A Family Feud

Battles royal between various factions of occultists, neopagans, witches and ceremonial magicians has been a feature and a staple of these groups for many years. Some of these disputes and conflicts have been going on for decades, some, with little or no sign of gaining any kind of armistice or peaceful coexistence. We are like a close knit but highly dysfunctional family, and it would seem that conflict occurs with little or no provocation. Factions fight each other tooth and nail, yet they are really fighting their brothers and sisters. The damage that they inflict is often deep, hurtful and seemingly unforgivable. Yet we are united by our interests and allegiances to practices and creeds to an extent that goes beyond the appearances of mere squabbling differences. Such wars only hurt the members of the various factions, others are either not engaged or merely amused or horrified at the spectacle. I often wonder as I read about these terrible wars on the internet, why it seems impossible for us to just accept each other and get along in harmony.

Fighting only benefits those who are truly opposed to us, and in the end, gives them opportunities to either mock and make light of us to the public, or to crush us with accusations and misinformation. If we could but stand together, we would have a greater collective power and say in the larger world, but alas, so far this ideal seems incapable of being realized.

I don’t have to name any names or identify any specific organizations in this article. We all know who they are, and many of us know more about the details than we would want to know. Everyone is imperfect, flawed and has failings - this is an inescapable truth. Yet everyone also has virtues, talents, and experiences moments of perfection and pure genius. I would rather celebrate the positive elements of individuals and groups - the negative aspects can be kept personal and intimate. We have much to celebrate, but we also have a lot to learn, perfect and master in ourselves.

I am reminded of a poem that my mother would recite to me as a child. She only remembered the first stanza and maybe a few lines from the last, but it was an object lesson that I learned at a very young age. You can fight your family members in the most awful manner possible, but in the end, no one wins, everyone loses.

The poem was written by Eugene Field and is called “The Duel.” I am reproducing it here for you to read as a somber consideration for everyone to note. I would love to see all of the feuds ended and the hatchets buried, but I know that human nature and the intoxicating power of the ego will ensure that this probably won’t happen. They’ll go on until no one is left standing. I really hope that my cynicism is misdirected, and that perhaps one day, we will be united by our common interests and pursuits. So here is the poem that I promised you - enjoy it!

“The gingham dog and the calico cat
Side by side on the table sat;
'T was half-past twelve, and (what do you think!)
Nor one nor t' other had slept a wink!
      The old Dutch clock and the Chinese plate
      Appeared to know as sure as fate
There was going to be a terrible spat.
            (I was n't there; I simply state
            What was told to me by the Chinese plate!)

The gingham dog went "Bow-wow-wow!"
And the calico cat replied "Mee-ow!"
The air was littered, an hour or so,
With bits of gingham and calico,
      While the old Dutch clock in the chimney-place
      Up with its hands before its face,
For it always dreaded a family row!
            (Now mind: I 'm only telling you
            What the old Dutch clock declares is true!)

The Chinese plate looked very blue,
And wailed, "Oh, dear! what shall we do!"
But the gingham dog and the calico cat
Wallowed this way and tumbled that,
      Employing every tooth and claw
      In the awfullest way you ever saw---
And, oh! how the gingham and calico flew!
            (Don't fancy I exaggerate---
            I got my news from the Chinese plate!)

Next morning, where the two had sat
They found no trace of dog or cat;
And some folks think unto this day
That burglars stole that pair away!
      But the truth about the cat and pup
      Is this: they ate each other up!
Now what do you really think of that!
            (The old Dutch clock it told me so,
            And that is how I came to know.)”


Frater Barrabbas

Another Lammas Milestone - A New Temple

On August 1, 2010, a new temple of the Order of the Gnostic Star was duly chartered and established by a group of five individuals, which is the required minimum quorum. The new temple is officially known as the Binah-Ge Temple #2, which resides in the southeastern corner of Massachusetts. I am not only quite happy and proud that I can make this announcement, but it also brings up a couple of important points that I would like to discuss here. Anyway, let us all congratulate this group and the inauguration of their new temple! A great spiritual and magickal adventure awaits them. Soon they will be experiencing many amazing new things, since in addition to receiving a charter, they also got the Order’s first three years worth of ritual lore. Once they get through all of that, then more lore will be forthcoming. It will lead them from the first degree all the way through the seventh, all of which has been completely written and vetted over the last twenty years. I suspect that it will take them a number of years to master all of this lore, and while they are learning, they will be building up their own individual as well as collective magickal systems. I envy the wondrous visions and discoveries that await them, since that is what I and other members experienced many years ago.

The important points that I want to bring up at this time is that the Order of Gnostic Star is an active order with a complete set of magickal lore. That lore is available to groups who have the required minimum number of five members. I have made this statement before, but around a month ago, a group actually did contact me and requested to receive a charter for establishing a new temple. I have received these requests before, but usually after I point out the basic requirements as written in the Bylaws, potential members get cold feet and don’t bother to continue to correspond with me. This time the group spokesperson had not only read the Bylaws, but informed me that his group met the basic requirements. Those requirements are pretty basic, and they are easy to verify as well - even at long distances. They had five members who had been practicing ritual magick for at least a year together. They also had the requisite collective temple space. Over the period of couple of weeks, I got separate emails from each prospective member of the temple and even talked to their spokesperson on the phone a few times. I was convinced that they had met the requirements, so there wasn’t anything further to do other than issue them a charter.

Amazingly, I didn’t even have a template for a charter, since there wasn’t much need to produce one over all these years since the last temple folded. I consulted a facsimile of the old charter for the Isis-Sophia temple #1, but that didn’t prove to be useful either. So I used my imagination and inspiration and put one together, based on what I knew had been done in the past. The final result was quite impressive and looked very official, if I do say so myself. Now if anyone else asks me to present them with a temple charter, I will have one ready to go.

This, of course, brings me to my next important point. The Order of the Gnostic Star has become reconstituted! There are now at least two temples in formation. The first and the original mother temple, Isis-Sophia, is being reassembled with a combination of old members and new. A quorum of three elders is now fully established, ready to engage the public through the edifice of the greater Order. However, there is no grand lodge and there is no overriding hierarchy, only individual and fully autonomous temples. What this means is that we can now guide and help any small group of individuals to form their own temple, provided they meet the requirements. It also means that once a temple is chartered, it becomes fully autonomous. No one who is not a member of that temple may make any group based determinations. A group can ask for advice or guidance, but all decisions are theirs alone to make. In addition, all internal group decisions must be determined by consensus. That group dynamic ensures that the elders will never be able to dictate policy to any temple, so a decision to give a charter to a temple is serious business. A charter thus will be duly given once a proper group is validated. Included with a charter is the lore, which is the first three years of rituals and documents. These will be delivered on electronic media for the group to learn, master and use to forge their own systems of magick. All of this is done at absolutely no cost to the group who petitions the Order. Our generosity has an important cause in the greater scheme of things. We expect the new group to show generosity and openness in its turn. So there aren’t any hidden costs, strings, obligations or any additional requirements or expectations in this offer. It is given freely and openly to the greater occult community. As far as I am aware, there isn’t any other magickal Order that runs its business in this fashion - at least none that I have ever heard of.

The members of the Binah-Ge temple are a collective of witches and pagans from various source organizations. They have done their time in groves, covens and community based organizations, and they know the basic elements of ritual and ceremonial magick. They are a fairly experienced group of individuals, and I am very pleased to have made their acquaintance. I am also happy to have been of service to them, assisting them in finding the lore and the pathway to a full mastery of the Art of Ritual Magick. I am still traveling that path myself, and I have n’t finished it, so like them, we are travelers on the same basic path - the Western Mystery Tradition. I believe that in the years to come they will contribute some astounding new lore, discoveries and new techniques in ritual magick. They may come up with some really cool themes for their liturgical practices and seasonal rites, and I hope that they share some of these new directions with me and other members of this magickal family. Time will inform me whether or not I have made a wise choice in giving magickal lore to this group. I suspect that it was a wise choice. 

So, here we are, my fellow readers of this blog, ready to broach the final four questions. Are you interested in such an organization as the Order of the Gnostic Star? Do you have a group of at least four other individuals besides yourself that you can assemble to work rituals and ceremonies on a periodic basis? Do you have a room or space that can be dedicated to this work? Are you presently involved in witchcraft or paganism? If you answered yes to all four of these questions and want to engage in some cutting edge ritual magickal lore, then drop me an email and let me know. I will happily engage all serious inquiries. You can email me through this blog.

Your humble servant -

Frater Barrabbas

One Year Anniversary for Talking About Ritual Magick

It’s August 1st - a wonderful time for this blog!

Talking about milestones, I have just passed one! It was a year ago that I started this blog to share with all of you my various thoughts, opinions and ideas about ritual magick and Western Occultism. It has been quite an amazing journey. I have produced 109 articles in all, and they weren’t short little commentaries either. They were actually rather long and full blown articles discussing what I felt was the most important issues of the day, at least in my own particular magickal work. Yes, I know that I am long winded. Yes, I know that I seem unable to say anything in twenty words or less. But I am thankful that you slogged through them to find the gems and the useful ideas that I put there, wittingly or not.

I want to thank all of my readers, near and far, for helping to make this blog successful. According to statistics there are now over two hundred individuals who have subscribed to this blog, and probably many more who examine it from time to time. I have also learned a lot in the process of posting my thoughts and opinions, and even occasionally, having them shoved back into my face. Yes, I have made mistakes and posted opinions that were either not well thought out or too opinionated, and you have responded to let me know that I erred. This allowed me to refine my beliefs and even change my mind about some of my so called cherished opinions.

While I have been busy writing blog articles, I have also been reading the blogs that others are producing as well - this has also taught me a great deal. So I am probably pretty well immersed now in the blogosphere, but I am sure that there are other and more interesting blogs out there for me to examine. If you know of one, then please, let me know about it so I can read, learn and grow as well.

A lot has happened in the last year or so, and I feel that I have done a lot of growing and learning new things about subjects that I had assumed I knew all there was to know. How silly of me! I agree that hubris is an ongoing mental weed that we need to periodically uproot in order to remain fresh and insightful.  I am grateful for all of the comments, emails and connections that have occurred, all of which gave something to think about and ponder.

Once again, thanks for staying tuned to this blog and helping me to experience the wonder of the internet and to be challenged as a writer and a practitioner of ritual magick. Have a happy August 1st, Lammas or Lugnasad, or whatever you want to call it (Leomas?), and have a drink symbolically with me as I celebrate the beginning of the second year! I promise that the new year will be filled with all sorts of interesting subjects, ideas, opinions, and even some humor.

If you have any ideas for topics to discuss here or want to see if you can stump me, then go ahead, ask me a question. I am open to whatever anyone wants me to write about, er.., well, within reason, of course.

Happy Lammas or Lugnasad!

Frater Barrabbas



Ask me about ritual magick

Some Further Thoughts - Oaths, Secrecy & Secret Chiefs

Well, now, the discussion over Nick Farrell’s blog article about the Golden Dawn oath of secrecy has gotten some interesting traction as of late. As an outsider, it mostly doesn’t concern me, since I have not taken any of the Golden Dawn oaths. I am not a party to that discussion, just an outsider who is puzzling over it because it seems so simple to me.

I have already responded to this argument that pagans and witches take their oaths pretty seriously in a previous article, even if it is to protect confidences and materials (like the Book of Shadows) that everyone pretty much knows anyway.

Some like Fr. Peregrin have opined that secrecy and oaths are archaic and could even be considered idolatrous, since they mistake the symbols and tools for the real mysteries. You can find his blog here. I am sorry, but I find that argument kind of confusing and a bit off topic. The real issue here is whether or not oaths and secrecy have any relevance. Of course, I can talk about this from a theoretical perspective, but I can’t freely violate the oaths that I took when I was initiated as a witch - it just isn’t done. Why is that so? Well, for one thing it would undo my initiatory process, invalidating what I received and what I appear to continue to receive. Who wants to screw around with progress? Peregrin makes a really good point that the mysteries are inexplicable and can’t be written down or shared with others, and I wholly agree.

This is one of the reasons why witches and many pagan are not “people of the book.” We have no sacred scriptures because the mysteries themselves provide those experiential mysteries in great abundance. What is secret is what I do in my personal magick (at least the more subjective and personal stuff, in case I feel the need to share or teach others), the personal names of the various Gods and Goddesses that I have experienced or received, the ritual lore that I use, and most importantly, the name of my Holy Guardian Angel. Does this mean that I am some kind of idolater? Well no, it really doesn’t. I am an idolater because I’m a pagan and use statues of the gods in my magickal work, and I give them offerings and worship them, but that’s another issue altogether.

Then there is the sticky issue of the secret chiefs, also known as those “remarkable men and women” who have achieved the highest level of being possible for a human. Do I believe that they are mythic and they don’t really exist? Of course not. I don’t believe in omniscient and immortal humans who live for centuries without aging and who have superhuman powers, but I do believe that a single human being can achieve complete and total enlightenment in a single life time. That’s different than believing in “ascended masters,” but I won’t argue or try to prove that such individuals don’t exist to those who believe in them. I just don’t share their beliefs, that’s all.

Could it be possible that there is a Third Order of higher adepts in the Western Mystery tradition who reside in some location of the world, most likely Europe? Why not? Some have said that there couldn’t possibly be such a group or even individuals. They even say that those who claim to have made contact with such a group and have materials for the Third Order are lying and being totally deceitful. How could that be? If someone claims that no such group or organization exists, then they should be required to prove that statement, just as those who claim that it is true.

However, due to oaths of secrecy and confidentially, providing proof that such a group exists might actually be impossible, if one actually obeys those oaths. This is definitely a Catch-22 situation. It’s like the argument about the existence of God - some will propose proof that God exists, but that proof can be just as easily turned around and shown to be negative. In the end, the only proof is a person’s good works and faith in God. The existence of God is determined by the fact that many believe in God, and they are powerfully and positively transformed by it. It can’t be proven, but then again, it can’t be disproved, either. The same paradox exists for the secret chiefs. If you have met them and know they exist, then you have been made to take oaths not to reveal their identities, which is part of the issue of keeping confidences (and a real conundrum).

What this means is that if one faction of the GD claims to have contact with the secret chiefs and has constituted the Third Order, then the only way to prove that claim one way or the other must require a person to undergo those initiations and teachings and find out for themselves. Otherwise, the arguments are all pointless. The proof of the pudding is in the eating - if you don’t eat the pudding, then you can’t know. It’s very simple logic, even for an outsider.

Finally, to claim that there are no secret chiefs or any kind of advanced adepts in the world, or at least in the Western Mystery tradition, is to say that the only valid knowledge in the world is what is in books in a library or available on the internet. If it isn’t in those various sources, then it doesn’t exist.

Think about that for a moment. It sets up a terrible boundary or limitation on spiritual, magickal and esoteric knowledge. It says, in effect, that there is nothing greater out there than what we have already achieved. Everyone, no matter their personal gifts and abilities or how long they have studied, not to mention the breakthroughs that they might have made, are at the same level. Initiations, transformations, secret oaths - it’s all just window dressing! Well, I for one would find that quite discouraging. It means that we are totally alone and there are no brothers or sisters out there who know more than we do, at least in any significant way.

Gee, if I were to believe that, then I may as well quit all of this mumble jumble occultism now while I am ahead and do something really constructive with my life, like making lots of money or discovering my happiness in the sandy beaches of Tahiti. Good thing for me that I still have hope that I will someday meet some remarkable men and women who might teach me something that I don’t already know. I eagerly look forward to that day.

If someone claims to have contacts with the secret chiefs or remarkable men and women and that they have established a Third Order of higher adepts, who am I to deny them? If I want to prove them wrong, then I would need to be initiated into that organization. Otherwise, I can just nod my head and give them the benefit of the doubt, because who knows, what if that claim is legitimate? Who wants to spoil any future opportunities to achieve total enlightenment? I, for one, don’t, so I will play by the rules and see what happens. That’s the most that any of us can really do. To do otherwise is to spoil the game for ourselves and for others as well.

Frater Barrabbas

Opera Ex Operato Indeed!

Jason Miller has written an absolutely brilliant blog article today that I just had to comment on. In fact, I believe that his article has helped me locate and determine an important piece of the puzzle that I have been thinking about and wrestling with for quite some time. I agree with most of what he has said, but have some additional caveats to propose. Basically, what he has said is striking and important. You can find it here.

Jason’s essential premise is that belief and intent are not as important as many would presume, including myself. However, they are still operational quotients in the workings of magick, which is what I assume he is communicating in his article. So, don’t discount the power of your beliefs or your intent in the magickal working, just don’t give them too much weight, either. What is important is the work itself! (That was the “Aha” moment!)

‘The term Opere Ex Operato is an ecclesiastic term that translates as “it works because of the working”. It arose as a church doctrine as a response to competition between priests claiming to give more effective sacraments than other priests because of their proper view and purity.’

Of course the ecclesiastic term was more likely promoted so that the incompetence of some members of the clergy could be overlooked when attending a mass that was below the minimum standard of quality to be considered at all effective. But there is some truth to this statement, and it does answer some questions that I have been puzzling over.

I have been present, witnessed as well as heard of botched magickal operations and liturgical presentations that seemed to work quite well even though the celebrants were completely incompetent and the resultant working was considered terrible. However, that doesn’t mean that any operation however poorly contrived and executed will work regardless simply because it somehow resonates with some magickal or spiritual archetype, being or force. Magick can and does fail. Learning to be knowledgeable, proficient, capable and well practiced in the art of ritual magick is still an important objective for any student. Also, I have found that a more proficient magician will not only produce more elegant and esthetically pleasing ritual workings, but that they will be more likely to produce the desired result. So intent, belief, capability and understanding do play some roles in the ability of a magician to work magick and the product of her magickal workings. If this were not true, then all teachers would not be able to justify teaching others how to work magick, and perhaps even charging for it. (Hmm..)

I even recently believed that by intent alone a poorly contrived and executed ritual would be effective, but that supposition has always left me feeling like something was missing. One could intend to work magick, and then decide to drink a six pack of beer and watch TV. Would that intention count for anything - decidedly not! The world is overwrought with intentions that never amount to anything because they also require that the “intendee” gets off his backside and actually does the work. Belief in what you are doing and intention are also important, since they can be foundational to what you are doing - but the work is critically important, and without it, nothing happens.

However, the nature of the work is subtle, and does not need to conform to established praxis in order for it to be competent and successful. I create (make up) ideas and come up with new ways of doing my ritual magick all of the time, and it works quite effectively. It also works for others as well, so I would suspect that it isn’t necessary to either do something or engage with something that has a long history of being done or being engaged with.

Chaos magicians seem to prove this quite often, using anything that strikes their fancy as a system of magick, and yet, it works. One of my old teachers built an entire magickal and liturgical system out of the Superman comic mythos, and as silly as it was to watch and experience, it still worked. Perhaps we could say that Superman resonates with aspects of the godhead and the hero demigod (perhaps like Hercules or Samson, except with even greater godlike powers), but the silly quotient in what was being done had to be overcome as well. Culture is replete with all sorts of stuff that could be incorporated into one’s magick, even things that would be absurd (such as having pop icons as gods and goddesses), and yet the magick would probably still work.

Another thing that has to be understood about magick is that it is decidedly “wiggly.” That means that it doesn’t conform to logical structures and often seems to have a mind and will of its own. To make rules and suppositions about magick usually invokes the wiggly nature of magick. Therein lies the crux of being found out in some embarrassing manner that one’s rules are decidedly too rigid to actually encapsulate the whole mystery of what magick is and how it works. So we can all sit in our comfy arm chairs and discuss the nature of magick, while it’s running loose and fomenting all kinds of mischief behind our backs.

Also, one needs to qualify what is meant by belief and intent, since there could be weak and strong versions of these qualities. The weak versions would represent our whims and superficial expectations and desires (often quite changeable), and the strong versions would represent our greater expectations at a deep level of our being, and our true intent devoid of self deception and delusion. Deciding to work magick always runs into the powerfully paralyzing qualities of inertia, sloth and indecisiveness. These are forces in the personality that can and will nullify any kind of plan or operation, and they have to be dealt with through personal discipline and an act of willpower.

Thinking outside of box and accepting challenges that are not part of one’s usual equation are the elements that evolve and help us to grow. Without them, there is stagnation and ultimately, devolution. Jason is dead right about that issue! We need to be always open to many possibilities and experiment with new things and concepts, even things that might appear to go against our superficial desires and wants. Inertia and sloth, disguised as comfort and always working in the box will not help us grow and become strong, It will in fact ensure that we remain within the boundaries of the box and never succeed in achieving much of anything in life. Pushing the envelope and learning to master the self is critical to all spiritual pursuits and paths, especially in the practice of magick, where more often than not, we have no one to either guide, direct or bash us across the side of the head from time to time. Magick is definitely not something that is comfortable and predictable - so get out there and push the envelope, make something happen and by all means, do something that you have never done before.

So, a tip of the hat and “kudos” to Jason Miller for his insightful and interesting blog article. I have to admit, you made my day!

Frater Barrabbas

A Matter of Oath Breaking

Recently, Nick Ferrell wrote a blog article where he criticized the necessity for the oath of secrecy for Golden Dawn initiates. While I am not a Golden Dawn initiate, I do have some opinions about oaths of secrecy and confidentiality. I have also incorporated a kind of oath for members of my own order, but that oath is more engaged with confidentiality and ethics than actual secrecy. Still I can understand the need for such an oath as well as its limitations. You can find Nick’s article here.

The Golden Dawn has been rife over the last century or more with various kinds of individual oath breakers. Certainly, Crowley could be considered one of the first, who published the Golden Dawn lore in his periodical “Equinox.” Then we have Israel Regardie, Dion Fortune, and a host of others. I have to admit that if these individuals had not circumvented their oaths, none of their writings about the Golden Dawn would have been produced. We would have known next to nothing about this secret organization and its precious lore, and there would have been a dearth of popular occultism, paganism, wicca and magick today. Some might have been quite happy if the occult explosion of the last hundred years had not occurred, but I can tell you that I would have been quite unhappy. In fact, the thought of not being an occultist and having my mono-mania of magick to pursue is quite daunting indeed. (Ha! Maybe I need to get a life and stop being such an occult nerd.)

So I can’t either blame or condemn any of these occultists for breaking their solemn oath to the egregore of the Order of the Golden Dawn, because I and many others profited from it. However, I can look at what motivated each of these individuals and determine what the driving force was that caused them to take this step. For all of the occultists except Crowley, the reason was selfless. They were driven by the desire to enlighten and inform the public. It doesn’t matter too much that the material was given out of context, since it did indeed inform and enlighten many individuals. In fact, it is probably what saved the Order from complete extinction, so perhaps the egregore of the Order was behind these illicit transmissions.

Crowley’s reason for publishing the Golden Dawn material was undoubtedly for pure spite. He despised Mathers and the other members of the Order. He also sought to abrogate the lore for his own personal magickal order, and he published some of Mather’s manuscripts and passed them off for his own work. However, Crowley also produced his own stellar work and had many great contributions to the study and practice of magick. However, his intentions were not selfless or positive, even though the final outcome did end up being good. I suspect that Crowley got to taste the full bitterness of his betrayal of a powerful order and its egregore, if we attribute his final days to that consequence. We can also just as well believe that Crowley was just being himself to the very end, brilliant, pathological, addicted, profoundly creative, notorious and controversial.  Despite his final pitiful days, I think that Crowley would be pleased with the number of occultists today who read and study his works.

Other occultists have published Golden Dawn material - much of it has been in the public domain for quite some time, so I would assume that such material couldn’t be part of an oath of secrecy and confidentiality. So for this reason I couldn’t condemn someone like David Griffin for being an oath breaker. In fact, I am quite happy that many Golden Dawn initiates have written books for me to read and study. However, where I draw the line is the consideration of the author’s motive. Why are they writing about this material when it properly belongs to the Order of the Golden Dawn. Answering that question is very important, as I have already shown in the examples above. If the motive is a selfless desire to inform and enlighten the public, then it must be a positive development, perhaps one that the egregore has sanctioned itself in some manner. If not, then what is revealed is probably not only illicit but against the spirit of the organization.

Nick Ferrell has written a lengthy article that outlines what he thinks is invalid and wrong about the oath of secrecy in the Golden Dawn. There are things that he finds agreeable and things that he doesn’t agree with and feels should be changed. That is all well and good, and probably it would be better stated by someone who has never taken that oath than someone who has.

Say you take an oath. Later on you pick it apart to determine which sections are agreeable to you. Those you agree with, you follow, the rest you ignore. Does that make any sense at all? It seems kind of fast and loose to me. It’s almost like getting your driver’s license and then deciding which traffic laws are relevant and which ones can be broken. A lot of drivers get away with ignoring some traffic laws, like coming to complete stop at a stop sign, but sooner or later either a traffic cop or an accident will force them to change their mind.

I believe that if you make an oath, it doesn’t matter how ridiculous it is, or whether you can obey some parts of it and ignore others. If you don’t respect the oath as a whole, then picking it apart will only completely undo it. In other words, if you can’t respect any part of an oath, then you have no business taking it in the first place.

Confidentiality is, preeminently, the most important part of an oath. Yet confidentiality extends beyond just the names, addresses and personal characteristics of the members of the organization. It is also includes the daily business and personal interactions of the group, the magick they are jointly working, the rituals and lore that they use, group politics and interactions - all of this is strictly confidential. If materials are not already in the common domain, then they shouldn’t be published except without proper authorization from the organizational heads.

 I wouldn’t like it if some clown in my local magickal temple decided to publish the group’s rituals and activities without telling the whole group about it and getting our consent. Maybe someone might have good reasons to publish confidential or unpublished information, but if their reasons are good and if they took an oath to retain all such information as confidential, then they need to ask permission and get approval. In our order, such approval is strictly limited to the local temple, and then it is by full consensus. These are matters of ethics, and anyone who is in a formal group should take them quite seriously.

Here is an example of the oath of ethics taken by an initiate of the first degree (Neophyte) in the Order of the Gnostic Star. I can share this information with you because it has been available on the internet for the past several years.

“I ______________, in the presence of the Lords of the Universe, who work in silence and whom none but silence can express, in this temple of the most high and holy Graal (Isis-Sophia). By the order E. S. S. G. do of my own free will solemnly promise to keep secret this order, its members, its rituals and proceedings. To undertake a benevolent revelation with all the fratres and sorores of this Order. To reveal to no one except the initiates of this order the rituals, ceremonies and documents of this order. That I shall never debase my mystical knowledge in the labor and service of negative magick at anytime nor under any temptation. If I should break this sacred vow, my soul stands before those powers conjured in this sacred place to judge my actions.”

Does taking this oath mean that the rituals and documents of the Order must remain inviolable secrets?  No, actually, it doesn’t. It means that a member of a temple of the Order must keep in confidence all that occurs within it, to protect the members and the workings that they are undergoing. The rituals are not what is kept confidential - only the ritual lore of the temple. There is an important distinction here that should be understood. I usually make certain that prospective members understand the nuances of this oath, but often, I find such an explanation to be superfluous, since it’s so obvious what is being kept confidential.

Thus I would never take an oath that I didn’t wholly believe in and follow to the end, and I would obey an oath that I took to the fullest possible definition. This is what is expected of occultists, and there is an important reason for behaving in this manner. That reason is rather mysterious at first glance, but if you think about it, it becomes more evident. If you break your oath with a spiritual or magickal organization, then you set up a powerful wave of negativity, distrust and dissonance that has a subtle but powerful over-all impact. If it is egregious and based purely upon one’s own lust for power and self aggrandizement, then it will cause a permanent disconnect from the egregore of that organization.

Once such a breakage occurs, as a kind of willful sundering, then it becomes more difficult for any other doors or future possibilities to open for that person. If they have left a bad group, then there is no blame. If not, then they are culpable. If we consider that there are possible higher levels of spiritual and magickal development that are neither in print or held by any known organization, then its possible that such lore would be in the hands of individuals who have achieved the highest level of spiritual and magickal attainment in this world. These individuals would very likely judge an oath breaker as not trustworthy for the greater lore, thus he would be overlooked even if his achievements were monumental.

As far as the Golden Dawn is concerned, a branch or a temple may be bad or corrupt, however, the egregore is still a powerful and positive vehicle in the spiritual and magick world. An oath made in that temple is to the egregore, not to the temple hierarchy. Violations of that oath will be measured against the good and the harm that such an action has caused. The intent of the violation must also be weighed, and that should indicate whether someone meant to do it for the greater good, or did it for ego or spite.

Nick has bragged that when he published an ebook version of the Book of the Tombs, a document that hadn’t ever been published before, he managed to single handedly silence a dispute between two warring factions of the Order that were fighting over the disposition of the Vault of Adepti. The vault is a chamber device that is used in the inner order to conduct intensive forms of magick and initiation, which the document outlined in detail. Supposedly, the two groups then ceased their bickering when they managed to review the original dimensions and qualifications of the vault. Of course, that’s his opinion, we can just as easily assume that they were silenced by his audacity and outraged at his illicit actions.  

I believe the real issue is Nick's cavalier attitude to the very organization that taught him magick and revealed to him the inner mysteries. What is Nick’s intention but his own self aggrandizement, which is in a word, “ego.” Nick seeks to make himself a great man at the expense of the egregore of the Order that took him into its bosom. That makes him not only an oath breaker, but a real blackguard as well. Nick seems to be ruled by his piratical rapaciousness for secret occult lore, which he turns around and publishes, all for the greater glory of himself. He seeks not to inform the general public, but instead to promote himself as an authority and a master of secrets. In declaring himself to be an oath breaker, he has shown the world that he can't be trusted, and has unwittingly slammed the door on any future transmission of even greater occult lore. Potential higher adepts would never consider him as a colleague, and who in their right mind would want to have that option negated?

I don’t feel impressed by what Nick has done, instead I feel sorry for him. Who could ever trust this man with their lore or their mysteries? However you attempt to spin this dilemma, an oath breaker is just that, an oath breaker. It’s someone who betrayed the trust that other individuals placed in them, all for the greater glory of themselves.

Frater Barrabbas

The Grove and Outdoor Magick

“Have seen dawn and sunset on moors and windy hills
Coming in solemn beauty like slow old tunes of Spain:
I have seen the lady April bringing in the daffodils,
Bringing the springing grass and the soft warm April rain.

I have heard the song of the blossoms and the old chant of the sea,
And seen strange lands from under the arched white sails of ships;
But the loveliest things of beauty God ever has showed to me
Are her voice, and her hair, and eyes, and the dear red curve of her lips.”
Beauty - John Masefield

There is nothing more beautiful, intense, real and meaningful than having an outdoor place to work magick, especially if it is consecrated and maintained over a period of time. I call such a semi-permanent place to work magick out of doors, a Grove, and I am lucky enough to own a three acre section of wooded land that has such a place within it. A grove demands a certain fundamental reality that you won’t find in an indoor temple. A magician who works in a grove is expected to be able to deal effectively with the variables of nature. Trust me when I say that there is nothing more basic or fundamental than that.

However, many witches treat an outdoor grove much as they would treat their indoor temple. This is patently wrong and misguided. Such a notion assumes that there is no difference between a grove and a temple, and to be deadly honest, they are quite different in many ways. So to help some folks to adjust their magickal workings to an outdoor environment so that they can really function within a grove setting, I decided to write an article that articulates the differences between a temple and a grove, and how those differences can make for some exceptional magickal experiences.

When witches assemble to work magick in a temple area, especially if that temple is a temporary affair that is used normally for living space, then one of the first things that they will do is to perform a rite that purifies the area and generates sacred space. Upon that sacred space they will erect a magick circle and set the four wards to the four cardinal directions. Sacred space is generated through the application of the four Elements, where earth and water are the salt and water conjoined to make the lustral water, and incense and fire are joined to make the clouds of incense smoke. Some will even pass a candle to the four directions as an emblem of fire, although that is optional. Yet such a set of actions would very likely be superfluous when defining sacred space outdoors. Why is that? What could be the difference?

The very first assumption that anyone who is a pagan or a witch would make about nature is that it is inherently sacred. So this means that even a suburban yard has a certain quality of sacredness already built into it. When a group assembles in some “secret glade” to do their magickal rites and worship the gods, then that secret glade is already sacred. If it’s already sacred, then what’s the point in aspurging, incensing, laying a magick circle, calling the quarters and setting the four wards. Most of these actions are terribly redundant and unnecessary because the area chosen for magick is already sacred space. In the end, these actions, taken out of context from a temple, only serve to help the group become aware of the sacredness of the space, and that is accomplished poorly because not one person has done anything to attune themselves to the natural sacredness of the area. They assemble in some beautiful natural space, and then ignore it’s beauty for the sake of their liturgical protocols. While they are doing these actions, they are ignoring what that sacred space has to say, almost refusing to listen to the trees and tune in to the lush growth of grasses and herbs. It almost seems like those who profess to be pagan and witches are actually quite dulled by their mundane and urban life experience, even if they live in the suburbs or the countryside. All of this is quite sad to me, since it represents the fact that some pagans are only pagan in name, that the actual mystery of nature completely escapes them.

Does anyone go to a sacred natural setting and before any ritual or liturgical work is done, ask the space for its permission and assistance? Just learning to be quiet, tuning in to nature, touching the plants and the earth itself, and then asking these simple questions would certainly make a difference.

“I am here and open to you, please attend and be open to me. What do you want to teach me today? What do you want me to do so that I may honor you and come to know the mystery of nature?”

Does anyone talk to nature anymore? Certainly, that would be sign of someone who is a pagan - talking to the trees, grasses and herbs. Learning to emulate the deep quiet of nature in one’s inner self would also allow nature to talk back, because it can certainly be loquacious in its own way. Talking to nature and listening to its subtle, deep and gentle replies is an important step to becoming a real pagan, and an important step to working magick in a grove. 

I have attended many festivals and gatherings where rituals are conducted using the same old tired ritual actions, again and again, all of which are exactly the same actions that are done in a temple. No one asks the natural setting where these rites are being performed if that is the right and proper thing to do, or what, if anything, should be done. What it does, though, is create an artificial barrier between the celebrants and the actual ground upon which they are doing their rites. The earth can’t talk to them if they are assiduously ignoring it. The lack of that fundamental connection makes what is done almost absurd, especially for those who espouse to be pagans or wiccans.

So, how do we rectify this situation and work our rites in a grove setting while establishing a powerful and harmonious link with the mysteries and powers of nature? What must we do to really become a proper worshiper of nature and an agent of earth-base spirituality, not to mention work earth based magick? What we have to do is to throw away most of our assumptions and leave the temple rites in the context of the temple. For a grove, we need to approach it in a completely unique and different way.

Here are some assumptions and what impact they have on working outdoor rites in a grove setting.

Groves are naturally sacred, there is no need to attempt to make them sacred. What is required, instead, is to open the self and re-sensitize the mind and body to what is already there. So we don’t make sacred space in a grove, we open ourselves to it and make ourselves available to it.

All of the Elements are present in nature, there is no need to summon any of them. Similarly, the Gods and Goddesses are all present, there is no need to call or summon them, either. What we do is to become deeply and profoundly aware of these qualities and open ourselves to them each, one at a time.

Give offerings, gifts and veneration to the sacred space so that it will want to open up to those who are seeking to work within it, and these offerings are always organic human made things consisting of food, drink, (vegetable) oil, tobacco and other things that have been taken from nature to nurture and feed us humans. We give these things back to the earth, to show that we aren’t selfish and that we want to feed the earth as well as ourselves.

Complicated written scripts and rituals are unnecessary in a grove. Ask the grove what kind of ritual work should be done and how it should accomplished. The grove as living sacred space not only talks, listens and informs, but it can also guide one in a more effective method of working magick. Memorize what needs to be done, and then be flexible, speak, sing and dance from the heart, and be ready to throw away your assumptions to try something completely new.

Of all the four Elements, we bring fire into the sacred grove. Fire can be a terrible force that destroys nature, so it must also be venerated, worshiped, respected and rigorously controlled. Fire is a powerful spirit, and when it breaks the boundaries that control it, it can be a terrible beast. So we should approach it with great care, respect and cautious veneration. Natural fire is the light and warmth of the Sun - wild fire is what is generated from lightening or vulcanism. Similarly, we may erect and light torches or set up lanterns to illuminate the site and add a special illuminating pattern of mystery and beauty to the sacred space of the grove.

A circle can be used to help focus the magickal work, but it is not required. A permanent grove will have a few things erected and permanently left there for periodic use. These would be a circle to mark the boundary of sacred space, an altar of some kind to show the place where the gods are assumed to be (this can also be a Stang or pole), a sacred fire pit and torches and/or markers to show the approximate four or eight directions, thus making it a compass round. A temporary grove can have an altar, fire pit and torches set up, or it can have just a fire pit for the fire. There is no real need for a circle or any other distinguishing markers, just the fire pit where the human element introduces a controlled version of the Element of Fire.

Tools that are required are few - there is little need for anything that doesn’t have a practical value. A knife is used to cut and carve, something is used to make fire, perhaps even a wand can be brought with one, but a handsome stick cut from a fallen branch would do nicely. A Stang is a wonderful tool, since it melds wood and horn into a single expression, and it is iron shod. (I will be discussing this tool in a future article, so have no fear if the concept eludes you for the moment.) Learn to use only a few tools or none, and make do with what the grove offers you as a suitable magickal tool.

A grove is a very special place that is generally larger and roomier than an indoor temple, so it benefits one to dance, leap in the air, sing, beat drums, play flutes, eat and drink, and even make love, all in the name of Sacred Nature. If a person seeks something in life that he or she does not already possess, then ask the earth if it’s possible, what must be done to make it so, and then use the power and majesty of the earth to make it so. Perhaps an unusual stone will make itself known to you, or a special herb. What is at hand is all that one needs.

So to recap - how do we work magick and worship in a grove?

• Perform deep forms of meditation, listen and attune yourself to nature. Do this first before doing anything else. Talk to the sacred space and get a good conversation going before you do anything. Find out what the grove wants you to do, and then make a mental note to do it. Do this in complete and total darkness, if it’s night.
• Light the torches to illuminate the sacred space - this is done for us, so we can see what we are doing.
• Give offerings to the grove - accompanied with praise, song and veneration.
• Light the fire - venerate, respect and attune oneself to the fire burning in the heart of the grove.
• Acknowledge the four or eight directions - align and orient the self.
• Seek the Gods and Goddesses of that sacred space - align and attune the self to them. Give them veneration, praise, love through song and dance. Bless food and drink, share it with them.
• Empower oneself in the awesome majesty of the grove - raise the power in oneself through ecstatic dance, and then focus on an intention - release and send out the power. You can do this more than once, but each time, it should be done to make that “one” thing happen in your life.
• At the end of the rite, extinguish the lights and make certain that the fire is secured or quelled completely. Attune oneself to the earth, offer a heartfelt thanksgiving, and then leave. If at all possible, sleep the night near the grove - seek for dreams and teachings from the land itself.
• The next day, if this was a temporary site, clean it up so that it looks like no one has been there, within reason, of course. Some campgrounds require that you keep the fire pit intact. Just make certain that the fire is completely put out before leaving.

I think that if pagans and witches use these simple rules to work outdoors (unless they are already doing something like that), then they will experience magick in a grove as it should be experienced - without barriers or built in assumptions.

Frater Barrabbas