skip to main |
skip to sidebar
"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law"
Having written two weeks ago about various expressions of the vessel as cup, chalice, cauldron and grail, I am brought to the question of what fills this cup. This comes from a recent purchase of mine, Alchemy and Mysticism by Alexander Roob (Taschen) being a book of art of the Western mystery tradition and images from Liber Mutus, or the silent book, an alchemical text which depicts the collection and processing of dew. This mirrored nicely something I had read in the writings of Aleister Crowley in looking at the question of the cup. He speaks as follows:
"There is, however, a universal solvent and harmonizer, a certain dew which is so pure that a single drop of it cast into the water of the Cup will for the time being bring all to perfection. This dew is called Love. Even as in the case of human love, the whole Universe appears perfect to the man who is under its control, so is it, and much more, with the Divine Love of which it is now spoken."ALEISTER CROWLEY, BOOK 4"
The universal solvent can be considered an image of the Philosophers Vitrol or the Green Lion. It is a watery aggregate of the prima materia, or base matter. I have had a long, but not a very deep or practised interest in alchemy. I originally was of a school of thought that believed in alchemy as allegory and symbol, but the more I understand the nature of this scientific method, the more sure I am that literal, physical or lab alchemy is needed. It is a misfortune that I do not have the space or facilities at present to set up a lab, but wonder how it is that I can take aspects of lab alchemy in my own practice.In looking at banishing and the nature of the salt and water, we have seen that water is quite an influencable medium. The lab alchemist (apprenticed under Frater Albertus) Robert Bartlett speaks about this quality.
"In the liquid state materials are much more susceptible to astrological influences (especially through the Moon) and we use this to impress or augment a planetary power in our subject. It is not uncommon to repeat this process of solve et coagula a number of times using distilled water or a specially prepared type of water which has already captured certain astrological influences during its manufacture. With each cycle, the subject becomes more powerful."ROBERT BARTLETT "REAL ALCHEMY" PAGE 38 (2006)"
"Water is a strange creature. It is the only substance on our planet that exists in solid, liquid and gaseous states at the same time under the normal range of temperatures and pressures we experience... This universal fire of life is one of the alchemist's Secret Fires. As this spiritual fire hits our atmosphere, it condenses in the air and is carried by it. As the air fills with moisture, the universal Fire condenses even further and moves into the water."The water, charged with the Secret Fire (a Universal Mercury) becomes determined for use by a particular kingdom when it hits the Earth."ROBERT BARTLETT "REAL ALCHEMY" PAGE 49 (2006)"
As much as the water, or dew is determined for use by what it hits, we can work to cultivate a truly universal solvent by collecting dew from none of the established kingdoms (mineral, plant, animal, man), for example by pitching out a sheet of plastic to collect dew. This can be further distilled, or exposed to certain 'determining' features, for example, through acts of ritual magick. True distillation is not feasible for me without a lab, so the dew holds a more primitive manifestation, holding Hydrogen, oxygen, and trace elements of alkalies (ionic salt)as an expression of fire, water and air, being added to and working upon any medium it is added to.I wonder, with Crowleys words describing the dew as Love, whether this refers to active devotional practice. To be devoted to something, to work closely with any substance, is to engage in an act of connection, engagement and alignment, or love under will. We also find the dew as the philosophers stone in the Eastern tradition as immortality or amrita. Crowley speaks thus:
"In Hindu symbolism the Amrita or dew of immortality.1 drips constantly upon a man, but is burnt up by the gross fire of his appetites. Yogis attempt to catch and so preserve this dew by turning back the tongue in the mouth."ALEISTER CROWLEY BOOK 4"
The Amrita, or dew of immortality is often referred to as a nectar. In many ways it is synonymous with the Soma, an energising ritual drink in the Indian tradition. We meet a similar theme in the Zohar which links the dew with the manna, or spiritual bread on which the "souls of the just nourish themselves"Dew is normally 'harvested' in the late spring, during April and May. In Britain there is a belief that if dew is collected on a May day morning, itr can be used to affect healing or the appearance of the skin. If collected on a medium other than that of the four kingdoms (ie plastics) it can be collected and dedicated to a given purpose, as opposed to dew which is collected on mineral or plant mediums, thus pre-dedicating them to certain energetic correspondences.. I am intending to experiment with this in the coming months and to integrate this special substance into my occult practices. I have much still to learn but I must admit that I am intrigued...
"Love is the law love under will"
Keywords: benefits of astral projection moonchild aleister crowley buddhist meditation nyc the middle age buddhist meditations enochian tablet information about gods and goddesses greek gods and goddesses and their powers the names of the greek gods and goddesses egyptian god and goddess
This ritual is the macrocosmic complement to the COMSELH AOIVEAE, and was developed along with that ritual for our magical working group, Comselh Ananael. It is based on an earlier ritual of mine called the MADRIAX which used the symbol of the heptagram in accordance with its basic symbolism drawn from John Dee's "Heptarchia Mystica". The angels of the "Heptarchia" do not appear on the Great Table and are explicitly planetary and attributed to the days of the week. Each day has a King and Prince who have specific offices and behave somewhat like a planetary intelligence and spirit, though the distinction is not nearly as clear-cut as it is with Agrippa's planetary hierarchy. In general, the Kings are associated with knowledge and learning and the Princes with mundane actions. The ruling angels of the system are CARMARA and HAGONEL, who do not seem to be bound to any particular day, though in the Heptarchia their conjurations appear along with those for the King and Prince related to Monday.
The COMSELH MADRIAX does not use the figure of the heptagram at the various directional points but that of the Unicursal Hexagram. The same figure is used in the microcosmic COMSELH AOIVEAE and this is a break from the Golden Dawn tradition. The Golden Dawn used the pentagram to symbolize the microcosm and the standard bicursal hexagram to symbolize the macrocosm, which they related to the formula of the Adept or 5=6. The Unicursal Hexagram is a hybrid symbol - it can represent the elements (as shown in Aleister Crowley's "Book of Thoth" or in an earlier knowledge lectures of the Golden Dawn) or it can represent the planets, as it is sometimes used by modern magicians. Israel Regardie was one of the first advocates of this latter usage, especially because it allowed a Hexagram of the Sun to be drawn from the central point. However, even when used in a planetary context the figure retains its elemental symbolism and is less suitable than the standard hexagram for pure planetary operations. To draw a standard Golden Dawn Hexagram of the Sun it is necessary to trace all six planetary hexagrams, which as Michael Sandborn comments in "The Unicursal Hexagram as Hyperbola" is a "wonderful isometric exercise."
The departure from the Golden Dawn pentagram/hexagram symbolism is grounded in the essential concepts of operant magick. The Operant Field Model proposes that the mind of the magician corresponds to a field effect that is experienced as consciousness. This is termed the Personal Field. Fields are also created by individual objects, and these fields unite into larger fields when those objects interact. These are called Transpersonal Fields. The magician is able to influence objects because he or she has trained the personal field to synchronize with a transpersonal field that contains those objects and then is able to use concentrated thought to affect them. Essentially, magick is possible when the Personal Field and a Transpersonal Field are conjoined. Bringing the macrocosmic and microcosmic realms into alignment in this manner is the basic goal of the opening rituals, such as those of the pentagram and hexagram.
The Unicursal Hexagram is an ideal glyph to accomplish this, especially if it is considered as a representation of a hyperbola. Michael Sandborn's "The Unicursal Hexagram as Hyperbola" was very influential in the design of this ritual and its counterpart, even moreso than it was in the development of our alternative Lesser Ritual of the Hexagram. The interesting thing about the hyperbola is that from a mathematical standpoint there are not two curves, but one, even though the figure is drawn as two arcs facing in opposite directions that do not appear to touch. If the upper curve is envisioned as the Transpersonal realm and the lower curve is envisioned as the Personal Field, then this figure is indeed ideally suited for use in complementary rituals intended to accomplish the union of the two realms, uniting that which at first appears to be separate.
The points of the Unicursal Hexagram may be attributed to the planets, though as Sanborn mentions in his article it is not clear that a solar form can actually be drawn from the center point. The planetary form retains its elemental characteristics which harmonize nicely with the usage of the figure in the COMSELH AOIVEAE. The standard planetary arrangement used for both forms of the hexagram is based on the Tree of Life, specifically the placement of spheres 3-9. The elemental attributions can be found in the commentary on the COMSELH AOIVEAE. Combining the planetary and elemental attributions yields the following:
* Top Point: Saturn = Active Spirit
* Upper Right: Jupiter = Water
* Upper Left: Mars = Fire
* Lower Right: Venus = Earth
* Lower Left: Mercury = Air
* Bottom Point: Moon = Passive Spirit
Attributing Active Spirit to Saturn may seem odd since Saturn is usually seen in astrology as representing limitation and structure, but Saturn also is the Lord of Initiation and stands in for all three supernal spheres. In this arrangement it signifies the actions of the Heavens, just as the Moon signifies the actions of the Earth. The top and bottom points are larger than the side points because they represent the active and passive polarities that give rise to the other four elements. The standard hexagram is a more "pure" planetary symbol since it reflects a completely balanced arrangement of the planets by virtue of having six identical points.
Banishing and invoking planets using the Unicursal Hexagram works slightly differently than banishing and invoking elements. With elements, the figure is traced toward the point attributed to the element to invoke and away from the point attributed to the element to banish. With planets, the figure is traced starting at the point attributed to the planet moving clockwise to invoke and counter-clockwise to banish. As noted in Sanborn's essay, this presents a problem because there is no way to draw a fully clockwise or counter-clockwise Unicursal Hexagram - the "twist" in the middle of the figure means that the tracing will always switch directions in the course of completing the shape. How this is resolved is to move clockwise or counter-clockwise from the perspective of the point from which the figure is being traced.
In the COMSELH AOIVEAE, the Unicursal Hexagrams are traced to the four directions in such a way that the temple is envisioned as a two-dimensional space. The dimension of spirit - that is, the path followed by the Lightning Flash and Serpent of Wisdom - is represented by the third dimension of the space, the vertical axis. In the COMSELH MADRIAX, the Unicursal Hexagrams are traced in a three-dimensional configuration to form a sphere with the representation of the Sun at its center. The spiritual dimension can no longer be modeled as the vertical axis and is then represented as turning inward and outward rather than upward and downward. This reflects the true macrocosmic shape of the fields involved - for the Personal Field to align a Transpersonal Field, the field that is experienced as consciousness must expand outward to encompass more of the universe than just the individual self. This is why mysticism is an important part of any magical practice - it teaches the expansion of the self beyond the artificial boundaries imposed by personal perceptions.
The second section of the ritual calls upon the Governors, twelve Angels that rule over the various parts of the earth and are related to the signs of the Zodiac. Like the Angels of the Heptarchia, these Governors do not appear on the Tablet of the Watchtowers and represent the pure force of the signs of the Zodiac. As an aside, note that these twelve Governors are not the same as the Angelic names of the ninety-one Parts of the Earth, which do appear on the Tablet, despite the fact that the Golden Dawn Enochian system refers to the Parts of the Earth as "the Governors." It is clear from the original passage in Dee's diaries that when the Angels make reference to the Governors, they mean these twelve Zodiacal Governors and not the Parts of the Earth.
Benjamin Rowe makes the following comments in "The 91 Parts of the Earth: Introduction":
It should be emphasized that these Parts are not "governors of the Aethyrs", as has been mistakenly said by some writers. The name of the Part does not invoke a specific being, but only a certain locale of the Enochian universe, with its particular qualities. Nor does the Part in any way "rule" the Aethyr of which it is a portion. One might view the relationship between Parts and Aethyrs as being similar to the relationship between the decanates of the zodiac and the signs of which they are a section. The Voice of the Part is not the Part itself, but one of the unnamed ministers who dwells therein.
Every part is governed by one of twelve "Zodiacal Kings", who is associated with one of the Tribes of Israel. The angels did not give Dee an explicit listing of their zodiacal attributes; he was told to derive it from the related tribe. Apparently he never did so. In these visions, the following system of attributes was used, which differs from both Agrippa system with which Dee was familiar, and the G.D. system.
* Aries = Alpudus = Isacarah
* Taurus = Hononol = Iehudah
* Gemini = Zarzilg = Nephthalim
* Cancer = Gebabal = Asseir
* Leo = Olpaged = Dan
* Virgo = Cadaamp = Benjamin
* Libra = Zarnaah = Manasse
* Scorpio = Arfaolg = Ephraim
* Sagittarius = Lavavot = Gad
* Capricorn = Zurchol = Simeon
* Aquarius = Ziracah = Ruben
* Pisces = Zinggen = Zabulon
The logic of this system is based on the disposition of the Tribes depicted in Numbers 2, combined with Dee's diagram of that disposition. There are several possible systems that could be derived from these sources; the one actually used was chosen by divination after the major possibilities were assessed.
Rowe's attributions of the Governors to the signs are used in the second section of this ritual.
PART I: THE PLANETS
There is no specific opening step in this ritual that is comparable to sections I and IV of the pentagram ritual, since it is assumed that this ritual is encapsulated by the COMSELH AOIVEAE. By this I mean that you perform the COMSELH AOIVEAE up through "Behold, the circle of stars, and I the all-powerful in the midst," perform this ritual, perform additional ritual work as you will, and close with section IV of the COMSELH AOIVEAE. As such, the opening has already been done and the closing will be performed following the conclusion of whatever additional ritual work is being done.
* Face the east. If the Holy Table is present, stand to the west of it. In all cases, you will be casting across the Holy Table to the opposite side of the Temple, so "turn to the south" means to move to the north of the Table facing south. In the east, trace the Unicursal Hexagram of Mars in red and vibrate BABALEL (BAH-bah-lel).
* Turn to the south. In the south, trace the Unicursal Hexagram of Mercury in white and vibrate BNASPOL (BNAS-pohl).
* Turn to the west. In the west, trace the Unicursal Hexagram of Jupiter in green and vibrate BYNEPOR (BY-neh-pohr).
* Turn to the north. In the north, trace the Unicursal Hexagram of Venus in black and vibrate BALIGON (BAH-lee-gohn). These first four planets are attributed according to the density of the associated element on the Unicursal Hexagram.
* Return to the east, completing the circle. Above you or above the Holy Table in front of you, trace the Unicursal Hexagram of Saturn in bright violet and vibrate BNAPSEN (BNAP-sen).
* Below you or below the Holy Table in front of you trace the Unicursal Hexagram of the Moon in deep purple and vibrate BLUMAZA (blu-MAH-zah).
* Trace a heptagram (or heptangle) surrounding your heart, starting at the solar point and moving clockwise, in bright yellow-gold. Then clasp your hands over your heart and vibrate BOBOGEL (BOH-boh-ghel).
PART II: THE GOVERNORS
The twelve zodiacal Governors are now called upon in a widdershins circle that counterbalances the deosil circle of hexagrams. Starting with Aries in the east, the magician traces the sign attributed to the Governor while vibrating the name. He or she then moves 30 degrees widdershins and does the same for the next Governor in the series (Taurus in this case). If the banners are present lining the circle they may be decorated with the appropriate sign and Governor name in addition to the Name of God, which will aid memorization. This action is repeated until the magician has made a full widdershins circumambulation of the Temple and is again facing east.
* In the east, trace the sigil of Aries in red and vibrate ALPUDUS (AL-puh-dus).
* Turn 30 degrees counter-clockwise. To the east-northeast trace the sigil of Taurus in red and vibrate HONONOL (HOH-noh-nol).
* Turn 30 degrees counter-clockwise. To the north-northeast trace the sigil of Gemini in black and vibrate ZARZILG (ZAR-zeelg).
* Turn 30 degrees counter-clockwise. To the north trace the sigil of Cancer in black and vibrate GEBABAL (GEH-bah-bahl).
* Turn 30 degrees counter-clockwise. To the north-northwest trace the sigil of Leo in black and vibrate OLPAGED (OHL-pah-ged).
* Turn 30 degrees counter-clockwise. To the west-northwest trace the sigil of Virgo in green and vibrate CADAAMP (KAH-dah-ahmp).
* Turn 30 degrees counter-clockwise. To the west trace the sigil of Libra in green and vibrate ZARNAAH (ZAR-nah-ah).
Turn 30 degrees counter-clockwise. To the west-southwest trace the sigil of Scorpio in green and vibrate ARFAOLG (AR-fah-olg). * Turn 30 degrees counter-clockwise. To the south-southwest trace the sigil of Sagittarius in white and vibrate LAVAVOT (LAH-vah-voht).
* Turn 30 degrees counter-clockwise. To the south trace the sigil of Capricorn in white and vibrate ZURCHOL (ZUR-khol).
* Turn 30 degrees counter-clockwise. To the south-southeast trace the sigil of Aquarius and vibrate ZIRACAH (ZEER-ah-kah).
* Turn 30 degrees counter-clockwise. To the east-southeast trace the sigil of Pisces in red and vibrate ZINGGEN (ZEENG-gehn).
* Turn 30 degrees counter-clockwise, completing the circle and returning to face the east. Make the Sign of Apophis and Typhon and vibrate TA CALZ I OROCHA (TAH KAHL-zod EE or-OH-cha - "As above the firmament so beneath").
* Pause for a moment and visualize the energies of the planets and Zodiac coming into being, uniting the microcosmic and macrocosmic universes. The full visualization for this ritual consists of:
* The full COMSELH AOIVEAE visualization.
* Planetary Unicursal Hexagrams to the four quarters in the four directional colors, merging with the directional hexagrams of the COMSELH AOIVEAE.
* The Unicursal Hexagram of Saturn above in bright violet and that of the Moon below in deep purple
* The Solar Heptagram in bright gold surrounding your heart. It is within the pentagram you traced over yourself in the opening of the COMSELH AOIVEAE.
* The full circle of the Zodiac, drawn beyond the hexagrams so that it seems to extend to the edges of the cosmos.
* All of these elements merged together into a single coherent whole, which is the magical field.
PART III: COMPLETION
This step varies depending on whether you are using this ritual as a banishing or as an invocation, and whether or not it is being used with other ritual work. If the ritual is being used in conjunction with any other ritual work perform this entire part as written. If it is being performed as a banishing to clear a space or neutralize magical influences, skip to step 3. If it is being performed as an invocation to provide a general flow of energy to ongoing magical effects or as a daily practice, stop at step 1. CARMARA is the name of the King who rules over the entire Heptarchy of Angels.
* If you are performing additional ritual work, make the Sign of Rending the Veil, as though parting a heavy curtain in front of you with both hands, and intone MADRIAX CARMARA YOLCAM LONSHI (MAH-dree-ahx kar-MAH-rah YOHL-kahm LOHN-shee - "O ye heavens of CARMARA, bring forth power").
* Perform any additional ritual work here, to its conclusion.
* Make the Sign of Closing the Veil, as though closing a heavy curtain in front of you with both hands, and intone: MADRIAX CARMARA ADRPAN LONSHI (MAH-dree-ahx kar-MAH-rah, AHD-rpahn LOHN-shee - "O ye heavens of CARMARA, cast down power").
At this point, the conclusion to the AOIVEAE is performed, and the ritual is complete.
Hold onto your bedlinens and cups of tea - scary stuff! You have to love stories like this one. Boleskine House is said to still contain some very angry energies from Crowley himself and the psychic in the beginning of this documentary by the BBC says that he could feel Crowley watching him from the house... Without wanting to give too much away, perhaps without Crowley having finished the exhausting ritual of Abremelin he is now bound to the house permanently along with the dark spirits he conjured up... SHUDDER...
*UPDATE. AN INTERESTING PIECE OF INFORMATION FROM WIKIPEDIA WHICH KENNETH ANGER DOESN'T MENTION: AT PAGE'S INVITATION, ANGER WOULD TRAVEL TO BOLESKINE HOUSE ON THE SHORES OF LOCH NESS IN SCOTLAND, WHERE CROWLEY HAD ONCE LIVED AND WHICH PAGE HAD PURCHASED, AND HELPED THE MUSICIAN TO EXORCISE THE BUILDING OF WHAT PAGE BELIEVED TO BE A HEADLESS MAN'S GHOST.PAGE SUBSEQUENTLY AGREED TO PRODUCE THE SOUNDTRACK FOR "LUCIFER RISING", AND USED THE EDITING TABLE WHICH WAS IN THE BASEMENT OF HIS LONDON HOME TO ALTER THE MUSIC WHICH HE PRODUCED.
Keywords: is the necronomicon real shaman tarot deck libri of aleister crowley leather grimoire black magic spells books aleister crowley son wiccan creed voodoo doll curse the pentagram astral projecting
As I've posted in the past, the proper use of "magick" as a specific term for the spirtual arts makes Google searches a whole lot easier. When I'm interested in searching for information on ritual techniques I'm really not interested in getting back pages describing the cups and balls trick or how to pull a rabbit out of a hat. Similarly, if I'm looking for good card tricks I would rather not be pulling back pages on reading Tarot. Using "magic" for stage magic and "magick" for ceremonial and ritual techniques really works - or at least it would if people would follow the convention.
This brings me to a recent article referencing "magick" that completely misuses the term. This weekend in Tacoma, Washington a self-described "magickian" named Gf Kanick put on a performance. From the article:
Kanick spells magick with a "k" to distinguish his art. Magick with a "k" is a linguistic signal pioneered by Victorian bad boy, mountain climber and legendary mystic Aleister Crowley, who used the word magick, with a "K," to distinguish his explorations of consciousness and other psychonautic systems from the stage work of everyday magicians. Kanick, like Crowley, is no everyday magician, and says his goal is to take people out of their comfort zones to a place where magick is more than an act.
I'm sure Kanick is quite good at what he does, but if he's comparing himself to Crowley on the grounds that he does innovative illusions all I can really do here is call bullshit. Aleister Crowley spent his entire life developing an innovative spiritual system for personal development and beyond. Anybody who would compare that level of work to putting together a compelling stage performance doesn't really know anything about Crowley and shouldn't be appropriating his terminology incorrectly.
Let's face it. This:
A master of many arts, Kanick's talents will be offered as part of Hypothesis, a synthesis of illusion, comedy, sideshow feats, juggling and vaudeville variety.
Has absolutely nothing to do with ritual or ceremonial magick, or with Crowley's work, and it is exactly the "counterfeit" from which the science of the Magi needs to be distinguished.
For what it's worth, though, I'm happy to see that the article describes Crowley as a "legendary mystic" rather than as a baby-sacrificing Satanist. Maybe after more than fifty years some of the media nonsense surrounding his life is starting to die down.
