Secret History of the Nephilim - Part 2

This is part two of a three part series that explains how I determined the importance and role of the Nephilim in the Enochian system of magick. This part uses the five letter formulas that I determined to tell the story of the rise and fall of the Nephilim and their followers.

Ascendency and Decline of the Nephilim and Their Followers - A New Age Legacy

The Pentagrammic formula of the Nephilim has been revealed as Z, Y, D, Ch and R, (pronounced Zidecher). I have created a Tarot card reading that tells the story of the ascending fortunes of the Nephilim, associating each phase of that story with the corresponding Tarot Trumps.

Zain - The Lovers, Atu VI: What prompted the Nephilim to manifest on Earth and take wives of the Daughters of Men was the choice, rather Promethean, of whether or not to assist in the spiritualization of humanity. Of course, they were also smitten by the fair features and natural wiles of human women, and desired to ground themselves completely within the flesh of these women. Their choice represented the noble and even prescient sacrifice of their static but eternal spiritual state of existence, ultimately but not unwittingly, for the sake of Human spiritual evolution. This explains the bond established between them and their combined intention through the means of mutual oaths, and the joining that they initiated with women. We are told that the love of the Deity for humanity causes its ennobling, and perhaps this was just another example. The product of this joining is known as the nature and the cycle of the Avatar (Magus), those divine humans who have shaped the course of history and influenced the creation of cults and religions. These avatars, or divine humans, have nurtured and shaped the spiritual dimension of human nature since earliest times. In this context, the card of the Lovers symbolizes the powerful spiritual process of involution, which it turn sets up the necessary stage for the corresponding evolution of spirit.

Yod - The Hermit, Atu IX: This card indicates the solitary path of the Hermit, representing an alternative to the usual path of the family clan and its leadership. I felt that this card represented Enoch as someone who branched off from the clan of early mythic humanity and forged a new path of esoteric and mystical practices, to be performed by the solitary seeker. 

From the perspective of our post modern age, the patriarchate lineage of Enoch (as leader and independent seeker) represents an alternative magickal lineage to the Masonic initiatory line and its predecessor, the secret guild or society. This lineage would have originally been associated with the ancient and archaic priesthood of the Nomadic Bedouin, handed down from father to son (or mother to daughter) typically without any measure of worthiness, but necessarily dictated by family survival. Such a lineage gave the leader personal freedom and autonomy once the old line had passed to him, but it also included responsibilities for guiding the clan or cult. It also forced the other members of the clan into strict obedience. However, such a close knit clan or cult allowed for certain checks and balances against the leadership, forcing him to be generous and compassionate towards his followers. The leader was guided by the grace, understanding and also the tolerance of those ruled. For those who were ruled could justifiably overthrow a bad leader, and from their ranks, choose a new one. This alternative path branched off of the Magician Priesthood of Melchisadek, Abraham and Moses. Eventually, the rule became very loose and was associated specifically with an egalitarian Star Group organization and a series of measurable transformative initiations.

The Catholic Church has continued the progression of this lineage supposedly through Jesus Christ, from Peter and Paul, establishing for itself and the church, the Apostolic Succession.  However, certain Bishops broke with the solidarity and spiritual monopoly of Rome, (and some, like the Eastern Orthodox Priesthood and certain Gnostic sects, were never really part of it) and turned their pursuits to more occult orientated endeavors.  Presently, through the Old Catholic Church, and its scion, the Liberal Catholic Church, the availability of this lineage has become more pronounced as occultists seek to undertake the disciplines of the Magician Priesthood to expand their base of knowledge and initiation.

The Hermit card, therefore, represents the institution of the Magian Priesthood, which once held great prestige and authority, then was lost, and in the present age, it has been rediscovered. 

Daleth - The Empress, Atu III: The third component of this process of spiritual integration (Nephilim, Enoch, and the Daughters of Men) was the independent lineage of the Priestesses and the crafts that they received from their union with the Nephilim. These crafts represented the facets of the new occult knowledge established by the translation of the wisdom received via the Inner Planes or Worlds of the Spirit through the Nephilim. Also, the marriage of the Daughters of Men can be interpreted as the forming of alliances and the importance placed upon the power of the Feminine Spirit as the Goddess physically represented by her priestesses. The birth of children, also considered the Nephilim, (here interpreted as giants or great “Men of Names”) represents the establishing of tribes or sub-organizations that contained the physical lineage of kinship (either spiritual or congenital). It also represents the fusion of the genetic heritage of humanity with that of the Sons of God, thus producing divine off-spring or Avatars. These groups became the possessors and preservers of priestesses dedicated to the secret spiritual arts.

Chet - The Chariot VII: What was derived from the joining of the lineages of the Patriarchate of Enoch and the Matriarchate of the Daughters of Men, with the blessing of the initiation of humanity through the descendant avatarship of the Nephilim, was the creation of the first Magickal Order of progressive spirituality. Within this new union could be found the resolution of the age old conflict between Agriculture and Animal Husbandry (hunting and gathering), which symbolized the polarity between Village dwellers and Nomads, and their resultant natural animosity. Also, there was resolved the differences between feminine based spirituality and masculine based spirituality. However, the actual focus became orientated towards the achievement of complete liberation of the individual from all limitations; this freed humanity from its bondage to traditional ways of life and elevated their souls to an exclusively esoteric perspective.

The scion of the union of supernatural beings and mortals created a race of spiritual nobility that established all legitimacy through its creation of a physical lineage (the Sang Real or Blood Royal) realized through both physical and spiritual techniques. It endowed its followers with special powers and prerogatives. The family of the Nephilim became an anointed and revered lineage whose mythic symbolism and mystic power was distantly echoed in the much later lineages of the exoteric church and the divine rule of kings - but these are considered degraded imitations. Equality and egalitarianism associated with this secret lineage also manifested within the Pagan Mystery Traditions, whose secret members existed in respectful equality regardless of caste or life station, and who held positions of responsibility based upon merit rather than heritage.

Resh - The Sun, Atu XIX: The efficacy of the resultant synthesis or heterodoxy of these three lines established the ultimate structural basis for a new spiritual order, which ultimately became a variant of the occult wisdom known as the Perennial Philosophy. This underground bastion of secret wisdom would continue to exert its influence in many exoteric institutions, but would never be under the control of any one person or group. It would span the boundaries of nations and eras, and bridge the differences of language and custom, building a universal consensus consisting of many and often contradictory doctrines. The occultism of the individual seeker frees one from the narrowness of secular and sacred institutions and establishes a precedent for the derivation of personal significance and direction. This world of equality and unanimity was kept to a large degree both secret and inaccessible to the larger masses of humanity, therefore it remained an elite cadre of selected initiates. However, in the advent of the New Age, this lineage will avail itself to all who desire membership and will fulfil its destiny by being one of several possible paths for true spiritual enlightenment in the West.

(To be continued..)

Frater Barrabbas

Non-Duality, Magick and the Qabbalah

 

I recently read a book review that Allogenes wrote up on his blog, “The Magical Messiah,” which examined a book entitled “Advaita Vedanta: A Philosophical Reconstruction” by Eliot Deutsch. I have some knowledge of the Indian mystical philosophy called Vendanta, but I couldn’t define what the specific sect of Advaita was and how it related to the essential tradition. In order to sensibly read over Allogenes article, I had to research what Advaita Vendanta was, and that research helped me to resolve a long term issue that I have been mulling over for many years. 

 

Since Advaita Vendanta is a “living” tradition, that is, it is still being taught and practiced in India, I found the whole concept of reconstructing it, or better yet, mutating it so that it better corresponds to a Western philosophic perspective, was problematic at best, or clearly misguided at worst. I am glad that Allogenes found this proposition to be somewhat dubious as well, since in order to master a tradition, one must become an adherent and be completely immersed in it. Attempting to de-construct a living tradition would be a formidable task even for a master of that tradition, not to mention a “fools” errand for one outside of it. Needless to say, I lost interest in Eliot Deutsch’s book due to its basic premise, but I found myself interested in knowing more about Advaita Vendanta. That interest led me to examining some webpages where I discovered something that completely amazed me. 

Prior to making this search, I had learned years ago that Vendanta was an Indian mystical philosophical system of some antiquity that sought to comprehend the nature of deity directly through the intellect. The intellectual basis of Vendanta is founded upon the holy scriptures of the Upanishads, Bhadavad Gita and the Brahma Sutras. Vendanta literally means in Sanscrit, the “goal of the Vedas.” Vendanta requires the assistance and discipline of a guru, and uses the mechanisms of mental discipline, ascetism, and the techniques of meditation and contemplation. The source of all wisdom and intellectual illumination are to be found in the proper interpretation and realization of specific passages in the above named sacred texts.

Vendanta is a very intellectual approach to realizing the Godhead, but it relies far more on an intuitive and a subjective understanding of the nature of that cosmic deity, known as Brahman. The methodology used to gain that understanding was to reduce what is known about the Godhead by a process of intellectual reductionism. Vendanta can be summed up as the mechanism of knowing and realizing God through the elimination of what it isn’t as opposed to what it is. This is exemplified through the “neti neti Brahman” (not this, not that, is Brahman) approach to the Godhead. In this manner, Vendanta is similar to Mahayana Buddhism and also Taoism. In fact, some have said that the inspiration for Vendanta came from the impact of Mahayana Buddhim on Indians who sought to propose a counter philosophy that was fully grounded in traditional Indian religious culture.

Advaita is a specific subsect of Vendanta, and probably the oldest and best known. It was founded by Shankara Bhagavadpada (Adi Shankara) sometime around the first half of the 9th century CE. Advaita means “non-duality,” so this form of Vendanta was concerned with a fundamental philosophical question, which is whether or not there is a difference between the Cosmic Godhead (Brahman) and the individual godhead (Atman). According to the tenets of Advaita Vendanta, there was no difference between Brahma and Atman. To state otherwise (that the cosmic and individual godhead are distinct) is to commit the error of duality. Therefore, the principle philosophical tenet can be stated simply as “Atman doesn’t dissolve into the unity of Brahman - it is always directly equivalent, since Brahman must be non-dual and without attributes.” Brahman is therefore the supreme cosmic spirit - the One, the whole and the only reality. It is the undefined source of everything spiritual, mental and material. It is the source of consciousness itself. Perhaps the most succinct and comprehensive article that I have found on this topic is in Wikkipedia. You can read that article for yourself, here.

What completely astonished me while I was reading this article is the statement “Atman doesn’t dissolve into the unity of Brahman.” I was so startled by this statement because it was clearly the opposite to a statement that I have made myself many times when talking about an individual’s Higher Self or God/dess Within and the Cosmic Godhead. I have said or implied that the Higher Self dissolves into the unity of the Godhead, or exists in a state of separation for the sake of the being of individualized incarnation. This, I suddenly realized, was questionable. If I were a proponent of non-duality as the ultimate state of being (and I suspect that am), then it would have to be true that there is no difference between the Higher Self and the ultimate Godhead. They are one and the same, thus making each and every one of us a direct participant in the nature and being of the Godhead.

This realization also makes a lot of sense in regards to the Qabbalah, since the highest attributes on the Tree of Life are the negative veils, representing that aspect of the Deity which is the unknowable and absolute Godhead from which all things have their origin, and I might say, their return. It is the One that is the None, and this would agree with Advaita Vendanta, as well as Taoism, Mahayana Buddhism, Qabbalah, and other mystical traditions which have sought to realize and teach the nature of non-duality.

The key to this conundrum is the statement that the Atman doesn’t dissolve into Brahman, or, the Higher Self doesn’t blend into the Absolute Godhead. There are no differences between them; but the Absolute Godhead functions as the absolute reality, where everything else is just a temporary illusion, or what the adherents of Vendanta call Maya. Since according to their philosophy, the absolute reality must, by definition, be non-dual and non-material, then the Godhead must, by definition, be the ground basis for all reality, whether spiritual, mental or material. The true nature of that non-dual source must be hidden and unintelligible to all conscious beings, which is analogous to what Plato said in his dialogues - that we only perceive the shadows and play of light on the walls of the cave (and not the true reality outside of the cave). This premise is also found in the Qabbalah as well. (You can look over my article about the mysteries of creation espoused in the Qabbalah, which is found here.)

Human beings derive and build up the attributes for the Deity, or perceive it grounded in mental models or divine images, even though it actually has no attributes whatsoever. This human propensity for creating illusions for spiritual phenomena becomes organized and intelligible to us as the domain of symbols, myths, spirits, deities and demigods; but it doesn’t have any reality beyond our own limited perceptions. It is a human creation that masks the real truth, yet it is also important, compelling and useful, too. Also, if we reside in a fashion within the Absolute Godhead, then all of our perceptions of that Being arises from within us as a manifestation of that individual godhead called the Higher Self or Atman. It is through that mechanism that such beliefs that “God is watching everything I do and judging me,” or that certain (or even all) “events in my life are caused by the hand of God” can be explained. This perspective is uniquely human, since it indicates that all of humanity is capable of sensing the Deity in a very intimate and direct manner. Yet such statements would otherwise be absurd without the stipulation that the Absolute Godhead is non-dual.

We are, therefore, a direct and dynamic part of the Deity, whether we can either mentally perceive that union, intuit it through our emotions in some manner, or else it remains to us wholly unrealized. If we loose the context that the deity that we are relating to is through our internal god aspect, then we can assume a kind of privileged association with what we believe is the Cosmic Godhead. Monotheism can foster the egoic illusion (through a misinterpretation of its own theology) that the immanent experience of the internal godhead is synonymous with the greater Godhead. This causes a kind reversal that amplifies the importance of the individual or the religious sect, and it has led to all sorts of terrible religious persecutions and conflicts. The actual truth is just the opposite, since we partake of the cosmic Godhead and interpret it through our own individual and internal connection.  We are the created illusion of this unified, singular and non-dual expression of Godhead, and not the other way around. Disengaging the ego from religious or mystical experiences is very important, and represents the first step to gaining any form of spiritual union. (All of the saints in every form or sect of monotheism have made this perspective abundantly clear by promoting humility and selfless devotion.)

What this means is that the Cosmic Godhead is the greatest and only magician, engaging in pure creation (and destruction) for its own sake; but the true reality is grounded completely into its own being, and is found nowhere else. This might seem a bit confusing or that it somehow negates the importance and priority of the spiritual, conscious and material universe of the individual, yet this is not true. What is created by the Cosmic Godhead is done through love (unity) and a corresponding reverence for all of the facets of that creation. We are, therefore, not a meaningless expression of an exalted Deity who is beyond our realization. Our destiny is to realize this Cosmic Godhead through our own internal godhead. The methodology of achieving this destiny plays an important part in the conceptual frame work of Theurgy, Ritual Magick and Mysticism, and rules how these elements work together to give meaning and significance to the world that we live in. If the Cosmic Godhead is the magician creating (and destroying) the universe, then we are (though our individual inner godhead) simultaneously creating and destroying the universe. When we practice ritual or ceremonial magick, we are emulating that process through our own microcosmic attribute of creation and dissolution - the natural cycle of everything.

Another concept that is fundamental to magick and non-duality is that the joining of polarities, the merging through the artifice of spiritual love of the archetypal masculine and feminine within ourselves, emulates the essential union of all being, and triggers, through ecstasy, the realization of our internal godhead, which is the Higher Self or Atman. We approach this ultimate resolution of selfhood in stages and in phases, but the final act is where we discover the One within ourselves. This is the foundation for working magick through a process of spiritual alignment that leads to spiritual union. Theurgic magick promotes this objective, and so do various forms of religious mysticism. They begin with the process of mastering the multiple layers of manifestation, and ultimately end with the perfect realization of union with the Godhead.

These concepts that I have attempted to explain in my own limited way appear to be somewhat contrary to the writings of Neoplatonism and of Western religious philosophy. Christian theology maintains a powerful distinction between the Absolute Godhead (as the trinity) and the individual souls of humanity, and this can also be found in Judaism and Islam as well. In my recent readings of the philosophical tenets of Iamblichus, it would seem that even he maintains a distinction between the classes of spiritual beings, stating that human souls cannot evolve or reach to the level of the Gods, but could only perhaps rarely ascend to the next level, that of angels. 

 

However, my own experiences within the context of magickal phenomena would seem to agree with the Indian masters, that within humanity appears to be an aspect of deity operating, and through which the spiritual domain, as well as divinity, can become realized. In assuming the Godhead in the practice and work of ritual magick, I am, over time, activating my own Atman or Higher Self, which causes direct and permanent spiritual transformations. That is how I define theurgic forms of magick, and that does appear to differ from how Iamblichus has defined theurgy. What was missing in my speculation (which is far from complete) was to define this process in a manner that would eliminate the duality of the Absolute Godhead, and the God/dess Within.   

So the key is that there is no difference between the internal godhead and the greater Cosmic Godhead. They are one and the same! That is a profound paradox, and one that can never be resolved so long as we live in a state of duality and multiplicity. Only by resolving everything into the One that is None will we truly realize the non-dual truth, that all is Godhead, and nothing else is either real or true. At that moment of realization, though, our individual selves will cease to exist, and the true reality will be finally revealed. Until that time, we are given the task of completing the Great Work, however long that takes.

Frater Barrabbas

Secret History of the Nephilim - Part 1

While I was going through my various notes and unpublished tracts on Enochian magick, I came across this piece which, I felt, explained the way in which I see the connection of the Nephilim with the practice and spirit lists of Enochian magick. How I managed to pull all of the threads together occurred through some spontaneous divination, and an apparent spiritual communication from an unknown source. Looking over the content of the communication, I later realized that it was a brief manifestation of my inner spiritual connections showing me a new pathway through the published Enochian lore. Therefore, it became a key part of the unpublished manuscript “Sepher ha-Nephilim,” which I hope to complete and publish some day in the future.

I essentially wrote this tract in the spirit of mythopoetry, and it was not to be taken as either an historical analysis of the socio-religious world, nor does it fit in with any known spiritual literature. I would recommend that you not take this writing as any kind of literal truth, but as a powerful and compelling allegory. Think of it as a magickal and occultic form of mythology and metaphysics. A type of secret history of the Nephilim, woven together like some arcane initiatory lore, and shared only with the newly initiated adept. So, as you read through this article, let your imagination run wild, since by doing this, something of the greater esoteric truth will be revealed.

The extracted text used in this article is also biographical, since the events it describes occurred in 1990 when I was on temporary assignment to Dallas, Texas. While I was there, I had a lot of free time when I wasn’t at work. That period of living away from my home base and sequestered in my furnished apartment turned out to be quite fortuitous, as can be determined by the importance of what I discovered.


Mystery of the Five-fold Formula of the Nephilim

In the Winter of 1990, while I was on temporary assignment in Dallas and away from my home in Atlanta, something really amazing happened to me. I had in my possession a few of my treasured occult books, some blank pads of note paper, my favorite pens and a lot of free time. I began to alternatively meditate and study during the evenings and weekends when I was alone and mostly idle. It was a time of great internal discovery and new insights into established occult lore, since my studies had little distraction from friends and social obligations.

At one of those  times, while I meditated on the mythology of the Nephilim (as found in the Bible and the first Book of Enoch) and pondered their apparent “Promethean” descent and integration with common humanity, I heard a voice from within my mind speak very clearly to me, “The secret of the Nephilim shall be revealed through the chance drawing of five Trump cards of fortune. This drawing shall be like unto their fate, a fortune to which they desired and bound themselves onto with sworn oaths upon a mountain top.”

I was quite amazed when I heard this pronouncement, which was unprovoked by me and seemed without any physical source, since I was quite alone. It was spoken in an archaic manner and with a deep melodious voice with which I was unfamiliar. The awestruck silence that followed in the midst of my perplexity seemed only to mock and taunt me. Then, I noticed my Tarot deck laying before me upon the table, and it seemed to beckon to me. This particular deck was the Voyager Tarot, a favorite of mine and one that I had recently learned to use with much skill and insight. I picked up these cards and began the process of separating out the Trump cards. When this was completed, I took the deck of Trump cards and thoroughly shuffled it, randomizing them as I concentrated on deriving this most secret formula of the Nephilim. I then randomly selected five cards out of the deck and laid them before me. In this manner I was able to depict, by means of the archetypal nature of the Trump cards, the destined mythopoetic rise and fall of the Nephilim. I then began to carefully study the cards that were selected in this fashion.

The first card was “The Lovers,” Atu VI, and I immediately saw an image of the Nephilim admiring the daughters of men and desiring them. I deduced that this card represented the necessity of free choice and free will.  It was this factor, along with their powerful infatuation, that motivated the Nephilim to pursue their earth bound quest, which was integrating with human nature and thereby ennobling it.

The next two cards were “The Hermit,” Atu IX, and “The Empress,” Atu III, respectively. These two cards represented the personages of Enoch Ben Yared and the Daughters of Men who became partners with the Nephilim in all that subsequently transpired. The illicit marriage of the Nephilim or Fallen Watchers with the Daughters of Men produced children, beginning a spiritual dynasty that was also linked to the patriarchate lineage of Enoch.

The fourth card was “The Chariot,” Atu VII, indicating both the process of integration and the power it transferred throughout the newly founded union of Enoch, the Daughters of Men and the Nephilim. The creation of a new spiritual lineage is indicated by this card, with an emphasis on the mystical Grail as its inner-most symbol. The Grail represented the holy containers that each of these exalted women had become, since through them all manner of knowledge and wisdom was revealed. Those who were properly prepared through the occult training of this new tradition were exposed to the guarded secret sexual and alchemical techniques that had become part of this magickal tradition.

The final card, completing the Pentagrammic Formula, was “The Sun,” Atu XIX, which represented the creative freedom and independence that the Nephilim and their associates enjoyed through the careful exercise of their newly revealed occult knowledge.

The complete formula consists of the five associated Hebrew letters, which were Zain, Daleth, Yod, Chet, and Resh, respectively. These five letters and trumps of the Tarot became the reading of the ascending fortunes of the Nephilim. Of course, the missing part would explain the ultimate destiny of these three parties and their offspring, which would be the corresponding descending or falling fortunes of the Nephilim. Everything that rises, must, unfortunately, fall as well.

Additionally, I was able to determine this final outcome of the descent of the Nephilim through the crafty use of the AThBSh cipher, which gave me an alternate five letter formula to examine. Ostensibly, I produced this new formula through a process of letter substitution (Temurah). This formula informed me about the consequences that occurred due to the founding of this new magickal lineage. So I was able to extract the following five additional letters, which were Ain, Mim, Qoph, Samek and Gimmel. These five new letters were taken from the transposition of the cipher applied to the original formula. I performed this operation to determine the reverse of the original formula, capturing a symbolic narrative that described the consequences associated with the actions of the Nephilim. In this manner I was able to realize their ultimate destiny.

What I deduced while analyzing these five new letters was that certain forces had became arrayed against the progressive spiritual philosophies and practices of the followers of the Nephilim, and this conflict caused their ultimate demise. I also saw the subsequent rediscovery and ascendancy of their knowledge at a much later age.

This influx of new material was very thought provoking and required a thorough examination. So in the weeks following this discovery, I was able to make complete sense out of these two formulas. Curiously, I completed what became the story of the Nephilim, their actions and their destiny, in only twenty-one days following that fateful revelation. This is a story that is not at all represented by history, source texts, archaeology or even accepted theology. It is pure mythopoetry, based as it is on the occult thread of the Nephilim. I could even say that perhaps it was directly inspired by them through some kind of inner plane contact. All of this occurred before I had built up the rituals to finally invoke them and hear their stories first hand.  

(To be continued...)

Frater Barrabbas

Beginning a New Year 2012

So here we are in the new year, and I have several little comments to make so far. A more engaging article is in the works and should be posted over the next week and a half. Before that article goes into my future post queue, I wanted to discuss a few minor things that I have been noticing on the blog scene, as well as talk a little bit about some topics that I am currently thinking about.

 

Heptarchia Mystica

First off, I received a copy of Scott Stenwick’s newest book “Mastering the Mystical Heptarchy,” (Pendraig Publishing 2011) and I have looked it over. This looks like a really interesting and useful book, which will give the Enochian magician an important complete system of planetary magick to add to the already existing and well documented systems of Elemental and Talismanic Elemental magick. Scott takes two approaches to this more obscure Enochian material, and these two paths will satisfy the adherent using the Golden Dawn methodology of magick as well as the grimoire afficionado who wants to work magick as it would have been worked by Dee himself. 

I can say that both approaches are satisfactorily documented, making this book a lot more valuable than it might be if one approach was chosen over the other. Scott is an excellent writer and has made this book quite accessible to the average occultist, so it shouldn’t be difficult for anyone who seeks to master this system of magick to be able to do so. As a friend and magickal associate, Scott is one of those remarkable men that I have had the honor to know and talk with from time to time. So I am recommending that if you have any interest in Enochian magick, this book is an important addition to your library of magickal books. Also, you can find his book on Amazon here, and his blog, here.

Not very many magicians have worked with the Heptarchia Mystica, those mysterious 49 spirits who are also called the Bonarum, or “Good Spirits.” These entities are divided into three groups, which include seven kings, seven princes and thirty-five ministers. The seven kings are used to produce a high level type of magick (visions, knowledge and illumination), and the seven princes are used for more practical or earth-based endeavors. The groups of seven kings and seven princes each have a controlling or ruling spirit (Carmara and Hagonel), which brings the number to eight spirits in each group. The rest of the 35 spirits are supernumerary ministers who are invoked through the hierarchy of king and prince. Like most forms of planetary magick, the magician must use both the planetary ruler of the day and the hour to “tune” the working to the specific planet. Scott has been careful to ensure that the use of these spirits are in agreement with the text found in the diaries and writings of John Dee, thus establishing the boundaries of what would be considered the accepted Enochian tradition of magick.

I have also worked extensively with the Heptarchia Mystica, but unlike Scott, I approached this system in a manner that completely ignored what Dee wrote and established in his diaries. To me, a matrix of 49 spirits would obviously represent a symbolic table consisting of a base planet that is qualified by a second planet. In other words, I saw these spirits as a kind of binary planetary intelligence. Even their names begin with a “B” - representing to me that each spirit is a “Beta” or binary entity. Invoking one of these spirits would produce a complex whose basic meaning and value would oscillate between the qualities of the two planets; where the base planet would anchor the focus and the qualifier would add an additional dimension or even a conflicting polarity. 

Having two planets banging against each other might seem strange or even counter productive, but such a mechanism can be found if one examines the dynamics of astrological planetary aspects in a natal, progressed or transit chart. The planets are in an angular aspect to each other, producing good and negative combinations in a natal chart, and this represents the dynamic planetary nature of a human psyche according to astrology. Using the spirits of the Heptarchia Mystica in this fashion will emulate the astrological dynamic interaction of two planets, which would unleash the power of that dynamic in the personality of the magician and all who are exposed to it. This produces a kind of magick that is not particularly useful for making probability changes in the physical world, but is truly amazing in the kind of powerful magickal internal effect that it manifests in the psyche of the magician. Thus, from the standpoint of the kind of magick that the 49 Bonarum would produce using my model, this type of magick would be purely theurgic. In other words, it would represent a process that I have referred to as a magickal “ordeal.”

Just so you understand what I am saying when I talk about engaging in ordeals as part of my magickal regimen, I am not discussing how difficult or intense the working is when performed. What I am referring to is a theurgic process that is analogous to the transformative initiatory cycle (which I have previously discussed), so that would mean that an ordeal is a kind of mini-initiation which advances the mind and spirit of the practitioner through an ultimate process of ascension. When I performed a series of seven invocations of these Bonarum, I did them every weekend for seven weeks, and ended the process through invoking the ruling spirit Carmara, therefore pulling the whole construct together into union with a ritual that I called the Septagramic Vortex Gate. The combination of all these invocations, performed in a tight and contiguous period of time, produced within my mind a profoundly illuminating process, which I have called an ordeal. It was also like going through a few years of psycho-therapy in just under two months.

Each of the distinct invocations of one of the seven Bonarum spirits produced a correspondingly powerful psychic effect. Some of them amplified internal psychic issues and complexes within me, producing disturbing and intensely difficult mental processes. Others exalted what could be considered my internal psychic virtues. Each spirit communicated directly with me, and gave me an important piece of my overall spiritual and magickal puzzle. I have written up each of these experiences and have analyzed them over the years. I can say that they greatly helped to advance my knowledge of magick and to evolve me as a person. Since I subscribe to the belief that magick should have an overall transformative effect on the practitioner, ascribing the Heptarchia Mystica to this kind of role makes sense to me. By opening the magician to the dynamics of his or her own internal psychic processes, the element of undergoing a kind of personal mystery seems to justify how I ended up developing this system of magick.

Looking over Scott’s book, I am fairly certain that what I have done with the Heptarchia Mystica is completely unwarranted and unsupported by the traditional Enochian lore as set down by Dee. Yet this is how I approached this obscure system of magick, and I had the assistance and advise of spirits that Dee himself had invoked and encountered many centuries ago. If those spirits sent me in a completely different direction than Dee himself went with these spirits, then I can only say that it is likely just one of many different resolutions that are available to a magician who is practicing magick in an inventive and creative manner. What that means is that there isn’t one correct or right way to work magick, which makes the practice of magick more like an art than a science.


Golden Dawn Issues (Still and Yet Again)

Morgan Drake Eckstein has been furiously writing up some interesting blog articles as of late. For those who are interested in the ongoing discussion between traditionalists, reconstructionists and revisionists in the Golden Dawn blogsphere, you can find his blog postings here. One thing that Morgan has recently discussed involves how to have a constructive discussion within the intra-Golden Dawn community instead of a flame war. He seems to be concerned that his comments and statements of belief will be misconstrued as a flame war by the other side of the Golden Dawn divide, namely the traditionalists headed by David Griffin of HOGD. Another point that he has discussed is the synthetic nature of the original Golden Dawn as shown in the contents of the Cipher Manuscripts, and that Mathers lost his connection to the Third Order due to his illicit mixing of various systems in the second order workings, and having that issue revealed by Aleister Crowley in the Equinox. This has brought up the issue of mixing unlike systems together, and whether or not you have to be a “master” in order to rightly perform this task.

First off, a flame war, in my opinion is where someone deliberately engages in defaming another individual or organization. Discussing differences of opinion is one thing, which if unresolvable, becomes nothing more than two people or parties agreeing to not agree. That isn’t a flame war. However, to declare that important beliefs and foundational ideals of a person or group are actually fraudulent, is, in my definition of the term, a form of flame war, especially if it isn't true.

You can agree or disagree that secret chiefs and a third order is relevant to your particular Golden Dawn organization, but to say that anyone who says that they have contact with such individuals or organization is a liar amounts to defaming their entire organization. This seems to be crux of the ongoing argument between certain Golden Dawn reconstructionists, who say that the secret chiefs never really existed, or that the founding of the Golden Dawn was fraudulent, or that Mathers was a liar, pervert or somehow demented, and the traditionalists, who truly believe in the secret chiefs, the third order and that the Golden Dawn was founded by individuals who were trustworthy and sound. This doesn’t mean that the founders of the Golden Dawn were perfect, but it does represent the fact that in order to accept the Golden Dawn teachings, you have to accept many of the inherent beliefs. 

To attack the foundation is to destroy the organization, so why some reconstructionists feel it necessary to completely defame the Golden Dawn is beyond my understanding. I find that I don’t agree with anyone who seeks to destroy the foundation on which the Golden Dawn was based, so I have been in a natural harmonious agreement with those who revere the Golden Dawn and believe in its tenets. 

In my opinion to push these various toxic talking points is to promote a flame war, since all it does is anger folks (some of whom are not even in the GD Order) and create extreme polarization within the community. However, to disagree and state one’s opinion, but to respect that others might hold a different or opposite belief (even passionately), is the basis of a constructive dialogue - one that I feel would be beneficial to the GD community.  Name calling and defamation are not part of a dispassionate and constructive discourse. I hope that this simple contrast makes that difference quite clear.

Also, I suspect that the real reason that the third order cut its ties with Mathers had a lot more to do with his emerging instability, stubbornness and his poor choices in who to trust, such as the Horos scandal, the London lodge rebellion and the subsequent order schism, which occurred in 1900. Crowley didn’t publish the second order material in the Equinox (Liber O) until 1909, which was nearly a decade after all of these events had already occurred. So I truly doubt that the breaking of the relationship between Mathers and the secret chiefs was due to any inappropriate syncretism, despite what David Griffin has reported.  When that severing of relationships occurred is anyone’s guess, but the early 1890's were times of remarkable growth and expansion in the GD community.

This brings me to the issue of syncretism and the fusion of incompatible lore. There are two schools of thought on this issue, and one is that whatever works is OK. Then there is another opinion that seeks to apply a certain amount of esthetics to the development and practice of magick and the occult. I think that a beginner or a careless dilettante doesn’t concern themselves about the esthetics of their rituals or even the congruency of their beliefs. Yet those who have had years of experience will discover by trial and error, and later, through  a refined sensibility, what combination produces an elegant resolution and what combination produces occult garbage. Esthetics are, of course, subjective, but I think that one rule of thumb is to establish boundaries between different cultures, systems and methodologies that could produce disharmonious combinations or unworkable structures when mindlessly joined together.

Simplicity, consistency, orderliness and a certain intrinsic and intuitive harmonious blending of elements makes for an esthetically derived ritual or ceremony. To produce a manual on how one would do this could result in quite a large volume of writing, and its usefulness and relevancy would be hotly debated. I think that this is not a particularly useful topic, so I think that the prime rule is functionality. 

If the early Golden Dawn seems to be highly syncretistic, then I think that state is analogous to most systems of occultism, both ancient and modern. As a witch, revisionist and ritual developer, I have no problems with experimentation and attempting to combine various systems together to discover new possibilities. By doing this I have, in my time, produced some unworkable junk, but also some truly astonishingly elegant systems and techniques - knowing the difference requires judgement, experience and making lots of mistakes. 

Frater Barrabbas

Looking Towards the New Year 2012

This coming year will be a real banner year for me, unless of course, the world ends as some folks think it might. As an occult optimist (or pragmatist), I don’t believe in mythic ends of the world. What happens is either determined purely by chance (the earth gets hit by a comet or a giant meteorite) or by the collective actions of the human race (decline of fossil fuel sources and rising carbon emissions). 

 

There’s also the local and national politics to consider, since this is going to be an election year of great importance. I might not be thrilled with many of President Obama’s decisions, but considering the alternative, I think that even Mitt Romney as President would be a disaster for our country. Listening to the Republican candidate’s debates and stump speeches makes the current president look better and better every day. I already know where my vote is going this coming year, and I hope that a significant portion of the rest of the country will follow suit. Hopefully, a year from today, I will be relieved that we won’t have to deal with another reactionary upperclass twit for a president. We have already had eight years of such a presidential wonder, and it led to two wars, a tanked economy and a massive national debt.

Now that I have gotten that off my chest, I can now discuss what you’re really interested in reading, namely, what are the magickal tasks that I am going to do in the coming year. Hah! Surprised you there, didn’t I? Yet sharing these objectives might give you some ideas of your own. Every year at this time, I believe in filling up my plate with lots of magickal objectives and see how much of those I can accomplish in the next twelve months. It won’t get warm up here until mid to late May, so I do have some time on my hands to focus on some interesting magickal objectives, especially something that I can work with my girlfriend, and also write up to share with you, my readers.

“Start off the year with a bang!” I have always been a believer in doing something dramatic for the first month of the year, and this coming year I will be attending a weekend intensive workshop with John Michael Greer. He will be teaching a weekend long class entitled “Ceremonial Magic for Pagans,” from Friday, January 27 through Sunday, January 29. I am really looking forward to attending this intensive workshop, which is to be held at the local metaphysical store, Eye of Horus. I have always found it useful to compare perspectives with other pagan magicians, and I have found John’s books, blog articles and email correspondences to be insightful and even inspiring. I believe that John has quite a lot to share with the average pagan occultist, so I expect to learn something new from him. Of the many occultists and pagans that I have met over the years, John Michael Greer is one of the brightest and one of the best. He is one of those individuals that I consider to be a “remarkable person,” the kind of individual that an occultist should have among his or her collection of friends and associates.

I will also be attending and presenting classes at the second annual Paganicon convention, to be held on March 17th in the Twin Cities. I will be giving some thought to exactly what I want to present at the convention, and it will likely have something to do with the Qabbalah, so as to coincide with the manuscript that I have recently sent to Llewellyn. I will write up more details about the convention and what I will be doing there in the next month or so. I won’t be attending Pantheacon this year, unfortunately, since I need to preserve my financial resources for other more local venues, like Paganicon. Traveling out to San Jose and having to deal with the vagaries of the weather is also something that I don’t want to deal with this year. Last year I got stuck in San Jose for two extra days due to a snowstorm in the Twin Cities, and the trip home on a red-eye flight was a miserable experience.

My magickal objectives for the year 2012 are quite ambitious. I don’t know if I will be able to complete them all, but I will be, at the very least, performing another large ordeal. As far as writing and publishing more books, a couple of my book projects are stalled and need to be jump started so they can be finished and moved on to the next phase, which is editing and preparing for the layout stage. I will also need to acquire artwork, diagrams and cover illustration, so that will need time and resources as well. I think after the New Year I will look at where these projects are and see what I can do to move them forward. I also understand that the Qabbalah book project may take up some of that time I have reserved for writing during the year, as I undergo the process of making corrections and revisions to the manuscript. I am hoping that a year from today I will be able to eagerly anticipate the publication release date of that book.

So here are my magickal objectives for the year 2012.

1. Perform the Portae Lucis ordeal working. This ordeal requires quite a bit of preparation. It’s supposed to be performed on or just before the Summer Solstice. However, there are twelve talismanic elementals that will need to be invoked, along with their corresponding Lunar Mansions, so that I might generate three highly charged talismans for the planets Luna, Sol and Saturn. There will be an additional talisman (Mercury of Fire) generated that will represent my own personal spiritual contacts and my demigod muse, Hermes Thoth. I will begin to work on the talismans a full lunar cycle after the Solstice, so that work will start after the New Moon in January, and continue on through May. I will report on the progress of this venture, and I am looking forward to being able to accomplish this ordeal. It will certainly add another important step to my progress towards magickal ascension.

2. Invoke some of the spirits of the Theurgia-Goetia. I am planning on invoking three spirits in this list of spirits to help me refine and vet the ritual, which is called the Hexadecimal Vortex Pylon Invocation Gate. Although I haven’t yet actually chosen the specific spirits that I am going to invoke, I would like to select one of the 16 Elemental Dukes, one of 48 Zodiacal Elemental Dukes and one of the 7 Planetary Archetype Princes. In invoking three of these spirits, I will have at least tapped one of each of the target categories of spirits available in this system.

3. Invoke the angelic ruler of one of the 36 astrological decans. I haven’t selected one yet, of course, but I want to revisit this system of magick in order to fully access and work with the ha-Shem angels and the Goetic demons. I have developed some new rituals in this series that I need to test drive, as well as to prove the usefulness of the matrix system that I have adopted to define the basic qualities of these spirits. I have also discovered the seals associated with the ha-Shem angels, so that will be interesting to test as well. This objective can be delayed until the coming autumn or even a little later.

I would like to complete all three of these objectives, especially the Portae Lucis ordeal working during the course of the year. It will be quite wonderful to be able to work a powerful ordeal that will climax at the moment of the Summer Solstice. I must say that I am jazzed just thinking about it. The other two workings can be done whenever I have some spare time, which hopefully will occur during the long winter months, and also when late fall descends into the another winter later in the coming year. I know that this is quite an ambitious schedule, but I am hoping that it inspires me to be more engaged with working ritual magick in the coming year, since that is one things that has suffered somewhat in the previous year.

In addition to the magickal objectives that I have outlined above, I am also going to be doing some other things as well. Since my girlfriend is going to be very busy with her master’s degree during the summer, I have decided to take over the responsibilities for planting and tending our large garden. I am going to literally get into the soil and really explore that whole domain. This will be something new to me, but I think that it will really help me to better connect with the earth and growing things. My repertoire for a gardening regimen is to plant a cluster of vegetables just like the Native Americans did. I am going to plant corn, beans, potatoes, squash and pumpkins all together, with the corn stalks acting as a kind of natural trellis for the rest of the plants. Another thought about this methodology is that planting these vegetables together in clusters will help them grow, since the cluster of different plants will bolster each other by providing mutual soil nutrition. Anyway, I will give this ancient technique a try and see if that makes our garden much more productive than it has been previously.

I would also like to finish up writing my outdoor grove based magickal system and actually try it out in the grove. As the possessor of a really nice piece of property (3.5 acres adjoining wetlands and a shallow lake), I would like to make a real presence in my outdoor grove this year. The previous summer came and went too fast, and I was just too busy (and also sick for three weeks) to take advantage of it. I intend on remedying that in the coming year. Hopefully, everything will work out and I can perform some magick in the outdoors to add to my yearly accomplishments.

Adding to this large list of things to accomplish in the coming year, I would also like to adopt a more realistic approach to my finances (make up a budget and stick to it) and my health (develop and keep an exercise regimen and eat more responsibly). I will also have to help out my girlfriend through assuming all of the cooking and house cleaning chores while she focuses intensely on the more difficult phase of her master’s degree. I have plans for all of these tasks, and I will diligently seek to realize them. Since I am a Capricorn, I am typically able to adopt a list of tasks and to consistently work through them. I may not get all of these objectives met, but at least most of them will be successfully completed. Of course I will also be continuing to write, and hopefully I will be able to knock off some fiction writing, now that I know how to do that. You can also look forward to continuing to receive from me around two weekly blog articles for a total of eight a month.

Are you putting together a list of tasks and objectives for the New Year? I prefer to put together a task list than making resolutions, since a task list is a lot more tangible and realistic, in my opinion. I find resolutions to be more negative and often, too nebulous. If you have a resolution, then go one step further a put together a list of tasks that will make that resolution capable of being successfully realized during the year.

Finally, I am thankful to my readers for their continued support and thoughtful comments. Feedback for the blog articles has helped me to grow and learn, so the mere act of writing an article is really a two way street. I write these article to share my ideas and thoughts with you, and you leave comments to let me know if you agree, like what you’ve read, think that I am wrong or even delusional. Thanks to all of you and your occasional comments, together we have learned something new this year. Hopefully, that relationship will continue, to our mutual satisfaction So have a wonderful, safe and joyously happy New Year. May the magickal year of 2012 be a banner year for you, too.

Frater Barrabbas

Ordeals of High Magick in Tallahassee

So what were those three ordeals that I was able to perform while living in Tallahassee? My home at that time was the perfect place to perform elaborate rituals that required multiple days to complete. I had no nosey or loud neighbors to contend with, and once I was sequestered in my apartment with the phone unplugged, I was free to perform rituals for hours, and I did. Every year, starting in late October and running through early March I would perform a major ordeal. The first ordeal was performed in the winter of 1990 - 1991 (First Enochian Ordeal), the second ordeal was broken into two parts: the winter of 1991 - 1992 (Heptarchia Mystica) was part one, and the second part was performed during the winter of 1992 - 1993 (Greater Enochian Ordeal). In the winter of 1993 - 1994, I performed the third and final ordeal, which was the Ordeal of Spiritual Archeomancy.


First Enochian Ordeal

Here are some quoted text taken from the Book of the Nephilim, part 1, which defines the specific nature of the first Enochian ordeal. This is an unpublished book from the Order’s lore that is still undergoing editing and refining. I thought that this text would explain the nature of the ordeal in greater detail than what I am able to relate off of the top of my head.

“The First Enochian Ordeal is divided into seven distinct tasks. The first four concern themselves with the Invocation of the Four Archangels [Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel]. Each Archangel has been mythically given a role in the act of sealing the Enochian Mysteries from the profane. They therefore act as Guardians as well as Guides to the information being sought. The justification for applying to the Archangels for this knowledge, besides the fact that one knows enough to ask, is the proof of the Deity's favor as established by the successful manifestation of the spirit through the ritualized activation of the Eneagrammic Gate. This sacred domain of the spirits serves as the key for allowing the whole process to proceed, without it, the petition for the wisdom of Enoch would fail.

[The Eneagrammic Gate is a ritual construct consisting of three different personal aspects of the Deity, three animated statues orientated to three different gate structures. The combination of the three gateways and godheads produces a potent personal spiritual domain through which the first ordeal is performed.]

Each Archangel that is invoked is asked to reveal the special knowledge through which the Nephilim may be directly contacted. There are four principle knowledge base tools through which this contact may be established, and these are:

• Opening and Closing the Threshold Gate to the Inner Planes;
• Revelation of the Mysteries of Shemiezez, his magick current of Ceremonial Archeomancy and his special cult;
• Transformation pattern [initiations] of the Chenoch and the preparation that is done before the threshold of the Inner Planes;
• Revelation of the Mysteries of Azazel, his magickal current of the Magician Warrior and his special cult.

The Archangels will facilitate the revelation and organization of these four knowledge base tools prior to contacting the Nephilim. The Archangels will also act as advisors and wardens for the celebrant, and thereby protect one from all potential harm.

The Fifth Task represents the invocation of the Archangel of Spirit (Ratziel) and through its sovereignty summon the Primary Agency of the Enochian current, Naluage. Also, the magick Tablet of the Mystery of the Seven Rays is charged with the Talismanic Elemental of Mercury of Fire, thus establishing the connection with the Spirits of Light who are called to assist the future tasks of the working. While the traditional Enochian system has the fifth archangel listed as Annael or Aniel (Glory of God), I have chosen Ratziel (Mystery of God), since that entity is more involved in the actual myth of Enoch, and Aniel is just another way of spelling Haniel, the archangel of the planet Venus. The fifth task is broken up into two ritual workings, the one that will invoke the talismanic elemental and charge the Tablet of Mystery, and the other one is for the invocation of the archangel Ratziel.

The Sixth and Seventh tasks are the Invocation of Spirits of Shemiezez and Azazel. In these actions the celebrant will use the Gate of Revealing to establish a full Invocation of their Spiritual Intelligences. Subsequent skying sessions will reveal more of the material of the Enochian System of Magick, which will assist in its full re-immersion. Also, the ritual of the Enochian Mystery Vortex is used to establish the foundation of the Enochian system of magick that uses the Nephilim as its source.”

In my opinion, the Nephilim represent the “Briatic” source of the Enochian system, but the alignments that Dr. John Dee established in his skrying sessions were also not ignored. Particularly, the five Archangelic Intelligences who acted as the wardens and sponsors of this occult knowledge and are an important link, as well as the Primary Enochian Agent, Naluage. Also included are the Spirits of Light, and the Tablet of Planetary Intelligences, of which the Mercurial Daughter of Light known as Madimi is of special consideration. This represents the complete repertoire of the first Enochian ordeal.


Heptarchia Mystica - Part One of the Second Ordeal

The first part of the second Enochian ordeal was a system of magick that could invoke and evoke one of the 49 Bonarum, or Good Spirits. I had previously determined that these spirits were actually binary planetary intelligences. As simple spirits consisting of two planets active within their combined intelligence, they represented a polarized planetary force that seemed much more like a psychic artifact or mental complex than any other type of planetary spirit.

You can easily imagine the kind of quality one of the spirits would possess if it consisted of the planets of Venus and the Sun. If the Sun were the base and Venus the qualifier, then one particular quality would be evident, and if Venus were the base and the Sun was the qualifier, then another quality would be evident. For instance, from the Heptarchia Mystica Concourse of Forces, the following qualities are associated with the two binary planetary intelligences of the Sun and Venus.

Sol/Venus  -  The sharing of esthetic values for beauty and culturally significant artistic expressions. Sun base represents the expression of the Arts, Venus base represents their enjoyment and critique.  (Bornogo, Bagnole)

Then there is this definition of the spirits of the Heptarchia Mystica, which I will quote here from the specific concourse of forces document in the Order’s library.

“The hierarchy of the Heptarchate consists of seven dignitaries under the leadership of one of the seven Principles. The stations of the dignitaries are represented by seven royal titles of the monarchical system of mediaeval Europe.

The first and highest is the King, followed by the Prince, the Duke, the Baron, the Count, the Earl and finally the Knight. The monarchical quality of the spirits of the Heptarchate was described partially by Dr. John Dee, and thus followed a natural progression upon which to build. Dee only described the first two positions of nobility within the Heptarchate, but it seemed reasonable to apply the rest as they are currently known.

[One of the assumptions of this system was that the planetary archetypes were also represented by the seven Sephiroth of the Tree of Life, from Yesod to Binah. If one were to unify this system, then the next higher sephirah would be selected, namely Chokmah.] 

The Principles ruled the Kings who ruled the rest of the nobles within the planetary dominion. However, there was also a ruler who joined the seven Principles to a single will, and that ruler represented the sephirah of Chokmah. The prime ruler was called Carmara, and it ruled the seven Kings and Princes Heptarchical. The spirit called Hagonel ruled the Sons and Daughters of the Spirits of Light (Talismantic Elementals), and the 42 Ministers who govern the powers of the Green Ray of consciousness. Correspondingly, the other six Principles also have 42 minsters who govern their associated Rays. The ministers appear in the form of a talismanic tablet that is a matrix of letters seven across by six down; thereby enclosing the names of the associated six Heptarchical Spirits.

The combination of the seven stations of nobility under direction of the seven Principles constitutes the matrix of 49 binary planetary intelligences. These spirits are the intelligences of the Heptarchate and emanate from the 7-fold spiritual archetypes. These seven archetypes are resolved in an eighth, which represents their union. These seven also represent the mediation between Atziluth and Assiah through the world of Yetzirah; and the product of this mediation is the spiritual hierarchy of the Sons and Daughters of the Spirits of Light, (7 × 4).”

An ordeal that could be used to fully engage this system of magick would consist of invoking seven of these Bonarum spirits, with the base being represented by the seven different planets (the qualifiers could be any of the seven planets). Thus all seven of the Heptarchate spirits would be summoned and fully experienced, each performed every weekend, for seven continuous weeks. The eighth and final working would consist of invoking the eighth spirit, Carmara, and to configure the already invoked Heptarchate spirits into a septagramic gate structure. The combination of all eight spirits would simultaneously produce the vortex structure that would completely reveal the holistic Enochian system of magick. I performed this working in 1992, and it was so successful that I am still seeking to digest all of the material which I was able to reveal. I hope to have a completed system written up sometime in the not too distant future.


Greater Enochian Ordeal - Part Two of the Second Ordeal

Since I had identified that the Nephilim were the spirits who had supplied the bulk of the Enochian wisdom and whose heretical teachings consisted of an entire system of magick, it became imperative that I invoke all four of the chiefs of these spirits. Therefore, I performed a long series of rituals to specifically invoke these demigods and their associated demi-goddesses, the daughters of Lilith. Since there were 20 chiefs of the Nephilim, and also 20 daughters of Lilith, I found that this was no coincidence. Therefore, I proceeded to invoke another two of these chiefs of the Nephilim (Turiel and Ramatael), and then invoked the spirits of Enoch, Lilith and finally, Seth.

A final point of consideration concerns the lineage of the Enoch (or Chenoch) as an initiated body of adepts who have mastered the methodology of Inner Plane workings. The actual techniques that they used have been lost, so they exist only as fragments in the Western Mystery Tradition. It is the primary goal of this working to reestablish these techniques and to reorganize them into a complete system of modern theurgy. 

From these entities I was given parts of a new system of magick. In fact, from the invocation of Lilith, I received a completely unique system of performing an invocation. Instead of building a custom invocation rite for each spirit, I instead was shown a way of performing an invocation through a matrix of symbolic correspondences. If I could find corresponding symbols and other occult qualifiers (including attributes of deities), then I could use those correspondences to perform a modular invocation rite.

This magickal technology was revealed to me from the invoked spirit of Lilith. From the spirits of the Nephilim, I was able to build up an Enochian Qabbalah and an integrated system that included specific godnames and archangels. It was a radical departure from the traditional Enochian system, and one that I am still working on today.


Ordeal of Spiritual Archeomancy

As if these two ordeals of Enochian magick weren’t enough to keep me occupied, I also received a completely new magickal technique from these workings. I called this technique “Spiritual Archeomancy,” and the advanced workings that this new methodology helped to explore literally blew me completely away when I later performed them. Not only was this an unprecedented magickal system, but it was also intelligible to others. I shared these workings with Trevor, and then later, with a few other members of the Order, and everyone who experienced them was profoundly impacted.

I had previously devised a system of Archeomancy that invoked through the matrix of the Qabbalah of the 40 Worlds, which is represented by the Tree of Life as projected through the Four Qabbalistic Worlds. The 40 cards of the Lesser Arcana of the Tarot (Naibs and Aces) could also be used to represent the matrix of spirits that could be invoked through this Inner Plane domain.

Through my workings I had discovered another new system of Archeomancy that was based on the Aethyrs and the geometry of the back side of the Tree of Life. In this methodology, the angles (vectors) of the triangular structures of the Tree of Life lattice (skeleton of the pathways without the ten Sephiroth) were directly attributable to the Aethyrs, and that there were 56 of these entities instead of just 30. This information had been imparted to me from the Nephilim, Lilith, Enoch and Seth through the various Enochian magickal invocation ordeals that I had previously performed. Since this methodology was not associated with any kind of traditional Enochian lore, it put me into a place of completely stepping outside of what Dr. Dee had written and presented in his diaries. I was, in a word, in completely undiscovered country.

Spiritual Archeomancy has its own special purpose, since it gives the operator complete access to the triangular dimensions found in the Tree of Life. If you count these triangles, there are a total of 18. However, two of the shapes (above or at the Abysmal gateway of Da’ath) are actually trapezoids, making this system asymmetrical and much more interesting. In an unpublished document that discussed the magickal system of Archeomancy, the functional parts of this new methodology were thoroughly discussed. I shall quote a few paragraphs here to more succinctly define this system of magick.

“The domains that are defined in Spiritual Archeomancy are based upon the triangular shapes that are found in the structure of the Tree of Life and are bounded by the twenty-two paths and ten Sephiroth. These triangular structures have not been named nor defined in the traditional Qabbalah. However, by the very nature of the discipline of the Qabbalah that states that all structures in the Tree of Life must be considered significant and in some manner, accounted for, we must seek to define them. The space surrounding the Tree of Life has been defined as the Three Negative Veils, and the reverse side of the paths and Sephiroth have been defined as the Qliphoth (shells). The triangular shapes between the paths and Sephiroth have not been defined, and I have discovered that they also have an important significance. According to traditional Qabbalists, there are two Qabbalahs, the revealed Qabbalistic lore that we possess in written and oral tradition, and there is an unwritten Qabbalah, which is called the Spiritual Qabbalah. I believe that the undocumented triangular shapes have something to do with this unknown and secret doctrine.

I propose that the key to the Spiritual Qabbalah is revealed in the definition and revelation of those domains consisting of triangular shapes found in the Tree of Life, and I have deemed to call these shapes the Qabbalistic Dimensions. There are eighteen Qabbalistic Dimensions in the Tree of Life, and two of these dimensions actually have a trapezoidal shape instead of a triangular shape. Thus compounding the mystery of these eighteen dimensions are two that defy the patterns of the other sixteen, and are therefore of even greater significance. Herein are great mysteries for the boldest and most imaginative of occultists into which to delve, discovering for themselves the key to the unwritten and apparently unknown Qabbalah.

The Qabbalistic Dimensions have as their qualifiers the paths and Sephiroth that reside on their boundaries. However, there is also another qualifier that consists of the vector or angle where two paths and a Sephirah are joined. If one counts all the angles that are found in the structure of the Tree of Life, then fifty-six will be counted and identified. These angular vectors of the paths represent a spiritual process active in the Tree of Life. I have chosen to associate these spiritual processes with  those mysterious Aethyrs that John Dee had listed in his Enochian magickal diaries. However, John Dee identified only thirty of these Aethyrs. Yet if one counts the angles from the bottom right dimension, then proceeding to the left dimension, and then crossing up to the next dimension on the right, and he/she continues counting in this manner until all thirty Aethyrs are so placed, then the approximate boundary of the Greater Abyss will be revealed.

Those additional twenty-six Aethyrs could be said to exist above the Abyss, and so would not have been visible to John Dee, since he did not realize the Qabbalistic implications of the Aehtyrs nor their place in the Tree of Life. And perhaps Edward Kelly was himself too awestruck to attempt to pierce the veil. Other magicians have used the thirty Aethyrs in their magickal workings, most notably Aleister Crowley, and have assumed that they spanned the Tree of Life in some fashion, where the final and the highest Aethyr was associated with the Supernal Triad above the Abyss. Because they believed this was the truth, their experiences were shaped by that truth. However, until now, no one has adequately placed the Aethyrs in the scheme of the Tree of Life, where they should be an integral part. The Aethyrs have found their place as the determining quality in the definition of the Qabbalistic Dimensions.

The Qabbalistic Dimensions are defined by a combination of path, Sephirah and Aethyr; they collectively represent the facets of the teleological process of the Deity and the destiny of its associated individual sentient souls. To unlock the mystery of a dimension is to reveal a part of the Divine Plan, and also the individual’s association with the fulfillment of that plan, however great or small.”

Beginning in the year 1993, I tested this newly derived system of magick, and the results were spectacular. Trevor and I both performed the working, which took the entire weekend to complete. The final results were mind blowing. Prior to that long weekend, I had also invoked each of the three Aethyrs that were associated with the lowest dimension, which incorporated the Sephiroth of Malkuth, Yesod and Hod, and their associated pathways. The resultant egress into the 18th and lowest dimension had far ranging effects, and in fact, I was still processing that experience a year after it was performed. In performing this magick, I had approached the Tree of Life as a veritable map of the Inner Planes, and had entered what would seem to be completely new spiritual universe.

Two years later I had managed to enter into the 17th Qabbalistic dimension and experience even greater revelations and empowerment. After another year, I then joined both dimensions into a fused Qabbalistic structure that revealed still more lore and a greater degree of empowerment. In all, these three workings represented a methodology and ritual technique that had no previous representation in any magickal tradition that I was aware of. It was a new system based on some very cutting edge Qabbalistic and Enochian speculation.

I have not performed any further workings, but I am planning on picking this operation up again in the future, and I will seek to gain entrance into the two trapezoidal shaped dimension situated just below the Supernal Triad. I have all of the materials that I need to perform these new workings, all I need is the time and the commitment. Other projects have intervened, but I am hoping to continue with this technique of Spiritual Archeomancy in the next few years. 

Once I had accomplished these three ordeals, it became obvious to me that I had gone far beyond what the functioning temple in Kansas City was able to either perform or even digest without my direct intervention. In 1991 the temple had split into two groups, with one group abrogating the work that I had set forth, and the remainder of the primary group continuing with the workings. This smaller group only managed to perform part of the first Enochian ordeal, and the rest of it was either beyond their abilities, resources or just wasn’t as relevant.

After a couple more years, the last functioning temple group had broken up, but my own work continued with renewed vigor and at an accelerated pace. I did share the Spiritual Archeomancy working a couple of years later with Frater Arjuna, but no one else in the Kansas City group was either interested or capable of engaging with this work. Knowing its importance, I have proceeded to refine and document this system of magick. Even so, the documentation is not yet complete, and there are piles of notes, diaries and other materials that await the time when I will draw them together into a completed series of books, which I have called the “Sepher ha-Nephilim.”

Anyway, I lived in Tallahassee for over four years, and then, as predicted by a few of the powerful spirits that I had conversed with, I was promoted and sent to Santa Fe, New Mexico by the company for whom I worked. The next important part of my life adventure had begun, and by the summer of 1994, I had relocated to that small strange town in the middle of the old west. But that is another tale which I will relate to you at another time. The time that I spent in Tallahassee was highly valuable, both from the standpoint of the occult, ritual magick and also my career. I had progressed to new levels in all these arenas. I had also avoided having to deal with the cold and snow of winter for a period of five years.

Even though I had traveled yearly for a while to Kansas City for the annual Heartland Pagan Festival, most of what I had worked to establish in that town was sadly diminished. So I looked forward to my new adventures in Santa Fe, even though that meant that I would have to endure the snow and ice of a mountainous western town, known for its enchanting vistas, unique architecture and Spanish Colonial and Pueblo Indian cultures.

Frater Barrabbas

Where Winter Has No Domain - My Southeastern Refuge - Part 2

Tallahassee and the Great Magickal Revelations

Oddly enough, Tallahassee is where I performed some of the most incredible magickal work that I had ever performed before. The reason was two-fold: I had a perfect magickal temple space, and my magickal work had matured to the point where my rampant creativity seemed to have no boundaries. It was the time when I created the system of magick that I call Archeomancy, and greatly deepened the lore of the Order, bringing it to the exceptional level that it now occupies. I also managed to map out the practices that became the lore of the inner order, or the initiatory degrees of fifth through seventh. I also had quite a number of friends, although only a few were actually interested in the magickal work that I did. It was a very exciting time for my magickal development, and I reveled in the new lore that I was developing.

At that time I lived in a wonderful two story, two bedroom townhouse located on Keily Run off of N. Paul Russell Road. The first level had a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living room and dining room. The second level was a fully enclosed master bedroom with adjoining full bathroom and an alcove (with sloping ceilings) that could function as a walk in closet. I set up this alcove as an occult study area where I kept my grimoires and other ritual documents. The master bedroom had a door leading to the stairway, so the entire area could be closed off for maximum privacy. The master bedroom had high arched ceilings and even a small round window at the apex point where the angled ceiling met the wall. There was also a wooden plant shelf ensconced there, which I used for the placement of magickal icons. The only problem with that temple was that the vaulted ceilings made cooling difficult, so it was often too warm to work magick robed, even at night. Because it didn’t get cool in Tallahassee until November, and then it warmed back up in March, I was limited to doing my more engaging magickal work during that four month period. I lived in that fabulous townhouse from 1990 until I moved in the summer of 1994.
           
Tallahassee was a very marginal town in regards to occultism and paganism. If it weren’t for the two large universities (FAMU and FSU), I would have found it quite intolerable to live there. There was just one tiny occult bookstore in town, and very few individuals seemed to visit it. However, through that store I met two individuals, one of whom would be important to my occult work. One was a young college student named Trevor, and the other was a local pagan and witch named John. Trevor turned out to be a good friend and a magickal accomplice. We spent a lot of time going over the Order’s ritual lore, and he assisted me in performing some of the more complex workings. John, on the other hand, introduced me to some people who became my friends, but my association with him was short-lived. I found John to be completely unethical and untrustworthy. He seemed more interested in spreading malicious gossip about me and then innocently pretending to be my friend. After busting him more than once, I decided to break my ties with him. Yet through my association with Trevor, I met many college students from FSU who were interested in paganism and occultism, although not to the degree that Trevor and I had established for ourselves. Because of my friendship with Trevor, I had an inside connection with a younger crowd than I might have had, being by this time, in my mid thirties.

The office where I worked (on Old St. Augustine Road) was within walking distance of my townhouse, and most of the other necessary stores and services were just a short drive away. Tallahassee was a small town, and parts of it were quite old, but I found it a pleasant place to live. It never snowed there, and only some of the trees briefly lost their leaves in the winter. Late February was the beginning of Spring, and in March, the temperatures went back up to the high 70's and low 80's. Summer time, which lasted from around April through October, saw average temperatures in the high 80's and mid 90's, the air saturated with high humidity. It often rained in the early afternoon during the summer, too. Since I was expected to wear dress shoes, slacks, a buttoned down shirt and tie, I often had to wear short sleeved shirts (looking sort of like Dilbert), and I would skip wearing a suit jacket. The heat and humidity made it imperative to wear a new set of clothes every working day, even though the office was heavily air conditioned. The brief periods of being outside in the hot summer would cause my shirt to be soaked with sweat. Laundering was a weekly affair that took up my Sunday afternoons until I could afford to take them to the Laundromat.

Tallahassee is an old southern town, with cypress trees and Spanish moss growing everywhere. There were avenues that were framed by trees and hanging moss forming kind of a natural tunnel called canopy roads, which looked quite picturesque. The town was surrounded by a forest and a swamp, and in fact some of it was just down the two lane road that adjoined my apartment complex. This made Tallahassee into a haven for alligators and various breeds of snakes, not to mention a hoard of mosquitoes and lots of other bugs. I also heard that at one time, perhaps more than half a century ago, it was a place frequented by malaria and yellow fever, although there appeared not to be any cases of it by the time I lived there. If it wasn’t for air conditioning, I doubt that it would be habitable there for most people. In finding a place without any winter I had also unwittingly found a place that was almost unbearably hot several months out of the year. 

Often I would leave my car parked at the apartment complex and walk to work, cutting across the municipal golf course to get to my office. Because the apartment complex adjoined the golf course, there were typically golf balls in the yards and the parking lot left there from individuals who would terribly slice their drive down the fairway which ran parallel to the complex. In fact one weekend day someone had their car window badly cracked, setting off their rather loud car alarm, simply because a falling golf ball had bombarded the parked car. I also recall that the car was an expensive silver grey Mercedes, obviously owned by some rich parents visiting their college student son or daughter. I am quite certain that they were not pleased with the surprise. Since no one came around looking for their lost ball, there was no one to blame for the damage. 

 

Luckily, my car and townhouse were never hit by these errant balls. I also never bothered to learn golf, so I have no idea what hole number caused so many balls to be sliced to the left and bombard the complex. I only ventured onto the golf course a few times, and mostly at night. One time I remember having a very enjoyable sexual tryst on the downy soft grass of some dark fairway with a young woman. That was about my only real scoring engagement with the peculiar game of golf.

Tallahassee had a large contingent of strident feminist witches who called themselves Dianics, but who were actually more aligned with Reclaiming. Of course, I was a traditional witch and also a middle aged male, so I was pretty much excluded from that group. There were also some rumors being spread around about me (probably by John) that I was some kind of sexist and sexual predator, which was pretty funny because I had been practicing a form of strict celibacy at that time. I did that because I felt it was necessary for the magick that I was working and also to avoid involving myself with someone who might turn out to be too great a distraction. I had been burned by the “Girlfriend from Hell,” so I was attempting to protect myself. Therefore, accusations about me being a sexual predator had a high degree of irony associated with them, since I was about as squeaky clean as any man could be.

Looking back on those times, I can understand my need to create boundaries and to stave off the disaster of a previous bad relationship; but to live in a town that is filled to the brim with very attractive young women while declaring to be celibate was amazingly stupid. While I was pining for a relationship and putting out magickal feelers and asking the Goddess to help me fulfill that aspect of my life, I was also inadvertently turning down a lot of opportunities for having some good clean fun. To this day, I continue to scratch my head about why I behaved in this manner. It’s my assumption that the Goddess was trying to help me resolve my issue with being single, and I was turning a complete blind eye to all of the potential possibilities that came my way. I sort of wonder if the Goddess found me to be an exasperating idiot. Examining some of my magickal diaries at the time, it would seem that the spirits were trying to tell me what was going on, but I was too oblivious to get it.

During my stay in Tallahassee, I also became involved with a coven of witches in Tampa. One of my old students and initiates (Debra) had assembled a coven in her home in Tampa, and requested me to act as High Priest because she lacked any qualified male to take that role. Since I was her elder and former teacher, and had recently moved within a five hour drive of her home, it seemed to me like a good thing to do. For a year or so I traveled down to Tampa for Sabbats, teaching sessions and initiations. I met and became friends with the members of her coven, and experienced some really wonderful gatherings down there. Tampa had a much larger pagan community, and through my connections down there I also attended some pagan festivals and community Sabbat gatherings. I had the best of two worlds - working high magick with myself or with Trevor, and then traveling down to Tampa to celebrate the Sabbats. One of the more memorable initiations that we performed was when we initiated Jacky into the craft. She was vivacious young woman who was just beginning her path. We incorporated a “seining” rite where the candidate was immersed in the salty brine of the Gulf surf as part of her initiation. I still have the ritual that we used, and it was really quite beautiful and inspiring to celebrate that part of her initiation rite on the beach at night.

As you can see, my life was very full, and even though I lived in a small college town (and the State capital of Florida), I had a lot of pagan and occult contacts. I still visited my friends in Atlanta from time to time, too, so it was a truly great time for me. My involvement with the coven in Tampa drew to a close after a year or so of being the high priest. I had some rather heated disagreements with the high priestess and felt that she would be better served selecting someone else to fill my role. Even so, I remained friends with some of the coven members long after my tenure ended. Trevor and I proceeded to work some very advanced ritual magick together, and I also performed a number of ordeals by myself. That work managed to help me to complete three major ordeals, and they took me to a level of magickal work that was far beyond anything I had ever imagined. Previously, I had only been rewriting and reworking rituals and techniques that I had initially invented in the early 1980's. Now I was inventing lore that was completely new and different. Here is a brief description of those three ordeals. (I will write more detailed descriptions of these workings in future articles.)

(To be continued...)

Frater Barrabbas