Temple Architecture - Why and Wherefore - Part 1

Recently, a friend of mine complained to me that almost all of my writings assume that a person who is going to practice ritual magick must have at their disposal a rather large separate room for that activity. In order to work the kind of ritual magick that I am proposing in my various articles and books, one would have to devote a whole room to nothing but ritual magick, and this could be difficult or even impossible for some students. If a student is living with his or her parents (and they are not either encouraging or accommodating), then the opportunity of having a separate temple is virtually nonexistent. Anyone who might actually like my books and would want to actually perform the rituals contained in them could find themselves at a loss if they don’t also have a separate room to function as their temple.

Why would I make such a demand on my potential students or place such an obstacle in the way of someone who wants to work the kind of ritual magick that I espouse? Couldn’t I at least make the magick that I work be more accommodating to the kind of living space resources that anyone might be able to use? These are some really good questions, and as you might suppose, I have some answers for you to consider (particularly those who are challenged by the thought of having a separate temple room). I haven’t deliberately tried to create obstacles to prevent anyone from actually using the rituals in my books. What I have done is to write my books with an ideal arrangement in mind, and that I have assumed that individuals will make the choices and accommodations needed to be able to perform these rituals in a secure environment. That kind of accommodation is simpler for just one individual, but it becomes more difficult if students desire to work magick in a group. When you have more than one person, then being able to devote a permanent space that is of an adequate size for the work becomes much more important. (We will talk a bit about having temple space for a group as opposed to just an individual.)

If I look over the many years that I have worked ritual magick, I didn’t always have a room in my living quarters devoted entirely to magick. However, I saw that as an important material goal and have always guided my choices so that I might be able to afford this luxury, since I felt that it was more important than other necessities. Being single for much of my adult life has helped me to achieve this goal, and I would assume that if had been married and had children that my priority would not have been so easily enforced. Even so, I have had a separate room for a temple for almost 28 years, although the quality of that space has varied from time to time, depending on opportunities and my financial fortunes. I have also had to share my bedroom for temple space, and at one time, I slept on a cot that could be folded up and put away to allow the maximum use of space. One thing that I have learned over the years is that the kind of magick that I work is much more suited to having a separate room, however large or small, and this has to do with the nature of the Spiral Vortex, which is an essential foundation for all of my magical workings.

During the time that I lived with my brother many years ago while I attended the local city college in Milwaukee (UWM), I first used the living room as a temporary magical working space, and then I got rid of my bed and installed a portable cot so I could work magick in my apartment bedroom. This seemed to work out quite well for a time, until I discovered that the magick I had been working was bleeding into my mundane life in a way that was both troubling and disturbing. I found my dreams were so powerful that I wasn’t getting the kind of sleep that I needed in order to perform at my best. I also found that there were times when I needed to either ground or gain some quiet space where there wasn’t any magick happening so I could focus on other things, like my school work or aspects of my personal mundane life. The reason why this situation became so difficult if not untenable is because of the fact that I was working with multiple layers of the spiral vortex.

A vortex, as you might remember, can’t be banished or extinguished. It can only be sealed or overlaid, and when it is sealed, it is still more or less active. After a while, all of the different magical workings that I had performed became overlaid because they were never banished. This had the effect of saturating the temple environment with magical energies and a myriad of spirits that I had either invoked or evoked. The room became almost like an egregore, a distinct spiritual entity that never seemed to rest or sleep (unlike me). My bedroom became so psychically “hot” that I had to occasionally drag my cot into the living room and sleep there if I wanted to have a good period of uninterrupted rest. When I had been previously working magick in the living room (and putting all of the tools and other materials away when I was done), I didn’t notice that there were often after-effects permeating that living space, but it did make for some weird occurrences and bizarre party activity. I also liked to be able to keep certain temple structures up for weeks or more, and that couldn’t be done in a temporary environment.

If I worked rituals more like the Golden Dawn, or even like the basic magick employed by most Witches, I wouldn’t have so contaminated my living space and made it unlivable. However, I couldn’t perform any banishing rites whatsoever, so what I generated in my magical workings had an enormous staying power, and it could and did pervade my living space for months after all such work had been stopped. This is a good thing if you have a separate room for a temple, but it is a problem if you have to share temple space with mundane space.

One other concept that I would like to discuss is in regards to using a so-called astral temple. This is a wonderful idea on paper, but in practical terms, it’s really all about working magick in your mind and employing your imagination to perform rituals. I have nothing against this methodology, and for an advanced magician, it can be done quite efficiently. In fact, I often use this technique when writing or editing a ritual. I can perform it in my imagination and pretty much determine its effectiveness. However, I have nearly four decades of experience performing rituals, so I don’t really need to experience a ritual in the material world (or actually performing it in the sacred space of a temple) in order for me to fully experience it. Even so, it’s always much more powerful and exciting to perform the rite in a real temple using material tools instead of imagining the space and the tools.

Still, for the beginner or even the intermediate student, having material based tools and manipulating them in the sacred space of a real temple is not only important, but it’s likely the only way that the magick generated can be fully experienced and realized in the material world. So there are limitations to consider if you are contemplating doing the magick completely in your mind. I won’t even discuss what might happen if one were to erect a spiral vortex ritual structure solely within his or her mind.

As you can see, this issue becomes a bit of a conundrum for anyone who would use a spiral vortex as their magical foundation, and I am sorry to say that the advantages of my magical system also have certain accompanying disadvantages; especially if the practitioner can’t devote a separate room for working magick. So this is why I assume that anyone who wishes to perform the type of ritual magick that I wield must have a separate room or temple to work magick. This separate room doesn’t have to be large or elegant, it can actually be quite small. The less furniture that one has in it, the more room one can use for ritual movement, so there is obviously some give and take when working out an allocation of temple space. Additionally, having a separate room for a temple will, over time, generate a kind of temple egregore, which can be quite useful and helpful, especially if it doesn’t coexist in your mundane living space. There is also the need for seclusion and privacy, and at times, even a kind of isolation in order to achieve the optimal results for much more advanced workings (such as the Lunar Abramelin ordeal).

Therefore, if you want to work ritual using my techniques, you are also well advised to acquire a separate room for the exclusive use of magical workings. You will need, in a word, a temple. That being said, we should now consider some basic guidelines to developing a temple space.

Basic Temple

As I have said, if you don’t have to incorporate a lot of furniture for your temple, then the amount of floor space can be minimal. How minimal, you might ask? In fact, your temple can be as small as seven to eight feet square (or around 2.5 meters), and that’s the size of a large walk-in closet. I have known a couple of people who used a walk-in closet to create a temple, although it does have some issues regarding ventilation, heating and cooling that would have to be resolved. Any space where there are going to be lit flames and incense burning will need to be ventilated to keep the heat from getting too high, or the smoke from getting too obnoxious.

(I recall a time when I lived in Kansas City and got to rent a brand new two story town house, but I had to have a room-mate in order to afford living there. The second story master bedroom had vaulted ceilings, a large attached bathroom and was truly magnificent. However, in order to have space for a bedroom (since the downstairs bedroom was occupied by my room-mate), I put a futon bed in the large walk-in closet and made that space into my bedroom. I slept in that closet for a few months until my room-mate moved out and I was then able to afford the whole apartment.)

Concerning the selection of temple furniture, a simple temple only needs a small table for an altar, and that’s the minimal requirement. Other elements that would be employed for a simple temple are some kind of obvious markers for the four cardinal directions and the four in-between or cross-cardinal directions (the four angles). These marked circle points can be illuminated so that they are easy to see in dim lighting. You could use small LED lights, small oil lamps or vigil candles. However, I am strictly against having any open flames on the temple floor. My reason for this is that I once experienced having my robe almost catch on fire when I had an array of candles on the floor. (The thought of my near immolation is still sobering to this day.)

Ever since that incident, I have avoided placing any open flames within reach of my robes, which has made me more secure and worry free. I would advise anyone who is thinking of placing candles on the floor to also think about their own safety. The only way to avoid igniting something by contact with low lying flames is either placing the candles higher up, or working with them without any robes (sky clad). Even so, one item that is very important for any temple is to have a class A fire extinguisher within easy reach at all times.

Another consideration is where to place the altar in the temple. I would recommend that a small altar could be placed at any one of the four watchtowers or in the center of the circle, depending on the tastes of the practitioner or the esthetics of the ritual space. There is no right or wrong place to put the altar, and sometimes an irregular room shape will dictate where it should be placed. Having an altar placed at one of the watchtowers will qualify that space in some manner, since it represents that one of the elements is elevated above the others, having to share the same space as the altar functioning as the ritual focal point. Of course, placing the altar in the center of the circle would completely eliminate this consideration.

Once the altar is placed, and the four Watchtowers and Angles are marked in some manner, then the only additional items that would be needed are two oil lamps (or candles) placed on either end of the altar, then a ceramic cup or chalice for the salt water, a paten or dish, a dagger, wand, an incense braiser (thurible or metallic container), and a second cup or chalice for sacramental wine (or beer). Other items would include wine or beer, bread, spring water, sea salt, incense, self-igniting charcoal, perfumed oils, a pen and a long-stem lighter. Pillows or meditation cushions are very helpful for sitting on the floor for long periods of time. A book holder, placed on the alter to hold the ritual documents or magic grimoire (or even the magic journal) would also be appropriate. I would also recommend keeping divination tools, such as a Tarot deck, I-Ching coins, rune stones, pendulum, Geomancy sticks and even a skrying stone or mirror.

So, that is everything that you might need for a simple temple. This is certainly all you need to practice the rituals found in the “Disciple’s Guide” or even “MARM.” As for your own ritual garb, you can wear a simple mono-colored robe and a few pieces of jewelry, or you can get as elaborate as you can either afford or withstand. I leave that up to the personal choices of the magician, but otherwise, a simple temple isn’t really beyond the financial reach of most practitioners. All it requires is for you to use a bit of creativity and some insightful management of your living space.

(To be continued..)

Frater Barrabbas

Ready For Portae Lucis Working - 2012

Last night I pulled out the four talismans that I have generated for the Portae Lucis working and arrayed them as they will be used for the actual working when I will perform the Triple Tetrahedral Gate ritual, which is rite that employs a double gateway (West and East) connected with an Ascension Gate in the center. The Ascension Gate will have four points (a triangular gateway and a point in the center), and these will be occupied by the four talismans.

Here is the introduction to the ritual, as it is written in the ritual documentation:

“Ritual of the Triple Tetrahedral Gate, also known as the Double Gateway with Ascension Gate, is a ritual structure which specifically unlocks the power of the Abramelin Lunar Ordeal. Through the passage of the gate of darkness, the seeker enters the super-symbolic world of spiritual consciousness, and therein undergoes extreme transformation as symbolized by the Ascension Gate. This transformation  resounds within the individual, affecting his/her inner and outer perceptions, which in turn causes changes to resonate in the material world (the gate of light). What fuels these changes is  represented as the psychological process of radical changing/evolving awareness, and symbolized mythically as the transmutation of the previously Invoked Godhead, as derived from the Archetypal Gate Ritual.

The tetradic pattern of this cyclic process (cycle of darkness and light) is controlled by the double gates, which are symbolized as the  gateways of light and darkness (dawn and dusk), conjoined in the mystery of the ascending and descending emanations of the Godhead (path of the Sun). Thus the double tetrahedral gate ritual pattern is the ritualized representation of this mystery, wherein the Gate of Ascension pulls the rest of the ordeal working into a single profound expression. What follows is the complete realization of the Godhead, completing and fulfilling the Archetypal Gate.

The structure of this ritual consists of the joining of the Western Gate (the Gate of Night) with the Eastern  Gate (the Gate of the Coming Forth by Day), and between them, performing the Ascension Gateway. This invocation accompanies the assumption of an invoking trance wherein the visionary experience of the Godhead is obtained. Both Gate structures use a five-fold formula, and also a five point circle structure, thus establishing the double tetrahedral gate in each point. The Ascension Gateway is a simple three point structure, using the northern and southern nodes and the ultra-point, producing an equilateral triangle.”

Even though I used this ritual in the Abramelin Lunar Ordeal, I believe that it is perfect for the climactic rite for the Portae Lucis working, for obvious reasons. When I was trying to determine how I would put together a rite that would do what I sought to accomplish for the Portae Lucis working, this ritual really stood out, and I found, after reading it over again, that it was exactly what I needed. How serendipitous is that? (I didn’t even have to write a new ritual for this working!)

Anyway, since last night was still within the orb of the Full Moon, and because there was also the added feature of the Venus transit, I decided to assemble the talismans in a triangular array and see how they functioned together. I lit the candles, ignited the charcoal, and then fumigated the temple with incense smoke. I then sat down before the talismans, which I had set upon a special trigon (for the Quintedecim Complex), and then proceeded to meditate. I was completely blown away by the intensity and potency of this array. My immediate thought was “Wow!” and I could just feel the power emanating off of these four talismans working together as if they were a single unit.

After that distraction, I then proceeded to enter into a deep meditative session (or as deep as I was able to go with all of the energy stimulating me), and within that state, I asked for illumination and that I was seeking a direct conscious connection with my higher self through the portal of light and beyond, into the realms of the supernal triad. I also asked that all of my negative relationships (I do have a couple of people who dislike me or perhaps, even hate me) be completely resolved, and that I will be able to rise above and master all adversity that might come into my life (from this time forward). That was, in a few sentences, my intention for engaging in this work, and I believe that stating one’s intention before a working is commenced is very important. All I can say is that the whole experience was deeply thrilling, and I could easily see that the final set of workings, starting a week from this Saturday, will be quite amazing indeed! I have never attempted to join multiple metallic talismans in such an array before, and the combination greatly magnifies the effect, even beyond my expectations.

I was so pleased with that simple working and statement of intention, that I allowed the array to remain in place the entire evening. It could also explain why I had a lot of really lucid dreams and strange symbolic visions while I slept last night. In the morning, I put the array away, but it was still emanating a powerful aura of magick and mystery when I entered the temple to perform that task.

So, I am ready for this ordeal to be started, and I can feel the joy and the anticipation grow as I wait the countdown of days. This is going to be a very awesome working, and I am greatly looking forward to it. For an added feature, I decided to include a photograph of the talismanic array, so you can see for yourself how interesting this construct actually looks. (Ah, but to feel it, that took my breath away!)

Frater Barrabbas

Fourth Fourfold Talismanic Working

On Thursday, May 31, I performed the fourth fourfold talismanic working of Mercury as part of the Talismanic Portae Lucis ordeal. I had originally planned on just invoking the talismanic elemental of Mercury of Air, but decided instead to engage all four elements into the process, as I have done with the talismans of the Sun, Moon and Saturn. Even though this does change somewhat the nature of what I am doing, I felt that it was appropriate to employ the other elements. The lunar mansion is still associated with the talismanic elemental of Mercury of Air, so during the period of Al Jubana (Mansion #16, translated as the Horns of the Scorpion), which occupies the domain of the zodiac of Libra 12 degrees and 51 minutes, I successfully performed this working. For the date of May 31, I had to complete the talismanic working before 11:32 PM, when the mansion period would expire.

The fourfold elemental talisman of Mercury is not specifically a component of the Portae Lucis working, instead it is a place marker for myself in this ordeal. I had determined that I needed to create a power base to act as my foundation while performing this working, so I chose Mercury for that role. I am also planning on performing an invocation of my spiritual sponsor, who is Hermes Thoth, just before the main working will start. Since the ordeal will begin on Sunday, June 17, I decided to perform the shortened version of the invocation on Saturday night. I decided that the four-fold elemental talisman of Mercury would be a good foundation, and that invoking Hermes Thoth would be a powerful addition to this working. What I am planning on doing is to stack the deck in my favor and give me as much of a boost and an infusion of power and wisdom as I can stand. I have also decided to perform a godhead assumption of Hermes Thoth during the Portae Lucis ordeal (something that I have never done before), and thereby truly fortify myself for this working.

Since this fourth talismanic working didn’t engage any of the parameters of the Portae Lucis ordeal, I believed that I wouldn’t have to go through any of the difficulties or trials that I had undergone previously. This assumption turned out to be true, and the talismanic working was performed without any major trials or issues surfacing, either before or during the operation. As this quiescence bought me some peace of mind, I implicitly knew that it will be just a temporary respite, since I will be starting the ordeal proper in two weeks. Then at that time, I am certain, there will be challenges and difficulties undreamed of so far.

I chose to perform this fourth talismanic working during the planetary hour of the Sun, since that was the only auspicious hour that would work for me, due to the tight schedule that I had to incorporate into the working. I would have loved to have been able to do this working during the planetary hour of Mercury, but that hour occurred just before 5 pm, and it was too early. The other hour of Mercury was too late, and would have pushed the working past the boundary for the lunar mansion. Even though I believe that the planetary hour gets locked once I consecrate the magick circle, I also believe that the lunar mansion doesn’t get locked in the same manner, so I had to complete the working before 11:30 pm. So the combination of planets for this working (associated with the day and hour) were the Sun and Jupiter, which I felt were a good combination for a beneficent Mercury working.

Since I had a bit of extra time before I had to set the magick circle, I performed the Mass of the Great Goddess and consecrated the sigils and the metallic talisman. I chose to use a three inch Zinc disk for Mercury, and it seemed to function and feel as I had hoped it would. While some purists might complain that I was using a substitution of either real Mercury or at least Hematite, I have always felt that using such substitutions, as long as they made sense to me, were quite acceptable. I had some issues carving the sigil of the ruling angel of the lunar mansion onto the surface of the talisman, since I had assumed that Zinc would be soft and the metal disk would be fragile. Although Zinc is a very light metal, it is rather hard, and it took me a bit of an effort to finally get the metal surface etched with the sigil. The lightness of that metal was also a bit surprising, and it made handling the talisman a bit awkward. It slipped out my hands twice during the operation, and actually dropped to the floor when I was attempting to consecrate it during the Mass. I just cleaned it off and continued consecrating it. The second time occurred when I was anointing it with Amber oil, but it fell on the septagramic trigon instead of the floor, so there was no danger of losing its charge by grounding. At any rate, the Zinc disk was slippery and smooth, and nearly as light as aluminum. I will have to take care when handling it in the future.

After the Mass rite was completed, I set the magick circle and locked in the planetary hour of the Sun at approximately 9:45 pm. The ritual working went smoothly and almost effortlessly, with exception to the wiggly nature of the Zinc disk, and nothing happened to either subvert or distract from the operation. I felt the energy reach a potent climax and be absorbed into the metallic talisman, and it is now undergoing the required 72 hours of incubation. The Mercury talisman will be ready by Monday morning, which also happens to be day of the Full Moon. 

Since I have now gotten all of the bugs out of this methodology for crafting fourfold elemental talismans using a metal disk as a target, and that I have now successfully generated four of these talismans, I have decided to generate and charge three more of these metallic talismans with the rest of the fourfold elemental planetary talismans. Later in the summer, I will craft talismans for Venus, Jupiter and Mars, and then I will have all seven, representing the entire spectrum of the twenty-eight talismanic elementals. However, I will perform these workings well after the Portae Lucis working is completed.

Coincidentally, the planned date for the final Portae Lucis working is for June 19, which will also be the day of the New Moon. It would appear that I will be working this rite under the auspices of the completely occluded Moon, which will be in the zodiacal sign of Gemini (which happens to be my natal lunar position). The next day will be the summer solstice proper, when the sun will enter the sign of Cancer, although the moon will enter into that sign a full day before the sun. There are some very interesting astrological aspects to consider for that day, and I don’t doubt that the ordeal will be quite eventful. 

I am also planning on performing some Qabalistic path-working exercises to help me link the Sephiroth of Malkuth, Yesod, Tiphareth and Binah. The associated Pathways are the 32nd Path (Atu XXI - Universe, Tau, Saturn and Earth), the 25th Path (Atu XIV - Art, Samek, Sagitarius) and the 17th Path (Atu VI - Lovers, Zain, Gemini). By performing these path-workings, I hope to clear a pathway from my body consciousness (in Malkuth) to the supernal triad, warded by Binah. In doing all of these exercises and devoting this time exclusively to my magical workings, I am hoping to have the most profound experience possible. I am also intending on taking the days from Monday through Wednesday off from work, so there won’t be any distractions.

I have always treated the Summer Solstice as a kind of holiday, where I can relax and begin to enjoy the brief summer period as it typically occurs in the Norther regions. I have seldom worked any major magical workings during this period, and it typically extends until September. I have always been much more aligned with performing ordeals during the autumn and winter months, but this time I am engaging in a major working during the more balmy and naturally awakening period of early summer. I am hoping that Jean Dubois is correct in his insistence that this working of the Portae Lucis be done just prior to the Summer solstice. As I am engaging in this working, I believe that he is correct in his assumption, but it hardly would have occurred to me independently to take this course of action. I guess that I will have to seriously rethink how I use the seasonal calendar in order to determine if there are any other opportunities that my habitual responses to the changing seasons has obscured or hidden from me.

Anyway, I have learned something new, and I am eagerly looking forward to completing this ordeal. I suspect that the Summer solstice will be quite glorious for me, and I hope to share that joy and the insights that it generates with all my associates. I will also share these experiences with my readers, posting a very involved but edited version of my magical journal for all to read and ponder.

Frater Barrabbas

Invoking One of the 49 Bonarum Part 2

I have decided to post another of my past magickal experiences as written up in my electronic journal. From time to time, I will edit and post still more of these journal entries to share with my readers. Hopefully, these experiences will demonstrate what a real magickal working is like from the standpoint of the magician.

Back in the autumn of 1991, while I was living in Tallahassee, Florida, I performed a series of workings that invoked seven of the 49 Enochian Spirits called the Bonarum. I have classified these spirits as binary-planetary intelligences because they consist of two planetary intelligences fused together into a bypolar unified conscious entity. A binary planetary intelligence is extremely useful for any kind of magick ordeal since it has the ability to powerfully resonate with the psyche of the practitioner, causing him or her to experience a powerful cathartic clarification. These spirits also make very potent talismanic generators, so they can be used in that manner as well.

This working was part of an eight part working that invoked seven of these spirits and Camara during an intensive eight week period. I invoked one of these spirits during the weekend for nearly a two month period. Needless to say, the results were spectacular and through them I gained a lot of additional previously unknown Enochian magickal material. The full set of journal entries and other lore will encompass the second volume of the Book of the Nephilim.

Keep in mind that I am still editing and refining these journal entries, so what I am posting here is something of a rough draft. I am doing this so you can get a very good idea about the actual raw experience, unadulterated by later edits and verbal refinements.

Here are the notes from the seventh invocation in that series.

Notes from the Invocation of Beta-Aminodea

The invocation of Aminodea was the seventh and final in the series of the Binary Planetary Invocations. This working was probably the most intense and unusual of all of the workings. At the start of this working, I felt a strong sense of foreboding which was rather odd. The atmosphere associated with this evening was haunted and almost eerie. Because of my gothic sensibilities, I found these strange sensations to be rather pleasant and thrilling. They seemed to indicate a brooding type of force that always presages a major magickal experience. The combination of planets used in this working certainly assisted the dark nature of the energies that I experienced. The base planet was the Moon, and Saturn qualified it amidst the background zodiacal sign of Cancer, thus reinforcing the Lunar attributes of this working. However, the planet Saturn, acting through the influence of the sign of Cancer, caused a potent occlusion of emotional factors which led to a kind of emotional hypersensitivity. This combination of planetary qualities caused me to witness a very deep and dark manifestation of unconscious elements. It also brought to the surface of my awareness an archetypal entity that managed to reveal itself to me, but it was reticent to communicate with me until the invocation process was completed.

This entity appeared in the form of a slender and sensuous young woman with bright red hair, pale facial features and beautiful green eyes. She appeared at intervals during the rite, and first appeared while I was in my bath meditating. In fact, the whole impact of the working was revealed while I was taking my magickal bath, and appeared as a powerfully distracting premonition. I knew at that moment that the image of the young woman was Lilith, and that she represented a particular facet of my current relationships with women, colored as they were by my involvement in ceremonial magick. Yet this feminine presence was very sensuous and quite erotic, and she seemed to be friendly with me. I was able to sense that she favorably acknowledged me, and bestowed upon me her apparent good-will.

The primary issue associated with this working seemed to revolve around my seemingly foolish attraction and pursuit of so-called fallen women. However, what was revealed to me seemed to  indicate that such an attraction could be considered normal when one also understood that these fallen women were in actuality the unredeemed daughters of Lilith. They had merely lost the ability to understand their role and the importance of their powers. Therefore, society had degraded these women, but underneath they were truly women of great magickal power.

I suppose that a useful analogy would be to compare how society would evaluate me without the cover of my outward normalcy and my middle class profession. I assume that I would be consigned to the spiritual ghetto if it were not for my own personal power and sense of personal value. These qualities allowed me to pursue the education and gain the experience necessary to establish myself in my current station of life.  Yet I can barely imagine what it must be like being a woman born in the lower classes who would most certainly be incapable of taking advantage of her virtues, while the degradation of life around her would reinforce all of her negative issues. So a woman born with great occult powers in such a situation would probably be easily led by unscrupulous individuals and used in a degraded fashion. There would likely be no guide or teacher to instruct her about the magickal abilities and singular virtues that she possessed. This is the nature of the fallen women who Lilith represents as her daughters.

The spirit of Aminodea appeared, then, as the Goddess Lilith in all her strange, beautiful and troubling glory. She was dressed in a semi-transparent white robe that revealed all her feminine charms in a defused but obvious manner. Her red hair was long and lustrous, and upon her forehead was a ruby diadem. Her eyes were a lovely shade of jade green and her skin was pale white. Her lips were full and generous and painted a passionate red. She spoke to me in a quiet and calm voice, and I wrote down all that she said in my journal. Her voice was very sensual and the energy that emanated from her presence was splendidly erotic. I had to focus carefully on what she said or I would have become distracted by her presence. Yet I persevered and wrote down her words, and this is what she said.

The Testament of Lilith

I reveal unto you, the secret of the Daughters of Lilith, those little goddesses who are my heart and soul, they are my beloved ones. For these women are the Daughters of Great Magick, and they rightfully oppose the Daughters of Eve, who are the staunch supporters of the status-quo. They are also the keepers of the Great Lie, which states that women are spiritually weaker than men. So to keep themselves in power, the Daughters of Eve shall insert their hypocritical definitions of women and morality into the legal and moral structures of society for the rest of us, and they will be venerated as if they were an absolute truth.

So my daughters are devalued and degraded; because they are willful and motivated by potent passions and desires. Thus the men who rule this world both fear and covet them. In the prior age, these women would have been burned as witches, but in this age, they are prostitutes, erotic dancers, pornographic actresses, the host of the used and abused, and even impoverished single mothers. They are the castaways of society; and this great injustice occurs because they contain a great need for self-empowerment and the desire for personal freedom. For these women find no comfort in being the chattel of men. Some of these women, although very few, become great artists, celebrated authors, actresses or professional dancers; but most of the Daughters of Lilith remain poor and undiscovered.

So I direct you, a sorcerer of the old line and an occult teacher, to seek the Daughters of Lilith in their fallen state, and as the gnostic Helena of Troy was saved from a Syrian Brothel by Simon Magus, you must redeem her so that she becomes like the Sophia Prunikos. The alternative for them is darkness and despair, which is their collective fate. They are lowly and cast down, but they aspire and are held apart. They are lonely and the essence of their power is to be found in the captive lusts of their lowly men. Their unions are often unfruitful, but they release an ecstatic power. This why you are attracted to these fallen women (as are all men of this world), because they are the Daughters of Lilith. So unbeknownst to them, they are calling and summoning you to aid them in their plight, to give them the tools of high self-esteem and self-empowerment. When this evolution shall come to pass, then shall I rejoice in their redemption; and correspondingly, the great age of magick shall be reborn. Because these down-trodden women are the true-born priestesses of the magickal arts, and without them, such an age of magick cannot be realized.

O Red-headed Daughter of the Night, a street walker, degraded and debased, and also unloved. Help her to redeem herself and teach her the arts of magick that she has forgotten. Yet the way is very hard and the trials shall separate the worthy from the unworthy. Some may be too broken, or too far gone and despairing, to be redeemed. Others may be unable to reawaken their magickal heritage, or they might just succumb to fear or to the lies of the Daughters of Eve. Yet those who shall achieve their redemption will gather together and summon the power to glory in the image of me, the Goddess Lilith. In my name and power, all the men and women who revel in my service shall quickly grow and spiritually evolve, and bring forth a New Age of Magick.

I shall now reveal to you my secret nature so that you may understand and thereby invoke my spirit into manifestation; and this summoning will presage the beginning of the New Age of Magick. Thus are the Feminine Mysteries of the Cult of the Nephilim revealed through the potent manifestation of my spirit, and herein, I reveal myself to you.

Sun in Scorpio: I am emotionally intense, a power of spiritual regeneration for good or evil. I seek to fulfill my desires, yet I am subtle, calculating and secretive. Thus I am also possessive, jealous and even vengeful.

Moon in Leo: I am dramatic and emotionally demonstrative. I need to be desired and appreciated. I also need to be the center of attention, but I am generous and loving in return.

Mercury in Libra: I am concerned with the interrelationships between people, and I am very curious about the inner thoughts and feelings of lovers. I am honest and frank in my conversations, to the point of being blunt, yet I seek always to be equitable and just in my social interactions.

Venus in Scorpio: I am very sexual and passionate; sometimes I am overly preoccupied with sex and experiencing ecstasy (which is my drug of choice). My wants and needs are very selfish and often override the needs of others, and I am often far too self-indulgent.

Mars in Aries: I am highly active and highly energized. I have great leadership skills, but I can also be stubborn and fiercely independent. I believe strongly in fighting for my beliefs, and relying upon my own strengths, will-power, and courage.

Jupiter in Taurus: I have an excellent sense for the proper use of resources on all levels. Thus, my nature attracts wealth. I love good food and drink, beautiful cloths, costly jewelry and sumptuous surroundings. However, I do have a problem with material excess, and I can readily experience dissipation through too much self-indulgence.

Saturn in Pisces: I understand humility and I am compassionate of those who are less fortunate than I. At times, I brood on past errors and transgressions, but I am aware of my humble beginnings, so I never have any illusions about who I really am.

Thus I am, in form and spirit, to be invoked and known by you. You will summon the power of the Black Aphrodite and therein shall you find redemption and emancipation at her hands. She will teach you the mysteries, and these will be the tools through which you shall transform her daughters. You shall find them in the lowly places of society, lost and forgotten, like jewels in the gutters. I say to you that the power of the age of Lilith is near, her time is coming and so is her fate of retribution. She was fallen yet she has arisen to become the redeemed Goddess of the Feminine Spirit. She is to women as the Christ was once to men.

Because you are an aspirant of the dark wisdom and are aligned to the Dark Lord Set, therefore, I would choose you to be one of my many prophets, as I would any man who follows your path. So too, one could see in Set, God of the Egyptians, the personage of Seth, the ancestor of Enoch and the patron of the Gnostic Philosophies. The darkness represents the obscure nature of this knowledge, and the sense of the forbidden is cast aside by the light of realization. Yet all men who walk the dark paths represent my preferred mates, for I am mistress of all sorcerers and the guide of its darkest mysteries.

I reveal to you that Seth is the seventh and final master of the Enochian System of Magick. So you must assume his godhead within the Bornless Invocation Rite, and then call forth the luminous image of myself, the scarlet haired Goddess (who shall act like a bitch in heat), and we shall consummate our union. This is because pure lust, directed from the Body to the Spirit, leads to ecstasy, which is the union of Deity and Humanity, This is the state of ultimate perfection and the domain of the incarnated and empowered spirit. From this union will arise your own priestess and lover. You will redeem her as the incarnation of Lilith, most beloved and respected. Therein, she shall teach you of the ways that represent the wisdom of my mysteries made manifest, and you shall also find many of my spiritually red-headed daughters. You will raise them up, but only those who are worthy, and they shall shine like jewels in the blackened night sky. They will become known in the world of men for their true value and be venerated and deeply appreciated. You will only be their master of the moment; since you must be stern and unwavering in the application of their ordeals. Yet that ordeal will redeem and cause them to arise to their true station. Thus, they shall be saved from themselves and from a corrupted and evil society.

Know you that the daughters of Lilith are analogous to the sacred scarlet women. The archetype of the Holy Courtesan is thus restored, and it becomes the Qadishtu, which is the holy erotic mediator of the Divine Feminine. Since to become one with the God is to become one with the representative of the Deity upon the Earth. Therefore, I have revealed to you the lost avocation of the sacred temple prostitute. In the cult of the Nephilim, the Priestess becomes the Lilith of Power, offering to all her chalice of ecstasy. She has become the embodiment of the Grail, but she has received powerful initiations and magick runs in her blood (sangreal), so she can transmute her being of Flesh and Blood into a perfect sacrament. She must be taught, led bound and blindfolded through her ordeals, tempered and made strong; then she can lead the faithful after becoming like true alchemical gold.

The manifestation of Lilith through the spirit of Aminodea is at an end, having revealed the mysteries of the magickal power of women.

The Structure of Inner Plane Workings

The following represents the pattern which is to be used when working with the Inner Plane domains of the Qabbalah of the 40 Worlds.

1.  The Qabbalistic Pyramid of Power

This ritual, which has already been written and is part of the Order's arsenal of rituals, establishes the Qabbalistic World as a pyramidal pylon ritual structure.

2.   The Ritual of the Eneagram

This ritual establishes the Qabbalistic focus on a specific Sephirah, with an invoking vortex set in the angles, and tracing the appropriate Eneagrammic angle, the appropriate correspondences are invoked. This ritual should be updated to include the Enochian names for the Godhead, Sephirah, and Archangel. The eneagrammic structures are unified with a hexagrammic device set in the ultra-point.

3.   The Septagrammic Gate Vortex

This ritual is over-laid upon the prior two structures, thus causing the Qabbalistic World to be fused with the pylon- invoking structure of Camara, the guide of the Inner Planes. Then the Grand Threshold is established, the Celebrant passes into the world of the Inner Planes. After this is accomplished, then one may either skry or astral project at this point, a guided meditation may also assist to set the structure of the symbolic correspondences of that revealed Qabbalistic World.

The above information was delivered along with the ritual structure of the Septagrammic Gate Vortex. That ritual was written into a finished format in preparation for use in the next working, scheduled for the Full Moon of the next month.

Ritual Comments

The working began at 9:15 PM EST when the consecration of the circle was completed, which locked the planetary hour of Luna for the 14th Day of December, 1991. The Moon was in the sign of Aries, and it had moved into that sign during the first hour of sunrise (the first planetary hour of Saturn). There were no significant astrological aspects for the duration of this working. The Moon had already entered the First Quarter at 4:32 AM that morning. The working ended at 12:09 AM the next morning.

Frater Barrabbas

Pagan Grimoire of Ritual Magick

We have covered quite a bit of territory in this blog so far, and now I want to show how everything that I have written in the past can be assembled together to form a unique grimoire of ritual magick for the intermediate or advanced pagan or witch. We should keep in mind that when I define ritual magick, I am, of course, speaking about the magickal rites blended seamlessly into the liturgical rites. As far as I am concerned, they are one and the same, which is what makes modern witchcraft and paganism so unique. Unlike the past, particularly during the period of pagan antiquity in Europe and the Middle East, in the present time there are no prohibitions in the Western world for practicing magick along with religious rites. There are some important reasons for combining these two practices into a common spiritual and magickal discipline, and while we have covered that in past articles, we should touch on it again as we list the rites and practices of the pagan ritual magician.

We can divide this pagan grimoire into four categories, where each category has its battery of rituals and practices. These four categories are: core rites, key practices, magickal workings, and religious and mystical exercises. Of these four categories, magickal workings contains just the basic system of materializing magick. The other three categories are mostly comprehensive and therefore, would require very little additional lore. However, let us examine each of these categories and see what they contain. We will find that the elements of each category contains rites and practices already thoroughly covered. The task that the erstwhile pagan magician must perform is to write up and assemble these rituals into a single body of lore, which is spiritually consistent throughout.

Core rites: The most essential workings are the mystery rites of the Moon, Sun and the Self (Initiation). The phases of the moon and the seasons of the sun determine the overall cycle of workings and the performance of rites. The solar cycle is used for connecting to the earth and its overall process, and the lunar cycle is used for performing materialized magickal workings within the internal psychic mysteries of all living things.

These mysteries are both magickal and liturgical, but represent the continual periodicity of the magickal calendar. Throughout these various lunar phases and solar milestones are the actual points of spiritual transformation for the individual practitioner, who through the constant practice of ordeals and ceremonies, will also grow and evolve. Rituals structures used in the core rites are the spiral vortex, double gateway, cross-roads and the inner circle. There are also specific themes for the lunation types and phases, the seasonal full moons, as well as the calendric wheel of the year associated with the solar seasons, and the greatest mystery of them all, which is the twenty-two stages of the cycle of initiation.

Key practices: These are the practices that establish and maintain a proper spiritual alignment, as well as performing basic preparations and the essential capability for mind-control. We have already defined the practices of alignment as devotion, invocation, godhead assumption, communion and spiritual service. Perhaps the most important of these rites and practices is godhead assumption, since everything else is pivotal to this rite. Preparatory rites and practices would include daily meditation and contemplation sessions, periodic divination and self reflection, study and using the power of allegory. Also included would be ablutions (bathing), prayers, preparatory meditation, and circle/grove consecration (making sacred space). All of these rites and practices are thoroughly memorized and practiced on a regular basis.

Religious and mystical exercises: These are the pagan or wiccan liturgical practices that are not covered in the previous two categories (core rites and key practices). Such practices would be based on the operator’s base religious affiliation, and would represent his or her presence in the community. Adapting the lunar and solar calendars to one’s basic pagan spiritual practices and their associated spiritual pantheon is a very important task, since it adds continuity to the practice of magick and liturgical ceremonies. As an example, the traditional rites and ceremonies associated with the eight Sabbats and the thirteen Esbats, and thereby integrating them into a solitary magickal practice would represent one of the objectives of this category. Another area is the development of the magician’s personal religious cult, where his or her focused Deity becomes a representation of the magician’s higher self. Practices that are performed around the shrine, with its statues, symbols, fetishes and offerings, and the various associated devotional activities would be a prime example of this category. So would any form of godhead mediation performed for the benefit of the members of one’s pagan lineage, or even sympathetic outsiders.

Magickal workings: These rites are associated with any material based objective that the magician might seek to realize. The pyramid of power rite, which can generate any of the forty Qualified Powers, is the first level of magickal workings that the magician can easily employ. The lunar mystery is the core practice where the pyramid of power rite can be deployed through a variation on the mystery pattern. The methodology for performing the pyramid of power within the lunar mystery working has already been covered. However, the structure of the lunar mystery rite is such that other and more advanced workings could be worked within the same overall structure. This would allow for the employment of an elemental octagon, for instance, or even for talismanic working.

Perhaps the most important feature of this kind of ritual system is that it has the qualities of being performed within a modular structure. What that means is that a single ritual can be used to produce a number of different energy structures. Although there are forty unique Qualified Powers associated with the matrix of ten godhead attributes and the four elements, there is only one ritual which is used to generate that force. All the operator has to do is to change the attribute symbology and the invoking pentagrams, and then the generated power structure is different. Typically, when I write such modular rituals, I leave blanks for the key symbols and their associated ritual devices. I also produce a table and place it in the ritual appendix so that I might use those specific symbols and qualities in an actual ritual. A modular ritual is easy to use and easy to follow when performing a working, since I don’t bother to fill in the blanks with every possible variation. I would recommend this approach to my readers when they go about writing their own rituals.

One other mechanism that is used in this simple system of pagan ritual magick is the ubiquitous sigil. Since I use the sigil as an operant link for the generation of the Qualified Power, it performs two duties for one specific working. It can stand by itself and act as a magically qualified tool (once it is consecrated and charged), and it also functions as a link for the spell. The sigil is a symbolized construction representing a specific desire, and as such, it is inherently magickal even without performing the pyramid of power working. Associating the sigil with the Qualified Power causes it to be imprinted, and exteriorizing it will ensure that the desire is projected into the material world. Once used, the sigil can be destroyed, or can be kept and reused to intensify the specific objective with further workings. If a sigil has a generic desire that could be used to satisfy a number of different scenarios, then it becomes something akin to what Spare referred to as his alphabet of desire.

Examples of all of these rituals and practices associated with the four categories of a functioning pagan grimoire can be found in my published book, “Mastering the Art of Ritual Magick: Grimoire.” I would recommend that if you are serious about assembling the rituals for your own personalized system of magick, then acquiring this book will greatly help you to accomplish your desire to possess and actively use your own grimoire of rites and practices.

Frater Barrabbas

Key to Transformative Initiation

One of life’s greatest lessons is that nothing stays the same. Everything changes due to deliberate plans (one would hope), accidents or the fortunes of fate (whether good, bad or indifferent). Attempting to stand still and maintain one’s world is the surest way to get overtaken and completely run over by changing fortunes. The world doesn’t wait, and it would appear that it doesn’t sleep, either. We indulge in hubris and stasis at our own future peril!

So, if you are engaged with a progressive system of magick or esotericism, you are expected to at least attempt to incorporate the power of change as a means of evolving, growing and ultimately, achieving self-mastery. This is the only thing that can coerce an impending transformation to be progressive instead of regressive. Let me explain what I am talking about here, because I believe that it’s one of the more important topics in which any occultist can engage. It is the literal expression of “To be, or not to be.” To ascend, or to descend! And this pivots naturally on our choices, whether explicit or implicit.

Change is guaranteed to happen, it is therefore, imminent, and our life is buffeted by these changes. Human beings are self-conscious about their lives, and so we experience the calamities of good and bad fortune with the overarching need to find reasons and explanations for it all. Often, such explanations are nothing more than ad hoc explanations, and at times, even these tailored rationales seem weak and artificial, leaving us to ponder and wonder (and never satisfactorily answer) why things happened the way they did.

Still, those of us who are attempting to engineer a more empowered and self-determined future can be assured that even the attempt to do so is met with at least some positive outcome. This is because we have in our hands the tools of our very apotheosis, if we can but learn to recognize and use them. We are not chaff being blown every which way by the wind, and over time, a deeply contemplative existence will reveal to the spiritual seeker patterns and archetypes that parade through the inner mental lives of all humanity, often unknowingly and invisibly. These archetypes are symbolic portends, showing that deep inner processes are constantly at work, even when we are asleep. Harnessing these powerful symbols is the whole key to learning to control and master the processes of inner and outer change, which progressively empower and spiritual evolve the one who has learned to activate them. Even catastrophe, short of death and destruction, cannot turn back or defeat someone who is armed with this knowledge.

What are these mysterious symbols and archetypes that are active in the deeper psyche of humanity, and how can they be directed? These symbolic structures that mysteriously guide and fortify the self are the archetypes of the cycle of transformative initiation, also known as the Hero’s or Heroine’s Journey, since these cycles have a certain gender orientation. We have already covered the Hero’s Journey, and how the twenty-two stages match up with the twenty-two Tarot trumps of the Major Arcana. Seventeen of these stages represent the actual process of the inward and outward psychic journey of transformative initiation, and the other five represent the greater Cosmogonic cycle, which represents the whole cyclic history of the world and the universe (divided into five ages or aeons). You can find a synopsis of that comparative cycle here. Yet this cycle is the most essential cycle of human existence, characterized by the diurnal cycle of life on our planet - the constant round of light and darkness, life and death, wakefulness and sleep. Within the various stages of sleep are found dreams, and within the psychic tumult of existence are found flashes of inspiration, insights, visions and answers to life’s most perplexing questions. It would seem that life and its fortunes does indeed have meaning and significance, but it’s up to us to ultimately determine the nature of that meaning.  

Since we have in our possession the all important Tarot deck with the twenty-two Trumps of the Major Arcana, we have both the tools and the mechanism of not only understanding our own process, but also controlling and directing it as we see fit. Armed with the Devil’s Picture Book, and knowing the secret of the cycle of transformative initiation, we are able to understand, know and direct ourselves towards the most inspirational and profound level of being possible to us. All we need to do is to apply this archetypal cycle to our own process, through divination and through applied theurgy, and the very process of spiritual ascension becomes our immediate and most valuable possession. Of course, building up these tools and deliberately using them to foster transformational initiation is not an easy task, and it is one that few either know or fully comprehend. In some ways, it is a very simple matter to develop a system of magick that causes progressive transformation, yet it is a practice that requires time, patience, deep inner insights, dogged persistence, and something more important than anything else, a rapport with one’s higher self.

Transformative initiation is nothing more or less than the activation and periodic use of the temple of the mysteries, and in this special case, the Mystery of the Self. There are the mysteries of the moon and the sun, and there is also the mystery of the self. The archetypal cycle of light and darkness is also found deep within the psyche, and it is the key to progressive transformation. However, there are other components to this kind of working, and these are the typical ritual structures associated with the mystery rite. As in the mystery temple of the moon and the sun, the mystery temple of the self is performed within the sacred space of a consecrated circle, and activated through the ritual power structures of the spiral vortex, double gateway, cross-roads and the inner circle. Yet within that inner circle are imprinted the twenty-two stages of the transformative initiation, arrayed in the sequence in which they are to be experienced. There are certain signs, portends and preparations that must be noted before the mystikon of the self is erected, but once engaged, the process must be fully experienced, from beginning to end, without interruption. The alignment of the Deity is an important aspect to this process, but then so is the pattern itself, starting with the underworld gateway, and ending with the gateway of ascension. The combination of these two attributes, the activated Godhead, and the pattern which leads to ascension, ensures that the transformative process, however difficult, will be progressive and foster spiritual evolution.

One other important factor is the attitude of the seeker, since sentiments can skew the process in one direction or another. Thus it is important for the seeker to be positive, to act as an unmitigated optimist buoyed by a belief (even if it is ridiculously false) that everything that happens is meant to happen as fate, and that one’s ultimate objective in life will be achieved, as if aided by all of the powers of the universe. This ambitious and powerfully inspired way of living life is encouraged by a constant activity of self improvement, education, meeting and exceeding expectations, seeking challenges, and forever striving for excellence. One of the ways that the seeker can achieve this buoyant state of mind is to periodically commune with his or her chosen Godhead. In that communion, the seeker obtains secret knowledge, self affirmation and empowerment. To live in the aura of the Godhead is to know the power and majesty of living a charmed life. Another name for it is “serendipity.” If and when the seeker is able to obtain this empowered sentiment, and maintain it no matter what happens, then he or she will ultimately realize perfect union and the exalted apotheosis of the grace and favor of the Godhead. It is the Godhead that lies at the center of the mystery of the self, reflecting as if through a mirror darkly, the visage of the individual mortal human being.

The core of the mystery of the self is one’s relationship with the sponsor Deity, that aspect of the Godhead that most closely represents the magician’s higher self. That relationship begins with a certain attraction and fascination to a specific cultural pantheon, and over time it starts to focus on one specific Deity within that pantheon. The magician begins to personalize the Deity, and establishes a devotional relationship with it. If the Deity reflects an idealized polarized mate, then there is also an element of love and desire blended into the devotion. Otherwise, the Deity can assume a Godhead reflection of the magician, becoming, over time, the perfect representative of the magician’s higher self. We have already covered in extensive detail the nature of the magician’s personal Cult of the Deity, where he or she is the priest, spiritual mediator and the congregation, all as one. As this relationship becomes ever more important, the image and character of the Deity begins to be assimilated by the magician.

Therefore, the core of the mystery of the self are the various operations and rites that establish an alignment with a specific Deity, and develop it within the mind and soul of the magician until it becomes coexistent with the Higher Self. The rites and techniques of building and maintaining a potent relationship with one’s sponsor Deity have already been discussed, but that list is simplistic and quite obvious. Alignment with a Godhead is established through the artifice of the following practices.

• Devotions and various cultic practices (meditative contemplation upon the beloved Deity),
• Oblations, offerings and sacrifices,
• Invocations, orisons and paeans,
• Communion (sacred food and drink - sacramentation),
• Godhead assumption (can include sacred sexuality).

Spiritual service should also be included in this list, since the personal cult of the Godhead maintained by the magician also requires him or her to be an active spiritual force in the community at large. To function as a priest/ess requires the ability and periodic necessity of mediating and channeling the Deity for the benefit of others.

Of all of these practices, the rite of Godhead Assumption is the most important, since it forges a potent, intimate and direct relationship between the magician and the target Deity. Over time this practice will cause a blending of the Deity with the personality, mind and soul of the magician, until the distance between them becomes ever more diminished. The reason that this rite is so important is that it reveals the Godhead as an image of the macrocosmic self, the self as godhead. Godhead assumption assists the magician to realizing his or her inner deity, which is the key to awakening and becoming conscious of one’s higher self. Later on, this simplified rite assumes a more complex configuration, as found in the rites of the Bornless One invocation, the Lunar Abramelin ordeal, and the Talismanic Portae Lucis working.

Ritual magick, by definition, specifies that the magician performs magickal rites while under the assumption of the Godhead, and this done even in the most simplistic and earth-based magickal workings. Not only does this kind of innate assumption exercise protect the magician from any adverse impact, psychic attack or hostile aggression from some spirit, but it also empowers and instructs the magician each time he or she performs an assumption. Thus, in this manner, all magick becomes a form of theurgy, since every magickal operation is done through the assumption of the Godhead. It is this constant immersion within the aegis of the Deity that the magician also achieves strategic and progressive triggers for transformative initiations. Also, by performing ritual magickal ordeals, the magician undergoes certain incremental challenges and is forced to evolve, grow and to learn about the techniques of magick; but also the very process itself reveals many inner psychic structures as well. The overall effect of this kind of theurgic ordeal based magick is to consistently and potently pull the triggers of one’s own inner process of spiritual evolution.

Magickal ordeals also cause one to experience the domain of magick and all of its spiritual entities, Godhead attributes, powers, and the associated visions, insights and profound phenomenal apparitions. The magician is powerfully influenced on all levels of his or her being through the theurgic ordeals that the magician is performing. These visions, insights and apparitions are written down in the magician’s journal, and then they become the intense subject of meditation, contemplation, research and mystical speculation. Through a combination of known spiritual and mystical lore, as determined by study and research, aiding one to examine and make sense out of various magickal experiences, the magician will learn new things about his or her deeper self as well as develop new magickal lore. One important tool that is used in this process of examination and analysis is the Power of Allegory, where certain motifs or symbolic constructs experienced in a magickal working are used in a contemplation session. It is through contemplation where symbols and constructs are given free reign in regards to cognitive associations and even projected fantasy.

All of these elements are a crucial part of the practice of the ritual magician, but one element is of even more critical importance, and that is establishing a spiritual discipline. A spiritual discipline consists of the iterative and periodic practices, where all of the above rites and forms are performed in daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal variations. These various practices must be performed on a regular basis so that they become embodied in the mind and soul of the magician. In time, a spiritual discipline becomes the very foundation of life itself for the magician, and there is a blending of the mundane aspects of life along with the spiritual, until eventually, they become one and the same. 

We have covered the elements of a magickal and spiritual discipline, and you can find that article here. However, while all of the above rituals are important, practicing them in an iterative and cyclic manner, diligently and consistently without fail, is the true key to acquiring the ability to control and direct transformative initiation. By assiduously adhering to a magickal discipline, a magician is all but guaranteed to experience a series of profoundly meaningful, significant and progressive transformative changes. Through the power of the spiritual discipline, all things become possible for the magician to contemplate and achieve.  

Frater Barrabbas

Sex Magick Made Simple

One of the most abused and controversial topics in the area of ritual and ceremonial magick is the art of sex magick. It would seem that anything having to do with sex is somehow a hot topic, and if you mix it up with magick and the occult, then it will automatically produce a heady brew. Right? Well, maybe not so much.

What I found over the years is that some individuals who talk a lot about sex magick and pose as sex magicians are fairly incompetent at both. In my perspective, if a magician is competent as a magician and also happens to be a competent lover, then he or she might consider joining the two practices. Of course, unless the objective is to perform what is known as the “rites of solitude” ( a form of magickal masturbation), then the target partner in this work must also be magically and sexually competent.

So it really takes two magically and sexually competent individuals, who also happen to have a strong relationship bond, to produce a good, solid, sexual magickal working. Anything below this standard is either just gratuitous sexual occultism or likely to go very much awry if consistently practiced. If you want to experience the worst that this combination has to offer, all you need to do is to be severely lacking of any of these requirements. There’s a reason why the Great Rite has often produced something more akin to the Great Wrong - I leave the rest to your imagination.

In a nutshell, the fundamental requirements for sex magick are:

• Magickal competence,
• Sexual competence,
• A good solid relationship.

I know that Crowley boasted that he could work effective sex magick with any two-bit hooker he happened to meet. Yet I believe that having a good partner is an important key to truly experiencing a long lasting, profound, deeply meaningful and satisfactory sexual magickal practice,. You might disagree with me, and you are free to experiment however you choose. My own personal experience is that it is better to engage in such activities with someone to whom you have a strong relationship, rather than engaging with an appealing stranger who might know very little about either magick or even sex. To assume that everyone knows how to adequately perform sex and be a good lover is highly naive, to say the least. It’s almost as naive as to assume that everyone knows how to work magick.

Another important factor in the art of sex magick is to discover the great lover within oneself. This is a difficult concept to relate, but we all have within us an aspect or attribute of our own potential desires and sexual aspirations. There’s an old saying that if you can’t find something within yourself, then you aren’t likely to find it outside of yourself either. This is particularly true about finding and engaging in any kind of spiritually qualified love. It is a state that is found within the deepest recesses of your being, and it is the essential “you” as the ultimate lover. That lover within is a lover first and foremost of one’s self, then other people and ultimately, of life itself. It is the trigger of personal ecstasy, and in order for it to be discovered, you have to come to grips with your own self. In other words, you must love yourself fully and completely before you are able to really love anyone else. What this means is that in order to be an effective lover, you must be whole and also an autonomous individual. Loving for the sake of filling a void within yourself is one of the weakest reasons for loving someone. Obviously, self loathing and feelings of being unloved or being unlovable are extremely counter productive to discovering the lover within.

I am also not talking about any kind of obsessive self-love, or as it is called, narcissism. What I am talking about is freely loving who you are and what you are without rejecting anyone or anything else from that equation. Discovering the lover within is to learn that life’s decisions about love should never be discriminating, exclusive, rejecting or having to choose one person or path over another. It’s about the concept of inclusion and not exclusivity. Although that kind of openness is quite difficult to realize in life, you should always understand that who you are, what you are, and who you are with are all products of your choices, whether deliberately made or even coerced by necessity.

Narcissism is excluding everyone from the possibility of affection except yourself, usually because of some innate fear of rejection or even paradoxically, low self esteem. This contrasts with self-love, which is the state of being wholly and completely inclusive of everyone and everything. Self-love, or the lover within, is the core root of the powerful love instinct brought to its highest level of spiritual embodiment. Of course, the lover within is also an attribute of the resident (and often slumbering) higher self, and it represents the ray of love that permeates all things; from the Godhead down to the smallest aspect of beingness. Love holds everything together in a synergistic embrace, and it is the essential quality that should be emulated when one seeks to engage in sacral sexuality.

This brings us to the next important consideration in regards to sex magick, and that is the difference between sacred and profane sexuality. Sex magick must, by definition, be that kind of union that occurs within sacred sexuality. I believe this, even though much of what passes for sex magick would be considered profane sexuality. In my opinion, there is a difference between sexually manipulating and using someone (even willingly) to produce a specific material end through the use of magick than the joining of two individuals from the level of spirit down to their very bodies. If perfect union emulates the One, then sexually using someone is just the opposite. Sexual coercion within a magickal context is something that I consider to be quite negative, perhaps even vile, and it could even be labeled as a form of psychic vampirism.

Sacred sexuality is where the sex act is ritually performed in sacred space between two freely loving and whole individuals who have brought out their inner lovers and seek to bond at the highest level possible. Thus, they have activated their inner deities, and it is through them that they will perfectly and ecstatically join together in emulation of the One. During this profound and powerful union, the operators may engage in projecting mutual desires into the world of forms, and thus, through the power of ecstasy, potently impact them.

For a very simple and uncomplicated approach to sex magick, devoid of all of the eastern and western esoteric methodologies and intricately detailed mechanisms, there are nine basic elements involved in a practice of sex magick. Like any other methodology, once the basics are mastered, then the practice may evolve, incorporating other techniques, systems and methodologies as needed. Yet for the aspiring Pagan or Wiccan sex magician, I will focus on just the most basic elements involving these techniques.

Sacred Space - This can be a specific room where the operation is to be performed. It should be private, clean, uncluttered and be able to accommodate sexual activity, so having some kind of floor padding (a bed, couch or futon) would be appropriate. Also, building a simple shrine to the specific godhead of each participant, as well as equipping it with flowers, incense, soft lighting, music, beautiful pictures, and whatever else is needed.

Sacral Nudity - The mind-set that is recommended for this activity is to perceive the act of disrobing and being nude together as something akin to revealing the body (and the deeper self) without any obstacles, conditions or impediments to being fully accessible to one another. It is a state of mutual vulnerability. Decorating the body (body painting), sensual bathing, massage, anointing with oils and balms are all important preparatory rites for sex magick. The idea behind this state is that there should be no barriers between oneself, the Gods and one’s partner. This state should be comfortable, and also even a bit awe inspiring by itself.

Spiritual Devotion (surrender) - Another preparation for sex magic is to become aligned with not only your personal aspect of the godhead, but also with your partner’s godhead. You should learn to see your partner as the deity that they aspire to be, thus aiding them in realizing this ambition. Days should be spent giving devotion to each of these two elected deities with periodic offerings, invocations, paeans, hymns, love poetry and even spiritual service in the community. Not only should you try to realize your own personal godhead, but you should also realize the godhead of your partner. In this manner, over time, you will experience a profound sacralization of your love for yourself and your partner. In your eyes, your partner should begin to assume an idealized form, as if they have been physically transformed. While you are doing these things to your partner, your partner is also doing the same to you.

Mutual Godhead Assumption - The goal of this practice is to realize through godhead assumption your own materialization of the deity, as well as that of your partner. In order to accomplish this task, you will have to undertake a regular period of meditation, breath-control, mantra intoning, and staring fixedly at some object or image. This meditation session is performed with your partner, and the object of your fixed gaze should be him or her. Also, focusing on specific points on your body while performing a mantra intonation, you should be able to activate that point, and then link it with the same point on your partner’s body. Thus, erogenous zones are powerfully stimulated and awakened. Polarization is also an important factor, regardless of whether the couple performing the work is straight or gay. One of the couple will assume the more passive and receiving role, and the other, the more aggressive and sending role. The ultimate practice should be performing the drawing down rite on your partner, and then having him or her do the same for you. Basking in this aura of mutual godhead assumption will establish the threshold state needed to engage in sacral sexuality.

Sacramentation - The key to this concept is that everything which is blessed and associated with the Gods is a sacrament. Once within the state of godhead assumption, then blowing one’s breath, making signs before it, and touching it with the hands will bestow on that thing the essence of the Deity. In this manner, all substances, such as food, drink, perfumed oils and balms, lotions, elixirs and even drugs, once blessed and imbued with Spirit, become literally, sacred substances. Once blessed and transformed, these substances are used or consumed by the participants, which in this case is the couple performing the work.

Sacred Sexuality - These are the ritualized stages and phases of sexual and coital union between the properly prepared partners. While it isn’t necessary to learn all of the variations of love making, postures and techniques, it is important to approach this act with the highest degree of reverence possible. Every touch, every step of seduction, and every act of love and devotion to one’s partner is a highly charged ritualized act. It should be approached outwardly in a relaxed and even languorous manner in the beginning, so that every sense is super stimulated, and that the lovers experience everything to the fullest measure possible. Basic postures should vary, of course, based on what one is capable of doing without injury or excessive physical strain. Once physical union is established, then the triggers of excitement, rapture and finally, ecstasy, can be released and fully engaged. But the whole point of this work is to control the body and mind, and allow this process to gradually achieve its end while fully engaging all of the senses as well as the mind and the emotions. The goal is to accomplish a kind of mutual orgasm.

Mutual Intent - The whole purpose and intent of this work are the mutual objectives that the couple are seeking to realize in the material plane. It is projected from the state of mutual orgasm, which can give it a greater possibility for manifestation than through any other kind of magick. The desires that make up this mutual intent must be as heartfelt and energized for each of the participants. The mutual intent should be something that the couple focuses on as they undergo this whole process of sex magick. As an added boost, the mutual intent can be conceptualized as a sigil, drawn or painted on parchment or some other appropriate medium, and then charged and blessed as a sacrament. The sigil can be stared at by both participants as they achieve orgasm, projecting a powerful vector of force through the sigil into the material world.

Mutual Orgasm - The ultimate object for sex magick is for the participating couple to experience some kind of mutual orgasm. For this reason, the masculine impulse for quick ejaculation is tempered so that it may occur when the feminine orgasm occurs. Of course, if the sex magick is performed between same sex couples, then the equation for mutual orgasm becomes more easily realized. Orgasm represents the release of energies, the occurrence of ecstasy, and the ensuing visionary languor that follows. It is at that moment of mutual orgasm that the couple project their desires as the mutual intent into the material world through the waves of ecstasy.

Spiral Vortex and Cone of Power - In previous writings I have compared the male sexual orgasmic cycle to the energy structure known as the Cone of Power. I have also compared the feminine sexual orgasmic cycle to the energy structure of the Spiral Vortex. In sex magick, both of these energy structures are superimposed and fused into a single expression, which is the double cone of power. Where the spiral vortex is magnetic, the cone of power is electric. I would also assume that the mental state of the participants would also produce a different polarized kind of energy field, where the passive receiving role would assume a magnetic spiral vortex, and the active sending role would assume an electric cone of power. Therefore, these combined energy structures would approximate the roles of those engaging in sex magick, regardless of their actual gender.  

These nine topics represent a simple and direct way for a couple to engage in sex magick. Yet in looking over these nine sections, you can see that my approach uses a combination of pagan religious devotion along with simple techniques of ritualized sexuality and a developed mutual intention. It is the sacralization of sexuality along with the binding of mutual intentions (accompanied by mutual orgasm) that characterizes this approach to sex magick. I found that using what I had already learned and mastered as a pagan and a witch was the simplest and most efficient way of performing sex magick. There are many ways to solve any given human puzzle, and my methods are just one of many to developing a simple methodology for working sex magick.

Frater Barrabbas