Sage vs Mage in Ritual Magic

In our imagination, we have two characters from our folklore, and these are the mage and the sage. A mage is, of course, a magician, with his tall cap, long white beard and staff, typically associated with Merlin or later, Gandalf. He is the great wizard who can summon angels, demons and demigods. A sage is more obscure, being a person who is wise, the counselor of great leaders and the author and exemplar of religious or philosophical movements. A sage can also be a holy man, or wise religious leader, representing the mystical side of the human experience. These two individuals as archetypes represent two different facets, one is the magician and the other is a religious leader. They would seem to represent diametrically opposed factions of magic and mysticism, and in medieval Christian Europe, this was a popular theme, although it was more complicated in reality than it was perceived in popular folklore. However, the sage and mage were seen as one and the same in the Greco-Roman world, since philosophers were often believed to have arcane powers and occult knowledge.

Magic and religion have always intertwined and intersected at various points, although it is religion, or in the guise of philosophy, that has appeared mostly dominant in that relationship. The archetypal magician that emerged in late middle ages seems to embody both a religious role and a strictly magical one. Grimoires from the past age contain ceremonies and tasks best performed by a cleric, or by a hired cleric for the use of a lay-person or secular ritualist. This is because the spirits that were the target of invocation or evocation were wrapped up in religious beliefs and liturgical lore, and Christianity blurred the boundary between what was supposedly secular philosophy and religious tenants, becoming what was considered then as the highest form of intellectual activity, which was theology. It was Christian theology that embodied both the religious ethos of the time and also, unwittingly, a magical ethos. Thus magic had to appear intermixed with religious rites to engage in a kind of sacred technology.

While European ceremonial magic in its early period (11th - 14th century) was nominally a system of angel magic, functioning as an adjunct practice of trained clerics or monks associated with their sacred duties and almost sacramental in their practice, all of this changed in the early Renaissance. It was at that point when religious practices and the practice of magic began to diverge, and also when the trafficking with demons began to take prominence in the various grimoires and manuscripts on magic at that time. While the Christian Church divorced itself from the practice of even positive and constructive forms of magic, the emerging lay population of academics and their student followers began to engage in these discarded methodologies, and sought to capitalize on the powers and abilities associated with goetic demons despite the proscriptions of the Church.

The practice of engaging with negative or hostile spirits was not new to the traditions of magic, since it had its sources in antiquity with the practices of the goetic shamans who intervened in ghostly hauntings and served chthonic deities, it was redefined as demonology by a Christianized culture. Still, from the 16th to through the 17th century, which was the golden age of grimoires, the magician was required to curry the favor of God and to assume a level of spiritual purification before being granted the authority and power over neutral or demonic spirits. Magic still had a very religious foundation, and those who wished to evoke and coerce demons to satisfy their material-based ambitions had to assume a level of spiritual superiority over the spirits that they commanded. One can see this everywhere in the grimoires of the previous age, as the invocations to the Deity, the prayers, the assumed piety, the expiation and a strict requirement for a degree of spiritual purity still was considered essential to the practice of sorcery. This is because it was believed that only by the mercy and power of God could a magician be warded and escape the wily onslaughts, deceit and cunning of demons.

After the 16th century, magic started to become religiously agnostic and morally ambivalent, as it was practiced by individuals who had little relationship to religious practices other than being a lay person attendant at religious observances. They did not need to engage in an authoritative manner with the Deity, since vesting themselves in the superficial accouterments of their faith seemed adequate to deal with wayward demons. The church had lost its precedence over the practice of magic, and even the presumption of holiness was replaced by a nominal faith and belief in the process, but with the self-serving aim of personal enrichment, or the enrichment of clients who were willing to pay dearly for this service.

Parallel to the practice of ceremonial magic in the 17th century were the practices of alchemy and astrology. Additionally, there began to be an interest in hidden or occultic knowledge, and the fraternal organizations that began to be seen in Europe were first associated with the Rosicrucian movement begun in the early part of century, and then through the decades became a real underground movement that involved the study of the Jewish Kabbalah, alchemy, astrology, and also, to a lesser extent, ceremonial magic. In the 18th century, these secret societies were popularized by Masonry and various Masonic offshoots. The Illuminati had their origin at this time, and there were also the practices of Egyptian Masonry, and many other similar secret organizations. Still, it would seem that the Masonic movement, the Protestant Reformation, and the various secret brotherhoods had pushed the practice of ceremonial magic into a more secular and non-religious environment, where the individual through their piety and personal fortitude, could command spirits and demons to do their will. However, magic had already seen its popularity begin to fade, and the social myth of the magician was seen as an erroneous or fraudulent path to wisdom and power.

By the time of the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, ceremonial magic became the proclivity of the eccentric, the occultist, the madman or the charlatan. The magician seemed like the antithesis to the religious leader, or sage, both great and small; but was also at odds with the ascending scientism of the academics. Magic was an unsanctioned, underground practice of dubious individuals, since it had been drained of most of its religiosity, and infused with a materialistic and cynical ambition to manipulate the world against the rational prejudice and derision of science. As magic became degraded, the image of the magician appeared to be consigned to the ash heap of history, and the mythic image and folklore seemed to show that any attempt to acquire power, material gain, and unsanctioned wisdom by making a pact with Satan always ended badly. This was when the myth of Faustus seemed to cast magic in a dark light, even though the myth of Faust had ironically started an occult magical movement in Germany. Thus, magic became the interesting topic of the collectors and copyists of obscure manuscripts of the previous age, but serious engagement seemed lacking. The Magus was published around this time, but it was likely the last gasp of a dying tradition. Some occultists continued to examine and study magic, such as Eliphas Levi, who sought to revitalize the practice, but who actually was never a practitioner himself. It remained the proclivity of the few, and was fading into complete obscurity as the 19th century and its emphasis on the material sciences gained precedence.

In the late nineteenth century, with the advent of the Theosophical Society and various occult groups such as the Golden Dawn, ceremonial magic was rehabilitated. Yet its more religious attributes were no longer represented in the 19th century Victorian culture. Therefore, it continued to be treated and engaged with in a more secular manner than what would have been considered a proper mental condition for working these rites in the previous age. The Golden Dawn brought to its members and later the world, a whole new style of working magic that merged occult concepts, various Qabalistic tables of correspondences and rituals to engage with various kinds of spirits into the purview of the magical practitioner. The pentagram became the tool for engaging with the elementals, and the hexagram, the tool of planetary and talismanic magic. Angels were incorporated into rites of warding and protection, but a ritual used to invoke an angel or evoke a demon into manifestation was not part of this corpus.

However, the basic ritual practices, such as the watchtower rituals, the banishing and invoking rites of the pentagram and hexagram, gave the adept practitioner the basic lore needed to engage with the old grimoires. Without the archaic religious praxis, the old grimoires were likely not very accessible to the modern public, so the Golden Dawn provided a body of rituals that would establish a surrogate or replacement methodology that made these magical books accessible. Grimoires from the previous age were starting to become available, first in manuscript form in the GD, and then in published books. Those individuals who had mastered the basic ritual workings of the Golden Dawn could then apply this knowledge to unlocking the grimoires, and this what they did. It began a kind of accelerated process that is still going on today, with more and more of these magic books being published and made available.

With all of the new magical tech that the Golden Dawn invented and disseminated to its membership, probably the most important practice was godhead assumption. There was also a kind of sympathy for the polytheism of antiquity, that was taken to a greater level of engagement by Mathers, Brodie, Crowley, Fortune, and others. The early twentieth century saw the beginnings of a pagan religious movement, which was an alternative to Christianity. Margarete Murray published books on the Witchcraft cult of the previous age, and this was the beginning of a movement of popular and romantic thought that would culminate in the birth of modern Witchcraft. These new fledgling religions saw themselves as the repository of both a modern polytheistic religious practice and the engagement and practice of modern occultism. Nearly all of the founders for the various pagan and wiccan groups were also practicing occultists, and so much of that lore found its way into these groups, along with both modern religious perspectives (post-Christian) as well as fragments of ancient lore, but also, the practice of magic. Murray had made magic central to the Witch cult of the previous age, and this notion was fully captured in these new groups.

While Crowley was instrumental in bringing the practice of magic into the 20th century, his invention of a new religion seemed to be a requirement for participation in this system of magic that he brought to his Thelemic followers. Crowley’s religion, Thelema, was actually the first of the polytheistic pagan traditions that would be come abundant in the later part of the 20th century. Crowley also made magic the central tenant of his religion, and this was also a model for the other and later organizations. Despite the fact that Thelema was such a new and compelling religious perspective, along with the required practice of magic, his organization of the Ordo Templi Orientis nearly ceased to exist after his death. The post world-war period of the 1950's was more about reconstruction and finding balance in the Cold War era than engaging in various forms of occultism. Still, this profound phenomenon of religious, occultic, and magical development went into a kind of stasis after the Second World War. It was only in the 1960's that this modern engagement with magic returned along with many other alternative spiritual and occultic perspectives that were part of the counter cultural youth movement.

During the late 1960's and into the decades following, the modern Pagan and Witchcraft movements, along with the OTO, and many other newly founded traditions, proposed a religious system that combined the practice of religion and magic as a single praxis. In the Pagan and Witchcraft traditions, the central liturgical rite was a form of godhead assumption that had been taken and modified from the Golden Dawn tradition, and this brought a dimension of immanent spirituality into the group practices that had no precedence in Western European religions since antiquity. It allowed for individuals to impersonate and assume the characteristics and qualities of the pagan Deities that they were worshiping to the intimate contact and communion with their group. This is a clear case of channeling the Deity, and this would have a profound effect on the one personifying the Deity and the group who functioned as the witnesses and benefactors of that spiritual outpouring.

Since magic was considered a central tenant of this new religious movement, then godhead assumption would therefore become a part of the magic that was also performed. The liturgical rites would blend into the magical, since there was nothing to really distinguish them. It is this very consideration that I followed in developing my own system of magic based on the central liturgical practices of modern Witchcraft, but I am certain that I am not alone in this practice. However, what I was not aware of at the time was that this approach of merging religious liturgy and magic together had a truly ancient precedence that echoed from the Greco-Roman world of the philosophers and their practices, to the monks and clerics practicing angel magic, to Witches and Pagans practicing both religious rites and magic together. This is where the Sage and the Mage become fully united once again in the practice of Western religion and magic. While Catholicism had stripped itself of all ceremonial magic associated with the rites of the Mass and its ancillary practices especially in Vatican II, modern Paganism and Witchcraft had restored them, and in fact, made them even greater. Magic practiced in the guise of religion has also another provenance, which is theurgy, the methods of magic used by the philosophers of antiquity.

As a Witch Elder and Ritual Magician of the post modern age, I see myself as both a sage and a mage, embodying both perspectives as a single system of magical practice and religious engagement with the inner and outer worlds of spirit, mind and body. I see these two practices of religion and magic in perfect balance with each other, and I am engaging in developing a magical practice that can elevate the operator to the highest states of enlightened being, merging also magic and mysticism together. If there is a unitary function in the modern Pagan and Witchcraft religions, then this holistic practice represents the both the foundation and the zenith of our aspirations.

Frater Barrabbas

Will-Based Magic vs Theurgy

 

 

Goddess of Witchcraft

A while back I attended a class presented by Taylor Elwood, who has been a mentor and friend to me for many years. He was there to help me in the first stage of my literary pursuits. Taylor is also an amazingly brilliant and creative man, and has many books and other media available for those who might be interested in a very fresh and modern approach to magic. We do have in common a disdain for traditionalists and grimoire purists, and we approach magic in a creative and experimental manner. Anyway, in his class, Taylor said that will-based magic has many limitations, and by itself, can often fail more often than succeed. He discussed his own history to emphasize his point that human-centric magic is not the optimal approach to working magic. I heartily agree with this perspective, and I consider it one of the rules of magic.

However, after pondering his words, I was unable to find a time in my life except when I was a teenager just starting out in magic where this kind of rule reduced my expected outcome for any and all magic that I worked. The only successful workings that I managed to perform were with the aid and alignment to my personal Goddess, whom I saw as the Goddess of Witchcraft. I also suspect that beginners fail more often than succeed simply because they are learning about what works for them, and what doesn’t work. It is a continual sorting process that shapes all magical development, from the beginning and throughout one’s magical career.

Still, once I was initiated into Witchcraft proper back in 1976, it profoundly changed both the scope and the rate of success of my magic. It was no longer a matter of hit or miss for me, but it became apparent to me that knowing where to apply my magic and exactly when, and ensuring that I had multiple plans and did the mundane work, was I was able to achieve whatever I set out to do. The only thing that evaded me was finding a mate, but for that situation I had a profound blockage and an inability to clearly see what was internally blocking me. The spirits that I had engaged with over time continually told me what the problem was and how to resolve it, but I was unable to really comprehend and take action to make myself successful in that pursuit as well. Thus, most of my magical workings were successful except in the matter of love, and I have not had any situation where I experienced a complete failure or breakdown regarding my magic and its outcome. (Ultimately, even that issue was resolved over time.)

Listening to Taylor’s short biography and how he had to make a major paradigm shift in his magical thinking, thereby realigning his magical work to ensure a more successful outcome was fascinating, and the contrast between our two paths couldn’t be more stark. However, what Taylor talked about is something that other magicians have related during all too brief moments of personal revelation. If you are a magician, you will likely talk about your successes and achievements and omit any discussion about your failures, and for anyone practicing magic, the failures will outnumber the successes, especially in the beginning. It would appear the Thelemic creed that our true will is indomitable is an erroneous assumption, particularly if we forget that our supposed True Will might be something that is beyond or even contrary to our personal ambitions at the moment. It would seem that our True Will is more bound to our higher selves than to our petty egos. At any rate, the True Will is a misnomer that I don’t consider in any of my magical workings, as we shall see.

All of these thoughts and considerations had me pondering, since I saw a contrast between the experiences and history of what Taylor underwent and what I have experienced. What is the difference between our two paths that might make a difference between what we both experienced over the years? Additionally, we will need to differentiate between the kinds of the magic where the will would play a greater part in magical workings, and where either spirits or planetary archetypes play a greater role. Depending on the type of magic worked, the role of the magician’s will is quite different, so it cannot be either a consideration nor a stumbling block for some kinds of magic. There is also a specific kind of magic where the individual will plays no part at all, but we will get to that consideration in this discussion as well.

If I were to choose forms of magic where the magician’s will plays a critical role then I would pick the energy and information models of magic. Magical energy needs to be visualized in some manner so that it can be generated, but essentially breath and bodily movement are the drivers for that kind of magic. What is required of the magician is where they will imprint the collected and compressed energy field with their desire and then exteriorize it. Information model forms of magic are where symbols and language are manipulated, but it is the will that projects and sets the magical objective in motion. These two models rely heavily on the use of the magician’s will to set the outcome.

Additionally, the magician must also perform various mundane steps to ensure that the outcome is inescapably set, or at least as much as possible. What I have found is that the magician must also work divination both before and after the working to make certain that they have not unwittingly erected any blockages or counter aspirations that might stop or degrade the outcome. As you can see, a will-based magical operation, in order to have a chance of success, must be reduced down to the simplest expression and thoroughly examined to determine that it is clear of any other internal or external impediments or distractions. Any other derivation may prove to be fatal to the outcome of a magical working. What that means is that a will-based working must focus on a single objective at a time so that the energy or manipulated symbols or sigils will apply a more concentrated  magical effect to the overall desired outcome. This is why complex or multiple outcome magical objectives will likely fail to produce results because the energy is dispersed or the symbology is too multifaceted and ambiguous.

The spirit model of magic is not as affected by the will of the magician to set the magical objective of a working. The magician’s will is focused on the task of successfully performing the evocation, and constraining and binding the spirit. If that process is successful, then the outcome will more likely be a success than a failure. However, there are other factors that make this kind of working fraught with failure, and that revolves around the nature and quality of the spirit and the relationship between the spirit and the human operator. Questions that need to be answered in this regard are whether the spirit is the proper agent and has the capability to meet the magician’s objective, and whether the spirit is amendable to doing the work for the magician. Is their relationship on a solid and cooperative foundation? As you can see, there are quite a number of variables involved, so even successfully conjuring a spirit will not necessarily mean that the magical objective will be fulfilled.

Perhaps the least will-based kind of magic is talismanic magic. Generating a talismanic field and charging a metallic talisman artifact during an auspicious moment, not to mention the preparations, research and development needed, requires a level of discipline and consistency that a honed and empowered will can greatly ensure a successful completion. A talisman is where the magician’s objective coincides with the astrological auspices and the combination of planetary archetype and element foundation to forge a charged artifact that will send out its magic continuously as long as the magician keeps a periodic conscious connection with it. A talisman can have its target altered but not its basic qualities, and it can be given to a client to aid and assist them. It is quite versatile, however, it is completely dependent on the combination of the talismanic field, the auspices active at the time of its creation, and the kind or quality of change that it can promote. Some talismanic fields are fast acting but limited in the duration or depth of the change, and others are slow but produce long-lasting changes. The greatest variables are to be found in the natal chart of the operator, since generating a talismanic field cannot overcome aspects and attributes found in the baseline of one’s personality, as determined by the natal chart. Overall, talismanic magic is least reliant on the magician’s will, but it has other, more complex, considerations that must be tackled to ensure success.

That leaves us with few other magical methodologies to consider, but one that has dominated my magical life is the question of the role that Deities, the Higher Self and one’s initiatory “process” plays in the working of magic. Since I was initiated a many years in the past, nearly 50 years ago, I have operated as a Witch under the alignment and in an intimate association with the Deities of my craft, most specifically, the Goddess of Witchcraft. However I have view her, she has been with me since even before I was initiated, but became dominant when I was initiated. That means that every magical working that I have performed since I was initiated was through and within her. She has been my most powerful authority, guide, teacher, law-giver, arbiter, and my principal intercession between the world of spirit and myself.

Additionally, there is my Higher Self, or the God Within, that I have invoked numerous times through the use of variations of the Bornless or Headless One Rite. Whenever I work magic, I do it under the godhead assumption of my internal Deity, so my magical workings are empowered by this singular connection. Since I was initiated many years ago, I have discovered that there is an interactive magical “process” that has been strategically engaged with me while I have endured the fortunes and failures of my mundane and magical life. That initiatory process has ensured that my life’s path has help and assistance so that I will ultimately achieve my overall purpose and directive in life. Sometimes that direction is a mystery to me, other times it is briefly revealed to me in a breath-taking manner. I have faith that my life’s path will not lead to disaster and that there is always a path that can help me mitigate any crisis that I have encountered.  The combination of my Higher Self God-Within and my initiatory process has kept me from encountering a disaster or experiencing complete failure.

How I would define this particular magical and spiritual path that I am progressing through is that it is based on theurgy, or God Work. I am never performing any kind of magic or liturgy without the engagement or intercession of my Deity, both within me and without me. While I may desire, seek and attempt to will something, my work will be for nought unless the Deity is brought into the working. Actually, I would never perform any working without that engagement and connection since it is part of my magical practice. As a Witch practicing theurgy, what I personally will in regards to magic has to be in alignment with my Deity or I won’t make the attempt. I determine the will of the Gods through a more sacred and formal practice of divination, where they are involved in the revelation of what is or what will be. I am also operating in my daily life with an array of talismanic artifacts with all 28 of the Talismanic Elementals actively set, so I can direct magical energy to given direction whenever I might need it. While I am not wealthy, I am comfortably well-off, and so far, my life has qualities that lend to my subjective definition as being ‘charmed.”

So, it would seem that of all of the systems of the magic, theurgy has very little will-based attributes, since the operator has, for the most part, surrendered themselves to the will of the Deity. There is no need to strictly control everything (and everyone), and there is a still-point when my mind and the Deity merge together briefly at the height of a godhead assumption. There is also the requirement for periodic and regular liturgical practices that ensure I am always engaged, aligned and connected to the Deity. This is not a process where the magic is performed once with the optimistic hope that it will produce the desired results. Like talismanic magic, it is a cyclic, periodic and continual process, and it fully objectifies the inward godhead connection into the outer material world. That is the premise of God Work, and it is a methodology that I have used for nearly my entire magical career. I am a Witch, ritual magician, and my magic is theurgic in nature. Since the Deity is involved in this work, the only will that is present is the will of that godhead, both within me and without me. My own will is merely aligned to that greater will, and my magic has been much more successful because of it.

I don’t know a lot about Taylor’s biography, or how other magicians have approached this issue, but I do know that the will of the individual has some severe limitations in regards to will-based magic. Perhaps initiation into a pagan magical tradition might help overcome that limitation, or individuals can learn to modify their approach, just as Taylor has done to create an entirely new paradigm for their magical work. However, I do know that my petty will was sacrificed to the Goddess decades ago, and whenever I have attempted to unwisely to resurrect and wield it, whatever I think I am doing has amounted to a lot of nothing. Fighting against the Gods when you are supposed to be their arbiter in this world is a fruitless exercise, and one that court trouble and spiritual disharmony. Divination is the key to knowing the Will of the Gods; it is to that process of divination and what it reveals to me that I adopt as my unerring directions and guidance in life. Of course, I also talk to the Gods and they talk back, but that is another topic for another time.

Frater Barrabbas

Godhead Assumption and Sacramental Magic

 

As Witches and Pagans, our beliefs and practices have established a practical theology that proposes an immanent and intimate encounter and engagement with Deity. While monotheistic traditions had adopted a theology that proposed that Deity was both transcendental and immanent, in practice they established a Deity that was purely transcendental. This is why Islam and Judaism held forth sanctified individuals who acted as intermediaries for their Godhead (i.e., prophets, high priests or sheikhs), and why Christianity established a Son of God that was both flesh and blood, mortal and also one with the transcendental Deity. A transcendental Godhead is remote, segregated from material life and outside of creation altogether. This, of course, is a fundamental difference between modern Witchcraft and Paganism and monotheistic faiths, since our deities are a part of creation and also participate in the material world and our mortality. Witchcraft and Pagan Deities are accessible, immanent, and intimate to us as we worship them. Therefore, we have a right and a privilege to access them, and to engage, and assume, briefly, their god-like nature into our humanity.

I know that in my past years of functioning as a Witch that the tradition has reserved the godhead assumption to that elect group of initiates known as high priestesses and high priests. However, we should understand that there is no barrier between even the least experienced of us and the Goddesses and Gods that we worship. The role of vested and permanent intermediary in our faith is one that is false and borrowed from Christian sacerdotalism, so it must be stated that the titles of high priestess and high priest are both somewhat arrogant and likely misleading. In point of fact, we are all priestesses and priests of the Deities that we worship.

We don’t need unelected leaders and intermediaries in our faith and religious practices to block us from the true relationship between our Deities and ourselves, since we are gifted and privileged with direct access to our Goddesses and Gods. If someone leads a ritual, performs an exclusive drawing down, or lives their life as one who personifies and functions as a terrestrial representative of the Gods, then they do so with our affirmation, honor, and engagement. We know that such roles are assumed by us to worship and honor the Gods and they are not done for selfish and egotistic reasons. Some of us are gifted as role-playing leaders in our ceremonial rites, and some of us have mastered the art of godhead assumption or live as mortal representatives of the Gods, but only in service to the Deities, and such roles are brief or limited by human weakness and mortality.

There should never be any kind of assumption of personal power or assumed authority when it comes to acting as an intermediary for the Gods by an individual. This is why I believe that functioning as a group leader and also exclusively acting as an spiritual intermediary is a potential problem, and therefore, I don’t allow it for myself and I hope that it will evolve out of our praxis. Acting as an intermediary should always be a temporary role within the religious practices of a Witch or Neopagan group, and it should be separated from any kind of position of leadership.

Sacraments

Now that I have laid down the foundation of my thoughts on godhead assumption, I would like to progress to another associated concept and that it the generation and use of sacraments. Anything that is blessed by the Deity is considered a sacrament, particularly if it is blessed by someone acting through a godhead assumption. They will take the object in their hands, blow their breath upon it (pneuma - spirit), make a sign upon it, say words to the effect that it is now blessed, and that object is now and forever changed, becoming a sacrament associated with that Deity. Typically, sacraments consist of food and drink or lustral water, but they can also be amulets or tokens, oils or balms, perfumes, potions and medicinal concoctions.

These sacraments represent what is returned from the Deity to the worshipers, in contradistinction to the votive offerings and prayers made to it. There is a complete cycle of offerings made to the Deity by us and sacraments returned from it to us. The whole basis of generating sacraments is that it is a medium through which pagans and witches establish communion with their Deity, and in this fashion, they are continuing a methodology and practice that was found in Roman Catholic rites until recently. The difference is that pagans and witches deal directly with their Deities and experience them in a tangible and material fashion, unlike the Eucharistic rites of Catholic and Orthodox Christians, who make due with a surrogate officiant. A pious Catholic would never say that their priest had assumed the godhead of Christ, but they would say that he was acting as a mere representative for the miraculous transubstantiation ordained by their God. A godhead assumption does not even conceivably play a part in that rite, but it is a core practice in the rites of modern Paganism and Witchcraft.

So, it would seem that the central tenant in the modern practice of Paganism and Witchcraft is the ritual of godhead assumption, performed as not only a sacred communion rite, but where the practicing medium becomes for a short time the actual personification of that Deity. There is not only transubstantiation involved in the communion rite, but there is also a powerful transformation of the elected officiant who directly assumes the target covenstead Deity. However, that ritual practice and the role of priestess or priest is not delegated to a single specialized individual, but it is available to all participants. Additionally, the items that are consecrated and sacralized in the communion process can be used as magical tools and devices imbued as they are with the essence of the Deity. Not only can sacraments be used to charge and sanctify other objects, they can be used to project the power and authority of the Deity into the material world. Using sacraments in magical workings in this manner is what I call sacramental theurgy.

Individual Godhead Assumption

Godhead assumption is not limited to the drawing down rites of the covenstead Goddess or God, but a singular version of it can be used to assume a godhead for any practical and magical working. Witches can observe and experience strong and deep trance alignments with the Deity, or weaker and more conscious focused assumptions. The effect of the godhead assumption can be made more intense and deep or less intense and more conscious by establishing the baseline trance as either deep or shallow. In either situation, the connection between the Deity and practitioner is strong enough to impact the communion rite at its deepest level, or any other magical ritual working while assuming a state that allows for conscious actions and individual awareness. When I consider the methodologies that I use to perform my ritual workings, everything that I do while performing rituals is through the guise of a weak but effective godhead assumption. In this manner, all the magic that I am performing is a form of theurgy, because the gods are engaged and aligned with the ritual work that I am doing, and they are guiding and adding their power and authority to assist my goals. What that means is that my magic is, at its core, not will-based magic, since I am incorporating the Deity whose persona I have assumed and through that guise I will perform my magical working. When I work magic, then, it is the “will of the Gods” through whom I am seeking a material or spiritual objective.

While the Drawing Down rite for a goddess assumption is publicly available as is the drawing down of the god, the more basic and simpler version of this more elaborate rite is what is used by individuals to perform the godhead assumption rite. I have covered this ritual extensively in my book “Spirit Conjuring for Witches”, but I will briefly discuss it here as the nine steps for individual godhead assumption. It is assumed that the operator will have previously performed votive offerings, prayers, hymns of praise and adulation, and other liturgical tasks associated with the worship of this Deity before attempting to perform the godhead assumption. (We will cover that in the next section.)

Rite of Godhead Assumption

1. Begin with a preliminary period of meditation and trance induction. The trance state can be deep or shallow, depending on the type of godhead assumption to be worked. Once the meditation is completed, then stand fully erect, aware and awake.

2. First self-centering and ascending wave of energy. Visualize and draw the energy up from the soles of one’s feet, through the body positions, of feet, knees, crotch, heart, lips and crown and beyond in an ascending wave. Lift the arms up and look to the zenith point and beyond. Feel the body open up to the greater spiritual influences. The ascending wave is marked by a slow inhalation and body stretch from feet to crown.

3. Primary invocation to a specific Deity. Call to a specific Deity, request it to descend down into oneself. Build an image or imago of the Deity, and establish an emotional yearning and passion for union. The calling and summoning can be memorized or it can be extemporaneous, or a combination of both.

4. Second self-centering and descending wave of energy. Visualize and draw the energy down from above the crown of the head, to the crown, lips, heart, crotch, knees and feet in a descending wave. Start with the arms up raised and then draw the energy down into oneself, where the arms are swept down to one’s side and head down and looking at the feet. Feel the spiritual light enter into the body and flow down from the crown to the feet, while performing a slow exhalation.

5. Mantle of Glory - draw a cross on the body, connecting the head to the crotch, right shoulder to the left shoulder with the right hand. Place the hands palms together before the chest and feel the energy of the cross radiating on one’s body and centering in the heart.

6. Heart Gateway - with the right hand, draw a triangle on one’s body, with the points of the right breast, left breast, and the crotch. Place the hands palms together before the chest and feel one’s heart opening and filled with love. Then perform a second invocation, calling the Deity to enter into the gateway of the heart and to join with the operator. This invocative becomes more like a chant, where the operator says, over and over, “come into me, join with me, let us be one.”

7. After pausing for a short period, perform the third centering and ascending energy wave. Visualize and draw the energy up from the soles of one’s feet, through the body positions, of feet, knees, crotch, heart, lips and crown and beyond in an ascending wave. Lift the arms up and look to the zenith point and beyond. Feel the body with its assumed Deity riding up into the heavens. The ascending wave is marked by a slow inhalation and body stretch from feet to crown.

8. Connect with assumed Deity and feel the merging of both strands of consciousness into a single strand. Stand for a period until the state of mind feels stable and fully established. Once this is done, then one can perform any tasks in the guise of the Deity, especially the blessing, charging and consecrating of sacraments.

9. Once the work is completed, stand silently for a moment, and thank the Deity for its appearance, feel love and gratitude for it, and then release it from oneself. After a short period of sitting meditation, perform a ground exercise to unburden the body of excess energies and to return to fully normal consciousness.

One thing that I will make apparent to my readers is that the above ritual has an implicit pattern of invocation, constraining, binding and releasing within it. These are the hallmarks of Witchcraft magic, except that the receptacle of this work is oneself.

Votive Offerings and Deity Worship

In order to assume the godhead of a Deity, it is important to give offerings and worship to it before ever approaching the godhead assumption rite. Regarding the cycle of Deity reciprocity, it is important to begin that cycle with the offerings and worship of a votive offering. I have discussed this in previous articles, the books “Spirit Conjuring for Witches” and my latest book, “Mastering the Art of Witchcraft,” so here is what that formal liturgical pattern would look like. You will need to have written up special invocations, worshipful hymns, and have at hand the offering of candles, incense, food and drink. Focusing on one special Deity is also a good idea as long as the other Deities in the pantheon are not omitted from the general offering. If this votive offering is being made to seek a favor from the Gods, then that will be part of what is stated when the working is performed.

This rite is performed in sacred space, so the circle will be consecrated before this work commences. In addition to the prayer hymns, the officiant will also use the image descriptions and the invocation calls to each Deity, asking them to descend and bless the temple. When this rite is performed as part of a full moon esbat or solar sabbat, the officiant will present to the Deities token offerings of food and drink. Here is the pattern for this rite.

1. Perform the circle consecration and any preparation steps required for a full temple operation. Liturgical rites are best performed in sacred space.

2. Stand before a shrine or altar decorated for one’s pantheon, and light some candles. Then using the censor, incense the whole area of the altar or shrine. Then bow low before it and back away, facing the altar or shrine from a comfortable distance.

3. With arms and hands extended in the form of an entreaty, recite a memorized short hymn or prayer to each of the Deities in the pantheon. (These can be extemporized as well.)

4. Kneel and bow before the shrine or altar briefly touching the head to floor, and then rise and recite the memorized invocation for each of the Deities, including the short description to formulate an image of each one.

5. If this is a monthly full moon or a solar sabbat, then the officiant will rise and get the food and drink offering and place it on the shrine or altar. Officiant bows low before the shrine and says: I offer unto you a more fitting sacrifice of food and drink, given to you as a sign of my care, devotion, and alliance. May this offering please you and be acceptable.

6. Sit before the shrine or altar and perform the meditation session for around fifteen minutes.

7. Stand up, bow before the shrine, and address each Deity and thank them for attending your prayer session.
   
Meditation and prayer in the temple should be a daily practice, and votive offerings of incense and candle light can be part of a weekly practice. You can also add offerings of food and drink at least once a month or whenever a magical working is planned.

The cycle of reciprocity with the Deity will help to empower your magical workings and bring you closer to your pantheon. It consists of votive offerings, godhead assumption and sacramental communion. The rite of godhead assumption and communion can be performed once a month when the moon is full, or whenever you have need. A regular liturgical practice such as this should function as the foundation of your religious and magical endeavors. It will also ensure that you are in proper alignment with your pantheon, and with that special godhead to whom you are performing the assumption rite.

Intimate Deities and Magic

This brings us to our conclusion, and that is to discuss pulling together all of these practices to ensure that the operator is fully empowered, sacramentally aligned and capable of working magic in the guise of their Deity. What this does to the operator is to mask their individual will with that of the Gods, so that the magic that is performed is represented as the work in the material world of the Deity. Working magic while under the powerful influence of the godhead assumption will give greater power and authority to whatever magical objective one seeks to achieve.

However, there is a wrinkle to this approach to magic, and that is knowing the will of the Gods. When approaching the Deity for a favor or securing a material objective, it is important to know that such a goal is within the provenance of the Deity. Individual Deities have individualized personalities and motives, and they can be capricious and changeable. Yet, even Gods cannot make the impossible into an achievable objective, unless conditions for a “black swan” incident are met. Asking for the impossible may also be deemed impertinent, and asking for a favor that is outside the purview of their powers and qualities will meet with little success. Thus, it is always wise to divine the will of the Gods for any spiritual or magical endeavor. The use of dice or knucklebones is probably the easiest way to ask if the Gods are aligned to a specific objective, and through offerings and worship, a negative response can possibly be made into a positive one.

If an operator performs the cycle of devotion and assumption for a long enough period of time, then it is likely that they will begin to intuitively know the will of the Gods without having to perform divination. Still, it is a good idea to always to check, and so there is always a role for divination to know, at that moment, what the Gods ordain.

Frater Barrabbas
 
 

Frater Barrabbas Author Literary Tour - Part 8 - Sacramental Theurgy For Witches

 

This book, unlike the previous, is still in manuscript form and hasn’t been submitted to Llewellyn for publication. I am pretty certain that they will want to publish once they get it, since it fits into a set of books that are good sellers. (Note: I am signing a contract to publish this book soon.) It makes good business sense to continue a series if it is popular and people are buying the books. Still, I am not in the literary business to make money as much as I am writing books to ensure that my legacy of knowledge and practical experience is shared with a large audience. Perhaps I can even imagine that these books might be getting used and thus changing the way that Witches and Pagans practice their magic. I can only hope that such a process is underway.

I wrote this book last summer and it only took me two months to complete it. A lot of the material used in the book I already had on hand, and I was very keen on sharing that material with my community. Still, one might ask what could sacramental theurgy possibly have to do with Witches and Pagans. The title sounds kind of pretentious and very high-brow, sort of like some book on philosophical magic or some trendy breed of ceremonial magic. Of course, I don’t write high-brow books on Witchcraft magic. I leave that to the academics, whose works on the history of magic and witchcraft are now becoming more numerous and quite fascinating. This book is purely about a kind of Witchcraft praxis that is advanced, but it is actually quite obvious and deals with something that is fundamental to Witchcraft religious magic.

Here is the advertisement that I have written to be used with this book when it is published.

Theurgy is defined as a magical operation that induces the Deity to perform a paranormal operation to benefit an individual or a group or to refrain or block an occurrence that would cause harm. The Greek word ‘theurgy’ is interpreted to mean, “God Work”, so it is a form of high magic that directs the supernatural powers of the Deity to either make something materialize or to block something from happening. A theurgist is someone who has the ability to directly converse with the Gods and Goddesses and to either urge them to act or to abrogate their powers and assume their identity and then perform the desired work.

While this kind of religious magic was considered the ultimate mastery possessed by Neoplatonic philosophers of late antiquity, such a practice and its associated perspective is very relevant today for modern Pagans and Witches. It is, in fact, the natural evolution of our practices of liturgy and magic that the two approaches should become united into an advanced formulation of magic, a kind of Witchcraft Theurgy. This evolution is already occurring today, and in fact it represents the cutting edge of Witchcraft practices that certain select senior members of our community are developing and practicing in private gatherings, covens and groves.
 
Witchcraft Theurgy can be divided into two basic categories: sacramental magic and the mysteries of transformation. In both of these categories the Deities are engaged and their impact enlarged so that the magic performed is done explicitly through them. This would require not only defining the Deities in greater intimate detail than what is typical in a coven or group, but it would also require expanding the scope of Deities so that the world surrounding these Witches would be filled with Deities representing the cosmic, regional and local geographic domain of the covenstead.

The core concept presented in this book is that when someone undergoes the ritualized process of godhead assumption, anything that they bless or imbue with their assumed powers becomes a sacred object, whatever its form. In traditional Witchcraft, the drawing down of the moon is followed with the rite of cakes and wine, which functions as a form of communion between the living Deity and the coven of Witches. It follows that anything else so blessed by that godhead, such as oils, balms, amulets, tools or even initiated members, becomes imbued with the powers and essence of that Deity. What is missing is, of course, the bloody sacrifice, but everything else is there to tie these modern practices to some of what was done in antiquity. This is, then, the basis for the generation of sacraments, and their use in Witchcraft or Pagan magic is a kind of magic defined as theurgy. It is also the foundation through which the mysteries are experienced and heightened. This is because it is through the Deities and our intimate contact with them that this kind of magic is possible.

When pagan religious cults were banned and disappeared in the Roman empire certain practices were absorbed into Christianity. While the obvious animal sacrifices were no longer practiced, other offerings were encouraged. Catholics had replaced the pagan bloody sacrifice with the consecration and offerings of wine and bread and brought into vogue the concept of transubstantiation to justify that such offerings were in reality the blood and body of Christ. Such a replacement in a religious context brought the ancient ideas of magic into the cultic practices of Christian liturgy. This is because the concept of transubstantiation is a magical one, and it has nothing to do with theology or sacred writings - it is a magical substitution.

Those magical ideas also caused the spread of ideas that other sacraments, such as baptism water, consecrated oils and balms, as well as relics, the blessings of bishops, prelates and even anointed kings carried the attributes of godhead within them and could be used to charge and bless both the community and individual possessions and undertakings. These were old magical ideas that had been a part of the religious practices of the pagan era, and now were brought into the religious practices of Christianity. It is ironic that a supposed monotheistic religion became so infused with idolatry and magical practices that both Islam and Judaism found the practices of Christianity liturgy offensive. It is also no wonder that such practices brought about the reformation in the 16th century. By the 20th century, the Catholic church had quietly shelved those ideas that were magical and pagan in origin, and even changed the mass to remove all such “superstitions” from their practices.

Yet to the late 20th century practicing Witches and Pagans, such ideas fit perfectly within their creeds and praxis, so some of those rites were reverse engineered into the rituals that adherents of these new religions practiced. What you had were practices of godhead assumption, as derived from both the Catholic mass rite and the practices of the Golden Dawn, and the rite of communion of cakes and wine consecrated by the hand and breath of the godhead. I saw that appropriation as the first step down a slippery slope, which led into the magical well of full and complete ownership of the magic that was once used by Christian Catholics. What was once used to bolster the faith within a population of recently converted pagans could now be used to enhance the religious magic of a modern Witchcraft and Paganism.

As I have stated, the core of the magical religious practices of these new faiths was the rite of drawing down a targeted Deity into the body and mind of a specialized and trained adherent. In the new faiths of Witchcraft and Paganism, it was not only conceivable that a person could masquerade and personify their chosen Deity, it was an expected part of the praxis. With such a ritual acting as the central feature of this new pagan faith, it would seem a natural evolution that all things that are holy and sacramental would come from this transformed individual through their blessings of touch, blowing of breath and kiss.

While this was something that ancient pagan cults would have allowed, it was not actually part of their regimen. They had beautiful temples, priests and priestesses and grand statues to represent their deities for the state religion, but a lot of religious activity went on in the private sphere, and this is where sacred persons could assume the mantle of a deity on a temporary basis and act as intermediaries for the personalized aspects of the Deities. What actually transpired in these private religious occurrences are not plainly known nor understood, but it is likely that they modeled what passes today as the practices of home-based worship, the giving of offerings and prayers and the making of sacrifices. These rites are practiced in some form in modern day India, and from them we can deduce the practices of ancient pagans in the Greco-Roman world.

Still, this practice of godhead assumption brought the numena of the Deity into the group so that the adherents could commune and worship that Deity directly and intimately. A human personifying a Deity could then also bless substances, such as cakes, wine, oils, anointments and jewelry (as amulets). There could also be requests for aid, healing, prophecy and guidance. This rite was where the worshipers and the godhead met to strengthen the spiritual bonds and empower the members. This practice became the center of cultic practices for both Witchcraft and modern Paganism.

One of the issues that I have with this practice is that it can lead to abuse and coercion, particularly if the person personifying the godhead was also the leader of the group. I have presented suggestions that the rite of godhead assumption be performed by someone who has prepared themselves for this exclusive act, while the leadership of the group be performed by others who not so engaged in the process of godhead assumption. I feel that it is necessary that the leadership of covens should not also be engaged with performing the godhead assumption so that they are not empowered as to become unassailable autocrats of the coven. After all, who would argue with the powers and commandments of the coven Deities? Instead, temporal authority should not be mixed with temporary Deity based empowerment. I believe that the mixture is toxic to the proper governance of a coven or group.

Additionally, I believe that the coven or group should be able to judge the level of manifestation of the Deity that occurs during a godhead assumption. There should be built in mechanisms that can be used to judge the efficacy of the drawing down rite. I present 10 stages that a drawing down rite can be observed to achieve when the godhead manifests through the target medium. First, I believe that there should be three simple questions that are presented to the medium when the godhead is fully manifested. The first two are simply questions that request the godhead to define itself by name and quality, and to describe its nature and character. A third question is secretly determined by the group without the prior knowledge of the medium, and it is requested to the Deity to outline its purpose for that evening’s working. 

The coven, apart from the sequestered medium, has determined the purpose of the evening’s work, and if the medium is able to clairvoyantly and accurately describe that purpose, then the group can be certain that the manifestation of the Deity is truly a powerful one. Other phenomena can also occur when the divine is immanently and tangibly present, and these I outline in the description of the ten stages. I also briefly discuss what a regressive godhead assumption is, and that it should be gently stopped and aid given if the medium should show signs of a seizure or bodily stress. The coven should document each and every godhead assumption and give a grade, based on the ten stages of Deity manifesting.

There is, however, a practice that is above and beyond the coven drawing down rite, and that is the full godhead personification. This is lifetime practice, but it can be immediately approached through an ordeal of devotion and the single minded focus and immersion into the being and persona of a selected Deity. The true regimen is a three month ordeal that starts out in a regular devoted fashion and becomes more intensive and focused as the moon goes through three cycles. A lesser ordeal has only one lunar cycle, but this is the kind of ordeal where a person seeks to be fully engaged and immersed within the spiritual body of the Deity. Some individuals will make this kind of ordeal and work their life’s sole purpose, where all else in life is sacrificed so that the sage is free to occasionally act and function as a full personification of the godhead. What she or he does while in that state of personification becomes the Deity performing blessings, empowerment, generating sacraments and aiding in the magical endeavors of initiated members. This, too, is sacramental theurgy in its most intensive and impressive style.

Other ritual workings are discussed in this book, such as the triple consecration rite of specific cult objects, such as the Stang, Besom, Cauldron, various statues or busts of the Deity, and individual amulets. These are considered sacred place-markers or representations of the Goddesses and Gods and function as both sacred objects as well as magical tools. The rituals of the mass and the benediction, reverse engineered from their Catholic sources and rewritten to celebrate and worship the Deities of the coven or group are presented, with full examples of those rites. The mass generates sacraments in a similar manner to a drawing down rite, and the benediction is used to super-charge a magic temple using the sacraments from the mass rite. These two rites are used to sacralize any magical working so to manifest within such a working the aid and manifestation of the Deity. I also present the methods of consecration of amulets and relics, and even the animation of a statue, bust of picture of a Deity, representing the full spectrum of sacramental theurgy. Still, I also discuss the elements of sacred sexuality and how it can employed in the magical workings of Witches or Pagans.

In the final section of the book, I cover the temporal mysteries of the sun and the moon, and present magical rites to be used for lunar and solar mystery workings. Another important mechanism in this kind of magic is the sacred grove, and I not only define the grove and how it is to be developed and used for working sacramental magic outdoors in the awesome beauty of nature. This brings the reader to the final chapter where I discuss the elements and workings of a Grand Sabbat that bring all of the previously discussed tools, methods and practices together in a powerful that brings to life the material embodiment of the Goddesses and Gods through personification into a temporary sacred community of Witches and Pagans.

I believe that this book will bring together practices and approaches to Witchcraft from a liturgical and magical perspective together into a single powerful practice, where the Deity will be directly engaged and embodied to assist in the magical aspirations of the individual, the group and the greater community. This book will be the capstone to these kinds of practices, and make more obvious the sacramental theurgy that is a natural function of the modern Witchcraft and Pagan practices.

Frater Barrabbas

Losing My Religion?

I have engaged in some further discussions about the topic of the Dark Night of Soul recently on Face Book. What has come out of this discussion is a more refined definition of the Dark Night of the Soul that magicians as well as mystics might experience. According to those who disagree with me it has to do with the aftermath of experiencing a powerful but momentary union with the Godhead, in all its glory and majesty. The resultant sense of loss after such an experience, also temporary, produces in the magician the archetypal Dark Night of the Soul. Tomas Stacewicz has responded to what I wrote with his own article, and you can find it here. I have also read with interest what he has proposed as comments on one of my Face Book status postings,

While I would never say that it is impossible for a magician and initiate to experience pain, darkness, doubt, fear and even despair while undergoing a powerful transformative initiation (in fact I have stated that this is very likely), I wouldn’t necessarily equate that intense experience with what a mystic undergoes through the Dark Night of the Soul. This is because a mystic nakedly approaches the Godhead by faith alone, whereas a magician is armed with faith based on the experience associated with magical experiences. There is also something decidedly masochistic about how a mystic deliberately prepares for this occurrence. Christianity does emphasize the suffering of Christ on the cross (particularly in Catholicism), and so a Christian mystic should also experience a similar level of suffering in order to be considered legitimate. Also, as I indicated in my article, the Dark Night of the Soul is nearly a constant companion for the mystic, but it doesn’t seem to be something habitual for the magician.

Tomas seems to have ignored the details that I presented in my article about how a monastic adherent seeks to undergo union with God and all that it entails. Based on what I have written, it makes more sense for mystics who have diminished and emptied themselves so that only the naked and unadorned psyche is still extent to have these kinds of experiences. How could worldly magicians who are still full functioning and participating in the mundane sphere be capable of having this kind of experience unless they themselves were reduced to nought?

I think that Tomas is actually engaging in a romantic association and a glorified identification with the mystic path, even though, unlike a mystic, he is still functioning in the world. He has a job, material possessions, property and social obligations. A true mystic would have eliminated everything in his life that might have interfered with achieving union with the Absolute. Tomas seems to believe that because he has experienced what he thinks is the archetypal Dark Night of the Soul that all such experiences must be the model and foundation for all other magicians. In fact he goes on to point out that experiencing the Dark Night of the Soul as he defines it represents an important mile-stone signifying one’s true level of development and achievement. In other words, if you haven’t experienced this phenomenon, then you couldn’t possibly be an adept, or for that matter, an initiate. He is quite adamant about this belief, and there seems to be no middle ground. Here are Tomas’ words to that effect.

“However, my own experience [of the Dark Night of the Soul] and the experiences of other initiates proves beyond any doubt that it is possible and even constitutes a requirement to become a successful Magician or Adept.”

I suppose I should be insulted by what Tomas has said (since it excludes me from being a magician or even an initiate), but I won’t take it personally. I have the utmost respect and admiration for Tomas and I believe that he feels the same way about me. Despite the narrow definition that he has flatly proposed, we have agreed to disagree. Still, I felt it important to respond to some of his points to more clearly define the nature of my own tradition and magical perspective. Tomas seems to believe that I omit the importance of the Dark Night of the Soul in my magic because I define matter and spirit, and my pagan path, differently than he defines his spiritual path. He sees it as a difference in our paths, but I think that it is merely a difference in semantics.

While I agree that our paths are somewhat different, it is difficult for me to accept that they are that much different. My reply to Tomas is that he might be conflating the Dark Night of the Soul, which is a very specific phenomenon in Christian mysticism, with a difficult and particularly harsh transformative initiation. Of course, this is matter of opinion, but I felt that it would be constructive to contrast how we see reality and perhaps get a glimpse of the truth behind our passionate beliefs.

In my previous article I did state that painful transformations can and do occur, but if and when they occur they usually represent something specific about the individual and their own spiritual process, and they are not necessarily archetypal to all such experiences. The cycle of transformative initiation is something that is constantly repeated and it has lesser and greater cycles, so there would be a periodicity to experiencing intensely powerful and difficult changes regularly in the life-span of a magical initiate. While magical initiates follow the cycles of light and darkness and that this is feature of their path, the experience of darkness that a magician undergoes is not same as the Dark Night of the Soul. It is has neither the intensity nor the depth, and this is because it is just one phase of the initiatory cycle.

Another point that Tomas has made in his article is that modern pagans cling to the material world and are unable or unwilling to detach themselves from it in order to truly experience the manifested glory of the Godhead. Here are his words:

“All spiritual paths and the followers thereof distance themselves from the material world to a certain extent, Theurgy as well as Mysticism”

As I pointed out in my article, a modern pagan doesn’t differentiate between spirit and matter, rather they consider them to be fused into a holistic structure that can’t really be separated except through the artifice of the mind. Modern pagans don’t “cling” to the material world, they in fact embrace and fully live in it, and they celebrate its various wondrous mysteries and manifestations. We perceive that spirit and matter are conjoined in union so that life and the material reality becomes something sacramental. Thus, to a modern pagan, every living thing is a sacrament!

I also find the term “pagan reconstructionists” be somewhat misleading regarding my own beliefs and practices because as a modern pagan what I do has only the barest and rudimentary relationship to ancient pagans and the paganism of antiquity. Granted, there are pagan reconstructionists, but I am not one of them. That is why I call myself a Modern Pagan and not a reconstructionist. Even so, what I am doing is celebrating a religious tradition, although it is a very modern and newly developed one. Our work as Modern Pagans and Witches is not yet complete. In fact, we have only begun our spiritual and religious adventure. However, all magicians are more or less modern, since the cultural context and consciousness of even a few hundred years ago is irreparably lost to us.

Because I have equated the transformative cycle of initiation with that of the Hero’s Journey, I have also shown that a complete cycle includes both a descent and an ascent. The initiate undergoes a total shattering of the self and then a reconstruction and a reintegration. Such a process is often painful and difficult, perhaps even profoundly so. Still, the purpose of this cyclic process is for the initiate to psychically die and be reborn so that she might evolve and succeed in integrating the archetypal cosmogonic cycle with the temporal world - in other words, to achieve her individual and her collective destiny. In order to play a part in the destiny of the world, the magician initiate must be fully engaged with that world. It is also important to be balanced enough to avoid the extremes of material imprisonment or material corruption. Therefore, to be a magician and an initiate it is important to be able to function in the material world so that she might help to change and transform it. A magician is not detached from this world, in fact, the world in its spiritual and material manifestations is the great teacher, guide and even the harsh mistress of trials and life threatening challenges.

Tomas also discussed in his Face Book comments that the Dark Night of the Soul was analogous to losing one’s connection to the Godhead and then experiencing the darkness of doubt, loss of faith and the miseries associated with suddenly being bereft and abandoned. While I don’t doubt that this is a real phenomena that an initiate can experience, it doesn’t necessarily follow that it is the same as the Dark Night of the Soul. The process of the transformative initiation cycle reaches its highest point when the initiate experiences a complete breakdown and shattering of the self. Would that kind of experience also produce the same feelings that one might mistakenly think is the Dark Night of the Soul? Certainly it would be painful, perhaps even agonizingly so, and it would seem that one is deserted, alone and without any advocates or assistance. As I have stated previously, when this happens in a successful initiatory cycle it is just one of many stages. So these feelings, however intense, quickly pass as the initiate experiences the next stage, which is union with the opposite and hidden dark-self and a complete revitalization and restoration.

When I have undergone this process I have experienced the pain of the breakdown and shattering of the self, but it is always followed by the joy and celebration of rebirth. I could indulge in the pain and attempt to prolong it, but I see no reason to do so. The natural cycle consists of a shattering and a breaking down of the psyche into the rudimentary parts, and then a corresponding powerful regeneration and rebirth. Why would I attempt to block or halt this natural process? I suspect that doing so would distort or even cripple the transformative process, making it like a regressive fall into madness. Yet the tendency to rebirth seems to be much too powerful to resist.

My case is that a magician experiences a total shattering and destruction of his psyche instead of experiencing a Dark Night of the Soul . He might believe that this experience is the Dark Night of the Soul if he is so romantically inclined. That is what I think is being described by initiates and magicians who believe that they have experienced this phenomenon. I don’t either doubt or dismiss what they have experienced, but I choose to frame it differently because to me the whole context of the experience is a magical process, and it is startlingly different from what a mystic undergoes. 

Still, the question remains that Tomas has pointed out in his Face Book discussions. Can one loose their connection to the Godhead and still be a magician? This statement reminds me of that song by REM “Losing My Religion.”

“Consider this

Consider this, the hint of the century

Consider this, the slip

That brought me to my knees, failed

What if all these fantasies come

Flailing around

Now I've said too much” REM - “Losing My Religion” (part of the lyrics)

When it comes right down to it I suppose anything is possible in the various experiences and phenomena of magic; but losing one’s connection to the Godhead is a peculiar one, at least in my opinion. Let me explain why I think that this is so.

I have defined ritual magick as the methodology that incorporates the practice of godhead assumption as the fundamental state of consciousness for all magical work. So, that means that an initiate who performs magic is doing so under the aegis of his or her personal godhead. If that is a prerequisite then it would be difficult to lose connection to the greater Godhead and the One because the personal godhead is synonymous with the greater Godhead. There is no difference except in one’s mind and perceptions.

As the initiate progresses through the transformative processes of initiation, the apparent differences melt away and the initiate becomes more aware of the Godhead Within and the greater Godhead Without, and that they are one and the same. Is there any possibility that one might lose their connection with the personal Godhead? Perhaps in the beginning when it is a new experience which hasn’t become an integral part of the magician’s innate nature; but once it does, then any kind of spiritual disconnection is unlikely to occur. It wouldn’t be impossible, but such an occurrence would represent a catastrophic setback. It would be a total nullification of one’s entire initiatory process.

In all of the years that I have practiced ritual magick, I have never experienced this kind of loss of connection. I am aware of my inner godhead and often it resonates in a synchronous manner with the greater Godhead. Sometimes my mundane life has most of my attention and at other times my magical and pagan religious work are my primary focus. I also need to manage and balance living in the material world with being a pagan, witch and a ritual magician. I am focused on world events, thus making me worldly, but I also am keenly aware of magical and spiritual processes within and outside of me as well.

As a magician, I am seeking to be a master of both the material and spiritual world, since from my perspective, they are one and the same. What this means is that I experience a cycle of magical and mundane occurrences, and both of these occurrences are part of the overall process of conscious evolution. They are just part of a greater continuum that reaches from my unique individual experience and perception of life and its meaning all the way to the absolute levels of being. In my opinion, the road to self-mastery is where these different levels become unified into just one level all within my overall perception. Perhaps the one Tarot card that epitomizes that whole process to me is Atu V, the Hierophant.

Anyway, I have never been in a situation where I have not had, in some manner, a connection with the Godhead. For me it is only a matter of precedence, intensity and focus. I have never lost my “religion” since it is completely integral to my being. I know the nature of Spirit from my experiences with it, but I also know that it resides wholly and completely within matter, and the truth is that there is no distinction between them except in my mind. My beliefs and my faith are based on my experiences. From these experiences I seek to derive various maps, rules and doctrines that encapsulate what I have experienced. This is an evolving process, so what I hold to be true today will undoubtably change tomorrow. It is quite a different process than holding particular truths and doctrines based on faith alone, which is the starting point where the mystic begins his or her path.

Someday, perhaps in the future, I hope that I will be able to completely eliminate the distinction in my mind between spirit and matter, and when that happens, I will know what it is like to be a man and a god simultaneously. Until that time, I will continue my work and strive to realize the mystery and nature of the Godhead within me, and by outward projection, to know it in the world.

Frater Barrabbas

Most Important Lesson in Magick and Witchcraft

Once a student has mastered the basic regimen of practicing meditation, casting a magic circle, undergoing trance, raising power for basic kinds of workings and performing the simple liturgies for Sabbats and Esbats, then the next and most important step in learning to be a witch and ritual magician is to master the rite of godhead assumption. In my system of magick a godhead assumption is an essential practice that everything else is based on. If you are working a system of ritual magick that employs immersion as its central tenant and foundational mechanism (such as the one that I have proposed in my writings) then you had better know how to automatically assume a godhead in order to protect and also empower yourself while practicing this type of magick.

According to my teachings, a godhead assumption is the key to the mysteries and the primary mechanism for fully experiencing the five mysteries in all of their awe, majesty, glory and power. I believe that this technique is so important in my system of magick that it is one of the major topics taught to a student, and once it is mastered, it should become an automatic process. An experienced ritual magician should be able to shift into their assumed godhead automatically when undergoing the preparatory work for a ritual working.

Even before the student considers mastering the simple ritual of godhead assumption, they must first determine which God or Goddess they are going to assume. When they have made this determination, then they need to develop a relationship with that Deity using regular forms of worship, adoration, focused meditation, devotions, votive offerings and other liturgical operations. Yet the technique of discovering one’s personal godhead is neither an easy nor obvious process, or at least it shouldn’t be. The mystery of being a human being is that we simultaneously possess a material body, a mind and a spirit, and that makes realizing something that is completely spiritual and intangible more subtle and complex than it might otherwise be. To enter into the very core of our spiritual being requires an undistracted effort that our body and mind will all too easily thwart. The layers of flesh, emotions and the mind can even obscure one’s internal godhead to the point where it is invisible. Our internal godhead is the supreme unifying point within us, but we cannot be fragmented (distracted) into our various parts if we are ever going to realize it.

Finding this internal godhead can be easy or it can be quite difficult, but it depends on the person and how psychically dense they are. Even highly spiritual individuals can lack a certain internal sensitivity, through no fault of their own. Sometimes the elected godhead changes over time or the deity attribute mutates into a personal hybrid that can’t be easily classified. One might expect this to happen at some point if the person performing the godhead identification and assumption changes over time, too. (After all, we are the reflectors of our own internal godhead, and that must be completely understood if this process is to make any sense at all.)

In Carribean forms of magic, the process of finding your personal godhead is called “finding the god of your head.” I believe that this phrase is quite apt for what the erstwhile ritual magician and Witch should undergo to discover their internal godhead. Once students begin this search then dreams and portends will lead them to find the right godhead. What this means is that the first impression or obvious choice should be carefully and cautiously examined over time to make certain that it is indeed true. The first choice may be an incorrect one and only later will the proper godhead be revealed. This search is an important magical process in itself and it is also a mystery, since it represents the first veil that hides or obscures our true God/dess Within. Once discovered, our internal godhead becomes the foundation for more advanced magical workings, such as the invocation of the Bornless One or the Abramelin Lunar Ordeal.

I can give you an example from my own experience to clearly illuminate this point. For many years I was more focused and fixated on the Goddess (although I will not reveal her name, of course) and saw myself as the godhead consort to that feminine Deity. I could assume a number of different names (and their associated imago), but the mythic thread that I was following was that of the mortal lover (with the God within) of the immortal Goddess. After some years, this situation was augmented by a deep and personal engagement with the Egyptian God Set, and I began to assume that godhead when working higher and more intense forms of ritual magick. I found that assuming the godhead Set was very helpful in warding and protecting me from the various spirits of the underworld that I sought to evoke. There were also a number of other Deities with whom I had developed a personal relationship and from those relationships gained insights and knowledge about many obscure things. For instance, I was shown a whole new method of performing an invocation through my dialog and relationship with the Goddess Lilith.

However, all during this time there was some unknown Godhead that was assisting me, revealing profound magical insights and guiding me to new heights of magical knowledge and ritual capabilities. I tried a number of times to determine who this Deity was and so understand the source of this assistance. Even so, this knowledge was kept from me for many years until the Deity finally decided to reveal itself, and then I quickly learned through that revelation that it was the composite deified form of Hermes-Thoth Trismagistus. Having undergone that revelation I also discovered that this Deity was also so intimate to me and my magical and occult workings that it was always present whenever I assumed my personal godhead. This knowledge was kept from me for whatever reason for many years, but it would seem that having achieved a certain level of knowledge and development that I had earned the privilege of knowing the identity of my greatest sponsor and Godhead backer.

Even though I evolved through the process of determining the nature of my personal godhead and that attribute has undergone change over time, at some early point in my career I began this process. For me, it was my passionate relationship with the Goddess that acted as the catalyst; but the typical student can pursue a more direct and obvious path to determining their personal godhead. What this means is that I went through a more circuitous and convoluted process because I lacked any understanding of what I was attempting to do or where it would lead me. If a student takes a more deliberative approach to discovering their personal godhead then it would probably be resolved in far less time. Still, the search for one’s personal godhead is not a simple matter, and as I have shown, it can and does change over time and sometimes the knowledge can be obscured or even deliberately blocked.  

How one begins this search for the God of one’s head is to start with a daily meditation where the seeker implores the greater powers and intelligences at large to reveal the specific God or Goddess of one’s innate being. This meditative search should be performed with as much emotional desire, curiosity and passion as one can muster, and the emotional tension experienced should increase over the period of this operation. As the days progress, seekers should note their dreams, insights, visions and thoughts particularly when they appear to identify a specific Deity. This process is an ordeal and should be conducted as one, so anything that the seeker senses that might be relevant should be noted down (in their magical diary) and carefully examined. The seeker might also engage in divination, either performed by herself or performed by a helpful outsider.

Over time, and this period will vary, a series of dreams, imaginings, insights and visions will coalesce that will clearly indicate that a specific Godhead is operating in the life of the seeker. In fact it is possible to determine more than one Godhead when performing this search. Even so, the next phase of this operation will help seekers to choose which Deity is appropriate to their present level of development. Students will have to choose the one Deity (and no other) that would greatly empower their spiritual and magical identity once it is assumed into their personal godhead. Students should also know that any Deity which takes a personal interest in them (and is revealed in this search) should be given a place of honor in their magical work. Thus it is natural that they will accumulate multiple Deities of varying importance over time as part of their personal pantheon. These additional Gods will be made part of the magician’s personal shrine and spiritual lineage, and they will also require periodic service, devotions and offerings along with one’s personal godhead.

How students make the final section of a specific Deity to function as their personal godhead is part of the overall mystery of this ordeal. Certainly it can’t be done without a period of meditation and developing a preliminary dialog with the elected Deity. This means approaching the Godhead and talking or praying to it, and carefully noting how one feels and what impressions one receives by doing this activity. There will be the evidence that one has collected through various dreams, visions and insights, but there will also be another highly important factor, and that has to do with how one feels about this Deity compared to any other possible candidates. If the Deity that one is considering appears to have a powerful positive impact on one’s emotions and feelings then it is likely that it is the correct God or Goddess for one to assume at that time. I can’t really tell someone how they must make this selection because it is so subjective and unique to the individual. What I can say is that the right Godhead will elicit the same kind of powerful attraction that one would feel when meeting a prospective lover for the first time. The choice should be unequivocal and decisive for the seeker. If there are doubts or hesitancy, then the elected Deity that one is considering is not the right choice.

Once a Deity is identified then the ritual magician and Witch will begin the next stage of this work. The seeker will need to develop a deep and personal relationship with this Deity, and that will include researching everything that is available to seeker in order to build up a cultural context, persona, characteristics and expectations associated with that Deity. He or she will assemble and write devotions, appropriate offerings and also write various liturgical rites that help to build a powerful spiritual alignment with that Deity. This might include acquiring a statue or pictorial representation of this Deity. Idolatry is a key practice in pagan ritual magick, and it should be actively pursued along with all of the other objectives since it helps to build up the image or imago of the target Deity. I won’t get into the art of statue animation, but that could be a later part of what magicians do to enliven their personal alignment with their chosen Deity.

These collective activities that a magician will perform are invocations, oblations, paeans, lunar and solar observations, meditations, special offerings, communal meals, and ultimately a full godhead assumption. In fact these activities could be seen as a kind of powerful emotional love affair between the seeker and the Deity, since love is the ultimate “glue” that causes them to become aligned and eventually, spiritually one.  Establishing a deep and meaningful alignment with a Deity is a lot of work, but it is so important that it could be considered a major part of the Great Work that a ritual magician and spiritual seeker must ultimately achieve.

I have already written a few articles about the actual rites and methodologies about Godhead Assumption, and the erstwhile student can find them here and here. I have also written up a critique about how Witches and Pagan typically assume the Godhead of their group or lineage, and also what can be done to make certain that this process is free of regressive psychic manifestations. You can find that article here. I believe that this preparatory work is critically important to anyone who considers themself to be a ritual magician and a Witch or Pagan. These lessons, however, go far beyond what one might be taught in a coven or a grove, but they are standard fare for anyone who seeks to work higher forms of magic within a Wiccan or Pagan spiritual and magical context. It is what I teach everyone who seeks to be my student and learn to work magick the way that I have done all of these many years.   

Frater Barrabbas