I found the first half the most interesting, when she was younger and a rising star, before the grey men in the Australian patriarchy, and the catholic church brought her down and mostly extinguished her fire, sometimes literally in the fire, when the police were ordered by the courts to burn two of her paintings. Outrageous stuff that courts order burning of pictures, a real witchhunt.

The dirty tricks, the illegal raids on her home by the press are all there. And though she fought back and embraced and reclaimed her witch archetype, it was something of a pyric victory as she ended her days mostly as a recluse and died alone in a hospice run by nuns. Many of her former friends in the film seemed too untogether to be there for her at the end. 

She became something of a parody of herself, sometimes grotesque in the media game. I was so glad to see the pictures of her in her sister’s garden, her hair down and unbleached, no fringe and no crazy eyebrows – just the beautiful person she once was. 

So overall, despite a great body of work, she was well ahead of her time. But a wasted genius, and not through any fault of her own, other than being a woman and a witch.  Her astral magick, with which she connected with Gavin Greenlees and Eugene Goossens enabling them to connect across space and time, is experiencing something of a revival just now and the greater details in Nevill’s book will be useful for that. The patrician musician Goossens was an important occult influence though in the end, the career of this magical superstar was destroyed by a media conceived scandal. He died soon after but never blamed Roie for the any of it; despite her keeping a photographic record of their work, which was stolen from its hiding place in her flat by a hostile journalist and they then sealed her, and his fate. So let us remember her, and induct her into the company of gnostic and tantrik saints. A true original, whose magick and witchcraft did not come from the usual suspects of the time, but was a power of love, direct and from above. 

Honorable mention to the choreographer, actors and sound people for great soundtrack, though was odd that subtitles when pan danced musick subtitled as esoteric when Lilith danced is was dramatic, great track called “Dark Arts” by Brian De Mercia.  Everyone should see this film and support the makers by paying the modest fee to own it. 

Mandrake Newsletter has more information on the biography of Rosaleen Norton Pan’s Daughter and some words from its author Nevill Drury

 

 

 

 

 

The Autumn Equinox, Sandworms, The Tower and the Hebrew letter Pei – פ

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“My awareness flows into that timeless stratum from where I can view time, I sense the available paths, the winds of the future, the winds of the past, The one-eyed vision of the past, the one-eyed vision of the present, and the one-eyed vision of the future, all combined in a trinocular vision that permits me to see time become space.”  Paul Atreides, Dune

“My awareness flows into that timeless stratum from where I can view time”

It is nearly the autumn equinox and you can feel the change in the air, most of the trees are still in their bright and deep green but there are more leaves on the ground and the horse-chestnut trees are turning brown. It is two days before the autumn equinox and my awareness flows into that timeless stratum from where I can view time. On Tuesday at 2:30 pm, we will get a glimpse of time manifesting itself, like a secret door that closes behind us and opens again but to a new and different direction. The astral compass points to the west.  This Time we face The Great Spirit Of The West, which at this point of time, for me, it will be represented by Leviathan, some may refer to it as Apophis or Tiamat or in our case the great beasts of the sand ocean of Dune, the mighty Sandworms.

Sandworm

Thinking about Leviathan, I can’t help but keep going back to the story of Jonah that has been “swallowed by a large fish, in whose belly he spends three days and three nights. While in the great fish, Jonah prays to God in his affliction and commits to giving thanks and to paying what he has vowed. God then commands the fish to vomit Jonah out”.(Wikipedia

Jonah and the Whale by Pieter Lastman

Basically what this story tries to teach us is that Jonah had to be swallowed by a whale before he could “see the light” and be reborn. On a personal level, Jonah’s story always reminds me of a little saying that circulates among my friends the spies drinkers, “you will never know your truth, until the Serpent spirit devourers you and spits you back out again.

Serpent spirit by symbolika.com

The belly of Leviathan, Tiamat, the Queen Serpent call it what you like, symbolises the abyss we are standing in front of. Once swallowed or devoured by Leviathan and co, symbolises the full-on head jump into the abyss knowing that the only way through it is by looking at the raw guts of Leviathan and taking responsibility for our actions.

Time to take responsibilities

“I sense the available paths, the winds of the future, the winds of the past”

The realization or gnosis one undergoes in the belly of Leviathan directs us to a better understanding of the paths we already took and the ones that lie ahead of us. Once we open our eyes, and our truth has been registered within our body and soul, we become like undigested food in the belly of Leviathan waiting to be spat out like the precious Ambergris and reborn into a new reality, a new path.

“The one-eyed vision of the past, the one-eyed vision of the present, and the one-eyed vision of the future, all combined in a trinocular vision that permits me to see time become space.”

Reading these lines made me think of the Tower.  It is only now while writing this I can see the connection with Jez’s post about the Orfordness Lighthouse. The lighthouse combined vision is focused on the sea and on the West, guiding the ships ashore and lighting the way to those souls crossing the West Gate on their journey beyond.

For the Equinox rite, we decided to head west and visit the ancestral land of Glamorgan. The call of the western land was very strong this time and after driving for a couple of hours we stopped at our favourite beach. It’s the new moon and the tide is so far out it feels like we are strolling on an endless beach with no sight or a glimpse of the Celtic sea ahead of us.

I couldn’t avoid the eerie feeling while walking on that vast sandy beach. The landscape stretching to the horizon. At the back of my mind, a little question kept nagging me, would the sea ever come back? 

The Westcoast has its fair share of bleak and eerie landscapes but that afternoon on the eve of the autumn equinox, the beach felt more eerie than usual. Another thought crossed my mind; I came to look for Leviathan but instead, I probably will find a huge beach sandworm…

We walked along the deserted beach and before long we came upon a 19th-century Watchtower and immediately the pennies dropped and I saw the connection to the tower from Jez post to the tower card and the autumn equinox. 

The Watchtower is situated to the West, watching the rise of the tide, measuring its highs and lows, calculating the length of the days and nights, light and the dark. Tonight we will face the darkest of the moon and the lowest of the tides but tomorrow we’re gonna wake up into a beautiful balanced day and the west gate shall be opened.

The watchtower

The Tower

In the Thoth tarot deck, the tower card is attributed to the letter Pei – פ  which means a mouth(Peh-פ), it also refers to the planet Mars and as it happens, the autumn equinox this year falls on a Tuesday. Lady synchronicity pulling her strings again.

Let’s go back to the letter Pei and how it’s related to our equinox work and Leviathan. For a while now I wanted to share some insights which come to me while meditating and studying some of the popular and respected books in my own culture. 

“The letter Pei symbolizes the channel by which freedom would reign throughout the cosmos. It also represents our meditative channel for altering the future events of our lives. The letter Pei gives us the power to redirect our energies to higher, more productive states of consciousness and understanding, that yesterday, today and tomorrow, are all one and the same, once we released the limits of rational consciousness.” Rav Berg, The Energy Of The Hebrew Letters. 

 This made me think of  “The one-eyed vision of the past, the one-eyed vision of the present, and the one-eyed vision of the future, all combined in a trinocular vision that permits me to see time become space” (Paul Atreides, Dune, as mentioned above)

It is only when we unbind ourselves from the limitations of rational consciousness and understanding that there are alternatives, and different perceptions, our consciousness is altered and we start seeing/understanding/experiencing a new perspective of time.

By understanding the energy of Pei, the mouth, we are advancing into the highest level of our inner and encircling light/mysteries and awakening to the realization that we can challenge the authority of the cosmos and succeed in altering its direction. 

The understanding of the power of the voice, the spoken word, is ancient and probably exists since the beginning of time when we became aware of our voices for the first time. I don’t think I have to explain the power of the spoken word/s. We can make or break, bless or curse with our words. The written word is also very powerful, but we all know that to make it real, to have an impact, you have to say it out loud. Like praying, we can pray very quietly in our hearts but when we become the prayer we let it all out, we sing and we cry and we shout to our favourite deity, we let it all out by making a sound, by using our mouth. We make spells and release them by spelling out each word, sometimes each letter spelling it by using our words and whispers.                                                                                                The power of Pei פ.   

The realization of the magical formula that combines all the magical powers of the mouth into one letter – פ, it is quite amazing. The shape of the letter Pei resembles a serpent that hides its head within its body – פ, this, of course, made me think of the biblical Leviathan all curled up in the bottom of the sea waiting to be awakened. 

The destruction of Leviathan by Gustave Dore

The awakening of Leviathan can be linked to the destruction of the tower – the destruction of the illusion of the world and the matrix of ‘organized’ life which confined us. The swallowing of Jonah by the Leviathan symbolizes also the awakening from the illusion – the falling from the tower. The insight, the gnosis of new perceptions, a new reality, new life.

The letter Pei also symbolizes Malchut which governs the physical body just as the serpent that hides its head symbolizes the physical awakening of the body – the female genitalia can be symbolized as the mouth – Pei, while the man genitalia can be thought of the serpent, both are awakened within the kingdom – Malchut of the physical body. 

While writing this I find myself pondering how all this physical awakening stuff has got anything to do with the autumn equinox. So I set my time machine a few days back to Tuesday morning. This time we headed to a different beach, a secluded one, a quiet place for our annual season ritual. It’s a grey day and the beach is deserted. Unlike yesterday, the tide is not so far out but also not too high, the word balance comes to mind. The coastline looks wild and primal, we are the only people on the beach and we are looking for the best spot for the autumn equinox rite. 

I think we walked for about half an hour before we found the perfect spot. I must admit that rituals in nature are my favourite, no need for fancy clothing or an altar as each stone, tree or a flower can become the altar if needed, even better, We become the altar. Our mouth becomes the cup that holds within it the essence of the magic itself, the spoken words of the invocation or the spells we utter.

Facing the west we started with our invocation of Leviathan. Leviathan is a creature of the sea so to invoke it, it only makes sense (well, to me anyway) to invoke the ocean first. So we call upon the mighty ocean, asking to open up and show us the ways, hoping that our small offerings of coins and ancient prayers will awaken Leviathan, awaken us from another layer of illusion.

All through the ritual, the air was very still and quiet but as soon as we said our farewells and license to depart, a sharp cry and the fluttering of wings above our heads. I looked up and two magnificent birds were circulating above us, while at the same time a huge wave crashed onto the shore. I couldn’t avoid the symbolic situation and the line from Crowley’s writing about The Tower from The Book of Thoth crossed my mind: 

“Bathed in the effulgence of this Eye (which now assumes even a third sense, that indicated in Atu XV) are the Dove bearing an olive branch and the Serpent.”

I don’t think the birds were doves and a whale (Leviathan in Hebrew means whale) did not jump out of the waters at that particular moment, but somehow we knew that our offering and prayers had been accepted.   

Not a whale in sight but a very cool spider web on the ancient rocks

Many thaks to Steve D for the inspiration.