Archive for the Paganism Category

Blessings and Curses: Samhain

Posted in Necromancy, Occultism, Paganism, The Path of Flames with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 2, 2016 by Sypheara

I would just like to take a small moment to wish everyone who follows the blog and my work a productive and blessed Samhain season.

I love this time of year.. all the way up to the winter solstice the energy is perfect for all sorts of interesting workings. Its great to be able to share these with others, and this years group Samhain rite by a friend of mine was spectacularly well executed. It was very powerful rite, tapping into the ophidian currents to expertly honour the dead.

That said, as regards to my own workings, this years Samhain rite was a little different than expected. It’s been a relatively difficult time here for numerous personal reasons, in regards to both illness and death. All on top of attempting to integrate the gnosis coming through from the awakened gates.

Recently, a horrible occurrence happened that required a powerful protective, and malefic rite to rectify the extreme psychological harm brought about to one of my friends family members after they were attacked at knifepoint. So, alongside the usual offerings to the dead at this time of year, the rite was executed on the Sabbat night with this in mind, and was extremely powerful.

Into the body were called Hecate and Belial, as well as the Ivory Spider, to lend their aid and power. This power was directed towards the empowerment and consecration of a malefic and necromantic wand of control, command, and bane using the accumulated venoms of the path thus far.

After this, empowerment and protection was first given to the innocent victims using the existing wand of Lucifer, to ensure they were duly empowered and protected. Afterwords, the new malefic wand was used to impale, envenom, and then blast the malefactors before they were cast out from the circle into the northern quarter into the waiting teeth of Belial and his hosts.

dsc_0364Wand prior to its activation in ritual with associated venoms 

The wand was made from a single, dried out branch of holly that was acquired as a present from an earlier working.. an interesting tool that was given at the right time for the right purpose. I am not interested in Malefica in general.. anyone who knows me or who has followed the blog for anytime will have seen the lack of such material here. But this time it felt powerful, necessary, and part of demonstrating the power of the Path from Belial in my direction.

Unfortunately due to the nature of this work involving the specific use of the Ivory Spider and his venom conjoined with Belials, its unfortunately unsuitable to share the exact method of consecration for the wand here. However I detail the above to illustrate the other side of the coin of working with these entities.. the ability to defend oneself and ones friends and family, blood or spiritual, that comes with the territory.

In other news, a certain friend of mine has also recently completed a very interesting book.. a book that relates to possession work with Belial. He has poured an immense amount of time and effort into this text.. I hope to soon grab a copy to illustrate why I think its an important addition, albeit one that comes with a lot of caveats.

Thanks again for reading,

Ave Hecate,
~S~

Works of Light and Fire: Hecates Gate

Posted in Luciferianism, Occultism, Paganism, The Path of Flames with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 15, 2016 by Sypheara

The last two months, after posting the last update, have been very hectic when it comes to activity. For this, and technical reasons causing several drafts to disappear, has caused me to update less than I intended. However, with it being three years approximately to the inception of the blog, I felt it was important to get out some kind of update as both motivation and to let interested parties know as to how things are going.

That said, I will try and launch straight into the updates. Firstly, and most importantly, Hecates stellar gate has been successful carved, blooded, and opened in ritual releasing unique and important gnosis. This has clarified some longer term goals on my path.

The Stellar Gate itself comprises of two, important sigils, one being her full, revealed and activated stellar eye and that of her own, specific sigil relating to her stellar gate. These were etched into a birch endblock, and inked as described in an earlier posting, accompanied by four, surrounding words of power. These words of power consisted of Hecates name, that of two of her appropriate titles, and the name of the Stellar Toad all written in Theban script.

This prepared block was cleansed with Sandalwood incense and water, and in ritual from within the circle with both sides of the tree opened and Hecate invoked into the flesh, empowered. The exact method for this has to at this time remain secret, but involved a specific way of consecrating the block at six, cardinal directions using a specific vocalised stellar key. It also involved some semi circle breaking work to draw in the powers directly from opened conduits, acting as a lightning flash between direction, block and practitioner.

Once correctly opened, Hecate elevated the level of the possession utilising the power of the gate. The level of the possession became strong, and direct, Hecate assuming an insect like form to merge with my own. At the height of the possession and union, the energy released was explosive revealing knowledge of two, new stellar keys as well as a specific, gate construction. Gnosis was delivered as to the full structure of both the keys, and the gate, alongside some clues as to its intrinsic nature. The nature of this possession was exhausting, draining even, being different to the usual kinds of possession experienced. However the conciousness was expanded, and in the days that followed several blocking elements in the work were removed.

It was at this time that I received my new Athame. I had contacted a smith to create a bespoke blade for Hecates craft, but numerous issues had prevented it from making its way into my hands. After only a few days, I received correspondence to let me know, out the blue that it was on its way. After a brief but slightly eventful delivery, it finally arrived and, through intuitive workings with the Gods, was consecrated.

DamaszenerKlinge

An example of Damascus Steel. Credit: Ralf Pfeifer

The blade is made from Damascus steel,  and features a curved silver crossguard and the hilt is made of black ebony. Its empowerment was done from within the circle, at the four cardinal directions, with Hecate invoked into the flesh. The hilt was decorated with two, simple sigillic constructions as directed, and the blade was treated with a mix of plant essential oils, one for each element. I hope to in the near  future write a small, descriptive PDF of this process for those who wish to construct a similar blade that is specific to the current of the Trident. This is not to suggest there is an orthodoxy to this process that I feel is likely extremely personal, but hopefully it will offer a springboard for people to base off further ideas.

Lastly but not least, for Beltane celebrations I ran a working dedicated to Lucifer, invoking his stellar and light bearing aspects. This work consisted of two main parts, due to falling several days later than the actual sabbat, on the black moon.

The first part was the opening of a central cauldron of water, to the black moon, in Lucifers name. This cauldron was then used to cleanse, banish and remove malefic ills specific to each individual. Through it Lucifers fire was also drawn, as the height of the black moon ebbed. The new, growing influence of the moon was then used to conduct a group working, petitioning Lucifer to assist and speed up in the healing of the Earth and the rebalance of its world soul via awakening the souls of man.

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The Altar after specific, personal items had been removed. Thanks to the photographer on the day.

Central to the work were two, temporary sigillic gates initially opened in a preliminary work on the Sabbat rite. These were created via automatic writing in possession with Lucifer, and were created as exoteric seals to channel the solar and stellar energies. The first was a variation of his primary sigil, oozing the energies of his lightning flash, and the second was a variant on Hecates Sabbatic Eye infused with his solar energies. The first was used as a primary conduit as part of the altar work, the second the seating sigil for the large, brass cauldron. Added to the cauldron was a mix of plant essential oils, salt, and a exceptional offering gifted by one member of the group. This offering took the form of a triskele created from copper. This was activated, and used to seat additional energies within the cauldron itself.

I felt the working went very well, the energies being correctly channelled and applied, and this was echoed in the feedback from the group. It is always a pleasure to be able to share what an be shared of the craft and introduce others to these entities in their true forms, especially when it comes to a much maligned entity such as Lucifer that is covered with many masks.

Finally but in no means least, The Rite of Her Sacred fires will be being held on the full moon of May. This rite is open to any who wish to participate, and is partaken in by many devotees of Hecate since its inception in 2010 by Sorita d’Este.  I have performed the rite as prescribed in the past, and it was always an enjoyable and beautiful experience. This year, I will be participating in my own way by incorporating it into wa orking with Hecates opened gate. I encourage all others who have a connection or calling with her to give it a shot. More information about the rite, as well as a much better writeup, can be found at the Covenant of Hecates website by clicking the image below.

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The Rite of Her Sacred Fires (Sorita d’Este)

I hope you have had a fantastic May so far, and hope that it brings many opportunities in the craft to come.

Ave Hecate,

~S~

Finding the Masculine in Goddess’ Spiral

Posted in Luciferianism, Paganism, Publications, The Path of Flames with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 28, 2016 by Sypheara

 

spiral-background

 

It’s been a long time coming, but all the hurdles have now been overcome. The anthology I mentioned contributing to has finally been published, making its way into print on the 10th of February. I waited upon receiving a copy of the anthology before making this post,  in the main due to not having received a full copy of the work electronically prior to its publication. I wanted to see how the work was framed, as well as what other contributions had been made to the text.

I can say on the whole, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. There are many powerful testaments within the book to the power of the Goddess, in whatever form she decides to take.  Many of the authors offer a powerful and different perspective of how she works within their lives. Hecate appears directly identified several times within the text, making this of interest to those who wish to see how she moves in the lives of others.

My own entry, ‘At the Crossroads of Eternity’,  details my first encounter with Lucifer and the ignition of the flame within my blood. It begins with an explanation as to how Lucifer was the one who brought me into contact with Hecate, and how this allowed for the integration of polar opposites which spurred my spiritual development. From there, the entry goes on to deal with gnosis concerning the development of the animus and anima, as a direct spiritual experience to be assimilated. A heavy emphasis on genuine spiritual contact, rather than becoming lost in dry political or philosophical discourse is given.

Looking back at this entry, I feel it is of particular interest given my work in the past year. Considering that the text was written before the work of the familiars was begun in earnest, it can be seen as a precursor to the familial work which saw this being put into practical action.

Although not something I wish to dwell on, I feel the book also gives myriad voices of men in the modern pagan movement a platform to be heard freely as a force in themselves. It is important to demonstrate that everyone is equal  in the eyes of the Gods, and that at the end of the day it is how we approach the work with them that matters. This transcends small minded human prejudices, regardless of where those happen to fall on the spectrum of ignorance. It is is also worth noting that those who try to close off a door on the road to their development will only find that they have to open it and face those challenges further down the line.

I will be making the entry public a year from now on my blog, as allowed by the contract. However I thoroughly recommend that those who aren’t put off by tones of gender politics  to pick the book up. I only add the caveat that due to the nature of the work, each author speaks for themselves, and as a matter of course do not necessarily reflect my own views.  I believe that at its core however it shows powerfully how her lunar current can change lives in whatever form and method she decides to manifest. Hopefully you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed contributing!

The book can be purchased from Immanion Press (technically their non fiction wing, Megalithica Books) from here, and is currently retailing at £11.99.

ipblack

Ave Hecate,
~S~

Samhain Blessings

Posted in Other, Paganism, The Path of Flames with tags , , , , , , , , , , , on October 31, 2015 by Sypheara

Was reflecting on and came to the conclusion that a post was in order, considering the auspiciousness of the day.

My mundane situation has calmed down considerably, and I am (mostly) moved into my new place. Tonight, the Temple Room will be reactivated by a process involving the following. Whilst I do not have time to detail this process, it can be quickly lain out as follows for the interested:

  • The casting of the sphere of night.
  • Calling of the quarters.
  • Calls given composed of the both the Planetary , Stellar calls, and that of the Ephesian letters.
  • Ensorcelling of the powers of the sphere.
  • Invocation and Possession involving Hecate.
  • Opening of both sides of the Tree, light, then dark to balance the polarities.
  • The concentration of this energy into opening the new gateway within the new inner temple through blood work, sexual magick at the height of frenzy and excitation.

I wish everyone who is reading a blessed and productive Samhain…  may the torches of the Gods forever illuminate your path. I hope your workings tonight truly blow open the veils and reveal the gnosis that you seek.

Ave Hecate,

Ave Lucifer,

Ave Belial,

All Hail to the Witchgods this Night!

samhain_by_midnightstouch
Samhain by MidnightsTouch

Gnosis via the Eyes of the Gods

Posted in Greco-Egyptian, Occultism, Paganism, The Path of Flames, Traditional Witchcraft with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 26, 2015 by Sypheara

There are many ways in which the Gods deliver gnosis to those who have successfully forged a working relationship with them, or to those who they wish to bestow upon their gnosis. This can take the form of anything from vivid possession of the body and journeying in bilocation, to audible voices and intuitive experiences.

One common and powerful way they communicate and grant their gifts is via  the Eyes of the Gods. These manifest as gigantic eyes to our minds, usually during liminal, journeying experiences but some cases even without warning, superimposing themselves over our sight.

These manifestations are always vivid, made up of a dizzying array of colour and light. The sensation is that of a hyper real experience as the God manifests themselves in the form of their great eyes directly. This is often accompanied with an auditory sensation akin to a low or high pitched notes that oscillates endlessly. Each experience of the Eyes of the Gods is unique, depending on which God is manifesting and in which form they so choose. Common forms for these appearances as Serpentine, Mammalian and Compound eyes, but other more geoemetric arrangements can encountered and experienced.

Gazing into the eye in fascination is usually an automatic response, such is the alluring draw of these beings, ancient beyond comparison. Often when this is done, for any length of time, within the eyes the observer will become aware of a shifting pattern of lines, geometric shapes and quivering sine waves. Sometimes, these condense into a solid, powerful and radiant sigil.

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The Solar Eclipse, May 2013, Liscarroll National School

The Eye Sigils, although not the Eyes themselves, contain a vast amount of power. They can be roughly split into two categories: Ingressing, and Egressing. Note before I continue that these categories are purely to make working with them easier; it is a purely human, logical construction for the purpose as acting as a quick rule in regards to the applications of any particular eye sigil. This can (and definitely should) be backed up by further work with the entity which gave the original eye sigil.

Ingressing eye sigils direct power inwards. These eyes are great to work with in offering and devotion, and reveal great gnosis through their utilisation through contemplation and/or blood work. They primarily act as maps, keys and gates to other realms.

Egressing eye sigils direct power forcibly outwards, acting as potent protective and malefic tools, and also act as powerful sigils to create active and powerful gateways for earthing the currents of the witchgods.

As mentioned above, this rule is not hard and fast. The reality is that the majority of the time, an eye sigil is a mix of these depending on the reason why it was  gifted upon its observer in the first place. However in my experiences so far,  they are usually weighted to one of these categories and  are given for one specific use. Each should certainly be approached and understood on its own basis.

eye-horus

The Eye of Horus, self edited

The appearances of these eyes cannot be forced, only requested, and are to be seen as fragments of the Gods themselves and respected as such. It is likely they will be encountered in invocation, if they make their presence known to the practitioner who invites them into their flesh.  They are also present when the Gods are watching us, although usually in a more distant format and is in these cases encountered primarily in the dream state. The first of these resolved eye sigils that were specifically granted to me, along with increased visions of these eyes, has been revealed as a vital part in the construction of the lower stellar body. It is through the constructed and empowerment of this body via which the Ivory Spider, along with a myriad of other Witch Gods, will allow for the full integration of the lower spheres for the crossing of the Abyss.

As contrast to the above, it can be easily demonstrated that such powerful eye sigils, and the eyes in general  in regards to magickal purposes have a precedent in many other cultures in the world. Both of the examples I use below could fill a post on their own, so I will keep it brief and the reader is encouraged to research further.

Egyptian culture has a famous example in the Eye of Horus. Horus was one of the most significant Egyptian deities, a stellar sky god of immense power. In one Egyptian myth, Horus was engaged in combat with  his uncle Set for the throne after his father, Osiris’s death. In said fight Set landed a blow which blinded Horus, entirely gouging out his left eye. This wound was later to be magically healed, in one strain of the story by the god Thoth. The lost eye of Horus, upon being recovered, was offered by Horus himself to his father Osiris in an attempt to once again resurrect him. This led to the Eye of Horus becoming linked strongly with protective elements, healing, and sacrifice, due to its sympathetic links with the actual severed eye of the God.

A different but none the less impressive example are the tales surrounding the protective and malefic power of the heads of the Gorgons, from the Greek classical period. Gorgons in the tales of antiquity are described as terrifying female monsters, possessed of hair comprised of living snakes as well as a stare that could turn a man to stone in an instant.  Perhaps due to their terrifying nature, great power, and associations with immortality, it was unsurprising that the head of the Gorgons would be fashioned and used in an amulet form, known as a Gorgoneion. This Gorgoneion was primarily used for protective purposes to avert the ‘evil eye’ of malefic intent turned towards its possessor or location it was drawn upon, in a way that could well be described as fighting fire with fire. The use of  this technique, known as Apotropaic magic, was widespread in the Mediterranean region at the time.

Medusa

Medusa by Arnold Böcklin, circa 1878

This short entry I hope has been of interest. Although seemingly simple it is a topic with vast depth, something I have found through exploring the stellar eyes of the Gods.  Further posts are forthcoming as work is completed and archived, but unfortunately I have temporarily been disrupted by my mundane situation, due to having to move house. This said, the PDF second part of Familiar Bonding will be completed and posted either on or hopefully soon after Samhain.

This will be the final PDF on the topics of Familiars for the foreseeable furture, and with the initial gnosis of both the Eyes and the Foundations of the lower body thus complete, work will begin on creating the three remaining stellar gates for the  for the preparation for the incorporation of the spheres and finally the crossing of the abyss itself.

Ave Hecate,
Ave Lucifer,
Ave Belial,
~S~

Welcoming the Ivory Spider

Posted in Luciferianism, Occultism, Paganism, The Path of Flames, Traditional Witchcraft with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on September 24, 2015 by Sypheara

The Gateway given by the Gods now stands successfully opened on the physical and spiritual planes. Directed by Belial and Lucifer over three separate rituals across an entire lunar cycle, the formula was given fully and the Stele of the Elemental Guardian and Guide constructed, carved deep into wood, inked in love, and filled with rivulets of blood in devotion.

This would be my first work in the medium of wood. However, even as I prepared the first lines, etching them deep into the surface of a birch end grain block, it became evident that it had been the correct choice. Each chiselled shape seemed to radiate power, the lines dancing across the vision. The process was kept simple. Using a basicc set of chisels, and a hammer, the outline was created and then enlarged to suit the icon given. Once completed, the lines were brought to life with a thin line of artist’s ink, which ran slowly throughout the prepared image.

The first ritual saw the Gate Sigil granted at the Temple Initiation pre-merged with the incredibly powerful Stellar Glyph to form the complete Gate. This symbol was blooded in the name of the Gods, with attention being given to its particular patron, as the work was commenced under the influence of the darkened New Moon.

In sexual magickal communion the Trident were called forth into the Flesh. With the invocational possessive state achieved, Belial took charge, merging with the Self. At the height of Sexual Communion, an explosion of energy up and through the spine and from the Sigil occured, for a split second resulting in the loss of awareness. After recovering, the voice of Belial could be heard, confirming the validity of the formula and the priming of the Gate via blood and bone.With one final act prompted by him, subtle visions of the Gate on the other planes could be seen, its surface now glowing a powerful and radiant silver. Lines of blue and gold energy ran across its surface as it opened slowly to reveal a dark recess through which no light penetrated, confirming the success of this first stage of the work.

Gradually, from the darkness, a sigil danced forth of a moon being split in twain by numerous receding dancing rectangles. This vision, although clear and calm, grew frustrating and maddening as the shapes danced into inconceivably impossible shapes within the mind’s eye. Soon however, as I calmed myself down with Belial and Lucifers aid, a distinct shape came into focus. Of a large, moonlike eye surrounded by astrological symbols in a web like shape. This sigil burned brightly, and Lucifers energy became more intense.

As this experience settled, the initial rite was closed with the Gods thanked for their assistance. Gnosis was given, the Gods indicating that the new granted sigil was to be etched into the other side of the block, and opened in the similar manner to the first on the night of the next Full Moon.

blue-cheese-moon

Blue moon, unknown author

Again calling the Trident forth in ritual, this time Lucifer took a much greater role, elevating his energies to match that of Belials. As the new sigil was blooded, the Lord of Thaumiels energies could be felt, slowly enveloping the self in a strong and powerful energy. In the possessed state, Lucifer made it clear that the sigil was in fact the sigil of the Elemental Guardian. He hinted at its vast power, and mandated it be unlocked in the same manner as the gate of Belial itself, using Belials physically bestown gifts merged with his own current. This was carried out as directed, resulting in the seal brimming with energy, seemingly coming alive to the eyes.Continued sexual meditation saw the gate in bilocation glow with an intense energy, the gate now filled with a strange luminescent light. This energy came in waves, vibrating from low and subtle to high and overwhelming. Similar to the visions in the first ritual, the gate swung open.

From the darkness beyond, a great, white writhing mass thrust forth without delay, a startlingly chthonic emanation contrasting greatly with the stellar current that had been up to that point powerfully delivered through the gate itself. It rapidly grew in size and mass, spilling outwards into the cave area, assembling itself into various forms as it did so.First, it assumed the form of a gigantic, furred white serpent, with piercing amber eyes. This form was not ‘pure’ snake, being also possessed of many writhing centipede like tentacled legs. This form quickly shifted fully into a centipede, and before the senses could even adjust, it had transformed into a gigantic, arachnid like entity. This visage first merged through the guise of a spider, before proceeding to that of a gigantic, pincerless white furred scorpion. Its form settled there, as gigantic, white wings burst forth from its back, yellow eye upon yellow eye covering their surface. These looked not dissimilar from bat wings, but unlike a bat’s, were covered in large, beautiful white feathers. Upon its head the entity bore a large azure crystal inset into its flesh. Beyond this, further along its back, its primary sigil was evidently marked upon its flesh. Like the gate, its entire being let off a startlingly powerful stellar current despite its appearance.

With the being having presented itself, and no warnings or feelings of insidious intent detected by myself or indicated by Lucifer and Belial, it was invited into the physical flesh to take part in the communion. It obliged readily, coming into the form.Even as it did so any clear vision of the cave itself dissolved, instead replaced with images of this beings aura being superimposed over my own form. I began to feel the spine beginning to curve as the energy levels heightened further. Suddenly, without any prior warning, a very intense vision of this entity stabbing one of its appendages deep into my stomach, continuing on up into the ribcage, filled my entire being. My physical, mental and spiritual form contracted reflexively as it deposited something within the soul body, and I began to thrash violently. This lasted for several, tense seconds, resulting in a total loss of bodily control. The pain suddenly ceased, and the presence of the entity was replaced by that of Belial, stepping in to moderate the flow of energy from the contact.

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An inverted version of Ensouls Illustration (linked) depicts an entity similar to the Ivory Spider

At this point my awareness shifted back towards my physical form, and I could hear my own voice now, repeating an unknown mantra. A repeating pattern of four distinct words that seemed to resonate with the same pattern of the encountered entity. The entities presence could still be felt subtlety, and it began to communicate, first in images and then by voice. It confirmed the mantra was its words of power, and identified itself primarily with one of them, the final one, as its name. It referred to itself by a title, ‘The Ivory Spider’, and related its task as a Primary Guide, Protector and Pathfinder on the road to Middle Road Ascension, revealing stellar gnosis for assimilating both sides of the tree.

The second ritual was closed as the first. Over the proceeding two weeks further gnosis and communication was had with the entity outside of any active ritual workings. This consisted of contact not just with the entity but information released via the injected venoms themselves. Flashes and sigils depicting this process were released clearly to the conscious mind. The venoms could be seen congealing around the soul, wrapping around and infusing deep into its makeup.

A third ritual to settle the process was requested via the entity. To fully create the finished gate, the entity instructed that the four words of power, including the word of its primary name, were to be written around the edge of the block in a widdershins fashion in the Theban alphabet, each word being blooded individually and invoked from within the constructed circle. From this, as communion was taken at the level of the flesh, the Ivory Spider disclosed more.

Initially this was knowledge pertaining to the middle pillar, and the uniting of both life and death on a Stellar Path of Ascent. The entity made clear the extent of neglect of the Paths of the Stars by Man in the current age, detailing how now few travel or attempt to earth Stellar Currents, compared to ages in our past that could be considered relatively recent. The entity described itself as a pathfinder and guide along these pathways, describing how it also maintains and spins new connections.

Of most importance, the entity gave advice to finish existing, grounding works, before work with Belial and Lucifer himself should be undertaken, under Hecate and its own watchful eye, to initiate the beginnings of these powerful soul transmutative rites.

The entity was not only supportive, but confirmed planned work with granting the primary familiar a body was of importance; The entity heavily indicated that this will be of great importance in providing a physical grounding, assisting greatly in the forthcoming rites which channel these stellar currents. It is to be noted here the importance of a physical anchoring point. This fact is one that is often overlooked, even though it is of utmost importance to the work. Their successful construction is one that becomes mirrored through every realm when worked correctly. The entity in its own words was adamant that the ‘triad’ of the gateway stele, as well as both familiars was complete before any further work commenced on the path to ensure correct balance in the self. Whether integral to the work itself or simply a personal step needing completed before the new path is walked was not disclosed.

With discourse and communion finished, the entity withdrew, and the completed Stele of the Ascending Gateway of Belial and Lucifer was wrapped in black silk, tied with red cord, and placed into the guarding and waiting hands of the empowered doll familiar.

scorpionScorpion, unknown author

It is at this point an honest word must be said. These works will be powerful, and due to their innate nature, contain sensitive information and not everything can be disclosed immediately onto the blog. As such what can be shared will need to be limited until this part of the path is walked to its conclusion, the gnosis assimilated, and the Watchers give license for it to be disclosed in detail.

As always however, as much as can be shared openly will be made available via the blog, so the path can be illustrated as a guide to others.

In Nomine Hecate,

~S~

Of Temple Initiation and Screaming at the Moon

Posted in Occultism, Paganism, The Path of Flames with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 31, 2015 by Sypheara

It felt like a trip I had to make.

During personal workings at her altar, Hecate made it known that the invitation was open – and I felt strongly pulled to the idea of travelling to the temple where her currents have been successfully, powerfully and permanently rooted into Belials flesh.

It felt like the final seal on all of the dedications and initiatory workings. Hecate instructed that it would facilitate the removal of a certain blockage I had been facing – allowing the currents of all four Trident Gods to flow through and encompass my entire being –restructuring the soul; propelling me to a whole new level of work. The request was made to the Gatekeeper of Her Mother Temple to ensure that the initiation was appropriate and accepted. With confirmation from both Gatekeeper and Hecate, I made the necessary arrangements for this pilgrimage.

Three weeks ago, I found myself walking up steep, stone steps to the Temple of the Four Pillars itself, deep within the Spanish Mountains. Accompanied by the Gatekeeper, I was about to undergo the powerful initiation held within the heart of this sacred place.

The Temple of The Four Pillars of Fire is aptly named. A large stone circular structure – the womb of the Goddess – is surrounded by four smaller stone circles, one for each of the Trident Gods, which are sunken into the ground. Sigils of the Arte adorn the temple’s aging stone walls, as sacrificial bones hang from branches above the archways – the entrances to each Pillar of Flame.

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The Temple of Four Pillars of Fire

Due to the intensely personal nature of the rite, as well as ensuring the protection and due respect in regards to the Temple and its Gatekeeper, what can be shared is limited. Below I detail some of the ritual experience that occurred during this powerful initiation.

The rite began with entrance to the Womb of Hecate, facilitated through the western gate where bones hung low from the trees.

In the heart of the central vortex the Four Pillars of Fire were activated by its Gatekeeper, their powerful magical force swirling around temple circumference before entering the centre circle – the womb of Hecate.

With power vibrated through subtle and flesh incarnate bodies and blood offerings given upon temple seals, inner gateways were opened in the names of the Trident Gods, Demon Princes, Tassatowah and Temple Guardians. These beings did not just unite their power within the temple, but also within my own flesh and soul. The vortex quickened whilst we stood facing the Northern Wall of Belial, a stone face covered in his sigils, and the dominating form of the fetish lord, standing at the centre of the womb as its axis. It was here that the first pledges were made. As their power flowed into my being from each quadrant, oaths were taken to follow the Gods beyond the expiry of physical flesh.

I gave up my silver pentacle, an item of much sentimental value, tying it to the Fetish Lord as a gift. The Fetish Lord then became the focus of the rite, the possessed skull – dedicated as the Godhead of Lucifer – already bore offerings of my blood. When my ritual gift was placed upon the Fetish, the skull was again blooded.

At this point, kneeling before the Gods, sacrifice was given – the offering was made by the Gatekeeper. This sacred act of sacrifice granted to the Witch Gods sealed the pact, reifying their vast energy into my soul. The entire process intensified as the Gatekeeper drew the Mark of the Serpentine Trident upon my brow. As blood ran down my face, a crushing blackness flooded into my being. This was more powerful than anything I had ever previously experienced. The power rose rapidly, released from the sacrifice, into my being and up through the Fetish Lord. As the black energy transmuted within my being in a rapid alchemical process, I felt my soul energy becoming a pure stellar current – carried on the ascending spirit that was released from the sacrificial offering. A current of pure flame, ripped through my body – not pain but an intensely pleasurable feeling which filled my entire being with pure joy; an elation akin to the orgasm of the soul.

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Art by Nox Enamor

When this overwhelming energy eventually settled, yet another journey was undertaken to one of the Pillars of Flame, to call Hecate in Godform assumption. While full possession was not achieved, Hecate made her presence known in a flash of energy, soothing my simmering soul energy as further invocations were made. Upon completion, when it felt time to return to the womb of Hecate, I was presented with the sacrificial bone of Belial. I was then informed that this amulet would unlock pathways and Dragon Lines that led to the heart of the Earth.

From a seated position I blooded the bone and closed my eyes. My vision was filled with swirling reptilian eyes. Belial was immediately present. The eyes danced across my field of perception, turning, swirling, opening and blinking in rapid succession. Belial spoke, his voice clear and authoritative, giving direct and powerful messages. He asked why I resisted him. I replied that it was not intentional, and asked for his guidance on the path. He related that my destination was not, as was customary with some Primal Craft intiations, to be the Devil’s Throne. Now was not my time for that particular journey, instead I was instructed to follow Belial into the depths.

After being dragged through the largest of the reptilian eyes I found myself falling through dark tunnels which, spiralling downwards, eventually gave way to damp earth and stone cavern structures which opened into a large, black cave. A powerful light emanated from an opening in the roof, bathing everything in a brilliant, golden light.

A figure wearing armour and a sword, manifested before me. The entity wore a green cloak and hood, which obscured its face, and had two gigantic white feather wings protruding from its back. The being was authoritative but seemed benevolent. With his sword he opened or created a vortex. The ground fell away to reveal a dark lake. Light poured in from a collapsed ceiling, but the source was not sunlight. It felt like we were tens of kilometres below what could be described as the surface, that somehow the light was being generated by a type of photo-luminescence. Around the rim sat eight stone skulls, water poured from their mouths feeding the dark lake below.

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Dark Lake – Photographer unknown

At the centre of the lake lay a circular stone platform, connected a far wall by a stone walk way where a huge gabbro door was inset into similarly dark walls. At this point my body seemed composed of solid white flame. A huge sigil adorned the door. The glyph vibrated powerfully. It was illuminated by green, blue and golden white energies like dancing flames. I reached out to touch the glyph, but as I did so, I heard Belial whisper something unintelligible, like snake speech, and the vision dissolved; returning me to the ordinary blackness of closed eyes. I immediately recorded the sigil from the doorway and, exhausted, thanked Belial for his guidance. The rite was closed in love and honour. An offering of brandy was left for the Gods as an additional token of respect, and then we headed down from the mountain.

Over the coming days Hecate, in possession work, revealed the purpose of the gateway sigil. Using formula given during initiation it was carved in wood and opened in blood, unlocking its seals and pathways for further exploration. This process releases a powerful Elemental Familiar.

In later work this gate was successful merged with the Stellar Glyph of Lucifer – granted unto all who place their names in Hecate’s Book of Souls during initiation at the Mother Temple. A second seal was given and the mysteries further revealed. More work is to be undertaken, this time on the full moon, to seat the stellar currents that also flow into through these chthonic paths revealed upon this ongoing journey.

Lunar_eclipse_April_15_2014_California_Alfredo_Garcia_Jr1

In Nomine Hecate,

~S~

Samhain Ritual Write-Up: The Dead Supper

Posted in Divination, Heathenry, Necromancy, Occultism, Paganism, The Path of Flames, Traditional Witchcraft with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 30, 2014 by Sypheara

With November fast disappearing, I have finally been able to complete the writeup for the PDF version of the Rite that was undertaken this Samhain. It was a powerful one,  that both me and my friend, Kagekabuki, put together for a local pagan group.

Rather than wax and wane on, I will instead let the introduction I have written for it describe the rite fully. The download link can be found in resources as well as below:

Samhain – The Dead Supper

This ritual is written for performance on the night of Samhain, and is a variant on the traditional dead supper ritual carried out by many groups and covens. It was first performed on Samhain night in 2014, where it was successful in evoking the gods and the mighty dead, as well as directing the participants downwards to experience the celebrations being held within the underworld. 

The the main focus of this ritual falls heavily on the hallowed dead, of peoples spiritual lineage, and requires an active involvement by participants to connect to these spirits. The ritual requires two leaders, ideally one male and one female. The presiding Gods of the ritual that will be invoked are Hecate/Lucifer, and Woden/Hel, with the Path of Flames being the route the powers are accessed.

Although the crossroads where The Path of Flames cross with Germanic Paganism may be obscured, it is a syncretic bond that arose out of the combination of two lines of practice, that was divined to be acceptable / encouraged by the Gods in question themselves. People who are interested in running this ritual are encouraged to carry out a divination of their own to detect/perceive this relationship to settle their minds if they find it a concern.

The ritual itself makes use of the usual circle, invocation and building of the energies, followed by a ritualistic descent to the underworld, a dead supper and possibly a guided meditation. The guided meditation aspect must be worked / recorded by the leaders of the ritual before its carried out in ideally a joint working, on the 30th of October, the night before it is to be performed.’

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An example of the main altar used for this rite from Samhain 2014

As mentioned in the PDF, I’d like to thank the people who took part, as well as Kagekabuki for helping me get everything together and running the ritual alongside me. Please take a moment to visit her blog, which is unfortunately in that place we do not name.. Tumblr!

http://the-wyrd-wanderer.tumblr.com/

In other news, I will be spending the next month or so on personal workings with the new doll i received, to empower it as to become my secondary familiar. I hope to detail this, as well as provide images before the empowering ritual has been performed.

The spirit residing within it has already offered its sigil, so the process should be an intimate and rewarding one. The body for the primary familiar is finally on its way.

Thank you for reading, I hope everyone had an enjoyable Samhain, and I look forward to the Winter solstice!

~S~

Countdown to Samhain

Posted in Folk Belief, Luciferianism, Necromancy, Occultism, Paganism, The Path of Flames, Traditional Witchcraft with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 27, 2014 by Sypheara

Hello all, hope this post finds you well.

With Samhain approaching, I have become incredibly busy. I have another Doll body on the way, a second to source, and a ritual for a rather large group to run and prepare. All this alongside also ensuring my own personal notes and writing is kept up to date!

As such, I hope to have plenty to post soon, but unfortunately most of it is likely to go up after Samhain is over with. This is no bad thing really, as it’s a time when we should be in touch with our Gods and Ancestors and our Loved Ones and Communities, rather than lost amongst a digital fog which consumes most of our attention the remainder of the year far more than it should.  (I am definitely guilty as charged).

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Samhain Altar – Author unknown

I wouldn’t post if I was completely empty handed however. I recently wrote a ritual based loosely on my very first ritual with Lucifer I undertook several years ago. This was written for an acquaintance that wanted to contact Lucifer with a means of taking him on as a patron for self empowerment. Whether this person went and performed the ritual I do not know as I never received any contact to confirm the fact.

I feel it is in a decent place to share, and a good thing to post given the season. For those interested, this Monday would be excellent to perform it, or even period over the Samhain season due to the Sabbat being within the moons Waxing phase. Please make sure to read it fully, including the calls, to understand its intent.

It can be found at the following link:

Seven Day Ritual for Unleashing the Black Fire

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Gustave Doré -The fourth horseman, Death on the Pale Horse (1865)

With that said, forgive me for being brief, and  I hope you all have a great and productive Halloween and do the Hallowed Dead proud!

~S~

 

Basic Altars and an Update on Publication

Posted in Occultism, Paganism, The Path of Flames, Traditional Witchcraft with tags , , , , , , , , on September 4, 2014 by Sypheara

With August falling off the edge without a solid entry, due to work and endless sword seminars, I thought it would be a good idea to get  around posting something i’ve been meaning to get around to for awhile.

First off however, I would just like to state that I received a reply from the editor of the anthology I submitted an entry to, and he has confirmed that my article has been selected for publication! As such, hopefully once i’ve seen it in its final form and cleared it, I will be able to link and recommend the finished product, as I will be unable to share the article publicly until one year after publication in print. It is really encouraging to get something possibly published, and might mean an easier job in getting any further works into print in the future.

The topic of this post however will be altars, specifically, mine in regards to Hecate and the other witch gods. I often get asked about my altar set up, and usually the answer has been pretty simple: It is basically an amalgamation of everything that I have come across, have made, or otherwise possesses some occult virtue alongside offerings to the Gods.

It must be said before I go any further that this post, in regards to my own altar, is going to be picture light. I will be illustrating my post where possible with existing pictures of Hecatian altars that belong to others that are publicly available on the internet. I myself do not agree with taking pictures of a space that is for personal use in regards to communing with the Gods. As a sacred space, I feel it should be kept private, and viewed only by ideally oneself, other practitioners, and very close family members at the most.

This is my own personal taboo, but interestingly, both Mark and several other practitioners I talk to have mentioned this to me only recently as either a warning that this shouldn’t be done or that they personally also don’t share pictures of their own altars. I respect and understand why others feel differently however, even if I don’t necessarily agree, and they do serve an educational purpose to those who wish to construct their own.

 

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Altar of Hecate by Zingaia 

Without further ado then. Altars can be small or large, simple or complex, or anything inbetween. My own altars for the last few years have served primarily as a stop gap – somewhere I can practice and give offerings, as a practical space, with the hopes of in the future creating a more empowered altar that would serve as the ideal replacement. Due to the fact I had no permanent residence, or would often have little to no privacy for occult work whilst watched over by religious types that disagree with my practices, these have been small, compact, and easy to relatively easily deconstruct. These are the ones that I now will detail.

The altar itself is a small, round circular table upon which is laid a very basic red altar cloth. This is more for practical reasons than anything else, due to the amount of incense I burn and the capacity of things to spill. This is about one metre high from the ground, so a relatively low table.

The most important part of my altar, arguably, are the central fetishes. These are the objects that in the main, help channel Hecate and  the other Witch Gods. The main two are talismanic – that is, in some manner constructed by myself to be suitable for their purpose. There is a statue of a dragon with an inset green geode, that has been consecrated and empowered to act as a central focal point. Alongside this, is my spirit box which I have detailed the construction of elsewhere on this blog. This box acts as an even arguably stronger link that the main statue, and links the altar to the Witch Gods to which it was created as well as the mighty dead, with Hecate being prime and first.

The box itself sets upon a sigil of the three crossed staves, and the the geode of the dragon often contains small pieces of paper with prayers, requests, questions written on them and folded up into the crevice so they can be charged. Once an answer is given, these are burned in the open air with thanks and libation.

Alongside these two talismanic objects are things i have just seemingly ‘acquired’, based on intuitive judgement, If you keep your own altar, and work with the spirits, you’ll understand what I mean by this. Sometimes you are just compelled t acquire a certain object for its use upon the altar, some internal ‘voice’ tells you it is required or desired.

These central fetishes are supported by a ring of 36 brass skeleton keys, all of which have again been consecrated and arranged around the box. These help strengthen the links further to Hecate and her Key Bearing /Master of Locks and Doorway  aspects, and I intend to use them in important workings in the future.

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Altar of Hecate by an Unknown Practitioner

Alongside these objects, are several others i have just seemingly acquired. Working with an altar dedicated to the spirits seems to attract all sorts of associated objects over time. A non exhaustive list would be the following:

+A salt dried piece of driftwood that acts as a wand, given by the sea in return for my first pentacle, which i lost upon being gifted the branch. It compelled me to take it, and it has acted as my primary tool since acquiring it. It will be further enhanced and worked with in the future, but it gives off an energy which means I feel like I have little to do to it.

+3 stones, 1 quarts, 1 feldspar, and 1 moonstone. These act as further enhancers, and have been placed around the box alongside the keys.

+1 large tree seed of unknown origin. Placed as above.

+1 piece of grave stone, bought from the spirits at and collected from the local graveyard.

+1 glass encased spider corpse, due to my affinity with the creatures on a spiritual level.

+1 dagger, that came into my possession and consecrated, that is used in a multifaceted manner.

+ Several bits of red string left over from the box consecration ritual

On top of these, the practical tools for giving offerings and the offerings itself exist upon the table as follows:

+2  incense burners, one large, one small.

+3 candle holders, sitting atop the three main sigils of the witchgods.

+3 Glass bottles contain a water and pepper mixture corked.

+1 mug containing a suitable libation, usually black coffee or some form of alcohol

+1 glass jar, containing a mix of water, pepper, and numerous essentials oils that are mixed in with it (usually patchouli + others) used to feed tools and the box and as an offering in itself.

+1 ash holder, for containing all the burnt ashes, as they can be used for a multitude of purposes.

Working with this altar is very simple – every week the ingredients are changed on a Monday, and any libations are poured away around the thresholds of the doors in entrance to the house. This fortifies the protective shield around my own home, and feeds the genius loci. Any left over solid offerings that may have been given in addition to the above are taken to the nearby graveyard or a wooded area of seclusion and left there.

I ensure that my altar is kept private, and when necessary, it is quickly dismantled with each object being carefully and respectfully packaged away until the interference subsides and it can be rebuilt.

Things are added to the altar on an intuitive basis, either due to containing there own natural power or added as part of a talismanic construction on my own part.

By adding and growing and interacting with our altars, we work closely with the Gods and Spirits, creating a personal space of connection between us and them. Hopefully this post has illuminated my basic setup. Going forward, I hope to construct a much better, more permanent altar which I will detail the creation of and share if possible in the form of a document.

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Outside Altar by Unknown Practitioner

Thanks again for reading, and I look forward to the next post. Soon, Samhain!!!

Ave Hecate!

~S~