A Question of Maps

A goose amongst the ducks.

"Let me therefore form a vortex in this chamber that the invisible Sun of the Spirit may shine therein from above." - from the GD ritual, Opening by Watchtower.

Recently, I wrote about the controversy involving the lesser banishing and invoking rituals of the hexagram. I had reported what Scott Stenwick (Frater Ananel Qaa) had said in his excellent workshop on Planetary Magick. I also did some research on the difference between what Scott says he does to perform planetary magick, and what classical Golden Dawn magicians do when they perform the same kind of magick. I also mentioned what Donald Michael Kraig had written in his book Modern Magick, that the lesser banishing rituals of the pentagram and hexagram should be done as part of the basic working structure that he teaches. Scott and a couple of members of the Golden Dawn (HOGD) have discussed this controversy in the comments section of my blog article - you can find them all here.

However, Donald Michael Kraig has also responded to this thread in his latest blog article, and you can find it here. I liked what Mr. Kraig said and his point is obvious. Since I don’t use the Golden Dawn methodology to work planetary magick (in fact, I don’t use very much of it at all in my practice), all of these points over the “correctness,” “efficiency” or “effectiveness” of the magick is a moot point. I use an entirely different system for working planetary magick, and what I do works quite well. I would suppose that Scott’s methods, the current Golden Dawn methods, and Donald’s methods all work as well. They all work because the model or map that they use is consistent, logical and complete. When a ritual working is incomplete, inconsistent or the model is poorly understood, then the magick can fail. Although the threshold for failure is rather high, since I have seen very poorly contrived and performed rituals actually manage to work. There is a lot of room for perfecting one’s work, but the most basic frame of reference is the model or map that one uses. This is the point that Donald Michael Kraig made in his article, and he is completely correct. The model or map is not the actual territory that it is symbolically describing, but it is a useful and important tool, without which such magickal work would be fruitless.

One other interesting point that Donald made in his article is that the lessons in Modern Magick are accumulative, and that a later lesson introduces the student to the Golden Dawn ritual “Opening by Watchtower,” first presented in Israel Regardie’s monumental book “Golden Dawn,” volume 8, p. 14 - 16. Regardie further elaborates on this rite in his book “Ceremonial Magic,” but this rite can be used as a framework or outer wrapper for various inner workings or rites. This is exactly how Mr. Kraig has presented this ritual in his book.

The interesting thing about it is that a distorted variation of this rite found it’s way into the rites and practices of Gardnerian withcraft, and from there, to its various derivatives; thereby becoming the ubiquitous circle consecration ritual. I would assume that the function of the Opening by Watchtower rite is analogous to the circle consecration rite, but the former is far more rigorous, exacting and powerful than the latter. In fact one could state that the wiccan version of this rite demonstrates how little Gardner and his subsequent followers understood the rituals of the Golden Dawn that they readily purloined. However, the circle consecration rite, as it is practiced in many various pagan and wiccan groups, is only the most basic step in establishing sacred space, while the Opening by Watchtower is a preliminary step to an invocation. The wiccan and pagan variation also uses a magick circle, which is omitted in the Golden Dawn rite.

All of this could cause anyone some degree of confusion, since these variations are used in a different context and are not quite the same thing. Unfortunately, keeping that context in mind can be a difficult task, and one can easily jump to conclusions while leaping from one system to another. My mistake is that I sought to judge someone else’s system of magick using my own map or frame of reference, and unfortunately, that is where mistakes can be easily made. While I was scratching my head about this whole conundrum, it was due to the fact that I don’t use the Golden Dawn methodology for the kind of ritual magick that I perform.

I am, admittedly, unfamiliar with this system of magick, because I had learned it (probably incorrectly) many years ago and then abandoned it for a system that seemed more direct and simplistic, at least to me. I had to check up on what Scott said about the Golden Dawn and planetary magick, and found that it wasn’t exactly correct. There are multiple ways of doing the same kind of operation, and each of those methodologies has a different kind of map or frame of reference. So it was never my intention to either question the efficacy of the system of magick outlined in Donald Michael Kraig’s book. Somehow, Donald thought that I had agreed with Scott, but actually I was questioning what he said and attempting to figure out if it was true. It would seem that the comments section of the blog article had some really interesting quotes coming from different perspectives, which I think that Donald may have missed when he read over my article. I would like to present them here. 

I think that what we have here is a variation of technique and intention. The intention of the Golden Dawn system of magick is keep the sphere of the magician completely sanitized from all possible contagion, hence the requirement for using both the LBRP and the LBRH before performing any operation. The use of the Opening by Watchtower causes a gateway into the world of the Spirit to be established after the foundational environment has been made completely pristine and purified. This is a different approach than what Scott is proposing, and within it’s referential frame, it is logical and makes sense. However, a different ritual pattern is used for planetary and zodiacal magick in the Golden Dawn, and I believe that the Opening of the Watchtower rite is not used in this context. Sincerus Renatus, in his comment to my article, made the following point, which I think encapsulates the Golden Dawn perspective.

“In Hermetic and Qabalistic Magic, according to the Golden Dawn Tradition, the Sphere of Sensation is [infused] and activated with the forces invoked during a short and set time frame. Even if you ‘shut down’ the forces, this will still leave you with a charged and activated Sphere of Sensation; only the free flow from the realms of the invoked forces are hindered. The logic behind this is that a system will always be changed, even after the force that did the changing has been removed.”

According to the methodology that Scott uses, the gateway into the domain of Spirit is opened via the Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Hexagram, to be followed with the use of the Greater, so there isn’t a brief banishing (of the microcosm) following by a brief invocation (of the macrocosm), as Donald stated in his article. The LIRH sets the stage in the working, to be followed by the actual planetary invocation. That methodology also makes sense to me and appears to be logical. The intention of this combination of operations doesn’t assume that the forces employed in magick require a sanitized “clean room” approach in order to ensure the safety and stability of the magickal environment, allowing for a “free flow” from the realms of the invoked forces. This is just a different perspective that employs a different methodology, but within their framework, both make sense and are logical. Could it be that one method is more effective than the other? I think because the two methods are so different in their basic intention (planetary talismanic magick vs. planetary invocation magick) that they can’t be compared. Of course if one were to get the two methodologies confused, then the end result might be affected or even fail.

These two different approaches basically use the same Golden Dawn based rituals to accomplish a similar purpose, although the intentions are quite different. However, the way that I work these forms, accomplished through a witchcraft prism, is quite different. If anything, the differences between Scott and Donald (and other Golden Dawn practitioners) is more of a quibble and a difference of intention than compared to how I do the same operation. I guess you could say that I am the real oddball when it comes to performing planetary and other forms of advanced ritual magick.

As I stated in my previous article about planetary magick, I have chosen to use the Septagram instead of the Hexagram. I also use a Rose-Ankh vortex with an internal circle in the center. The methodologies that I employ make use of the magick circle to focus and collect the spiritual influences and powers that are generated or drawn down. Yet it would seem that the witch or pagan who is practicing ritual magick using these forms is subject to the worst possible contamination and subjective influence from all of the forces and spirits so employed. This might be true if weren’t for the fact that all magick performed by the witch or pagan within ritual magick is done through the guise of the assumed godhead. It is the personal godhead, whose cult and specific alignment is potently maintained by the ritual magician, that protects and empowers the operator. Yet because of this fact, the magician who works this kind of ritual magick can dispense with the lesser pentagram and the lesser hexagram rites, whether banishing or invoking. Also, because a vortex is employed, any form of banishing is completely ineffective anyway, so the banishing forms of any device are never used. Thus I would have to rate the manner that I perform these types of magick as the real “goose” compared to the ducks of Thelemic or Golden Dawn magick.

The bottom line to all of these variations is that they work, and they are logical, consistent and make sense within the context that they are used. However, to make them work, you have to employ the foundational framework and use it consistently and logically. (Unless, of course, you are a chaos magician, and then you will employ any system or part of a system, consistently, inconsistently, logically, or illogically, and still get good results.) The key is to experiment and discover what works the best for you. As Donald Michael Kraig said so adroitly in his article:  

“In Modern Magick I strongly urge people to study other books to get other opinions and ideas. For the truth (at least, the truth according to my map) is that magick is an experimental science. It doesn’t matter what any of us think or believe. What matters is what works.”

I hope that all of these variations have instructed you that there isn’t just one way of doing anything. Still, elegance, artistic excellence and the flawless, flowing performance of forms is still an important part of the work.

Frater Barrabbas

Paganicon 2011 - First Time A Great Success

Hexagram Controversy

I wanted to post a short article about my weekend experience with Paganicon, which was the very first pagan convention in the Twin Cities. Overall, I would rate it quite successful, and it is my hope that it will become an annual institution. While it was not anyway near as large as Pantheacon, it was well attended and easily exceeded everyone’s modest expectation. Where Pantheacon is a venue that serves nearly 2,400 people every year, Paganicon didn’t even have 10% of that volume, but it was a more intimate and engaging gathering.

There weren’t crowds of folks and the venues were much more modest, but overall, I was impressed by how well it was organized and staffed. The staff of Paganicon deserve a lot of credit for having put on an excellent convention, and got nearly everything right for the very first time. My hope is that the community and staff will be encouraged to do it again next year, and perhaps for many following years beyond that. It was a great way for pagans and wiccans in the tundra capital of Paganistan to meet and greet, share ideas and knowledge in the middle of what is ostensibly the period of late winter. There may have been snow on the ground and it was quite cold outside, but inside the Double Tree Hotel, it was warm and friendly - almost as if summer had come early. I suppose that having an indoor pool nearby in the atrium helped to give this impression.

Because I had to miss Friday, I didn’t get to hear the keynote lecture given by John Michael Greer, nor was I able to attend the opening ritual and the concert, all of which I was told had turned out quite excellent. A one way trip from my house to the hotel was over 31 miles, so I could only justify going on Saturday and Sunday. I had workshops to present on both days, so that would also allow me to attend some lectures and also socialize with attendees.

I arrived at around 10 am and got registered and found out where everything was located. Then I made it to the panel that I was to take part in. The panel was called “So You Want to be a Pagan Author,” and I was joined with Veronica Cummer, Dr. Murphy Pizza, Corrine Kenner, Barbara Moore and Scot Stenwick. We spent an hour and a half sharing stories about what it’s like to be an occult author. I think that I said it all by declaring that if you want to be a pagan author, don’t quit your day job - it doesn’t pay very much. There was some interesting stories shared, as well as quite a bit of good humor. I enjoyed being on the panel and helped to liven things up a bit by making certain that there were plenty of jokes and laughs to share. The panel lasted until the lunch hour, when everyone broke up to find something to eat.

Lunch was a very idyllic experience, since I ran into two of my dearest friends, and with them, I invited John Michael Greer and Scott Stenwick to share a table at the in-house eatery. I spent my lunch talking, eating and drinking (although not at the same time) with these friends and luminaries, and it was a most excellent time. I found John to be a highly intelligent occultist, worthy of all of the compliments and accolades that he has received.

After lunch, I went to Scot Stenwick’s workshop on Planetary Magick, which I thought was quite excellent, even though sparsely attended. It would seem that Scott had the bad luck of presenting a workshop at the same time that John Michael Greer and Steve Posch were giving their presentations. However, I thought that Scott did a good job presenting his information in an efficient and succinct manner. I also learned some interesting things while attending this workshop. For one thing, I realized how Scott refers to the sphere of planetary magick using a metaphysical perspective, referring to it as the macrocosm, whereas I see it as a psychological operation using classical archetypes. I think that both of these perspectives are not only valid, but describe this phenomenon in a different but complimentary manner. What I distilled from Scott’s discussion was that planetary magick works with the macrocosm, and that the lesser invoking hexagram ritual is the key to opening the magician to that domain. You can find a copy of the transcript for the workshop here.

One of Scott’s most important declarations about planetary magick is encapsulated in the following quote: “The correct method for most macrocosmic work is in fact to combine the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram with the Lesser Invoking Ritual of the Hexagram.” This clears the magician’s personal field of consciousness and then calls the macrocosmic forces into that field. I found this statement to make a lot of sense, although since I don’t use these rituals, I couldn’t verify that statement off of the top of my head. According to Scott, in the typical Golden Dawn planetary working, both the LBRP and the LBRH are used together. One would assume that the magician’s “operant field” would be wiped clean of any macrocosmic influences if these two rituals were used without a corresponding lesser invoking ritual of the hexagram. Scott had a particular issue with the way that these rituals are presented in Donald Michael Kraig’s book “Modern Magick.”

Much later, I looked over David Griffin’s “Ritual Magick Manual” and found that the typical Golden Dawn Planetary working did indeed perform the LBRP and the LBRH together, but only as part of the purification stage of the working. The lesser invoking ritual of the hexagram and the superior form of the hexagram are used once the lotus wand is unwrapped and the Qabbalistic Cross is performed. This, in my opinion, wouldn’t necessarily weaken the working, since the intention is to clear the magician’s operant field of all influences, microcosmic and macrocosmic. I also looked over Regardie’s book “The Golden Dawn” and found that it was kind of vague and ambiguous as to how exactly to apply the lesser hexagram invoking and banishing rites (volume 6), but perhaps there is another ritual where the methodology is completely encapsulated. When I examined Donald Michael Kraig’s book “Modern Magick,” I did indeed find the LBRP and the LBRH tightly coupled together for a basic regimen of work, and that would certainly be problematical, since the same working has meditations and a Tarot reading. Closing one completely off from the macrocosmic influences would certainly hamper any kind of clairvoyant operation. However, Kraig’s book doesn’t have any planetary or zodiacal magickal workings or techniques in it, so one could assume that it is a more basic work than David Griffin’s work.

After doing this research, I can see where Scott would have a problem with Kraig’s book, but it would seem that a proper working of the Golden Dawn tradition for planetary magick would follow a formulation that seems both logical and practical. I suppose that one could omit the LBRH in a planetary working, but it would seem that the intention is to completely clear one’s field of all influences just prior to performing a specific invocation. This is a moot point for me, of course, because I don’t even use the lesser pentagram or hexagram rituals in my elemental or planetary workings. Instead, I work with a consecrated magick circle, which appears to clear the environment of any and all unwanted influences prior to performing a working.

Since my class was the next venue for the same classroom as Scot’s class on planetary magick, attending his class gave me an opportunity to quickly set things up for my class. My class for that period was on Elemental Magick, and it’s one that I have taught previously. I had nearly a full classroom of attendees, and the presentation went pretty much without any glaring mistakes or omissions. I had to spend a bit of time explaining some of the ritual structures in greater detail, and on a few occasions I briefly got a bit tongue-tied, but overall, the class went very well and the attendees seemed to comprehend what I was talking about.

After my class was completed, I got together with my two friends and we made plans for our afternoon. I had been invited to dinner with some other friends that I hadn’t seen in many months, so that seemed like a good thing to do. I had to leave the convention to attend this soiree, and since it would last most of the evening, I wouldn’t be returning. This meant that I would miss the panel on Hedgewitch Craft, organized by Veronica and her fellow authors, who had helped to write the anthology by the same name. Regretfully, I could not do both things at the same time, so off I went for dinner and some socializing.

The next day, I arrived a lot earlier to present my class on the Twenty-two Steps of the Cycle of Initiation. I was wondering if anyone would make it to this early class, but I was pleasantly surprised when around a dozen people showed up for the class. I was able to present it without any problems or issues, and I believe that the attendees got a lot out of the material that I presented. So I was pleased with it and felt that I had comported myself in a thoughtful and knowledgeable manner.

As a side note, I won’t ever again be presenting these two workshops in their current format. Instead, I will be converting them to Powerpoint presentations. I think that this will be more helpful, both for the attendees and myself, since I can dispense with drawing things on a white board or having to look at one of the handouts while I am teaching. I will also be able to leave my outsized Rider Tarot deck at home, and I can also show other Tarot Trump cards as examples for my class on the Tarot. I think that this is a winning scenario, so all I have to do is to find a nice background theme template to complete this transition.

I also attended Steve Posch’s class “Amber Road,” which I thought was a truly excellent and compelling class. Steve has been examining samples of a massive collection of prose poems found in Latvia, called “dainas” [songs]. These songs are from the 19th to the early 20th centuries and encapsulate a very pagan way of looking at the world. For those who might not be knowledgeable about that area of Europe, the Baltic states (of which Latvia is a member) were the last to convert to Christianity, and even then, pagan sentiments and beliefs persisted until the early 20th century. These songs represent the old pagan way of looking at the world and life in general, and therefore, can act as important pointers and lore generating speculation about our own paganism, telling us what we might have gotten right, and what is still missing. I found the translated poems to be beautifully inspiring and seemed to open a window on world that time and progress had all but forgotten. I thoroughly enjoyed this class, conducted as it were by Steve, who is himself an accomplished poet, pagan ritualist and a natural sage. Everyone who attended was captivated by Steve’s rendition of the poetic songs and his analysis of the same. It was a very good presentation, and a perfect way to end my Paganicon experience.

What I came away from both attending workshops and being a presenter is the notion of just how diverse, deep and really evolved is our local community. Even though it was far smaller than Pantheacon, it was never-the-less just as deep, significant and enjoyable. It’s my hope that there will be more venues like this in the future.

Frater Barrabbas