The Story of Abraham

Last night was odd to say the least. I had many visions. All of these visions showed me how I am distracted from my work. They included like focusing on my mistakes, focusing on the mistakes of others, being unable to see past a crowd (culture-centric thinking). My mind was in such an altered stated that I cannot remember them all. The visions lasted hours. I do know without question that the ideas of have planted. They will come forth when I stray from the path.

I would have predicted my love of baseball would have appeared in a list like that. It did not.

I would not have predicted the spin on the story of Abraham (Genesis 22). As most know, Abraham was told by God to sacrifice his son. Then at the last minute and angel told him not to. Because Abraham was willing to obey and sacrifice his beloved and only son, God blessed him and his descendants. When you look at how Abrahamic religions have spread across the globe, it appears that God kept that promise.

It was revealed that I am in this state. My soul is being asked to sacrifice its only and beloved son, my personality.. That sacrifice is what I fear. This fear is understandable but I am going to make or allow that sacrifice anyway.

I am not saying that I am Abraham. Most of my work has been microcosmic in nature. I just know now there is an analogy with the story of Abraham.

I Am Afraid

I am not ashamed to admit that I am afraid.

Sometime in the near future, I am going to undergo a second awakening. I have no idea what that entails. I have some idea of how I will manifest, if I am successful in guiding myself through the process.

I am afraid of the sheer aloneness of the process. I am afraid my hard-won knowledge is false. I am afraid of nasty things inhabiting a nasty world and all my perceptions are part of one great cosmic joke. I am afraid of failing.

I am afraid like knowing your parents are about to bust you, afraid like that moment you are under arrest, afraid like going before the judge, afraid of the sentence, afraid of the bars as they clang shut behind you and reverberate through your soul, afraid of the lethal injection, hang man’s noose, electric chair. I am afraid like I just found out I was about to be homeless. I am afraid like I am going to embark on some Dresden Files epic battle armed only with David Copperfield magic wand set from Hasbro.  I am afraid like I am afraid of all these things at once.

That part of me that knows the Perfection of all things is still here. I know this is a truth in my universe. Yee, full knowledge of that will not stop that moment of fear as I fall of the ladder. I am willing to make a sacrifice for the chance of bringing something back.  

I am not walking away. Right now, fear is my companion. I do not like being afraid. 

Dignity -- Theurgic Lesser Key of Solomon

Some of the spirits of the Lesser Key have the ability to destroy dignity. Could you use those spirits to knock down a rival a few pegs? I suppose so.

There is a deeper place to go. A place few are willing to go. However, if you consider yourself a true spiritual person and you've done nothing like I am about to suggest, perhaps dignity is an issue.

We all do things we are not proud of. We all try to hide those from time to time. Sometimes we are successful and others never know. Very often people know what we've done. They either know from instinct or facts or from just knowing us. The problem with dignity is we assume we have it when all we have done is fool ourselves. All of we have done is deny ourselves self-knowledge. We have denied ourselves a true relationship with those we love. All by working so hard to maintain false dignity.

So conjure one of these spirits. Ask it to reveal not only to you but to the people that matter whatever you are hiding that is in the way of your spiritual growth.

Trust me. IT WILL SUCK. Long-term much will be gained. There is greater dignity in not hiding who you were. I said that in the past tense. For some odd reason, it truly does become who you were. You will no longer be false. You will be one step closer.

EDIT: After publishing this, I was filled by a sense of foreboding. This is not for the newby. This is for people that have done some solid theurgic work for some time. This is no place to start.

Definitions -- Demons and Angels

Demon and angel are loaded terms. Filled with preconceived notions. What follows is not an occult definition to describe beings. Instead, it is a simple method of determining action using a animistic point of view.

Demon -- any being, idea or behavior that creates a barrier between oneself and one's sense of the divine.

Angel -- any being idea or behavior that creates connection to and enhances one's sense of the divine. 

Invoke and banish accordingly.

Huson's Theurgy

If any of you are still around from the old days of this blog, you may remember several rants about what I thought of Paul Huson. Well for the record, I still find his book to lack any sort of humanity. However, he did include the most effective and easy ritual for theurgy that I have ever come across.

In Mastering Witchcraft, Huson speaks of a making a 'token gesture' for people entering the craft. Token gesture is a huge understatement. He says to recite the lords prayer backwards to remove old restraints and dedicate oneself to the craft.

The idea is that you've been bound by the belief systems instituted by Christendom even if you have never walked into a church. These must be undone. Take that part with a grain of salt. Some of us need to undo them. Some of us part of them. Others may only need to remove a smidgen.

What you do need to do is remove every indoctrinated belief about yourself that does not serve your purposes. So, here is what you do.

• Make a list of your limiting believes and facts about yourself. It does not have to be extensive as there is no rule that says you cannot repeat this process. However, the items on your list must be important to you.
• Write that list backwards.
• Light candles, maybe some incense and call upon your God/gods and your highest and best self (your immortal soul). Take your time with this. Focus on this until you get that gut feeling they are there. If that never comes, do it anyway. Sincerity counts here.
• Recite your backwards list three times. 
• Repeat on three consecutive nights.
• You can keep a record of what you said. However, the list you read from during the rite should be burned.

As for your list and writing it backwards. Here is what that may look like.

I get nervous when I meet new people. 

My appearance is unkempt. 

I am meant to be alone.

Notice the first two are facts and the last is a belief. Any combination is just fine.

Backwards, that list reads like this:

elpoep wen teem I nehw suovren teg I

tpmeknu si ecnaraeppa yM

enola eb ot tnaem ma I

Don't be intimidated. Just read it as best you can. By day three it will sound like a cool new language. 

Yes, I have done this several times. Having experienced the inward initiation does not mean that the work is complete. 

For Those Working the Lesser Key of Solomon (the Goetia)

Having been asked, here is how to work the Goetia.

There are a lot of rules to working the goetia. The circle, lamens, triangles of art and the like are clearly shown in most texts. Lesser used tools, such as the tail of a lion are also mentioned as requirements. 

Frankly, none of these are necessary. I repeat not a single tool is necessary. The problem is that you've been told they are. You've been told that the Solomonic spirits in that book are dangerous. Whether your conscious mind believes that or not, some part of you does. Therefore, using these tools becomes a requirement. The belief, note that I did not say knowledge, that these spirits are dangerous is enough to make them so. The people that have told you they are dangerous to you have not done you any favors but nothing can be done for it.

One note of warning, the spirits can be dangerous to others. Always admonish them not to harm yourself, others that you know or do not know. Some go so far as to include a line preventing harm to pets. 

In magick, words often mean what you think they mean. Though just as often they mean what they mean. So, figure out what harm means. Even though it is obvious, look it up in several dictionaries. Read all the meanings because all the meanings apply at some level. Then meditate, "What does 'harm' mean? My definition of that word has so morphed over time that this exercises bears repeating. To me, harm is short term. Nothing is harmful over the long term but that is my view of the universe and an entirely different story.

Go through this exercise with every tool. What are those squiggly lines and names around the pentagram? There is much to be learned there. Learn about every tool. Read. Meditate. Most likely a lion's tail is unobtainable but its secrets are not. What properties did those ancients hope to gain from such an article? See to it that you have them. 

As unnecessary as they are, follow the rules and learn of the tools as best you can. There is much to be gained there. 

Here is why goetia has the reputation it does. People approach it from a place of disbalance. I coin that word due to its similarity with disease. Dis-ease... a lack of ease. Balance is imperative. Everyone that I have ever seen harm themselves or others with these spirits did so because they used them to get things they wanted. They used them to sooth their fragile egos. They used them to demonstrate power. In short, they leaned into their petty sides so far that a stiff breeze blew them over an into the abyss...and not in a good way.

A profound sense of the point is necessary. This is given in the first knowledge lecture of the Golden Dawn. Meditate on the point as defined in mathematics. Become that point. This point is the further defined in the Qabalistic Cross and is truly the 'point' of doing the LBRP. The LBRP does not banish it centers. It defines your point.  You become a carbon copy of G-d and nothing defies G-d. Spirits fall into line. They have to. They. Have. No. Choice. 

I gained knowledge of the point slowly and over a great deal of time. It can be achieved much more quickly but with a greater risk of trauma. Frankly, the long-term view says dive right in. Hit yourself with a hammer. You will heal or you won't. If you don't, you were never going to be successful anyway. 

First, start with Orobas. One of his abilities is that he does not suffer you being tempted by other spirits. In short, he brings you on point when you need to be. Conjure him, and ask that he does that but more importantly ask the following. "Remove from me that which prevents my understanding of the universe in such a way that my ego remains in tact for as long as I need it to." Feel free to reword that. The keys are: removing things that block your understanding/wisdom etc. and to do so in a way that does not drive you bonkers. Going from zero to enlightened leaves you unable to operate in the mundane world. 

Let that sit for a while. Learn how it works. Learn from your new place of clarity. Then move on to other spirits.

Yes, you can ask them to do things. I used one, documented in this space, to retrieve a magickal item being kept from me. Use them more often for knowledge of your universe. Use them to remove things that prevent that knowledge.

Yes, you will act out and do stupid things. Your reputation will suffer. You will dislike yourself at times but this vomiting forth will serve you. No longer will you be able to hide those things that interfere with your soul's manifestation. These things will be purged. In doing so, you will rise up and take these spirits with you. You will make them better.

Most of these spirits truly mean no harm. I have yet to encounter one that does. That does not mean no such spirit exists only that I have not encountered that one yet.

Courage. Perseverance. Sacrifice. You can do this. Know that it will not always be pretty but you can do this. 

Introducing The Order of the Rising Star

Rising Star – Introducing a New Form of Magickal Order

“Magick is the art and science of willfully unfolding the soul”

Note:This was discussed on Jason Mankey's Raise the Horns radio show.

Please note: This document, while intended for all, is best understood by those with experience in the Western Magickal Tradition and Golden Dawn style lodges. Other foundational documents, express these ideas differently for those without this experience. Questions are always welcomed.

Currently, the Western Magickal Tradition (WMT) has wonderful orders for seekers of all faiths or no faith. Various orders and lodges welcome Pagans, Christians, Jewish folks and the undecided. Some groups accept them all! This rich tradition opens the doors of the mysteries to all with the desire, drive and perseverance necessary to solve their personal spiritual mysteries and become workers of magick. Given the right group leadership and intelligent persistent students, these systems work.

One of the major problems with these systems is that they mirror a cultural problem of the societies in which they were born and operate. Most of them require a deconstruction process as they assume, like the Biblical fall of man myth, that the human is defective from the start or has obtained so much dross that the only way out is a soul-rending initiation of deconstruction. This creates problems.

First, the deconstruction process can be so painful that it turns people away from any form of spiritual effort. Secondly, it fosters low self-worth among the lower grades of the system. How can any person, feeling that they are defective and without hope of internal redemption, possibly feel good about themselves and their chances for spiritual growth, much less wielding the power of the universe as magicians? Thirdly, it sets up a situation in which those members that have done more of the purifying work as ‘better’ than those in the lower ranks. This usually unspoken dynamic can lead to both the abuse of authority, rampant egotism and the willful surrender of the students’ personal sovereignty.

Rising Star operates from a different perspective. The fall of man mythos is discarded. In its place we follow the creative process of the universe as taught by the Holy Qabala. Humankind is seen as living within and fully participating in the process of self-creation. This eliminates the deconstruction process and replaces it with one of construction. Those things that must fall away will do so of their own accord and more peacefully. This also places all of us on an even playing ground. We are all unfolding into our higher and best natures. We are all simply spiritual explorers using the map of the Qabala as our guide and the techniques of ceremonial magick as our tools.

We do not hold to the perspective that a person is not ready for what we offer. There are no tests of membership as there is no membership. The participant can stop the process at any time. Participation in the outer order is only regulated by the time the Teacher/Instructor (TI) has to offer to perform the initiations.[1]

The Outer Order

The purpose of the outer order is to expose people to the creative processes of their immortal souls. There is no need to have an interest in the qabala to participate in the outer order. The only magickal experiences take place in the initiations and how the person assimilates the lessons.

The outer order is initiation by demand. There are four outer order initiations that follow the pattern of creation of the Qabalistic Four Worlds. The first initiation (bordering on Atziluth) gives people a glimpse into the Abyss and they come away with a greater understanding of what the immortal soul is trying to create in this incarnation. The second (Briah) introduces the participant to their magickal child, the embodiment of their creative innocence. The third (Yetzirah) reveals their creative strength and the last how the process is manifesting (Assiah). 

The outer order only provides rudimentary outlines of what a student is exposed to in the initiations and how they may go about learning the lessons they may subjectively encounter.

Unlike some orders that have special robes with badges and symbols of rank. Rising Star has nothing analogous. In fact, in two of the outer order initiations the aspirant is skyclad (nude). In order to be exposed to the spirit of the first initiation, all that we think we are has to be left behind. As part of embodying that attitude, we leave behind not only our mental and emotional programming and our attitudes but our costumes as well.

In the second initiation, the participants choose costumes that they feel represents themselves and the creative spirit of their souls as learned in the first initiation.

The old philosophy still followed by most orders today is that new students cannot leave enough of themselves behind to gain insight from higher level initiation. This is demonstrably false. It is true that a new person is unlikely to fully experience the creative processes of their soul but it is false to assume no benefit can be obtained. Each student is fully capable in some way and will derive what they need from the rite.

The outer order process will take at least a year to complete. There is no requirement to move to the inner order. If aspirants continue through the fourth initiation, they can stop, repeat the cycle or request admission into the inner order.

There are several unique aspects of the system that apply to both the inner and outer orders:

There are no oaths taken. Instead, the student makes a statement of intent to learn the lessons of the particular initiation. The inner order adds an oathbound provision that students will not initiate others until they earn 5=6 (adept) admission.

The initiation ritual is performed by only one person. This eliminates the need for many ritual officers and the corresponding difficulty of scheduling initiation dates.

A person can do all the work of both inner and outer orders and never meet another member besides their TI. Certain group classes may be offered in the inner order but there is no requirement to attend. This eliminates the group dynamic where one person’s lessons conflict with another person’s within the context of the group.

The Inner Order

The purpose of the inner order is to provide an initiatory environment that teaches magickal work from a theurigical (spiritual development) perspective, trains magicians and creates new initiators. The latter allows for the process to continue for others. The grade material takes one step-by-step through the qabala needed to succeed, as well as magickal instruction.

Inner order admission is not by demand but by mutual acceptance. The aspirant and TI must be compatible as the work on the inner order is voluminous and at times personal. This is a teaching magickal order that places great emphasis on ritually rising through the planes as the primary spiritual and magickal technique. Here, the initiatory pattern works up the Tree of Life in the traditional fashion.

Within the order magickal experience is emphasized over intellectual knowledge. For instance, in the 1=10 grade over fifty acts of magick must be performed and documented before the student can request testing. There are many people capable of handling the intellectual work of other orders but many never have the nerve to actually do the magickal and theurgical work necessary for spiritual development. This system washes those folks out quickly.

An oath is taken within the inner order once one enters the 3=8 initiation hall. The oath binds both the aspirant and the TI to a timely completion of the work of the grade and the next three. In short, once someone moves off the middle pillar their initiatory path back to the middle pillar is guaranteed. This removes the possibility of an interpersonal conflict resulting in someone left off the middle pillar for long periods of time. That can turn into a type of spiritual torture and power play that should be impossible to impose within this system. The same type of oath is required should a student want to advance beyond the 5=6 and take the 6=5. A full cycle must take place to bring them back to the middle pillar.

The inner order has a unique feature to the WMT. After being initiated into the 5=6 it is the obligation of the student to reinitiate the TI into the four outer grades of the order. This ensures the TIs spend the time and make the necessary efforts to create competent magicians/initiators. It also reinforces the idea that the unfolding of the soul is continual; The cycle always repeats. Finally, it insures that an initiator has experience in doing so before they initiate a new comer.

---

[1] There are personal reasons any given TI may have that allows them to refuse to conduct an initiation for any one person. All of those have to do with the TI, not the prospective initiate.

Fresno PaganCon

I am putting on an event in Fresno. The convention will primarily be speakers. We only have one vendor.

This will take you to a list of speakers.

This is the main page.

Secrets

“Every man has some reminiscences which he would not tell to everyone, but only to his friends. He has others which he would not reveal even to his friends, but only to himself, and that in secret. But finally there are still others which a man is even afraid to tell himself, and every decent man has a considerable number of such things stored away. That is, one can even say that the more decent he is, the greater the number of such things in his mind.” 
― Fyodor Dostoyevsky


It is time you tell yourself.

Tipereth

The adept's tipereth is solar power that allows the imposition of will. It also fosters such a light that others turn towards that light. This can manifest in service or a significant ego-challenge. 

The mage's tipereth allows one to live in complete innocence.